Amber Itle

With cases of bird flu in cattle reported across the western U.S., as well as cases in pigs and humans here in the Northwest, health officials are watching the H5N1 strain very closely.  But, why is this strain so devastating for domestic birds?   ...

The Washington State Department of Agriculture state veterinarian’s office has confirmed the presence of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus type 2, better known as RHDV2, in rabbits on Lopez and Orcas Islands in San Juan County.  RHDV2 is a highly contagious, fatal disease of rabbits.  The rabbits s...

For the first time in seven years, the Washington State Department of Agriculture has confirmed equine infectious anemia in two horses.  The two horses come from separate farms in Yakima County but were together on one of the farms earlier this summer.  A priva...

With the fall migration underway across the nation, the state of Washington is preparing for an uptick in highly pathogenic avian influenza cases. Veterinarians predict newly infected wild birds will join the already infected, resident wild waterfowl populations: increasing the risk of transmission to backyard flocks...