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Articles from John Donges
When Penn Vet offers shots, Philly’s finest, furriest friends show up
Three members of Penn's medical community stand over a cat on an exam table, one person rubs noses with the cat.

Penn Vet student Shannon Hamilton (left), assistant professor Kimberly Slensky (center), and student Nicolle Iacobacci greet a feline friend at Penn Vet’s annual One Health pet vaccination clinic on MLK Day. 

When Penn Vet offers shots, Philly’s finest, furriest friends show up

In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, Penn Vet’s Ryan Hospital held a free wellness and vaccination clinic for the local community, offering free pet vaccinations and low-cost microchips.

Penn Today Staff

This Penn heart patient is a 9-year-old boxer dog named Sophie
sophie the boxer with a penn vet doctor

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.”

Katherine Unger Baillie

Better prognosticating for dogs with mammary tumors
Two veterinarians in white coats pose in an exam room, one holding a small dog wearing a black jacket and a pink collar.

Karin Sorenmo (left) and colleagues created a practical tool for assessing prognoses for dogs with mammary tumors. The research emerged from Penn Vet’s Shelter Canine Mammary Tumor Program, which assists in treating and then finding homes for dogs like Brownie, pictured with former oncology intern, Kiley Daube. 

Better prognosticating for dogs with mammary tumors

For dogs with mammary tumors, a course of treatment can depend on a variety of factors, some of which may seem to contradict one another. A new system developed by Penn Vet’s Karin Sorenmo and colleagues can make determining a prognosis and making treatment decisions an easier task.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Shelter medicine is on a roll
Two women stand in front of a trailer with the words "Penn Vet Shelter Medicine" emblazoned on it and pictures of dogs and cats on the front

A new mobile unit for Penn Vet's Shelter Medicine program is getting rolling this spring, bringing state-of-the-art veterinary care into animal shelters and underserved communities. Veterinarians Brittany Watson and Chelsea Reinhard led the program’s efforts.

Shelter medicine is on a roll

The School of Veterinary Medicine’s Shelter Medicine Program just got a lot more nimble. They’ve unveiled a state-of-the-art mobile clinic that will expand their services to the animal shelter community.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Going out of the box to learn to treat exotic creatures
Penn Vet students examining a turtle

Fourth-year veterinary student Sarah Gronsky gets a close-up view of Cordelia, a Russian tortoise, at the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Ryan Hospital. To stand out in a competitive field, students hoping to pursue exotics veterinary medicine often squeeze extra research and training into their schedules.

Going out of the box to learn to treat exotic creatures

Veterinary students interested in wildlife, zoo, and exotics medicine get creative—and driven—to get the training opportunities they need to advance.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Penn Vet Working Dog Center Collaborating on Ovarian Cancer Detection Study

Penn Vet Working Dog Center Collaborating on Ovarian Cancer Detection Study

In a unique, interdisciplinary collaboration, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine’s Working Dog Center, The School of Arts and Science's Department of Physics and Astronomy, Penn Medicine’s Division of Gynecologic Oncology and the Monell Chemical Senses Center have joined together to study ovarian cancer detection by dogs and e-sensors.

John Donges , Ashley Berke

Penn Vet’s Ryan Hospital One of the Nation’s First Veterinary Trauma Centers

Penn Vet’s Ryan Hospital One of the Nation’s First Veterinary Trauma Centers

The American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (ACVECC) has approved Penn Vet’s Ryan Hospital as one of nine designated Veterinary Trauma Centers in the U.S. – and the only recognized 24/7 Veterinary Trauma Center within a 100 mile radius of Philadelphia. 

John Donges , Ashley Berke

Penn Vet Research on Niemann-Pick Disease Paves Way for Human Clinical Trial

Penn Vet Research on Niemann-Pick Disease Paves Way for Human Clinical Trial

PHILADELPHIA — Niemann-Pick Type C disease is a rare and incurable neurological disorder that affects 500 children worldwide. Presently, there are no therapies approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat NPC.