See the Full Issue
January 2023
Notebook: January 2023
News briefs from across the industry and beyond. This month’s articles include: CSU Plans $278 Million Veterinary Health Complex; Genetic Test Identifies Dogs’ Risk of Common Ligament Rupture; US Pet Insurance Market Size Set To More Than Double; and more!
Canine Immunotherapy Data Center Receives Second NIH Grant
Researchers have learned much from treating dogs like Fantine, a golden retriever owned by Penn Vet supporter Richard Lichter, with immunotherapies for cancer, in part because tumors in dogs can closely resemble those in humans. With new support from the NIH, a Penn-led team is ensuring such lessons can effectively translate into new therapeutic approaches.
The School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania reports that although cancer scientists frequently use cell lines and rodent models to study how diseases arise and respond to experimental therapies, dogs naturally develop many of the same cancer types as people do and receive some of the same drugs, including immunotherapies, which mobilize the patient’s own immune system to fight tumors.
Funding to support clinical trials of immunotherapies in dogs was part of the Cancer Moonshot launched by then–Vice President Biden in 2016. The school was recently awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue its work as the Data Coordinating Center for Pre-medical Cancer Immunotherapy Network for Canine Trials (PRECINCT). The grant will allow the center to continue that work for another five years, with a goal of furthering scientific research to identify new therapeutic approaches that may translate from dogs to humans. The center collects clinical trial data from 10 veterinary and medical academic sites—5 awarded in 2017 and an additional 5 awarded in 2022—across the country. The school reports that, in doing so, the coordinating center ensures each trial collects high-quality data from canine patients receiving cutting-edge combination immunotherapies in a standardized way.
“Ultimately, the goal is to propel the field of comparative oncology forward,” says Qi Long, a professor of biostatistics in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology.
Kitten Found to Be Neither Male Nor Female
Fifteen-week-old Hope, seen at Warrington, Ireland’s Cats Protection’s rescue center.
Hope, a 15-week-old cat, was originally thought to be female when admitted to Ireland’s Cats Protection Rescue Center in Warrington, but veterinarians found no external sex organs. Senior field veterinary officer Fiona Brockbank said it appeared to be a case of agenesis, which she and her colleagues had never seen before. The group reported they had seen hermaphrodite cats, though they were rare. After an investigation, they found Hope had no sex organs, externally or internally.
“There’s an outside possibility of some ectopic ovarian tissue hiding away internally but we think this is extremely unlikely,” says Brockbank. “This is so rare that there isn’t really a commonly used term for this condition, but it is effectively sexual organ agenesis.”
She reports that the group monitored the cat to ensure they can urinate and defecate appropriately before they were made available for adoption.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength.”
—Sigmund Freud
Researchers Identify Nonvisual Itching Pathway
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified a pathway in the brains of mice that is activated when the animals see other mice scratching. The researchers previously reported that the urge to scratch an itch after seeing other mice scratching is hardwired in the brain. Now they have found that this so-called contagious itching is controlled through a visual pathway that they report operates independently of the visual cortex, the area of the brain that processes visual information.
The new findings advance understanding of the triggers that spur itching and eventually may point to solutions to quell itch-related conditions in people. The work also provides more evidence that some cells in the retina not previously linked to vision actually may assist us as we see. The new study is published in the journal Cell Reports.
“This contagious itch—which is a reflex response in mice, just as grooming is—must be somehow important for survival,” said principal investigator Zhou-Feng Chen, PhD, director of the Washington University Center for the Study of Itch & Sensory Disorders. “We humans also experience contagious itch, but we have found that in mice such itching is controlled through a pathway that was not known to be responsible for ‘seeing’ things. That could mean this sort of imitative scratching behavior is an ancient, protective behavior.”
Perhaps, Chen said, since mice are nocturnal and often in dark places, it may be important for them to know whether the area they move around in could be full of insects, such as mosquitoes. Because of their poor eyesight, one way for mice know this is to see what other mice are doing. If nearby mice begin to scratch, that could be a warning signal that biting mosquitoes or other insects are swarming. “You had better scratch now before the mosquitoes bite you, too,” he said. “This kind of contagious behavior is widespread in the animal world.”
