Veterinary Medicine | Penn Today

Veterinary scientist in lab coat, gloves and goggles smiles while handling frozen biological samples

‘Invisible,’ restricted horse racing therapy may leave a trail

Shockwave therapy is used in both horses and humans to speed healing, but it can also mask pain. For the first time, researchers led by Mary Robinson and Jinwen Chen have identified several biomarkers of the treatment, the use of which is restricted in horse racing.

These overlooked global diseases take a turn under the microscope

Faculty at the School of Veterinary Medicine target neglected tropical diseases with advanced science, cross-disciplinary collaborations, and work in the lab and the field.

Carolyn Gibson, Sampath Kannan, Ellen Puré

Three Penn faculty named 2019 AAAS Fellows

Three from Penn have been named to the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s newest class of Fellows: Carolyn Gibson of the School of Dental Medicine, Sampath Kannan of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and Ellen Puré of the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Man dies after being licked by his dog and contracting rare infection

Stephen Cole of the School of Veterinary Medicine said that capnocytophaga canimorsus, a bacterium found in the mouths of some pets, is “completely normal flora of a dog’s mouth and usually doesn’t cause any sort of significant disease. However, in the wrong place, at the wrong time, in the wrong patient ... it can lead to severe infections—but very, very rarely.”

This Penn heart patient is a 9-year-old boxer dog named Sophie

Sophie underwent a cardiac ablation procedure in a Perelman School of Medicine translational research lab to treat her arrhythmia—the first time a dog with her diagnosis received such a treatment. Veterinary cardiologist Anna Gelzer says of the collaboration, “It’s the best of both worlds.”

How Narwhal the ‘unicorn’ puppy may have grown a tail on his head

Margret Casal of the School of Veterinary Medicine explained that the puppy with a tail on its face that went viral is likely the result of another embryo that didn’t fully separate in utero.

Cells that ‘taste’ danger set off immune responses

De’Broski Herbert of the School of Veterinary Medicine spoke about the presence of tuft cells, which are covered in taste receptors, in the lungs of mice infected with influenza.

two smiling veterinarians in an exam room, one holding a Chihuahua dog

Estrogen’s opposing effects on mammary tumors in dogs

Estrogen’s role in canine mammary cancer is more complex than previously understood. New findings may help explain why dogs spayed at a young age are more likely to develop more aggressive cancers.

What to do if your dog eats weed

Kenneth Drobatz of the School of Veterinary Medicine spoke about the increase in cases of pets who have ingested marijuana. “We see this a lot during the holiday season when kids come home from college and bring home brownies or something like that,” he said.

Row of six adorable and different dog breeds

Genes play a role in dog breed differences in behavior

Border collies are highly trainable, greyhounds love to chase, and German shepherds make good guard dogs. While the environment plays a role, traits like these are highly heritable. A new study identifies 131 genetic variants associated with breed differences in behavior.

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