Each year, the Veterinary Health Center’s three specialized hospitals care for about 17,000 hospitalized animals and thousands more on farms. Many of these animals come from the Columbia area for primary and emergency care, while others are referred by veterinarians throughout the Midwest for our specialized services. Working alongside faculty and staff, veterinary students, interns and residents in postgraduate training participate in each phase of clinical care.
Small Animal Hospital
Equine Hospital
Food Animal Hospital
VHC Wentzville
Veterinary Health Center at Kansas City
NEWS
The Beat Goes On:
MU veterinary cardiologist recycles donated pacemakers — from both pets and people — to maintain the rhythm of life for canine patients Every species requires a beating heart to live, and that heartbeat must maintain a certain rhythm to perform its vital task. Since the 1960s, pacemakers have controlled abnormal heart rhythms in humans. In the 1980s, veterinary cardiologists began using pacemakers in canine patients. “There is actually no difference between human and canine pacemakers,” says Stacey Leach, DVM, an assistant teaching professor and researcher at MU’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “We use the same equipment, the same technology. Oftentimes,…
New Precision Medicine Procedure Fights Cancer, Advances Treatment for Pets and Humans
MU veterinary oncologists develop a vaccine treatment for osteosarcoma, a common type of bone cancer in dogs, avoiding chemotherapy and opening the door for human clinical trials In a first-of-its-kind study, scientists at the University of Missouri have helped advance a patient-specific, precision medicine treatment for bone cancer in dogs. By creating a vaccine from a dog’s own tumor, scientists worked with ELIAS Animal Health to target specific cancer cells and avoid the toxic side effects of chemotherapy, while also opening the door for future human clinical trials. Osteosarcoma, or bone cancer, is not common in humans, representing only about…
It’s the Tortoise, By a Nose
Today’s world is fast-paced. We fuel ourselves with microwave meals at home and fast food on the go. We want high-speed internet, next-day delivery and eyeglasses in an hour. We expect fast weight loss from fad diets and immediate results from the latest training regimen. Yet, Aesop’s fable reminds us that the slow and steady tortoise wins the race. Sometimes, by a nose. Mr. Pibb, a 60-pound sulcata tortoise, had a nose that was not a winner. It was a problem. “Mr. Pibb’s owner called us initially,” says Meagan Brophy, DVM, a clinical instructor at MU’s Veterinary Health Center (VHC)….
The Tale of Noodles the Donkey
Scratch cooks will tell you it takes a lot of pushing, folding, rolling, pulling and stretching to make homemade noodles, but the work is well worth the result. Rescuing, healing and raising Noodles the donkey took a lot of effort from a lot of people. They all agree; however, that the outcome has been well worth the blood, sweat and tears of joy. “Noodles came to us on an emergency basis,” recalls Lynn Martin, a postdoctoral fellow, who, at the time, was a resident in large animal internal medicine at MU’s College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). “She was a foal…
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Recognizes MU Raptor Project’s Efforts
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service honored the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine Raptor Rehabilitation Project Tuesday, July 17, for its contributions to the well-being of migratory birds. Rick Rottman of the federal agency visited the MU College of Veterinary Medicine to present a plaque to project representatives and thank them for their partnership with U.S. Fish and Wildlife. While in Columbia, he toured the project’s CVM facilities. The Raptor Rehabilitation Project was started in 1973 as a service and education organization of the CVM. The primary goal of the project is to heal injured raptors and…
Team Effort Gives Puppy with Congenital Abnormalities a Chance at a Normal Life
Bumble is a Great Pyrenees-mix puppy who was born with more than one anatomical abnormality. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of Mac’s Mission Rescue and Elizabeth Kistner, DVM, at Doctor’s Park Animal Hospital, both of Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and the University of Missouri Veterinary Health Center’s Soft Tissue Surgery Service, Bumble is a new boy! Veterinary Health Center surgeons first evaluated Bumble in January of 2018 when he was brought to the Small Animal Hospital because he was born with a fifth leg, which had no function, but was causing him discomfort and difficulty during bowel movements. A computed tomography…
VHC Cardiologists Mend a Broken Heart
Topher had a lot of heart. The 3-month-old Labrador-pit bull puppy had been consigned to oblivion, abandoned in a dumpster in southwest Missouri. He managed to stay alive long enough to come under the protection of Rescue One, a state-licensed, foster-based animal rescue in Springfield, Missouri. But, there was a problem. His belly would rapidly fill with fluid. Rescue One staff took Topher to Seven Hills Veterinary Clinic in nearby Nixa, Missouri. “The vets at Seven Hills could drain the fluid off and get him feeling more comfortable, but then his belly would refill with fluid pretty quickly,” said Stephanie…
Rehabilitation Training Helps Veterinary Neurologist Improve Care
One would consider Daniela Mauler well educated. She has studied in Germany, Austria and Belgium. She is a board-certified specialist in veterinary neurology and an assistant teaching professor in the Veterinary Health Center at MU’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Yet, her passion for improving the outcomes of her patients led her back to school. She decided to earn a Canine Rehabilitation Certificate. “I started doing rehabilitation services while I was a vet student in Germany,” Mauler says. “I always thought it was very valuable for neurology patients. Then, I became a neurologist and worked here with Stephanie Gilliam, our rehab…
Dogs with Lymphoma Sought for Clinical Trial
The Oncology Service at the University of Missouri Veterinary Health Center is seeking canine patients with B cell lymphoma for a clinical trial. The study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of agents that modify gene expression (6-thioguanine or azacitidine) when used prior to standard chemotherapy. Currently, remission duration and survival time in dogs with lymphoma has remained static when receiving multi-agent chemotherapy. The investigators hope using these drugs in an altered fashion from standard chemotherapy protocols will be safe in dogs and elongate remission durations and survival times. The researchers also expect to find new roles for these drugs…
Big Cat Spay Offers Unique Learning Experience
Clinicians at the University of Missouri Veterinary Health Center routinely perform spay and neuter procedures on dogs and cats, but when the patient is a full-grown Bengal tiger, the work day is anything but ordinary. On Wednesday, Feb. 7, Zahara, a 7-year-old tiger from a Missouri animal park, was brought to the VHC to be spayed. Upon Zahara’s arrival at the VHC, Assistant Professor Alex Bukoski, DVM, PhD, DACVAA, and anesthesia resident Kelsey Fisher, DVM, anesthetized the big cat and placed a breathing tube to administer oxygen and anesthetic during the surgery. Assistant Teaching Professor of Small Animal Surgery Jill…
The MU College of Veterinary Medicine is Missouri’s only institution that confers the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Thank you for exploring how you can partner with us to make a positive difference in the lives of animals and people.