US Pet Insurance Market Size Set To More Than Double By 2028
BlueWeave Consulting recently released a study that estimated the size of the 2021 US pet insurance market at $1.94 billion. The company forecasts the market to expand and reach $3.85 billion by 2028.
The company says that rising demand for pet insurance to reduce out-of-pocket costs for serious illnesses such as cancer and unintentional injuries has been positively expected in driving the growth of the US pet insurance market. They state that the insurance market’s development might be slowed by risks to pet insurance providers, entry obstacles, and fierce competition, but that advancements in technology and the untapped possibilities in new areas provide strong growth prospects. For more information, visit blueweaveconsulting.com/report/united-states-pet-
insurance-market.
Researchers made the screening test available for Labrador retrievers at high risk of developing cruciate ligament rupture. Next, the team is working to extend the development of predictive genetic testing to other breeds.
New Genetic Test Identifies Dogs’ Risk of Common Ligament Rupture
Researchers used a method called array genotyping to determine genetic markers for each dog. By analyzing the DNA and gene variants in multiple samples, they could identify the small variants associated with cruciate ligament rupture.
Researchers in the Comparative Genetics and Orthopedic Research Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine report that they have found a way to determine whether a dog is susceptible to cruciate ligament ruptures. Researchers report that although any dog can rupture the ligament, it is uncommon to happen through injury alone. Rather, genetics play an essential role in the degeneration of the cruciate ligament, increasing the risk of a rupture. The screening test, the first of its kind in companion animals, requires only a cheek swab that can be collected at home or a small blood sample.
The researchers made the screening test available for Labrador retrievers, the most popular dog breed in America, in late 2022. They report that the Labrador breed has a high risk of developing the disease; 5–10% of Labradors rupture a cruciate ligament within their lifetime. The research team is now working to extend the development of predictive genetic testing to other breeds with a high risk of cruciate rupture, like the rottweiler and Newfoundland.
“In dogs, ligament degeneration and progressive rupture of collagen fibers in the ligament tissue leads to the development of knee joint instability over time,” says Peter Muir, laboratory co-director and a professor in the Department of Surgical Sciences in the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine.
Researchers used a method called array genotyping to determine genetic markers for each dog. By analyzing the DNA and gene variants in multiple samples, they could identify the small variants associated with cruciate ligament rupture.
These findings allowed scientists to determine the genetic risk of developing cruciate ligament rupture in Labrador retrievers. They found a heritability estimate of 0.62, meaning for each individual Labrador who develops cruciate ligament rupture, about 62% of the risk is genetic, and approximately 38% is environmental. From this research, the lab can now test individual Labrador retrievers for the genetic risk of a cruciate ligament rupture with 98% accuracy. These efforts not only benefit dogs, according to Muir, but further genetic testing research for animals and humans alike.
“Our initial interest in the disease is as a spontaneous animal model for human orthopedic disease,” he explains, to better understand human ACL tears and associated genetics.
Veterinarians Save Kitten’s Life with Rare Procedure
Fifteen-week-old Hope, seen at Warrington, Ireland’s Cats Protection’s rescue center.
Texas A&M University reports that, like most stories in veterinary medicine, Pinky’s starts with a trip to the veterinarian. The twist, however, is that the visit wasn’t even for him—Pinky, a domestic longhair kitten, happened to tag along for his littermate’s appointment when their veterinarian noticed he had a rare condition. Pinky came to the Texas A&M Small Animal Teaching Hospital (SATH) at three months old with what would be diagnosed as pectus excavatum, a congenital disorder in which the sternum doesn’t form properly. With the condition, the sternum is pointed inward toward the chest cavity, affecting an animal’s heart and their ability to expand their lungs.
After a social media conversation that discussed the rescue kitten’s condition, second-year veterinary student Molly Guyette saw a post on the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Class of 2025 Facebook group. She volunteered to be a medical foster for Pinky, providing postsurgery weekly follow-ups.
