Research and science communication articles written by undergraduate summer research students at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM).
Since the community of microorganisms (or microbiome) living in your gut can influence digestion and overall health, eating yogurt or taking probiotics can improve your gut function. But what about the microbiome in the uterus: could the bacterial composition inside the womb influence pregnancy rates?
Precision technological advancements such as the use of cameras in livestock production could provide beef cattle feedlot employees a “bird’s eye view,” allowing them to monitor and flag any cattle showing signs of illnesses such as bovine respiratory disease.
Everyone knows the deadly disease that is cancer, but ironically, what makes cancer so deadly is how little is known about it.
“Data left in the field are dollars left in the field” aptly describes the mindset of University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers who are experimenting with “smart farm” technology at the Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence (LFCE).
Equine veterinarian Dr. Claire Card (DVM, PhD) at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) and members of her research team are re-evaluating a decades-old bone formation (ossification) scoring system used to assess newborn foals.
Last summer, I had the chance to delve into the fascinating world of veterinary ophthalmology research while investigating the microbiome — or community of microorganisms — that’s found on the corneas of dogs.
When spring rolls around, honey bee farmers open their hives and expect to see a mass of happy buzzing bees.
A relatively new field of scientific study called metabolomics is providing important information for Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) researchers who are studying the impact of avian influenza virus (AIV) and environmental stress on the metabolism of waterfowl.
Last summer, imagine my surprise as I peered into the brain of a harvested white-tailed deer from Saskatchewan and observed a little brown thread of a worm that wasn’t supposed to be there.
Lyme disease is rarely fatal in people, but for some, this perplexing bacterial disease can have an impact on the rest of their lives.
An old infectious agent — usually considered harmless — is responsible for the sudden deaths of pigs in North America.
I am a lung cell, and I am instrumental to the function of every other organ in the body. My job is to oversee the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the air sacs and the blood vessels. Without me, everything else in the body shuts down.
How can a bison cow have a calf sired by a bull from the opposite side of North America? The collection, disinfection and freezing of semen using novel technologies can make this former pipe dream a reality, and it may be our best chance of saving the North American bison species.
For many dog owners, warmer weather means that trips to the local off-leash dog park are a regular occurrence. But more time at the park may mean a higher chance of picking up a few passengers on the way — including ticks.
Researchers at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) are investigating antimicrobial resistance by establishing relationships between antimicrobial resistance genes in beef cattle and examining the impact of various exposure events on patterns of antimicrobial resistance.
As a professor and prolific researcher at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM), Dr. Jaswant Singh has explored the reproductive physiology of cattle, bison and a variety of other mammals.
As researchers at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) study the impact of stocking density and feed bunk space allowance on the health of beef cattle, they’re pondering the age-old question: “Is less really more?”
When I tell people that I spent a summer working with bacteria rather than animals, I get puzzled looks and they often ask, “What does that have to do with being a vet?” The answer is simple: everything.
Stress. We’ve all been there — those moments of acute stress when we’re stuck in traffic or those periods of chronic stress when life seems to chuck all the lemons at us. But did you know that all of this stress information gets stored in your hair?
A study at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) promises not only to provide important information about llama and alpaca reproduction but also to determine if the camelid species could become animal models for reproductive research.
Dogs can donate life-saving blood to other dogs, just like people can give blood to their fellow humans. But veterinarians are still unsure about the best way to deliver blood from dog donors to the canine patients that urgently need it.
How can we decrease the occurrence of pre-term births in women? Can a cancer research drug help us find a solution? These are questions facing reproductive scientist Dr. Daniel MacPhee (PhD) and his research team at the University of Saskatchewan (USask).
Herpesviruses are nothing new, but what’s surprising are their sheer number: 130 species of herpesviruses infect and cause disease in a wide variety of species — including people.
At first glance, sitting on the back of a horse watching cattle graze seems a whole world apart from extracting DNA at a pristine lab bench. But my experiences in research and ranching have shown me that both disciplines share common principles.
As you wander down the meat aisle and view the variety of available pork cuts, you’re probably not thinking about the people and the work behind getting the meat to the supermarket.
When it comes to bringing new horses into the world, mare care and particularly mare nutrition should be a top priority for horse owners — a mother’s diet during pregnancy can drastically impact the health of her foal.
“Boy or girl?” Expectant mothers hear that question a lot, and thanks to ultrasound technology, many human parents have the option of finding out the answer long before their baby is born.
Anyone who has owned a grey horse knows the struggle of trying to keep their equine friend clean and to prevent them from becoming a shade of brown.
When veterinarian Dr. Madison Ricard came to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) for her anatomic pathology residency program in 2020, she had no idea that her research would potentially have an impact on the veterinary profession and the horse industry at large.
As a recent University of Saskatchewan (USask) graduate who just completed my animal bioscience degree, I’ve had my eyes opened to so many things that I’d never imagined would interest me.
Having spent more than two years in the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic, scientists and the public have learned a great deal more about respiratory infections and the lung complications that can result from having one.
Honey bees are excellent pollinators for flowering crops, and they’ve greatly benefited Canada’s blueberry growers as well as the country’s economy — Canada is a major exporter of the popular blue fruit.
