9.21
School of Veterinary Medicine
Penn Vet expands timely dual degree during COVID-19 pandemic
Penn Vet expands timely dual degree during COVID-19 pandemic
The interdisciplinary “One Health in Practice” curriculum positions veterinarians for new career pathways in human, environmental health.
Campus workers deliver a ‘team effort’
Campus workers deliver a ‘team effort’
As Penn settles into Phase II of research resumption and the fall semester gears up, essential workers keep the campus running. Penn Today spoke with three workers about their “new normal.”
Progress toward a treatment for Krabbe disease
Progress toward a treatment for Krabbe disease
The inherited disease, which typically kills children before their second birthday, has no cure, but a School of Veterinary Medicine study in a canine model offers hope for an effective gene therapy with lasting results.
Poultry in a pandemic: Getting the facts on keeping backyard flocks
Poultry in a pandemic: Getting the facts on keeping backyard flocks
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Penn Vet’s Sherrill Davison has seen an increase in phone calls from new flock owners looking for general management resources for their birds. Here, she offers health and safety advice for keeping flocks healthy.
Getting gene therapy to the brain
Getting gene therapy to the brain
Using a large animal model of genetic brain disease, researchers led by John H. Wolfe of the School of Veterinary Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia delivered an effective treatment across the blood-brain barrier to correct the whole brain.
Navigating cytokine storms
Navigating cytokine storms
Pairing their expertise, Nilam Mangalmurti of the Perelman School of Medicine and Christopher Hunter of the School of Veterinary Medicine have been working to understand the protective and harmful aspects of the immune response, including in COVID-19.
Bats and COVID
Bats and COVID
A new study from Penn Vet's New Bolton Center tests the guano of North American bats currently in Pennsylvania wildlife rehabilitation centers for the presence of COVID-19.
Glowing dye may aid in eliminating cancer
Glowing dye may aid in eliminating cancer
In dogs with mammary tumors, researchers from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Perelman School of Medicine used a substance that glows under near-infrared light to illuminate cancer.
Food insecurity, not the ‘Quarantine 15,’ is the real pandemic concern
Food insecurity, not the ‘Quarantine 15,’ is the real pandemic concern
But results from a recent nationwide survey conducted by Penn researchers indicate that household food insecurity is a real effect of the pandemic, and not weight gain.
Helping pets cope with quarantine, and reopening
Helping pets cope with quarantine, and reopening
Having their owners at home constantly may have been heaven for some cats and dogs and burdensome for others. The School of Veterinary Medicine’s Carlo Siracusa explains how to recognize signs of animals’ stress and prepare for a return to normal routines.
In the News
Philadelphia Inquirer
Billy the Philly hero dog wins state vet award for bravery
Rachel Williams and Martin Hackett of the School of Veterinary Medicine spoke about Billy, a local dog that survived multiple gunshots sustained while protecting his owners from armed robbers. “He’s really almost a miracle,” said Williams.
FULL STORY →
Gizmodo
Does your cat actually hate you?
Carlo Siracusa of the School of Veterinary Medicine spoke about how cats interact with their owners. “Humans are very physical in their relationships—they want to hold their cat, hug their cat, etc. This can be terrible for any animal that doesn’t enjoy your presence, but it’s even worse for cats, because the way in which cats express their preferences is through proximity,” he said.
FULL STORY →
The Washington Post
Can dogs detect the novel coronavirus? The nose knows, scientists hope
Cynthia Otto of the School of Veterinary Medicine and A.T. Charlie Johnson of the School of Engineering and Applied Science spoke about how trained dogs and electronic sensors can use scent to detect illness.
FULL STORY →
The Wall Street Journal
Tired of the people in your family? Some are teaching their dogs to talk
Carlo Siracusa of the School of Veterinary Medicine weighed in on teaching dogs to communicate by pressing buttons assigned to human words. “People can do it, it’s fun, but I think it’s much more important from the dog welfare standpoint that we make an effort to understand the dog’s language,” he said.
FULL STORY →
Science
What does the COVID-19 summer surge mean for your cats and dogs?
Shelley Rankin of the School of Veterinary Medicine spoke about pets and COVID-19 transmission. “If you are not taking precautions … you are putting both yourself and your animal at risk,” she said. “If you are a responsible pet owner, then it is probably safe to say that your animal’s risk [of infection] is lower than yours.”
FULL STORY →