Research into various elements of companion animal health has received $232,500 in funding from donations to OVC Pet Trust. The funding will support 18 projects at the Ontario Veterinary College, on topics involving companion animals such as cats, dogs, parrots, and veiled chameleons.

OVC Pet Trusts' Companion Animal Scientific Committee awarded the funds following a Fall 2008 research competition.

One project will explore the needs and expectations of pet owners whose animals are receiving cancer care at the OVC. "The emotional trauma and confusion caused by a cancer diagnosis unfortunately doesn't end with the decision to treat, but continues at varying, and often fluctuating levels throughout treatment, which is often a long-term process," says the proposal submitted by Dr. Jason Coe, Population Medicine.

Ten clients whose dogs are patients of the Oncology service will be interviewed at three stages of their pets' treatment to explore the clients' perceptions, experiences, and expectations of how they, themselves are treated along with their dogs. While specialized technology to meet patient-specific treatment needs is available, the complexities of client care not well understood, the proposal states. The project was awarded $7,465.

More effective and less invasive treatment of kidney and eureteral stones in dogs is the goal of Drs. Alice Defarges and Brigitte Brisson's, of Clinical Studies, study. Surgical removal of these stones is invasive, challenging and can lead to severe complications. The doctors will use Ho:Yag laser lithotripsy (the treatment of choice in humans) to pulverize the stones where they are lodged in the dog's body. The fragmented pieces then pass and will be analyzed to compare the ability of diagnosing the exact type of stone, compared to stones removed by surgery.

If laser lithotripsy is shown to be safe and efficient within the test group of dogs, further clinical studies will be performed. "With the study, minimally invasive laser lithotripsy could become the standard of care to treat kidney and ureteral calculi in dogs and might also become an option to treat renal calculi in cats," the proposal concludes. The project was awarded $18,600. Drs. Defarges and Brisson also received $25,000 from the OVC Pet Trust Equipment Competition to purchase cytoscopes and ureteroscopes.

Dr. Alexa Bersenas and Carolyn Kerr, Clinical Studies, will use their funding to compare three sedative regimens for cats that require mechanical ventilation, which is becoming a more common treatment for companion animals in respiratory failure due to such illnesses as heart failure, pneumonia, and asthma. The study will consider the safety of sedatives and anesthetic agents and their cardio-vascular effect in cats, as well as side-effects, how long they last, and what effect they have on the recovery period. The project was awarded $23,300.

Additional projects receiving funding are:
Evaluation of Coagulation in Dogs following Acute Trauma; Dr. Marie Holowaychuk, Clinical Studies; $28,100

Tissue Doppler, ECG and Genetics in Boxer ARVC; Dr. Lynn O'Sullivan, Clinical Studies; $27,060

Real Time PCR Detection of Bacterial Infections in Dogs with Septic and Autoimmune Conditions; Dr. Stephen Kruth, Clinical Studies; $17,800

Interleukin-11 in Corneal Healing and Disease; Dr. Jonathon LaMarre, Biomedical Sciences; $17,250

Use and Validation of a Continuous Cardiac Output Monitor to Assess the Effects of Fluid Therapy on Cardiovascular Function on Anesthetized Dogs; Dr. Alexander Valverde, Clinical Studies; $14,750

Characterization of the Hormonal Patterns of Abnormal Reproductive Cycles in the Female Veiled Chameleon; Dr. Dale Smith, Pathobiology; $11,000

Ultrasound Guided Brachail Plexus Nerve Blockade in Dogs; Dr. Melissa Sinclair, Clinical Studies; $10,600

Evaluation of Enterococcal Infections in a Small Animal Intensive Care Unit; Dr. Scott Weese, Clinical Studies; $10,000

Bacteriophages in Canine Pyoderma; Dr. Anthony Yu, Clinical Studies; $9,925

Evaluation of the Effect of Aspirin and Clopidogrel on Platelet Function in Normal Dogs; Dr. Stephen Kruth, Clinical Studies; $7,000

Speciating Isolates of Campyobacter, a Canine Pathogen, from Fecal Specimens Collected from Dogs as Part of a Cross-Sectional Study Being Conducted in the Waterloo Region of Ontario; Dr. David Pearl, Population Medicine; $7,000

The Use of Immunohistochemistry to Characterize the Tissue Distribution of Avian Borna Virus, and Describe Its Association with Inflammatory Lesions in Psittacine Birds with Proventricular Dilatation Disease; Dr. Dale Smith, Pathobiology; $6,500

Serological Evaluation of Exposure to Blastomyces Dermatitidis and Sporothrix Schenckii in Healthy and Sick Dogs in Ontario; Dr. Kelly Mitchell, Clinical Studies; $5,000

The Effect of Inflammation on Activated Clotting Time: The Serial Measurement of Inflammation and Coagulation Assays in Relations to Clinical Outcome in Dogs; Dr. Karol Mathews, Clinical Studies; $4,200

The OVC Hip and Elbow Certification Program: Assessing Repeatablility of the OVC Method and Searching for Generic Markers for Canine Hip Dysplasia; Dr. Heather Chalmers, Clinical Studies; $2,000