By using fruit flies as their model organism, Dr. Adelaine Leung and her team at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) are contributing vital knowledge to a fascinating research story that began more than 120 years ago.
“Why won’t they listen?” It’s a complaint we can all relate to. Whether you’re an animal owner or a veterinarian, you have probably found yourself questioning why the person on the other side of a conversation isn’t reacting the way you had expected.
Wary of the COVID-19 vaccine? Well, eat some pork and relax. Scientists have been whipping up vaccines in short order for decades, and the fact you can still enjoy your morning bacon is proof that these vaccine products are safe and effective.
A multidisciplinary research team is working to develop rapid genomic testing methods that will change the way feedlots make decisions about antimicrobial use and ultimately improve antimicrobial stewardship.
You share more things in common with your dog than you think, and these similarities are the focus of research at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) that’s aimed at investigating osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer found in dogs and humans.
Dr. Claire Card has spent much of her career helping mares get pregnant, but for some horses and their owners, it’s complicated.
A mysterious disease is creeping its way into Saskatchewan, and its diagnosis remains complicated and unstandardized. Lyme disease, a tick-borne bacterial infection, is spreading westwards and northwards into the province of Saskatchewan.
Birth occurring before 37 weeks of pregnancy is a leading cause of newborn death, disability and developmental delays in humans.
British Columbia is losing its bats. Half of the 16 bat species in the province are either vulnerable or threatened, and ecologists and farmers alike worry about how the loss of these voracious pest control experts will affect our natural and agricultural systems.
About 98 out of 100,000 human patients annually suffer from interstitial lung disease, a broad collection of several lung diseases that manifest as inflammation and scarring of lung tissue and a loss of lung function.
As the sun rises, Eric and Miranda Zwiefelhofer gear up for another exciting day of work.
A Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) research team is gathering information for the development of a new device for cryotherapy (extreme cold therapy) — one of the few treatments available for the painful equine disease known as laminitis.
Everyone knows that going to the dentist is an important part of keeping our teeth healthy, but did you know that your pets also need regular dental checkups?
The wood and plains bison are majestic creatures weighing 1,200 pounds, but their conservation could depend on single-celled gametes (reproductive cells) that are measured in microns.
One of the latest projects in the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) honey bee health research lab is a tale of two provinces.
Last summer, I learned to not be such a scientist. As a veterinary student and biologist, I have spent the last decade working in science and trying to make a tiny contribution to what is known about the world.
While most people dread dealing with ticks, University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers are keen to work with the parasite as they investigate the host-pathogen system responsible for Lyme disease in Canada.
A research team at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) is working to develop new prevention and control strategies for necrotic enteritis, a devastating disease that causes enormous financial losses for poultry producers.
While human health workers are caring for people infected with the novel coronavirus, veterinary researchers are helping to protect the public from illnesses spread by another health threat: ticks.
E-cigarette companies spent more than $9 billion in marketing last year to promote their product as a healthy alternative to conventional cigarettes for smokers, but University of Saskatchewan (USask) scientist Dr. Ali Honaramooz (DVM, PhD) is not convinced.
A team of University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers is studying how the mode of delivery influences a baby’s early gut microbiome — the huge community of bacteria and fungi that lives inside our gastrointestinal tracts.
With the help of a new risk assessment tool, researchers at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) may be able to help beef cattle producers slow down the spread of Johne’s disease among their herds.
While society is coping with the stress related to a pandemic, honey bees and other pollinators are going through another problem — the stress associated with habitat loss.
Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a disease in cattle that accounts for 40 to 75 per cent of animal deaths in some beef cattle feedlots. While there are many causes of BRD, it’s often associated with infection by the bacterium Mannheimia haemolytica (M. haemolytica).
Although pesticides are important for increasing crop production, they may be interfering with the immunity of an important animal pollinator — the honey bee.
Why is it that bats don’t get sick when infected with viruses that can be deadly in humans?
Veterinary researchers at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) have recently unveiled a new field of study that’s focused on reversing and safeguarding against the loss of fertility in young males.
When people contract influenza A virus — commonly known as “the flu” — the symptoms start within 24 hours and peak by 48 hours of infection. People have a few days of sickness that can include fever, runny nose, eye inflammation, loss of appetite and a lack of energy as well as coughing that can last two weeks.
The wet sand squishes beneath my gumboots as I walk along a beach near Tofino, on the western edge of Vancouver Island, B.C. Last night’s storm has strewn bull kelp and broken shells across the beach. It has also landed a true ocean oddity: a mermaid’s purse.
A Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) researcher and his team are looking into new options for pain management during castration of beef calves.
Breeding horses is often a numbers game: owners and veterinarians alike want improved success rates at lower costs, but some mares have more trouble than others.
Today’s consumers want more from their food, and the beef and dairy industries are constantly striving to meet these demands. As more companies market their food as “natural” — raised without additional use of hormones, steroids, and antibiotics — concerns regarding steroid use in food production have multiplied.
Our lungs face a never-ending battle. With every breath, we inhale millions of airborne particles, including many that are potentially harmful. Our bodies must be prepared to defend us from these invaders.
A tiny parasite with a long name has the potential to cause some very big health problems for Canadians and their pets in the future.
