Pet Trust investments advance veterinary health care
Published
January 17, 2010
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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.
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