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Veterinary Medicine
Knockdown and replace: A gene therapy twofer to treat blindness
More than 150 different mutations in the light-sensing molecule rhodopsin can cause retinitis pigmentosa, characterized by a progressive loss of night and peripheral vision, and a team of researchers have developed a treatment for the condition. Successful results in dogs set the stage for testing in humans.
Vet students’ goat dairy aims to fill a nutrition gap in Gambia
Briana Wilson plans on becoming a small-animal vet, but this summer she is immersing herself in far-flung ventures in faraway places at the Gambia Goat Dairy, helping to create a sustainable, commercial herd of milking goats.
A road trip for orthopedic surgery
For canine cruciate ligament surgery, one out-of-state dog owner entrusted Penn Vet with her 9-year-old mixed breed. The two traveled to Philadelphia from New York City, despite the abundance of vet care there.
Penn One Health goes abroad
In August, Penn Vet student James Ferrara will combine veterinary research and public health outreach in Nepal, where he will join a team of graduate students conducting research on Campylobacter, a bacteria found in unpasteurized milk, that is prone to cause infection.
Progress in addressing a severe skin disease that affects dogs and humans
Both dogs and humans can suffer from ichthyosis, a disorder that makes the skin dry, scaly, and prone to secondary infections. A new study has uncovered new details about the disease, and moves toward developing a topical therapy.
Promoting cross-campus collaborations in health research
The One Health Communications Group is a collaboration that brings together several schools and centers to develop groundbreaking health research in a cross-disciplinary and innovative environment.
New DVM Meghan Ramos continues her dog scent detection research as a Penn Vet Working Dog Center fellow.
At Penn Vet's Working Dog Center, Ramos is leading research projects training dogs to detect infections using scent detection.
How to avoid food poisoning from E. coli and salmonella
There are numerous ways for your food to be contaminated with bacteria, and also numerous ways to avoid getting sick. Understanding the science behind what lies inside or on your food is key to staying safe and enjoying your meals.
Assets in the opioid epidemic, working dogs can also become its victims
The opioid epidemic is at crisis levels in the U.S., and humans aren’t the only ones at risk. In an interview with Knowledge@ Wharton, the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Cynthia Otto explained the vulnerabilities of working dogs who get exposed to opioids, and how to keep them from harm.
Dogs born in the summertime more likely to suffer heart disease
Dog days of summer: a study out of the Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Veterinary Medicine has found a correlation between canine health and birth season.
In the News
Bird flu virus has been spreading in U.S. cows for months, RNA reveals
Louise Moncla of the Veterinary School of Medicine says that the bird flu virus is clearly being transmitted to cows in some way.
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Fentanyl overdoses hit a surprising group of San Franciscans: the city’s dogs
Cynthia Otto of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that fentanyl can be absorbed across the mucous membranes in canine noses, causing dogs to face a life-threatening overdose.
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How to (responsibly) let your cat outside
James Serpell of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that some cats are perfectly happy within the confines of the home, while others have a greater desire to wander, explore, and investigate.
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Cats aren’t jerks. They’re just misunderstood
James Serpell of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that the domestic cat suffers from its legacy of being a not-quite-wild animal on the margins of society.
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Dog respiratory illness map update: Mystery disease spreads to more states
Deborah Silverstein of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that the dogs most at risk for respiratory illness are those with low immunity, such as young puppies, the unvaccinated, or older dogs, and potentially short-nosed breeds.
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What’s causing severe respiratory illnesses in dogs?
Deborah Silverstein of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that more dogs may be getting severely ill because they have been infected with multiple pathogens at the same time.
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