Rejected veterinary school applicant finds her true calling working with wolves

After graduating from high school, Rebecca Bose majored in preveterinary science at Miami University of Ohio with the hopes of one day becoming a veterinarian. Upon graduating from college, Bose applied to veterinary school but wasn’t accepted. Unsure of what to do next, she began volunteering at the newly opened Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, New York, using her training in veterinary science to care for the wolves at the Center. A part-time role quickly evolved into a full-time staff position and, eventually, even more: Today, Bose is the center’s head curator. ”I was able to use my love of veterinary medicine and my love of wolves and the environment and put it all in one,” Bose said. . . . more

Southern Veterinary Partners creates new award to help students with debt

A new award has been set up to help students deal with debt and create employment opportunities for the future. Southern Veterinary Partners (SVP) has launched its Tuition Assistance Awards to mitigate financial struggles for emerging professionals and pave a path for selected students to work with SVP following graduation. “We hope by removing the stress of veterinary school debt, SVP will allow them to completely focus on their patients, clients, and enjoy life outside of work,” said Jay Price, DVM, chief executive officer of SVP. SVP conducted interviews and on-the-job training to select two veterinary students who will each receive a $20,000 award. The chosen applicants were . . . more

World's cutest dog dies

Social media star Boo the Pomeranian has died at the age of 12. His owners say he had shown signs of heart problems ever since his “best friend”—a dog called Buddy—died in 2017. “We think his heart literally broke when Buddy left us,” they wrote on Boo’s official Facebook page. Boo had 16 million followers on Facebook, made TV appearances, and even released a book called Boo: The Life of the World’s Cutest Dog. Boo and his friend Buddy had lived together for 11 years before Buddy passed away in September of 2017 at the age of 14. Boo’s owners say Boo passed away in his sleep early last Saturday morning and they were heartbroken. . . . more

Woman links Lyme disease diagnosis to pet cat sleeping on her bed

A 51-year-old woman who was suffering from symptoms that she says made life intolerable for more than a decade has linked her Lyme disease diagnosis three years ago to an incident involving her cat back in 2002. Lisa Vallo of West Yorkshire, England, said she would occasionally find ticks in her pet’s coat, and that the cat often napped on her bed. But it took Vallo nine doctors, several misdiagnoses, and years of dealing with a racing heart, nausea, arthritis, and extreme tiredness before she was diagnosed with Lyme and finally made the connection back to her cat. . . . more

Wag app tried to pay pet owners for silence after dog’s death

A Houston, Texas, couple claims that the popular dog-walking app Wag tried to buy their silence after their puppy died while on a walk with one of Wag’s independent contractors. Last December, Nick and Sara Moore hired a dog walker through Wag to walk their 10-month-old wheaton terrier puppy, Winnie. They said things were odd from the beginning: Each walker’s profile shows his or her name, as well as a small paragraph about that particular person. The walker assigned to Winnie had a different name in her bio paragraph than what was shown on her profile, and declined Sara’s request to clear up the confusion. When Sara did not receive confirmation that Winnie’s walk was over, she became concerned. Sara texted the walker, but did not receive an answer. When Sara called the walker, the walker answered and assured Sara that Winnie was home safe. Five minutes later, Sara says she received a call from a Wag representative saying that Winnie was not home safe, but had been hit by a car and did not survive. . . . more