| Good morning from Fort Collins, |
| It's a crisp week with highs pushing into the mid-70s, which means Halloween is close and candy is already everywhere. We have a few things worth reading before the weekend: a local rabies reminder that's been on our minds, some news about tick-disease testing, and the annual chocolate-toxicity conversation that we will apparently have every October until the end of time. |
|
By the numbers
|
|
$17 / $60
Annual Fort Collins pet license fees, neutered / intact
| |
2.7%
Year-over-year rise in cat vet visits, Q3 2026
| |
~100%
Recovery rate when chocolate toxicity treated promptly
|
|
|
|
IN THIS ISSUE
|
1
|
Larimer County leads Colorado in terrestrial rabies, and 2026 has already had its first confirmed case |
|
2
|
A lab test for Ehrlichia now catches more cases that in-clinic snap tests miss |
|
3
|
Chocolate is toxic to dogs year-round, but Halloween is when the ER gets busy |
|
4
|
The FDA just approved a new form of Previcox that lets owners give more accurate doses to dogs |
|
5
|
Around Fort Collins: Pumpkins on Parade at The Gardens on Spring Creek, and 3 more coming up |
|
|
|
The lead 路 LOCAL ALERT
|
|
Larimer County leads Colorado in terrestrial rabies, and 2026 has already had its first confirmed case
|
| A bat tested positive for rabies in open space near the Adriel Hills neighborhood in northeast Fort Collins in May, and county health data makes clear this is not a one-off. |
| NOCO Humane's animal control page notes that Larimer County leads the state in terrestrial rabies cases and that exposures to both humans and pets in northern Colorado have been on the rise. The May bat case involved no known human exposures, but bats are the animal most likely to go unnoticed until it's too late. If your dog or cat is current on their rabies vaccine, you have the main protection already in place. If you're not sure when they were last vaccinated, now is a reasonable time to check. |
| |
Why it matters: A lapsed rabies vaccine is the one gap that a bat encounter in the backyard, the garage, or on a trail can turn into a serious and expensive problem.
|
|
|
Read at NOCO Humane / Larimer County Department of Health and Environment →
|
|
|
TICK TESTING
|
|
A lab test for Ehrlichia now catches more cases that in-clinic snap tests miss
|
| A peer-reviewed study published this month found that Antech's Accuplex reference-lab test detected Ehrlichia at a higher rate than the IDEXX SNAP 4Dx Plus test used at most clinics. |
| Ehrlichia is a tick-borne disease that can cause fever, lethargy, bleeding, and serious organ damage in dogs. The SNAP test your dog gets at their annual wellness visit is a fast, convenient screen, but this study suggests it may not catch every positive. If your dog has been off tick prevention, spends time in tall grass or on trails, and comes in feeling off, it's worth asking whether a send-out lab test makes sense alongside the in-house screen. |
| |
Why it matters: For dogs with vague symptoms and tick exposure, knowing a more sensitive test exists means you can ask for it rather than waiting to see if things resolve.
|
|
|
Read at Today's Veterinary Business →
|
|
|
HALLOWEEN HAZARD
|
|
Chocolate is toxic to dogs year-round, but Halloween is when the ER gets busy
|
| Methylxanthine toxicosis, which is the medical name for chocolate poisoning, is one of the most common calls to veterinary emergency lines every October. |
| The risk is real across all types of chocolate, with dark chocolate and baking chocolate doing more damage per ounce than milk chocolate. Cats are largely uninterested in sweets, so this is primarily a dog concern. The good news, reported this week in Veterinary Practice News, is that when toxicity is caught and treated promptly, recovery is nearly 100 percent. The window matters, though: if your dog got into the candy bowl, call us or ASPCA Poison Control right away rather than waiting to see if symptoms appear. |
| |
Why it matters: A quick call before symptoms start almost always leads to a better outcome than a late-night ER visit after they do.
|
|
|
Read at Veterinary Practice News →
|
|
|
DOSE UPDATE
|
|
The FDA just approved a new form of Previcox that lets owners give more accurate doses to dogs
|
| The FDA approved a double-scored, quarterable version of Previcox, a common NSAID pain and inflammation medication for dogs, on October 8. |
| The scoring means the tablet can be broken into four even pieces, which makes it easier to hit the right dose for smaller dogs or dogs whose dose sits between the standard tablet sizes. Less guessing, less waste, and potentially less cost if a smaller dose is all your dog needs. If your dog is currently on Previcox for arthritis or post-surgical pain, it's worth asking at your next visit whether the new format would work better for them. |
| |
Why it matters: More precise dosing is both safer and can reduce what you spend on medication over time.
|
|
|
Read the full story →
|
|
|
Quick hits
|
|
Around Fort Collins
Pumpkins on Parade at The Gardens on Spring Creek
If you're looking for something to do this week, Pumpkins on Parade opens Wednesday evening at The Gardens on Spring Creek and runs through Sunday the 25th. It's an after-dark walk through glowing pumpkin art and light installations made by local artists, with live music and games from 5 to 8 p.m. each night. Timed-entry tickets, so worth grabbing those ahead of time if you want a specific evening.
Also coming up
|
|
|
Tip of the week
|
Put the candy in a cabinet, not a bowl on the floor
A bowl of Halloween candy left at nose height is a standing invitation for a dog who has never stolen anything in their life. Foil wrappers and all, dogs will eat what's there. The one change that prevents most holiday toxicity calls is simple: keep candy at counter height or above, and make sure kids know not to leave their haul on the floor or a low table. If you have a dog who counter-surfs, the counter is not high enough.
|
|
|
|
|
|
How was this issue?
|
|
Until next week,
Dr. Alvarez and the Bramble Hill team
|
|
| P.S. If your dog got into Halloween candy this week and you're not sure how much or what kind, call us first. We'd rather talk you through it on the phone than have you spend the night wondering. |