Ontario Animal Health Network
Your comprehensive source for animal health information.
OAHN Update - December 2018
Dr. Kate Todd joined OAHN in October as the Network Coordinator, covering for Dr. Melanie Barham while she is on maternity leave. Kate is a DVM 2007 graduate of OVC, originating from Stratford, ON. Following graduation, she pursued mixed animal practice (with a focus on equine/small animal medicine) near her home town. She has since worked throughout Canada as a locum, as far west as B.C. and Alberta, and as far east as Newfoundland. She has a particular interest in imaging and internal medicine, and completed courses in ultrasonography as an adjunct to practice. She brings her enthusiasm and ideas to continue to build the OAHN expert networks, and works to strengthen ties among producers, industry, and veterinary practitioners, and to effectively communicate disease surveillance information.
The network co-leads participated in a training session on Nov. 14, facilitated by Evalina Rog and Linda Watt of the University Learning and Development Centre. This sparked some interesting discussions and thoughts about cooperation, coordination, and collaboration, and how we can involve network participants in planning for projects and activities.
OAHN Annual Workshop
On Nov. 21, the OAHN Annual General Meeting was held at the Ignatius Jesuit Centre in Guelph. A total of 70 network members, government, and industry representatives attended the meeting. Dr. Davor Ojkic and Dr. Jim Fairles spoke on the topic of "Evolution of animal health testing in the molecular age" as the keynote presentation for the session. The networks shared information and successes of 2018, and participated in a planning session to establish their network goals and projects for 2019.
African Swine Fever Infographics
The OAHN Swine Network created 2 infographics covering African Swine Fever Prevention Tips. These infographics cover signs of ASF illness, as well as emphasizing making herd health and biosecurity a priority. You can find these infographics here: https://oahn.ca/news/african-swine-fever-prevention-infographics/. Ontario Pork was able to distribute these infographics to more than 4,000 backyard swine producers throughout Ontario.
Varroa Mite Awareness Campaign for Ontario Beekeepers
Throughout the end of August and the beginning of September, OAHN joined with some of Ontario’s top beekeepers to lead FREE workshops teaching Ontario beekeepers about how to test for Varroa mites in their hives. We then collected data from Ontario beekeepers, and mapped these data. Find out everything about this project here: https://oahn.ca/resources/oahns-varroa-mite-awareness-campaign/
New Podcast and Reports
The OAHN Companion Animal Network has put together a new podcast with Dr. Bronwyn Rutland on Chronic Diarrhea in Dogs and Cats. Dr. Rutland and OAHN Companion Animal Network co-lead Dr. Maureen Anderson discuss chronic diarrhea in dogs and cats. They discuss what chronic diarrhea is, common causes, infectious diseases, management strategies (including fecal transplantation), diagnostic approaches, and much more. You can access it at the OAHN Podcast Page: http://oahn.podbean.com/
We have lots of new reports, lab data, and resources. Be sure to check out OAHN.ca