News from

Veterinary Medicine

Reset All Filters
372 Results
A roller coaster emergency for Dobby
Person holding dog inside open cage in vet hospital

A roller coaster emergency for Dobby

By the time Dobby arrived at Ryan Hospital’s Emergency Room, he was in a bad way. The two-year-old Welsh Corgi had been vomiting off and on for a few days and was straining to urinate. “He also wasn’t eating,” says owner Zhi Peng Yang, who lives in Philadelphia and rushed Dobby to Penn Vet.

Penn Today Staff

Daisy the goat kid’s harrowing ER visit
A mother and baby goat lay on hay in a barn.

Ivory and her doeling, Daisy. (Photo: Penn Vet News)

Daisy the goat kid’s harrowing ER visit

Post-birth complications for Daisy the newborn doeling were serious, but quickly assessed for a positive outcome at the New Bolton Center emergency room.

Penn Today Staff

A link between mitochondrial damage and osteoporosis
Yellow pointers indicate large cells against a background of other microscopic material. Left panel has two smaller cells indicated while the right panel has three larger cells indicated.

Mitochondrial damage is linked to the bone degradation seen in osteoporosis, according to Penn Vet researchers. Macrophages, a type of immune cell, that had dysfunctional mitochondria (right) were more likely to become osteoclasts—cells that break down bone—than control macrophages (left). (Image: Courtesy of Avadhani Lab)

A link between mitochondrial damage and osteoporosis

In healthy people, a tightly controlled process balances the activity of osteoblasts, which build bone, and osteoclasts, which break it down. Damage to cells’ mitochondria can make that process go awry, meaning exposure to cigarette smoke, alcohol, environmental toxins can increase the risk of osteoporosis.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Why are dogs such terrible dads?
Yahoo!

Why are dogs such terrible dads?

Carlo Siracusa of the School of Veterinary Medicine explained the differences in parenting styles between wolves and domesticated dogs. “As a general rule, male dogs don’t collaborate to the defense of the puppies,” Siracusa said. “They might collaborate to the defense of the territory around them, but because there are resources there.”

Watching Sheeba’s eye
Sheeba the service dog

(Photo: Penn Vet News)

Watching Sheeba’s eye

A successful surgery on an eye lesion at Penn Vet’s Ryan Hospital helped Sheeba, a working service dog, so she could get back to work.

Penn Today Staff

  • Health Sciences

    • A conversation with James Serpell

    In the latest episode of Penn Today’s ‘Office Hours’ podcast series, a casual chat with James Serpell, professor of ethics and animal welfare at Penn Vet.
    James Serpell on a bench with hands crossed
    James Serpell, professor of ethics and animal welfare at the School of Veterinary Medicine. (Image: Eric Sucar)

    Welcome to the “office hours” of James Serpell, professor of ethics and animal welfare at the School of Veterinary Medicine and director of the Center for the Interaction of Animals & Society.

    Here, in the latest episode of Penn Today’s “Office Hours” podcast series, which explores the minds of the University’s academic talents in a more unbuttoned and freewheeling setting outside of the lecture hall, Serpell joins for a discussion about the parrot that sparked his interest in animal behavior, the use of antidepressants in dogs, his passion for cooking, and why today’s students inspire him.

    Download audio on iTunes.

    Credits

  • Writers

    Brandon K. Baker

    • More from

  • School of Veterinary Medicine
  • Veterinary Medicine
  • Faculty
  • Office Hours
    • 3 cheers: The science of the Working Dog Center
    CBS Philadelphia

    3 cheers: The science of the Working Dog Center

    Cindy Otto of the School of Veterinary Medicine discussed the Working Dog Center’s new Citizen Science Project, which allows members of the public to enroll their dogs in the Center’s scent-detection training program. “We thought, what a great collaboration: bring in dogs that have already been excited about doing nose work and see if they can’t help us answer some really important scientific questions,” she said.

    Got milk? Penn Vet helps animal farmers get more from healthy herds
    A cow with an ear tag

    One member of the milking herd at Summit Level Farm. (Photo: Penn Vet News)

    Got milk? Penn Vet helps animal farmers get more from healthy herds

    The Penn Vet Center for Animal Health and Productivity brings veterinarians directly to farms to help clients improve health and productivity in food animal herds and flocks.

    Penn Today Staff

    Demystifying genomic technology for veterinary researchers
    Abstract image indicating diversity of data generated by genome sequences

    Demystifying genomic technology for veterinary researchers

    The School of Veterinary Medicine’s Center for Host-Microbial Interactions helps researchers delving into ‘omics’ to promote animal and human health.

    Katherine Unger Baillie