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Tick-tock, it's time to protect your animals from ticks.
Spring might be a little ahead of schedule this year and with it comes the early introduction of disease carrying parasites like ticks. Unfortunately, there are many types of ticks and they can each carry different diseases like Rocky Mountain spotted fever, lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis, and ehrlichiosis.
There are a variety of safe and effective tick repellents available for livestock and companion animals in forms like dips, sprays, skin applications, and oral medications. You should consult with your veterinarian to discuss effectiveness, timing of application and safety of these products for your animals. While you're at the vet you can also ask about vaccines that can protect against certain diseases like Lyme disease.
Visit our tick webpage to learn about the different types of ticks and what you can do to protect your animals.
Protecting our community: Salmonella surveillance in live poultry from hatchery to home
Did you know we team up with the Minnesota Department of Health every year to investigate Salmonella illnesses linked to live poultry. Poultry can carry Salmonella germs, which can spread to anything in the areas where the poultry live and roam. One of the things we're doing to stop the spread of Salmonella is to study what strains are being carried by chicks from their hatcheries, to feed stores, and then potentially to peoples' coops and homes.
Last year's study revealed:
- 82-percent of samples contained salmonella.
- Six different Salmonella strains were identified.
- All participating feed stores had Salmonella in the containers used to transport chicks from the hatchery to the store.
You can prevent the spread of Salmonella by washing your hands with soap and water after handling chicks.
The days of the paper certificate of veterinary inspection (CVI) are numbered
Electronic CVIs (eCVI) are replacing their paper counterparts at a rapid pace across the country. Here in Minnesota we're encouraging veterinarians to switch to one of the many approved eCVI options today. While we still recognize paper copies as official at this time they are often less accurate, slower to process, and not accepted in all states. Switch to eCVI today for faster processing and accuracy!
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