School of Veterinary Medicine

A small wide-eyed Shi Tzu holds large boxing gloves in its mouth.

A Penn Vet tale: Olive, the tiny little fighter

When Olive, the four-month-old Shih Tzu mix, became critically ill with respiratory distress, clinicians at Penn Vet’s Ryan Hospital spent a week collaborating on intensive treatment.

Sacha Adorno ・

A veterinarian checks a fainting goats heart rate in a vet office.

A heart start for Milkshake, the fainting goat

When Milkshake’s vitals were dangerously compromised, a team at Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center pinpointed the problem in the fainting goat’s heart, and saved her life.

From Penn Vet ・

Cross-section of testes tissue shows a variety of cells labeled pink and blue and sperm

Frozen testicular tissue still viable after 20 years

Many pediatric cancer treatments, though lifesaving, can compromise future fertility. In a new study in rodents, researchers from the School of Veterinary Medicine showed that testicular tissue frozen for more than 20 years could give rise to sperm.

Katherine Unger Baillie ・

Panelists sit on a stage at Perry World House, while another is on a Zoom screen behind them

Symposium highlights range and reach of Penn Global research

The Penn Global Research and Engagement Grant is supporting 21 faculty-led projects that span research, capacity-building, and development efforts across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, India, China, and beyond.

Kristen de Groot ・

Group poses in a tropical marine landscape holding a sign that reads Allianza para la Educaion e Investigacion en Galapagos

In the Galápagos, training community scientists to monitor water quality

Both dense human populations and a plethora of wildlife can pose a challenge to marine and public health in the Galápagos Islands. With portable, user-friendly PCR technology, Penn faculty and students are training local scientists and school children to perform water quality research.

Katherine Unger Baillie ・

T cells labeled in fluorescent green patrol the vascular system, labeled in red

Regulating the regulators of the immune system

Research led by School of Veterinary Medicine scientists reveals a new layer of complexity with which the immune system finds a balance between controlling pathogens and protecting healthy tissue.

Katherine Unger Baillie ・

Black and white microscopic image of many cells clustered tightly

Revising the lifecycle of an important human parasite

Researchers from Boris Striepen’s lab in the School of Veterinary Medicine tracked Cryptosporidium in real time, creating a new paradigm for how the widespread parasite reproduces in a host.

Katherine Unger Baillie ・

Three panels show fluorescent images of therapeutic gene LRIT3, which corrects a form of night blindness

Correcting night blindness in dogs

Researchers in the School of Veterinary Medicine and colleagues have developed a gene therapy that restores dim-light vision in dogs with a congenital form of night blindness, offering hope for treating a similar condition in people.

Katherine Unger Baillie ・



In the News


6ABC.com

Bird flu suspected in deaths of 200 snow geese in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley

Stephen Cole of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that indoor cats are contracting bird flu through raw pet foods of poultry origin or raw milk products.

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CNN

Bird poop may be the key to stopping the next flu pandemic. Here’s why

A study led by Louise H. Moncla of the School of Veterinary Medicine suggests that wild birds are an emerging reservoir for North America’s bird flu virus and that surveillance of migrating birds is critical to stopping future outbreaks.

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The Washington Post

Dogs may be able to communicate by pressing buttons, research suggests

Postdoc Amritha Mallikarjun of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that dogs use buttons as a trained behavior to try and get the things they want.

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Popular Science

Dogs really are communicating via button boards, new research suggests

Postdoc Amritha Mallikarjun of the School of Veterinary Medicine says that dogs are using button boards to communicate non-randomly and with intent, although they don’t necessarily have formal language ability.

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WHYY (Philadelphia)

Saving Philly’s bats, one DIY condo at a time

The Wildlife Futures Program at the School of Veterinary Medicine has facilitated the design and construction of wooden bat boxes to be installed in campus parks, with remarks from Julie Ellis. The project is the brainchild of Penn undergraduate Nick Tanner.

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