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Veterinary Medicine

Your dog has a rich interior life it's not telling you about
Salon.com

Your dog has a rich interior life it's not telling you about

James Serpell of the School of Veterinary Medicine spoke about how dogs interact with and interpret the world around them, from barking to licking to sniffing. “While we derive most of the information about the world around us through our eyes and ears, dogs can access an additional layer of information via their noses that we are essentially ‘blind’ to,” he said.

The search for the culprit behind songbird deaths
A blue jay site on a branch

A mysterious condition is affecting common backyard bird species, including blue jays, causing them to become sick and sometimes perish.

The search for the culprit behind songbird deaths

Across the United States, songbirds are dying from a mysterious condition. Working with long-established partners, researchers at the School of Veterinary Medicine are striving for a diagnosis.

Katherine Unger Baillie

More than 1,000 cases of mysterious bird disease reported in Pennsylvania
WESA Radio (Pittsburgh)

More than 1,000 cases of mysterious bird disease reported in Pennsylvania

Scott Weber of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Penn’s Wildlife Futures Program said wildlife veterinarians are concerned about the numerous reports of sick or dead songbirds in the Mid-Atlantic region. “It does seem to be spreading through the U.S. pretty quickly, and spreading to a fairly wide geographical area,” he said.

A mysterious illness is killing Mid-Atlantic songbirds
NPR

A mysterious illness is killing Mid-Atlantic songbirds

Lisa Murphy of the School of Veterinary Medicine spoke about the Wildlife Futures Program’s research on the illness killing songbirds in the Mid-Atlantic region. "I think what's especially challenging about this is that it's not localized ... to one specific geographic area [and] it's not localized to one particular bird species,” she said.

‘Transmitted down the leash:’ Anxious owners, anxious dogs
U.S. News & World Report

‘Transmitted down the leash:’ Anxious owners, anxious dogs

James Serpell of the School of Veterinary Medicine spoke about the reciprocal relationship between pets’ and their owners’ feelings. “You can think of many contexts in which having an animal that can anticipate your thoughts is wonderful, in terms of training or performing tasks for people,” he said. “But in the context of an owner who's experiencing a lot of anxiety, you can see the disadvantage.”

With remarkable similarities to MS, a disease in dogs opens new avenues for study
Microscopic image of cells labeled blue, green, and pink

A naturally occurring canine disease called granulomatous meningoencephalomyelitis replicates many features of multiple sclerosis, including the involvement of B cells (in red) and T cells (green) in the tissues that line the central nervous system. (Image: Penn Vet)

With remarkable similarities to MS, a disease in dogs opens new avenues for study

Researchers at the School of Veterinary Medicine led by Jorge Iván Alvarez and Molly Church found that the canine disease granulomatous meningoencephalomyelitis shares many of the same pathological and immunological features as MS.

Katherine Unger Baillie

COVID-sniffing dogs are accurate but face hurdles for widespread use
The New York Times

COVID-sniffing dogs are accurate but face hurdles for widespread use

Cynthia Otto of the School of Veterinary Medicine said that before the U.S. deploys COVID-sniffing dogs on a large scale, clear training and performance standards need to be set.

Penn Vet dual degrees: The student experience
From left to right: Jaclyn Camus, Anna Shirosky, Caitlyn Tukdarian

From left to right: Jaclyn Camus, Anna Shirosky, and Caitlyn Tukdarian. (Images: John Donges/Penn Vet)

Penn Vet dual degrees: The student experience

The expansion of the dual degree program is timely, given the recent perfect storm of a pandemic; growing awareness of social, racial and economic inequity; and increased impact of climate change .

From Penn Vet

On the COVID front lines, when not getting belly rubs
The New York Times

On the COVID front lines, when not getting belly rubs

Cynthia Otto of the School of Veterinary Medicine said better research is needed to determine how effectively dogs can detect COVID by scent. Until then, using dogs to screen people could allow some cases to go undetected. “I don’t want to miss those, then everyone thinks they’re safe,” she said.