In addition to its teaching, healing and research missions, the College of Veterinary Medicine plays an integral role in safeguarding Missouri’s animal agriculture and public health.
NEWS
Faculty Expert Comment: Highly Unlikely for COVID-19 to Transmit to Humans From Pets, Livestock
After a tiger at the Bronx Zoo recently tested positive for COVID-19, some pet owners are wondering if the respiratory disease can be transmitted from cats and dogs. While there have been nearly 2 million people worldwide infected with COVID-19, only two dogs, two cats and one tiger have tested positive for the novel coronavirus as of early April. “There’s an awful lot that we are still learning about the virus,” said Leah Cohn, professor of small animal internal medicine at the MU College of Veterinary Medicine. “We have not seen a rise in respiratory diseases or infections in dogs…
Slowing the Spread of Disease
MU’s Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab screens harvested deer for chronic wasting disease The Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Missouri is helping to improve the testing of deer in Missouri after continued reports of chronic wasting disease. This illness is found in deer populations and affects the neurologic system, commonly causing chronic weight loss. Chronic wasting disease is fatal in all deer it infects, and left unchecked, has the potential to wipe out Missouri’s white tail deer population. Throughout Missouri, testing for the disease is vital and MU’s lab, housed in the College of Veterinary Medicine, is aiding…
Army Veteran Has New Buddy to Help Battle PTSD
For retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. John Hopson, Memorial Day 2019 was particularly memorable ─ it was the first one spent with Max, his new service dog. Hopson received Max, a chocolate Labrador, on Friday, May 24, through the University of Missouri Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction (ReCHAI) Uniting Veterans with Service Dogs program. During a hand-off ceremony at Crowder Hall on the MU campus, Rebecca Johnson, PhD, RN, FAAN, FNAP, the director of ReCHAI, said Max is the seventh dog who has been successfully partnered with a veteran since ReCHAI initiated the program a decade ago. The program is…
A Triumph Birthed by Tragedy
Nonprofit formed by CVM residents partners with other animal welfare organizations to offer free spay and neuter clinics to help Puerto Rico’s recovery after Hurricane Maria. The Storm On Sept. 20, 2017, Puerto Rico experienced the worst natural disaster in its history. Hurricane Maria wreaked catastrophic destruction and created a humanitarian crisis when it struck the island, resulting in flooding, extensive infrastructure damage, and the worst electrical blackout in U.S. history, as every one of the island’s 3.4 million residents lost power. Maria, a 50-mile-wide hurricane with 150 mph winds, would prove to be the fifth-strongest storm ever to hit…
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…
MU Equine Clinician Offers Advice on Respiratory Disease
Rhodococcus equi, which affects developing foals, may be more prevalent because of early summer Rhodococcus equi is a bacterial organism found in dry and dusty soil in horse environments that can cause pneumonia in young foals. A zoonotic disease, Rhodococcus equi can also infect people who are immunocompromised, such as HIV-AIDS patients. Philip Johnson, a professor of equine internal medicine in the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, has seen several cases this season and cautions that horse owners, especially those with foals between 1 and 4 months old, should remain vigilant and attentive to the signs of Rhodococcus…
MU Veterinary Health Center to Provide After-hours Emergency Care in Kansas City
The University of Missouri Veterinary Health Center (VHC) has purchased the Animal Emergency Center in Kansas City, Missouri. The sale was finalized on Wednesday, April 25. The clinic reopened April 26. MU College of Veterinary Medicine Alumnus Karl Mischke, DVM, ’89, established the Animal Emergency Center, located at 8141 North Oak Trafficway, in 1993 to offer emergency care to Kansas City-area clients during overnight hours, and on weekends and holidays. Mischke passed away unexpectedly on April 20, 2017. Due to Missouri regulations governing the operation of veterinary facilities, which require veterinary businesses be owned by a licensed doctor of veterinary…
MU Veterinary Toxicologist Offers Advice on Recent Dog Food Recalls
According to recent reports, more than 107 million cans of dog food have been recalled because they contained trace amounts of pentobarbital, the tranquilizer used to put down sick or injured animals. Tim Evans, an associate professor of veterinary pathobiology and head of toxicology in the Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (VMDL) at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, stresses that while no measurable concentrations of pentobarbital should be in these products, pet owners should monitor resources for updates and notices for pet food recalls. “The FDA plays a key role in preventing these situations and in protecting our…
MU Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory Achieves Level 1 Status
The Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (VMDL) at MU’s College of Veterinary Medicine has moved up in class. “The VMDL is now a Level 1 Laboratory in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN),” says Shuping Zhang, PhD, MS, DACVM, director of the VMDL. Established in June 2002 with the passage of the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response Act, NAHLN is a nationally coordinated network of federal, state, and university-associated laboratories that provide animal health diagnostic testing to detect biological threats to the nation’s food animals, thus protecting animal health, public health, and the nation’s…
Transferring Technology
Division of Animal Sciences receives grant to develop The National Center for Applied Reproduction and Genomics (NCARG) By: Logan Jackson College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources The Division of Animal Sciences at the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources (CAFNR) boasts many strengths, including its vast research and work with beef cattle reproduction and genetics. The faculty, who have responsibilities not only in research, but also in teaching, extension and economic development, are experts in taking their findings and sharing them with farmers, ranchers and the Missouri community as a whole. With the help of…
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