Texas budget allocates money for Texas Tech veterinary school

The latest budget passed by state lawmakers in Texas has allocated $4.1 million to Texas Tech for “veterinary medicine.” Tech announced it wanted to open a school in 2019, but has faced opposition from Texas A&M University, which has the only veterinary school in the state. The line providing funding was included in the House’s version of the bill but not the Senate’s—a budget conference committee tasked with creating a compromise left it in.

Researchers close in on FIP treatment

Research continues to target feline infectious peritonitis, a fatal disease that affects young cats, and new studies look promising. One study, published in March 2016 tested an antiviral treatment that led to full recovery of cats at a point when the disease would have become fatal if left untreated. Other researchers are looking at the possibility of an FIP vaccine. Read up on the full breakdown in a recent VIN article.

How mastiffs adapted to high elevation living

While most animals need some time to adapt to a new environment, mastiffs quickly went from living in the lowlands of China to the Tibetan Plateau. A researcher from the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences did genetic testing and determined that the Tibetan mastiffs were bred with gray wolves already adapted to the higher elevations. The dogs who live on the plateau have a gene that allows them to live in a lower oxygen environment.

Dog serves on editorial boards of academic journals

Ollie, a dog living in Australia, has earned a spot on several journals’ editorial boards through her alias Dr. Olivia Doll. Her owner put together her distinguished profile in response to predatory journals who promise to publish young academics but demand large amounts of money. He feels that earning Ollie spots on these editorial boards helps expose fraud. Her research includes topics like “Canine Responses to Avian Proximity” (a response to her hatred of birds).

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