Mini-Vet School Offers Glimpse Into Veterinary Life

Published
January 26, 2010

2531 Views

College News

Pet owners, animal lovers and aspiring veterinarians can get a feel for what it's like to be a veterinarian during the Ontario Veterinary College's inaugural Mini-Vet School to be held at the University of Guelph next month.

Designed for people of all ages and backgrounds, the one-hour classes will be fun and informative. They will be taught by OVC faculty members and cover topics such as emergency medicine, diagnostic imaging, parasites and bacteria, and animals that are also athletes.

"We've structured the evenings so that everyone can get the most out of the classes and experience how student veterinarians are taught at OVC," said John Pegg, an OVC student and member of Global Vets.

All proceeds from the Mini-Vet School will go to support Global Vets, a student-based program at OVC that provides them with opportunities to study veterinary medicine overseas. This summer, students will be conducting relief work in Africa, Asia, Southeast Asia and Mexico.

"It's a great way to learn about the animals that share our lives and to provide a window into the world of veterinarians," Pegg said.

OVC Mini-Vet School runs Thursday for four weeks starting Feb. 25. Classes begin at 7 p.m., with two classes per night.

The cost of the program is $100 if you register before Feb. 1 and $125 afterward. Space is limited.

A complete list of courses and registration information are available online.

Pet Trust investments advance veterinary health care

Published
January 17, 2010

1618 Views

Pet Trust, College News

From developing a new blood test to screen for cancer to investigating the safety and effectiveness of topical ointments used to treat skin infections, OVC researchers continue to advance veterinary health care with support from Pet Trust.

Ten research projects will share in $207,508 allocated in OVC Pet Trust's fall 2009 research competition, the Pet Trust board of directors announced recently.

In one project, a research team led by Dr. Gordon Kirby will collaborate with three veterinary referral hospitals in Toronto and Ottawa to confirm whether a recently identified blood protein found at high levels in dogs with hemangiosarcoma is useful in screening for the presence of this cancer.

"At present, the only available method for early detection is ultrasound imaging which is expensive, requires special training to perform and is usually only available through veterinary referral clinics," said Kirby, the OVC's associate dean of research and innovation and a professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences.

"A blood test that could rapidly screen for early evidence of hemangiosarcomas would be clinically very useful, inexpensive and readily available to most veterinary practitioners."

Dr. Scott Weese, Pathbiology, is investigating the cytoxicity of essential oils, antiseptic solutions and topical antimicrobials used to treat skin infections in dogs.

"These substances can have good efficacy against bacteria and are appealing options but there is inadequate information about safety," said Weese. "Tissue damage is a potential concern with these substances and information about tissue damage is required to determine which of these options should be used and at what concentrations."

Visit the Pet Trust website for the complete list of funded research and project summaries.

University expresses sympathy for quake victims

Published
January 15, 2010

1030 Views

College News

The Ontario Veterinary College community joins others in the world in mourning of the tremendous loss of life in the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on Jan. 12.

OVC personnel who wish to contribute to the aid effort are reminded that the Canadian government will match donations to eligible Canadian organizations to a maximum of $50 million.

For the University of Guelph's response to the tragedy, see the U of G campus bulletin.

More information about Canada's response and how you can help is available on the Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada web site.

Ugandan veterinarian building relationships at OVC

Published
January 5, 2010

2195 Views

Population Medicine, College News

While Canadians shivered and shovelled their way through an early December cold snap, Herbert Kasiita couldn't help but wonder whether there was a climate change connection between record cold temperatures in Alberta, snow emergencies in Ontario's Muskoka region, and recent extreme-weather episodes of floods and droughts in sub-Saharan Africa.

"Has it ever snowed so much, or been so cold, so early?" asked Kasiita, as he paused to jot down the information in his temporary office in the Ontario Veterinary College's Clinical Research building.

Kasiita, a veterinarian and faculty member at Makerere University in Uganda, is visiting the University of Guelph on a four-month exchange as part of an initiative launched by the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) in Waterloo. He is investigating the impacts of climate change on food security in eastern and southern Africa.

"Climate change is here. It is real. We are all affected by it," said Kasiita. "I'm looking at its effects in terms of trans-boundary animal diseases, whether they have increased in prevalence and incidence due to climate change, and how they affect food security in the region."

Climate change is creating conditions that allow zoonotic diseases such as Rift Valley fever and Trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) to invade new territories. These diseases, spread by mosquitoes and tsetse flies, as well as a number of tick-borne illnesses, travel with livestock as pastoral communities move to new areas in search of better pasture for grazing, water and other resources.

"These diseases do not respect national borders," said Kasiita, a veterinary pathologist by training. "They have a serious impact on the livelihoods of pastoral people who depend on their animals for survival -- people who are already the most economically and politically marginalized in the region."

Kasiita arrived late in the fall and will spend another two months on research and building relationships with faculty at the OVC and U of G.

Prof. Cate Dewey, chair of the Department of Population Medicine, said the exchange may lay the groundwork for future collaborations in Africa as the OVC expands its teaching and research efforts in the growing field of ecosystem approaches to health.

"The opportunity to interact with a veterinarian from Uganda whose research is focused on the impacts of climate change on food security fits perfectly with our desire to expand our efforts in these areas," said Dewey.

The visit may also open doors in Africa for groups such as Global Vets and Veterinarians Without Borders. It also provides an opportunity to share information and broaden understanding of different cultural practices as well as the region's scientific needs, she added.

"If we can understand their approach to climate change and food security issues, that will help us figure out what we want to do to help expand agriculture and improve animal and human health in developing countries."

For the health of all species, including our own.

The Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) is a world leader in veterinary health care, learning and research. We work at the intersection of animal, human and ecosystem health: training future veterinarians and scientists, improving the health of our animal companions, ensuring the safety of the food we eat and protecting the environment that we all share. It's been that way since 1862.

About OVC

We are dedicated to the advancement of veterinary and comparative medicine through teaching, research and service.

Departments

Biomedical Sciences
Clinical Studies
Pathobiology
Population Medicine

University of Guelph

Agricultural Science
Arts
Biological Science
Management & Economics
Physical & Engineering Science
Social & Applied Human Science