The Government of Saskatchewan is supporting veterinary programs at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) by providing $13.2 million to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) in 2024-25 — an increase of $667,000.
Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) have identified some unique characteristics that most dogs show when they’re critically ill due to Addison’s disease — insights that may help veterinarians identify severe cases more quickly.
A combination of ecological and biological methods in studying wildlife helped University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers track a parasite dangerous to humans. As USask spotlights World Health Day on April 7, we take a closer look at this One Health Signature Area of Research project.
Volunteering with the PAWS Your Stress program is ‘very rewarding’ for USask graduate Doreen Stumborg (BA’09, MFA’20) and her dog, Laddie
It’s been a year since Saskatchewan banned the use of strychnine to control rodents, but a University of Saskatchewan (USask) veterinary toxicologist is warning that the highly toxic poison continues to threaten the lives of animals in the province.
Dr. Nathan Erickson (DVM) of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) has received the 2024 Veterinarian of the Year Award from the Western Canadian Association of Bovine Practitioners (WCABP) and Boehringer Ingelheim Canada.
The Saskatoon philanthropist, who died on March 13, 2024, at the age of 91, was bestowed with an honorary degree in 2007 for his many contributions to the University of Saskatchewan and to organizations across the province.
The University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) has been selected to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) program. VIDO is one of 13 new Canadian test centres chosen to be part of the network—and the only centre with biotechnology as its main focus.
May 15, 2023, began as a day of celebration for Mikhaela Thrasher when her five-year-old purebred Clydesdale mare, Nya, gave birth to Hercules — a healthy, strapping colt that weighed a hefty 76 kilograms (168 pounds).
No one wants a life-threatening disaster to occur at their barn or stable but very few horse owners make the time to develop a plan for preventing emergencies, says Dr. Rebecca (Gimenez) Husted, a primary emergency response instructor with expertise in large animal emergency rescue.
Through its latest round of funding, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research is investing $4,862,701 in 13 projects led by University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers and research teams — including scientists who are part of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) faculty.
Ask Dr. Rebecca (Gimenez) Husted to describe her work and she’ll tell you that she’s “the chief cook and bottle washer” of Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue, Inc. (TLAER) — an organization that guides animal owners in handling and preventing emergencies.
Pain in the temporomandibular joints (TMJ) — the two joints that connect the lower jaw to the skull — is a common human health issue with up to 60 per cent of adults experiencing symptoms of TMJ disease at some point in their lives.
Dr. Nathalie Reisbig’s research work on an often-overlooked part of the equine anatomy earned the Western College of Veterinary Medicine veterinarian a top prize of $10,000 at the Calgary International Equine Symposium in September 2023.
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?
The Spring 2024 issue of Horse Health Lines, news publication for the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s (WCVM) Townsend Equine Health Research Fund, is now online.
On Valentine’s Day in February 2023, Abi Bashorun made a connection that proved to be her perfect match.
The statistics reflect a stark reality: about 15 million babies are born prematurely each year, with preterm birth accounting for 70 per cent of newborn deaths worldwide.
University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers hope their recent review of previous studies assessing different types of cold therapies for preventing and treating equine acute laminitis will help veterinarians and serve as a starting point for the design of a new cost-effective cooling boot.
Have you ever walked by a pond and noticed a thick green or bluish-green layer covering the surface of water? These thick layers are becoming increasingly common in oceans, lakes, ponds and other water bodies — threatening aquatic life and human health.
University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers who are also part of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) faculty have received over $1.75 million in financial support from Saskatchewan’s Agriculture Development Fund (ADF) for livestock-focused research projects in 2024.
Livestock-focused research projects spearheaded by researchers at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) and USask-affiliated centres received almost $6 million from the Agriculture Development Fund (ADF) and are supported by industry co-funders.
An art exhibition featuring representations of the bond between dogs and humans, and based on work led by a University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher, will be unveiled at Wanuskewin before touring the province for two years.
The United Nations has declared 2024 as the “International Year of the Camelid” in recognition of the animals’ contributions to maintaining healthy ecosystems around the world.
Amid a growing need for wildlife health research and surveillance in Canada, the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC) wants the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) community to know that relationship building is more important than ever.
Producers use vaccination schedules to vaccinate their sheep against diseases caused by the bacteria Clostridia, but what’s largely unknown is the best time to immunize for clostridial diseases.