To move the sternum into the correct position, Pinky’s team placed an external splint on his chest that was connected to his sternum with a series of sutures. By tightening these sutures small amounts each week, they were able to gradually pull the sternum into place, similar to how braces straighten teeth.
“With young cats like Pinky, their bones are still made up of a lot of cartilage, especially in that area, so the sternum is a lot more pliable,” said Chanel Berns, DVM, a first-year resident at the SATH. “Once cats get older, the cartilage in their sternum starts to get more mineralized, so the procedure doesn’t work as well, and it’s harder to get an immediate improvement.”
That immediate improvement was especially evident in Pinky’s case, according to Berns.
“In Pinky’s first set of X-rays, before the splint was placed, he had a very small amount of his lungs functioning normally, and his heart was very deviated to the side,” she said. “Then, in his immediate post-op images, you can see that the splint made a huge improvement right away. His lungs were able to expand, and his heart was in the correct position.”
The splint was left in place and gradually tightened for four weeks, until the veterinarians felt that Pinky’s bones had mineralized enough that it could be removed, and the sternum would stay in place. By the time Pinky finished his recovery, Guyette’s family had decided to adopt him, along with his littermate Floyd.
US Veterinarian Pay Ranks Highest
A surveyed conducted by The Vet Service, a recruitment agency, found that US veterinarians who graduated within the past two years earned from $110,000 to $140,000 annually on average, ranking first among practitioners in English-speaking countries. Canadian veterinarians with up to two years of experience were paid from $100,000 to $116,000. In addition, the top three highest-paying countries for relief veterinarians were the United States, at $400 to $1,000 a day; the United Kingdom ($360 to $600), and Canada ($310 to $618). “Overall, the outlook remains positive for salary growth in the veterinary sector, both for permanent and locum veterinary positions,” according to the UK-based agency.
Zoetis Launches Project WAG to Support Veterinary Wellbeing
Global animal health company Zoetis recently announced the launch of Project WAG (Wellbeing and Growth), designed to help veterinary professionals build and maintain a better standard of wellbeing within their practices. In a release, the company reports that Project WAG provides all veterinary professionals, including veterinarians, veterinary technicians, and support and administrative staff, with easy access to resources and tools designed for self-care to help them set healthy boundaries at work, connect with the community, and create more joy in their day-to-day work.
“Burnout and wellbeing concerns within the veterinary field are fairly common but, unfortunately, overlooked problems. In fact, nearly one-third (31%) of veterinarians in the US have reported experiencing depressive episodes,” said Tara Bidgood, DVM, PhD, executive director of US Petcare Veterinary Professional Services and Medical Affairs at Zoetis.
The project’s online hub, ProjectWAG.org, includes:
- Access to complimentary support facilitated by licensed healthcare professionals, as well as self-care resources.
- Tools to help veterinary health professionals foster team building and community among their peers—and within their own practices—to focus on a culture of wellbeing.
- Educational resources to help veterinary health professionals feel knowledgeable so they can take control of their own wellbeing, as well as become advocates for their colleagues, peers, and future veterinary professionals.
CSU Plans $278 Million Veterinary Health Complex
Colorado State University students working with an animal.
Colorado State University’s (CSU) College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences has announced plans for a $278 million upgrade and expansion of its current veterinary medicine and education facilities. In a release, the school says that the new facilities will allow the college to enlarge class sizes and to implement a progressive new curriculum that includes training in problem-solving, conflict resolution, decision-making, and mental, physical, and financial wellbeing. Livestock and tertiary care facilities will also be modernized, and clinical trials facilities will be expanded. The new 300,000-plus square-foot expansion is expected to be completed in phases through 2028.
Photo credits: John Donges/Penn Vet, Cats Protection, unoL/iStock via Getty Images Plus, Ari Spada/Unsplash, School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, 29mokara, Luisrftc/iStock via Getty Images Plus, bgblue/DigitalVision Vectors via Getty Images, MartinPrescott/iStock via Getty Images Plus, Justin VanAlstyne/College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences