Single-dose parvo treatment gets USDA approvalMay 3, 2023Elanco’s Canine Parvovirus Monoclonal Antibody treatment may provide a less intensive solution by targeting the virus with single-dose efficacy in dogs.
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Reducing spread of deadly disease central to dog import billJuly 12, 2021Minimizing the spread of diseases that could be dangerous to both human and animal health is the goal of the recently reintroduced Healthy Dog Importation Act.
Vaccine bait aims to control rabies in U.S. wildlifeSeptember 3, 2020Protecting America’s heartland from a deadly, preventable disease is the goal of a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) program currently underway in the country’s northeast region.
N.Y. cats test positive for COVID-19April 22, 2020Two domestic cats in New York State have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, reports the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL).
ASF disinfection methods in the worksNovember 22, 2019The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) and the National Pork Board have teamed up to curb the spread of a virus that is killing countless pigs around the world.
USDA no longer experimenting on cats and kittensApril 3, 2019The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) says it will no longer carry out parasite experiments on cats and kittens, a practice that ultimately resulted in their being euthanized. The announcement comes weeks after U.S. congressmen Brian Mast and Jimmy Panetta introduced the Kittens in Traumatic Testing Ends Now Act of 2019. At the time, Mast said the USDA was breeding kittens for the sole purpose of feeding them raw meat laced with Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), a parasite considered to be a leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the U.S. ARS says cats were used in the research because they are the only host in which T. gondii can complete its life cycle and produce oocysts. The kittens were then killed even though they were healthy. In May 2018, the USDA reviewed its procedures after hearing feedback from its customers and stakeholders. ARS maintains cats have not been infected with toxoplasmosis pathogens or euthanized since September 2018. "Food safety research in ARS is of paramount importance for agriculture and the public we serve," said ARS administrator, Chavonda Jacobs-Young, PhD. "We are continually assessing our research and priorities and aligning our resources to the …
U.S. congressmen introduce bill to end deadly experiments on kittensMarch 11, 2019A new bill has been introduced to get the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to stop performing harmful experiments on felines. U.S. congressmen Brian Mast and Jimmy Panetta have introduced the Kittens in Traumatic Testing Ends Now Act of 2019. "The fact we need a piece of legislation to tell the federal government to stop killing kittens is ridiculous on its face, but what's even worse is when you hear the government is actually breeding hundreds of these cats just to intentionally feed them parasite-ridden raw meat and then kill them even though they're perfectly healthy," Mast says. "These tests are awful, abusive, and unnecessary, not to mention a serious misuse of millions of taxpayer dollars. This needs to stop now." "This common sense, bipartisan bill will require the USDA to adhere to the same animal welfare standards the department is charged to uphold," Panetta says. "While I strongly support scientific research, taxpayer money and federal resources should be spent on advancing scientific research in an ethical manner, not on inflicting pain on innocent kittens in outdated experiments. I hope this bill helps us get closer to ending this cruel practice.
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy-positive beef cow discovered in FloridaAugust 30, 2018The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has reported an atypical case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), or "mad cow disease," a neurologic disease of cattle, in a six-year-old mixed-breed beef cow in Florida. This animal never entered slaughter channels and at no time presented a risk to the food supply or to human health in the U.S., stressed the USDA. According to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's (APHIS) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL), the cow was confirmed positive for atypical H-type BSE. The animal was initially tested at the Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (a National Animal Health Laboratory Network laboratory) as part of routine surveillance of cattle that are deemed unsuitable for slaughter. APHIS and Florida veterinary officials are gathering more information on the case. Two forms of bovine spongiform encephalopathy BSE is not contagious and exists in classical and atypical types, according to the USDA. Classical BSE is the form that occurred primarily in the U.K., beginning in the late 1980s, and it has been linked to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, the organization stated. The primary source of infection for classical BSE is feed contaminated with the infectious prion agent, such as …
USDA lifts bovine TB testing requirement for Manitoba cattle exportsJuly 19, 2018Breeding cattle and bison shipped to the United States from Manitoba, Canada, no longer require pre-export bovine tuberculosis testing under the United States Department of Agriculture.
USDA grants Zoetis Vanguard crLyme vaccine for dogs a 15-month DOI claimAugust 14, 2017The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has granted approval of a 15-month duration of immunity (DOI) claim for Zoetis’ Vanguard crLyme, according to the company.