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.
A Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) veterinary pathologist wants “to get the poop” on developing new biomarker-based diagnostic tests for broiler chickens by running laboratory tests with their feces.
Everyone knows the deadly disease that is cancer, but ironically, what makes cancer so deadly is how little is known about it.
The Fall 2023 issue of Horse Health Lines, news publication for the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s (WCVM) Townsend Equine Health Research Fund, is now online.
A new equine scholarship for veterinary graduates had a flying start at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s (WCVM) spring awards program in early June.
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.
Drs. Alannah Friedlund, Eveline Juce and Josefina Ghersa are among the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s team of incoming residents and clinical interns whose work focuses on equine health. Visit tehrf.ca to read more profiles of the college’s new team members.
As antimicrobial resistance becomes a more urgent issue in animal and human health, western Canadian swine health scientists are seeking alternatives to antibiotic drugs for treating diarrhea in grower-finisher pigs.
A new funding partnership with PetSmart Charities of Canada will help a University of Saskatchewan (USask) veterinary outreach program expand its impact in northern Saskatchewan communities where animal owners have little or no access to animal health services.
The Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) has invested over $140,000 in support of equine health-related research and graduate students for 2023.
Animal owners and veterinary staff need to be aware that zinc phosphide, a highly toxic chemical compound, is now approved for use as a rodenticide in Saskatchewan.
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.
An emerging parasite known as Echinococcus multilocularis has been increasingly appearing in coyotes in Western Canada as well as in new regions of North America in recent years.
Dr. Antonio Facciuolo (PhD) from the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has new support to develop a vaccine against Johne’s disease — a chronic intestinal disease of cattle that's significant to the beef and dairy industry.
Researchers have made progress in improving human organ transplants in Canada over recent years, but it’s far from perfect.
Three veterinary graduates of the University of Saskatchewan (USask) never thought they would find themselves living “Down Under” and working in wildlife pathology.
A research team at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) is working to find a reliable method of sedating North America’s fastest land mammal: the pronghorn.
My cat Bart is my best friend. When I’m sad, he jumps to where I am and lies down for pets and cuddles. He goes crazy for chicken liver cat treats. And when I come home from a long day at university, he greets me at the door.
The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) has recognized three veterinarians from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) for their exceptional achievements in improving health care for livestock and companion animals in Canada.
When Dr. Madison Ricard (DVM) set out to see if the bacterium Chlamydia is potentially linked to equine abortions among western Canadian horses, the PhD student wasn’t expecting to find much evidence of chlamydial infection based on the lack of research in the area.
Dr. Jordan Woodsworth, a veterinarian and alumna of the University of Saskatchewan (USask), has received the 2023 Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) Humane Award for her dedication to animal welfare in Canada.
University of Saskatchewan (USask) professor Dr. Barbara Ambros has earned the 2023 Canadian Veterinary Medical Association’s (CVMA) Small Animal Practitioner Award in recognition of her significant contributions to the advancement of small animal medicine and small animal practice.
University of Saskatchewan (USask) professor and researcher Dr. John Campbell is the 2023 recipient of the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) Merck Veterinary Award.
Growing up around dogs, cats, turtles and chickens at his family’s home in Japan, Dr. Arata Matsuyama (DVM, PhD) knew from a very early age that he wanted to work with animals in veterinary medicine.
More than 250 people gathered at the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence (LFCE) for its 2023 Summer Field Day on June 20.
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.
An investment of more than $150,000 from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s (WCVM) Companion Animal Health Fund (CAHF) will benefit scientists and graduate students whose research work focuses on improving pet health.
When puppies come to see Dr. Kira Penney at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) Veterinary Medical Centre (VMC), her keen eyes notice more than their cuteness.
Committed to a life of fighting crime, a group of dogs at the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) is anything but ordinary.
Over $149,000 in funding from the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF) is helping University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers from multiple disciplines provide support to Saskatchewan communities that are experiencing challenges with dogs.
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.
A University of Saskatchewan veterinarian is exploring how research into the reproductive health of dairy cows as well as emerging technologies can be applied to beef cattle.
Recipients of the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) top honour of Distinguished Researchers for 2023 are Dr. Cheryl Waldner (DVM, PhD), and Dr. Wen Jun (Chris) Zhang (PhD), internationally recognized experts in their fields who have contributed their talents to USask for more than two decades.
