RESEARCH

Successes, Based on Funding from the Companion Animal Fund

Projects funded by the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Companion Animal Fund make a difference in the lives of animals. 

Sometimes donations fund small projects that would not attract the big funding agencies.  At other times, the initial work sparks interest from federal or national funding agencies, leading to larger extramural multi-year grants. 

All projects supported by the Companion Animal Fund must have direct relevance to companion animal health and disease.  Below is a sampling of projects that were funded.

Donors to the fund can feel proud that with their assistance, veterinarians at the School of Veterinary Medicine are able to continually improve the health care options for animals.

Better Diagnosis of Dog Shoulder Problems Through MRI
To help veterinarians better diagnose difficult shoulder lameness in dogs, Dr. Susan Schaefer, orthopedic surgeon, has created an atlas of the normal anatomy of the dog shoulder as seen with MRI.  She is now working out scanning technique parameters for shoulder MRIs that will permit all veterinary medical schools to use the same protocol.  Having a good basis for normal helps veterinarians diagnose difficult shoulder lameness in dogs.  This knowledge is particularly useful for hunting, sporting and agility dogs.

Bog Spavin Diagnosis in Horses
Could bacteria be triggering the hock joint swelling in horses known as bog spavin?  Puffy hocks are a concern to horse owners, even if the horse is not clinically lame.  Often, diagnostic tests do not reveal a definitive underlying pathology.  But Dr. Alberto Serena and colleagues at the school are conducting studies to see if boggy hocks are more likely to contain bacterial material.  If that’s the case, veterinarians will be able to focus on a more effective treatment strategy to control and cure bog spavin in its early stages. 

Safer Anesthesia During Canine Dental Procedures
By necessity, dogs must be anesthetized when undergoing teeth cleanings and other dental procedures.  But general anesthesia can pose dose-related risks to the dog’s cardiovascular and respiratory systems.  In an effort to reduce those risks, Dr. Christopher Snyder (dentistry and oral surgery) and Dr. Lindsey Snyder (anesthesiology) are conducting a study to determine how dental nerve blocks reduce the amount of general anesthesia needed in these cases.  Their goal is to be able to reduce the amount of general anesthetic animals require in order to perform oral procedures.

Antibiotic-Resistant Staph Infections
Like humans, pets are increasingly getting staphylococcus infections that are resistant to common antibiotics. Where do these staphylococcus infections come from and how do they develop?  This study takes a close look at the variants of staphylococcus infections harbored in pets.  It is hoped that new information will help veterinarians determine how best to deal with these infections.

Inflammatory arthritis – a precursor to canine cruciate ligament rupture?
The public spends approximately $1 billion a year on medical and surgical treatments for inflammatory arthritis and associated degenerative cruciate ligament rupture in dogs.  Initial studies by Dr. Peter Muir suggested that possibly joint inflammation may be a precursor to cruciate rupture.  Based on results of this work, the school’s Comparative Orthopaedic Research Laboratory has obtained additional funding from the American Kennel Club to explore this possibility further.  The long-term goal of this work is to develop a disease-modifying medical therapy that will block joint degradation and prevent cruciate ligament ruptures.

Kidney transplant in dogs
After transplanting a kidney into a dog, it’s very difficult to suppress the animal’s immune system enough to prevent its body from rejecting the organ.  The most effective drug is prohibitively expensive (about $12,000 per year).  With Companion Animal Fund monies, Dr. Jonathan McAnulty and his colleagues looked at a new drug that, if effective, would allow routine kidney transplants in dogs.  Unfortunately, the drug showed significant toxicity in a percentage of the dogs, making it untenable for clinical use.