WCVM Today’s half-dozen favourite stories of 2022
As 2022 wraps up, here are six favourite WCVM Today stories from our archives. Enjoy!
Story #1: Life after laminitis
When Bob Wood’s beloved mare Jessie was diagnosed with laminitis, he worked with the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) clinical team to develop a specialized routine that would help his horse recover from the painful condition. This included waking up at 4 a.m. and crushing over 100 pills twice per day to help manage Jessie’s pain. Thanks to her owner’s dedication, Jessie is doing better now with continuous management.
Story #2: Eye surgery gives stray cat a new outlook on life
George, a stray tabby cat, showed up in a south Regina neighbourhood two years ago and immediately began stealing the hearts of local residents — including Christine Holzer. When Holzer noticed that something was wrong with George’s eye, she knew she had to get it checked out. That led to a diagnosis of a unilateral entropion, a condition in which the eyelid rolls inwards, making the eyelashes face toward the eye.
Story #3: WCVM hires pollinator health research chair
In June, veterinary pathologist Dr. Sarah Wood was named as the University of Saskatchewan (USask) Pollinator Health Research Chair. This position is new to the WCVM and will build on the strength of the college’s existing honey bee health research group.
Story #4: New project has big impact on bison genome biobank’s development at USask
In July, a team of USask researchers received a $5.1-million boost toward their goal of creating the world’s first bison genome biobank. The Bison Integrated Genomics (BIG) project is linked to an initiative called “Integrated omics for sustainable agriculture and environmental stewardship” (IntegrOmes). The BIG project will help with new genomics solutions to protect Canada’s wood bison population.
Stories #5 and #6: Provincial partners increase funding support for veterinary college
In April 2022, the province of B.C. announced an increase in funding for the WCVM, doubling its seats in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program from 20 to 40 for the 2022-23 academic year. Six months later, the provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba also boosted their investment in the veterinary college and increased their DVM seat quotas by five each. Beginning in the 2023-24 academic year, Saskatchewan will support 25 seats while Manitoba will support 20 seats.
Read the B.C. announcement story | Read the Saskatchewan/Manitoba announcement story