Veterinary Medicine

Coco Chanel the filly and a Penn veterinarian.

Wry Not’s triumph over a twisted fate

A multidisciplinary team of Penn Vet clinical specialists successfully performed lifesaving surgery on the Standardbred filly’s deviated muzzle.

From Penn Vet ・

John Donges sitting on a bench in an outside courtyard

Who, What, Why: John Donges

At Penn Vet for more than two decades, John Donges has worked on nearly half the issues of Bellwether, the School’s alumni and donor magazine. So, it made sense that he was the editor of a special 100th issue, publishing this month.

Louisa Shepard ・

Five people standing in a lab.

Uncovering the role of skin microbiome and immune response in cutaneous leishmaniasis

Two new studies led by Phillip Scott of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Elizabeth Grice of the Perelman School of Medicine demonstrate how bacteria found in leishmaniasis skin lesions and an associated immune response drive disease burden and treatment failure—and suggest new possibilities for treatment of the parasitic disease.

Abbey Porter ・

Dipti Pitta kneeling next to a Holstein dairy cow.

Could we breed cows that emit less methane?

In a new study, researchers from the School of Veterinary Medicine identified attributes of low-methane-emitting dairy cows that could be used as targets for selective breeding.

Liana F. Wait ・

Four Penn Vet students working on a dog in a lab.

Educating a 21st-century veterinarian

A curriculum overhaul incorporates integrated learning blocks with lectures and hands-on activities focused on animal health to prepare future graduates for lifelong learning.

Sacha Adorno ・

Paleontologist Ali Nabavizadeh in his office with dinosaur drawings on the computer

What fossils tell us about the dining habits of dinosaurs

More than a century of research is vividly shared in ‘An Illustrated Guide to Dinosaur Feeding Biology’ by Ali Nabavizadeh of the School of Veterinary Medicine and David B. Weishampel of Johns Hopkins University.

Katherine Unger Baillie ・



In the News


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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Voice of America

Can honeybees and dogs detect cancer earlier than technology?

Cynthia Otto of the School of Veterinary Medicine and colleagues at the Penn Vet Working Dog Center are training dogs to recognize certain cancer odors.

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The Scientist

Dogs engage in scent-sational science to sniff out staphylococcus bacteria

Meghan Ramos and Cynthia Otto of the School of Veterinary Medicine and colleagues are training dogs to detect infections that accumulate on orthopedic implants after surgery.

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CBS News

Cats that fetch are more common than you might think. New study finds 41% of felines retrieve

A study co-authored by James Serpell of the School of Veterinary Medicine finds that 41% of cats fetch.

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Scientific American

Do cats really hate water?

Carlo Siracusa of the School of Veterinary Medicine says we tend to think cats are unique in not liking water, but there are also many dogs that do not like water.

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The Conversation

Cats and dogs both like to play fetch − it’s rooted in their hunting instincts

James Serpell of the School of Veterinary Medicine explores just how common fetching is and what characteristics of a cat or dog and their environment are likely to predict fetching.

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