Western College of Veterinary Medicine
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Zoonotic disease expert to speak at WCVM
Dr. Scott Weese of the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College will be talking about links between pets, zoonotic diseases and animal and public health during a noon-hour presentation at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) in early December. Weese is an associate professor in the OVC’s Department of Pathobiology and a public health and zoonotic disease microbiologist for …
November 29th, 2012 Full story »
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Vetavision 2012 memorable for visitors
Warm fall weather, animals, interactive displays and enthusiastic veterinary students combined to make this year’s Vetavision a memorable experience for the thousands of people who visited the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s open house from September 20 to 23. “Many people loved all of the demonstrations and speakers throughout the four days. When people arrived, they would ask right away …
October 12th, 2012 Full story »
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Tracheal collapse focus for WCVM event
Tracheal collapse, a condition that often affects small breed or overweight dogs, is the focus of an upcoming continuing education event at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM). The evening seminar, which will touch on current issues and management of tracheal collapse in canine patients, will take place in Room 2115 from 7 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday evening, …
October 10th, 2012 Full story »
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Diagnostic precision for pancreatic cancer
Feline pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a rare and fatal malignant cancer of the pancreas in cats. Symptoms of the disease appear very similar to pancreatitis and are generally non-specific, making it a challenge to diagnose. “In some cases, it can be difficult to establish a diagnosis before death,” says Dr. Melissa Meachem, a Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) graduate student …
September 19th, 2012 Full story »
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Clinical pathology career a custom fit
Originally from Spruce Grove, Alta., Dr. Melissa Meachem grew up among all kinds of animals ranging from the family dog to the cows, horses and sheep at her grandparents’ farm. But the thought of a career as a veterinarian never entered her mind until her second year of undergraduate studies at the University of Alberta (U of A). “I studied …
September 19th, 2012 Full story »
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A pancreatitis primer for cat owners
Pancreatitis is an increasingly important pancreatic disorder in cats, but what exactly is it? What happens when a cat becomes ill due to pancreatitis? The pancreas is glandular organ has two main functions: to produce metabolic hormones that control blood sugar and to produce enzymes that aid in food digestion. Normally, due to their destructive nature, the protein-digesting enzymes trypsin …
September 19th, 2012 Full story »
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Study explores EPEC and parvoviral enteritis
When a puppy comes into a veterinary clinic with clinical signs of vomiting and diarrhea, one of the top diagnoses on a veterinarian’s mind is parvoviral enteritis – a viral infection affecting the gastrointestinal tract. But what about other pathogens that may look like parvoviral enteritis? One such infectious agent is the bacteria known as enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), which …
August 04th, 2012 Full story »
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Parvovirus enteritis hard to stomach for pups
Parvoviral enteritis is a common condition affecting young dogs throughout most areas of the world. Often affecting puppies between the ages of eight to 20 weeks, canine parvovirus causes severe gastrointestinal abnormalities with profuse vomiting and diarrhea. Often fatal if not treated, parvovirus is transmitted through fecal-oral contact and can be extremely resistant in the environment — even in very …
August 02nd, 2012 Full story »
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Study sets standard for knee assessment
Wearing a knee brace is a simple and easy method to conservatively manage a knee injury in people. But how useful are these orthopedic devices in dogs that injure their knee joints? “Right now, there’s no peer-reviewed research that actually shows they work even though there are a lot of claims that they do,” says Dr. Rhea Plesman, a small …
July 17th, 2012 Full story »
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Cancer research piques clinician’s curiosity
When Dr. Kirsty Elliot decided to return to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) for specialized training, the veterinary oncology resident initially thought her focus would be on clinical research. But after hearing more about WCVM professor Dr. Vikram Misra’s ongoing cancer research, she decided to experience the other end of the spectrum – benchtop work in a laboratory …
July 03rd, 2012 Full story »
