Methicillin-resistant coagulase-positive staphylococci (CoPS) have become increasingly recognised as opportunistic pathogens that limit therapeutic options in companion animals. The frequency of methicillin resistance amongst clinical isolates on an Australia-wide level is unknown. This study determined antimicrobial susceptibility patterns for CoPS isolated from clinical infections in companio...

a guide dog named Roselle skillfully guided her blind partner, Michael Hingson, from his office in the World Trade Center down 78 flights of stairs after the building was struck by a plane that had been hijacked by terrorists. The team immediately demonstrated for the nation the power of the human-animal bond and what skilled working dogs like those trained at Guide Dogs for the Blind can do fo...

BACKGROUND Restrictive (i.e. elimination)-provocation dietary trials remain the standard of care to diagnose cutaneous adverse food reactions (CAFRs) in dogs and cats. There is currently no consensus on the duration of elimination diet trials that would permit the highest sensitivity of diagnosis of CAFR in companion animals. RESULTS The search for, and review and analysis of the best evidenc...

Following the first identification of a disease-causing mutation in dogs in 1989 and the more recent completion of canine and feline genome sequences, much progress has been made in the molecular characterization of hereditary diseases in dogs and cats. To increase access to information on diagnosing hereditary diseases in dogs and cats, a web application has been developed to collect, organize...

Domestication is an important factor driving changes in animal cognition and behaviour. In particular, the capacity of dogs to communicate in a referential and intentional way with humans is considered a key outcome of how domestication as a companion animal shaped the canid brain. However, the lack of comparison with other domestic animals makes general conclusions about how domestication has ...

Staphylococci were isolated from dogs in animal hospitals, animal shelters, and the Daegu PET EXPO to investigate the characteristics of circulating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcal (MRS) strains in companion animals in Korea. A total of 36/157 isolates were classified as MRS, and subdivided as follows: 1 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), 4 methicillin-resistant Staphyloco...

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States, and is the leading cause of serious, long-term disability worldwide. There are at least 795,000 new or recurrent strokes each year, and approximately 85% of all stroke occurrences are ischemic. Unfortunately, companion animals are also at risk for ischemic stroke. Although the exact incidence of ischemic stroke in companion animal...

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been reported as a worldwide pathogen in humans and animals including companion animals, i.e., cats, dogs, and horses. France lacked a comprehensive nationwide study describing the molecular features of MRSA circulating among companion animals over a large period of time. Here is reported the characterization of 130 non-duplicate clinical M...

The conditions of life of many companion animals and the rate at which they are surrendered to shelters raise many ethical issues. What duties do we have towards the dogs that live in our society? To suggest answers to these questions, I first give four possible ways of looking at the relationship between man and dog: master–slave, employer–worker, parent–child, and friend–friend. I argue that ...