Lyme disease is rarely fatal in people, but for some, this perplexing bacterial disease can have an impact on the rest of their lives.
Yikai Ren’s thesis research focused on low-glycemic pet food made with Saskatchewan pulse crops.
An old infectious agent — usually considered harmless — is responsible for the sudden deaths of pigs in North America.
When her four-month-old puppy named King began regularly spitting up his food after eating, Angela Seymour knew her little American French bulldog needed help from a veterinarian.
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.
Narsimha Pujari and Hemlata Gautam, both graduate students based at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM), took top honours at the annual 3MT (Three-minute Thesis) Finals held at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) on April 11.
A University of Saskatchewan (USask) program that fosters collaboration between educators around the world helped to transport large animal surgical specialist Dr. James Carmalt to South America for two weeks in January 2023.
A one-millimetre-long worm and its genome may be key to understanding how human and animal cells age, according to new research from the University of Saskatchewan (USask) published in the journal Aging Cell.
On the morning of June 30, 2022, Scot Gannon went out to the barn on his farm, Nejd Arabians, just west of Edmonton, Alta. He was happy to see that one of his Arabian mares, Nejds’ Bint Sabbah, had given birth overnight to a black filly.
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.
The Vaccine Formulation Institute (VFI) and the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) have signed a collaborative research agreement to help drive joint vaccine development.
Scientists at the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) have been recognized by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) for their international leadership in vaccine research for infectious diseases.
A group of fourth-year veterinary students at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) had an exciting surprise on March 21 when they discovered that one of the ewes in their care had delivered six healthy lambs.
The Spring 2023 issue of Horse Health Lines, news publication for the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s (WCVM) Townsend Equine Health Research Fund, is now online.
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.
Eequine-focused graduate students at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) recently participated in a “lightning rounds” session — part of the college’s annual EquineED Talks series.
She is one of the world’s most recognized virologists, recruited to serve on the front lines of the pandemic and preparing for the next global threat.
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.
Did you know that honey bees and humans face similar challenges when it comes to diet and health? Just as people require proper nutrition to stay healthy, bees also need an ample supply of their primary food and protein source — flower-collected pollen.
Just like people, waterfowl can experience feelings of stress that affect their gut microbiome — the trillions of microorganisms living inside their digestive system.
One of Emmalyn Elgersma’s favourite memories of the 2023 Canadian Challenge International Sled Dog Race took place around midnight while she and other volunteers waited for the first sled dog teams to arrive at the checkpoint in Missinipe — more than 150 kilometres (km) north of Prince Albert, Sask.
A lifetime of working to enhance the health and welfare of horses across Canada has earned a place of honour in the Saskatchewan Horse Federation’s (SHF) Hall of Fame for University of Saskatchewan (USask) alumnus and professor emeritus Dr. Hugh Townsend.
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.
When Cody Koloski graduated from high school in Rossburn, Man., he headed for university with dreams of becoming a doctor — buoyed by his teachers’ enthusiasm for biology, chemistry and physics.
Livestock and forage scientists at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) seeking to refine their research met with producers and industry leaders at the sixth annual Beef and Forage Research Forum.
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?
While the rise in antimicrobial resistant pathogens is an issue affecting all species, a team of University of Saskatchewan (USask) researchers are focusing their efforts on honey bees — investigating how they can reduce the use of antibiotic drugs for managing disease in the pollinator species.
Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) have discovered how a previously overlooked gene is involved in antimicrobial resistance — a growing global issue that threatens the health and welfare of both humans and animals.
As the percentage of older horses in Western Canada grows, so does the number of animals that are diagnosed with endocrine disorders such as pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) and equine metabolic syndrome (EMS).
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).
Percy Jackson was an affectionate, snuggly kitten who immediately bonded with his new owner Charlie Hoffman. The ragdoll cat was an important support for Hoffman, a 14-year-old high school student, who needed support to deal with anxiety and symptoms of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The Winter 2023 issue of Vet Topics, news publication for the veterinary college's Companion Animal Health Fund, is now available online.
Growing up in the French countryside, Dr. Mathieu Paulin was always surrounded by pets of all kinds including dogs, a goat and many ducks.
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.
