Our five favourite articles of 2021
As 2021 wraps up, the WCVM Today team has reviewed the past year’s content from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s news archives and selected a handful of favourite stories for our readers. Enjoy!
By WCVM TodayPhoto: Christina Weese.
1. Good Samaritan fund is ace in the hand for WCVM clinicians
Meet Ace, a young mixed-breed male dog that was first brought to the WCVM for a spay and neuter clinic in May 2021. After further examination, the WCVM clinical team found that Ace was limping because of a chronic hip fracture. Thanks to support from the WCVM Les and Irene Dubé Good Samaritan Fund, life is now coming up aces for this lucky dog. Read full story.
2. Advancing Truth and Reconciliation at the WCVM
Meet Charlie Wyatt-Swain, a third-year veterinary student who is a member of the NunatuKavut community in Labrador on Canada’s East Coast. Inspired by Canada’s first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Wyatt-Swain organized an opportunity for WCVM community members to demonstrate their allyship toward Indigenous people and their commitment to the Truth and Reconciliation process. Read full story.
3. Research team produces first female bison pregnancy with sex-sorted sperm
Meet Eric Zwiefelhofer, a postdoctoral fellow working with reproduction specialist Dr. Gregg Adams at the WCVM. When a wood bison cow gave birth at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence in November 2021 (a successful development since the story was posted in April 2021), her offspring was the first bison calf produced with sex-sorted sperm — a significant development in the revitalization of the threatened species. Read full story.
4. Onsite calving rotations mark a first for USask
Meet Willow Burnes and Danielle (Dani) England — two of the fourth-year veterinary students who participated in new calving rotations at the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence (LFCE) this spring. Two groups of students completed two-week rotations at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) facility that had 400 cows and heifers calving this year. Read full story.
5. Growing a practice in rural Saskatchewan
Meet Dr. Zachary (Zach) Johnson, who graduated from the WCVM in 2016. Jumping into ownership wasn’t the original plan that Johnson had in mind when he was initially accepted into the veterinary college. But just one month after receiving his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree, Johnson became the new owner of the Melville Veterinary Clinic in Melville, Sask. Read full story.