Foot and Mouth Disease – The Inside Scoop for Veterinary Professionals

February 12, 2025, 7:00 PM MT 

Veterinarians and other veterinary professionals may remember the events and lasting impacts of BSE. Similar impacts would be expected in the event that Foot and Mouth Disease was discovered in Canada. What should you be looking for? What do you do in the event of an outbreak? How do you report it? What advice can you give to producers and how can you spot high-risk management systems? This webinar offers veterinarians and veterinary teams practical advice on FMD and highlight the CFIA’s current regulations. 

This webinar is available for one CE credit for RVTs and DVMs across Canada. After watching the entire webinar recording, you may take a quiz to receive a CE credit.

Speakers:

  • Dr. Geneviève Toupin, DVM, National Veterinary Program Manager – Canadian Food Inspection Agency 
  • Dr. Murray Gillies, DVM, Coordinator – Canadian Animal Health Surveillance System, a division of Animal Health Canada 

Key Messages:

  • Foot and Mouth Disease affects all cloven-hoofed animals (cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, bison, cervids, etc.) and shedding of the virus varies by species.
  • Common symptoms include lesions, blisters, fever, decreased growth, milk production and feed intake, abortions, drooling and lameness.
    • Differential diagnoses: Vesicular Stomatitis
  • The aging of FMD lesions is generally accurate within 1-5 days; thereafter, accuracy decreases.
  • Suspected cases of FMD must be reported to CFIA. Attending veterinarians are not required to perform testing.
  • Foot and Mouth Disease does not pose a risk to human health. 
  • The largest risks for FMD entry into Canada include international travel, temporary foreign workers and illegally imported meat/by-products including wool or hides.
  • Biosecurity is the most important step in preventing FMD. 
  • The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) lists 3 different status levels:
    • Free where vaccination is NOT practiced (gold standard)
    • Free where vaccination is practiced
    • Infected country
  • The basic principles used in eradicating diseases such as FMD are:
    • Stamping out the disease by eradicating the sources of disease causing agents
    • Movement controls to prevent contact between susceptible animals and the disease causing agent
    • Zoning to contain the disease to geographical regions
    • Emergency vaccination (if required) to reduce the risk of spread. 
  • The FMD vaccines are used only during an outbreak. 

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