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One of the most important things veterinary staff can do is to help animals in pain. Technicians and assistants can help the veterinarian assess and alleviate pain in an animal that is suffering. They can also teach pet owners how to recognize when their pet has pain, so owners can manage the pain at home.   Are you up to date in your understanding of pain management? Take the following quiz to find out!   1. Pain after surgery or injury is an evolutionary device that is beneficial to animals because it limits their movement and prevents more injury and pain.  A. True  B. False

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is appealing the decision of a Florida District Court that ruled the FDA overstepped its authority when it attempted to shut down a veterinary compounding facility.

Pet owners in Texas can now claim sentimental damages for the loss of their dog, according to a recent court decision. A Texas family appealed the dismissal of their suit against an animal control worker who euthanized their dog even after the dog had been tagged with a "hold for owner" tag. The appeals court overturned the dismissal, reactivating the Medlens’ case and allowing them to sue for sentimental damages. On June 2, 2009, Kathryn and Jeremy Medlens’ dog, Avery, escaped from their backyard and was picked up by animal control. According to court records, Jeremy went to the animal shelter to bring Avery home, but did not have enough money with him at the time to pay the fees. Animal shelter workers told Jeremy to return for the dog June 10 with the appropriate fees, and placed a "hold for owner" tag on the dog’s cage.

Companion animals in Japan are continuing to suffer after the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant accident.

Animals’ behavioral responses to diseases may help veterinarians better understand why animals act the way they do, according to a new study out of the University of California at Davis. A new study by Benjamin Hart, DVM, Ph.D., explains that basic strategies for survival and reproduction can explain various animal behaviors. Hart’s study, "Behavioral defenses in animals against pathogens and parasites: Parallels with the pillars of medicine in humans", takes an in-depth look at how animals behave in response to diseases. His study looks at various animal disease-control strategies including physical avoidance and removal of pathogens and parasites, animal-style herbal medicine to prevent or treat infections, and animal care of sick or injured group members, among other behavior strategies. Hart’s research specializes in clinical animal behavior and the behavior of domestic animals. He has always been interested in animal behavior, he says.

Students in Alaska will have the opportunity to enter a veterinary degree program through a new partnership between the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and Colorado State University.   UAF spokesperson Marmian Grimes said that the new program will help students by giving them better access to veterinary education. "This program is a ‘two-plus-two’ arrangement designed to allow more access for our students," Grimes said. "Partnering with CSU will give them more potential slots than if they were applying to go there out of the blue. Of course, the students will still be meeting admissions requirements – this just opens more available slots to our students."

Canine cancer could be linked back to the evolution process of canine chromosomes, according to new research from North Carolina State University.

See how much you know about obesity with Trends magazine’s "What Do You Know?" quiz.

When his owner brought 35-pound "Lucky" to an animal hospital in January to be euthanized for improper litterbox habits resulting from extreme obesity, the staff at Clementon Animal Hospital in New Jersey didn’t know what to do.  The owner said he wanted the cat euthanized because he was unable to perform basic normal litterbox habits. The cat was so overweight from spending his life in a basement, eating food that was readily available at his own free choice, that he was unable to walk or move as a normal cat would.   "He was in very bad shape," said Tricia Greaney, office manager for the hospital. "He couldn’t even walk to use his litterbox."

A new alternative cell-based cancer vaccine developed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s schools of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine is showing an increase in survival time for dogs with spontaneous non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.