http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/veterinary_medicine/ Veterinary medicine research. Learn about experimental techniques, animal cloning, vaccinations, and more. en-us Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:05:01 EST Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/veterinary_medicine/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119210836.htm A new treatment route for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and its human form Creutzfeldt Jakob disease could be a step closer based on new results from scientists in the UK. The team has found that a protein called Glypican-1 plays a key role in the development of BSE. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119210836.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120111555.htm The estimated 4.6 million Americans involved in the equine industry may be at risk of developing respiratory symptoms due to poor air quality in horse barns, according to a questionnaire study. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120111555.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118101401.htm The regulating protein Srebp2 drives cholesterol formation, which prions need for their propagation, in prion-infected neuronal cells. Scientists anticipate new approaches in drug development to combat prion infection, as a result of these new findings Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091118101401.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029111909.htm The American Physiological Society announced that it has endorsed the recommendation of a National Academy of Sciences report calling for the identification of new suppliers to replace Class B dealers as providers of random source dogs and cats for medical research. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091029111909.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020094100.htm Genetic information from an extinct species of bison preserved in permafrost for thousands of years could help improve modern agricultural livestock and breeding programs, according to researchers. Fri, 23 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091020094100.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019172632.htm Pairing a new approach to prepare ancient DNA with a new scientific technique developed specifically to genotype a cow, scientists have created a very accurate and widespread "family tree" for cows and other ruminants, going back as far as 29 million years. This same technique also could be used to verify ancient relatives to humans and assist scientists who are studying human diseases. Wed, 21 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019172632.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013185154.htm Animals shelter officials housing lost pets that had been implanted with a microchip were able to find the owners in almost three out of four cases in a recently published national study. According to the research, the return-to-owner rate for cats was 20 times higher and for dogs 2.5 times higher for microchipped pets than were the rates of return for all stray cats and dogs that had entered the shelters.  Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091013185154.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007081627.htm Avian influenza (H5N1), rabies, plague, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), and more recently swine flu (H1N1) are all examples of diseases that have made the leap from animals to humans. As the list continues to grow, experts in the UK are to lead a project aimed at developing a state-of-the-art pan-European surveillance system to monitor emerging and re-emerging infections in wildlife. Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091007081627.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091008113313.htm You might watch your daily calorie intake or glance over nutritional information on food packages, but do you do the same for your pet? Veterinarians say there are several guidelines to follow when feeding your pet to ensure that it maintains good health. Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091008113313.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091002101043.htm A drug commonly used to treat cattle and sometimes dogs for a blood parasite can, at a relatively high dose, completely eliminate the parasite Babesia caballi from horses, scientists have discovered. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091002101043.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005161324.htm Scientists have discovered the first direct information about the molecular structure of prions. In addition, the study has revealed surprisingly large structural differences between natural prions and the closest synthetic analogs that scientists have created in the lab. Tue, 06 Oct 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005161324.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091002100714.htm Using sheep to control leafy spurge works best if it's done in the spring every year, according to a new study. Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091002100714.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928131210.htm Scientists have uncovered the evolutionary ancestry of the prion gene, which may reveal new understandings of how the prion protein causes diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as "mad cow disease." Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928131210.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928172532.htm Lowers blood pressure, encourages exercise, improves psychological health -- these may sound like the effects of a miracle drug, but they are actually among the benefits of owning a four-legged, furry pet. Tue, 29 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090928172532.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922095810.htm Researchers in Spain have shown for the first time the close space-time relationship between the presence of the griffon vulture and transhumant sheep farming in mountain passes. Transhumance -- the seasonal movement of people with their livestock -- has fallen in some parts of Spain by up to 80 percent over the past four years. The scientists say that traditional livestock farming practices are crucial for the preservation of mountain ecosystems. Wed, 23 Sep 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922095810.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090917170916.htm A new process would allow cattle producers to select which embryos are valuable before spending the time, effort and expense of producing a calf only to find out that it has genetic defects that render it of little value. Tue, 22 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090917170916.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910191443.htm A new study suggests that gene expression profiling may allow researchers to track the progression of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle and ultimately predict their infectious status. Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090910191443.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090908125132.htm People and their dogs both need physical activity to fight obesity, and there are many exercises that owner and pet can do together that can improve their health and their relationship. Dogs, like people, reap many benefits from exercise, according to one veterinarian, who adds there are physical and mental health advantages for the dog owner and the dog when they exercise together. Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090908125132.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901143315.htm A Canadian researcher wrestles with bighorn mountain sheep to gauge their personalities. He is part of a team that traps the animals in a plywood enclosure on a mountaintop in the Rockies. The research team are trying to figure out if personality type has anything to do with how long a mountain sheep lives or how many offspring it produces. Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901143315.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090830091156.htm Rangeland plants may be harboring a virus that grasshoppers are transmitting to cattle, horses and other hoofed mammals, according to a new study. Tue, 01 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090830091156.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090826152550.htm Researchers have shown definitively that mutations associated with prion diseases are sufficient to cause a transmissible neurodegenerative disease. Until now, two theories about the role mutations play in prion diseases have been at odds. Deciphering the origins of prion diseases could help farmers and policy-makers determine how best to control a prion disease outbreak in livestock and to prevent prion transmission to humans. Thu, 27 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090826152550.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090704064959.htm The newest revolution in microbiology testing walks on four legs and says "baa". It's the hair sheep, a less-hirsute version of the familiar woolly barnyard resident. Not only are these ruminants low-maintenance and parasite-resistant, they're also perfect blood donors for the microbiology tests necessary to diagnose infectious disease in the developing world. Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090704064959.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810025813.htm Some dogs are revered or pampered, with fancy clothes and loads of affection; others work for a living. An Indiana researcher reports that relationships between dogs and their owners generally fall into three distinct categories, with some bestowing more canine benefits than others. Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090810025813.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090818130548.htm If some day you are tested for the H1N1 virus without the painful prick of a needle, thank a pig -- and researchers who are connecting animal and human health. Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090818130548.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090807091212.htm Researchers have developed a new multiplex RT-PCR method that provides a rapid, highly sensitive, and cost-effective laboratory diagnosis for classical swine fever and other pestivirus infections in swine. Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090807091212.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804165210.htm African village dogs are not a mixture of modern breeds but have directly descended from an ancestral pool of indigenous dogs, according to a new genetic analysis of hundreds of semi-feral African village dogs. Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090804165210.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806080347.htm The veterinary profession needs to rethink its relationship with farmers and with the government, and play a more positive and central role in ensuring food safety, according to an independent report to the UK government, the veterinary profession and the farming industry. Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090806080347.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803205828.htm A new oral vaccine against sylvatic plague is showing significant promise in the laboratory as a way to protect prairie dogs and may eventually protect endangered black-footed ferrets who now get the disease by eating infected prairie dogs, according to new results. Sylvatic plague is an infectious bacterial disease usually transmitted from animal to animal by fleas. Wed, 05 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803205828.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803193649.htm An area of chromosome 6 that affects cattle carcass weight has been identified using two different Japanese breeds. Knowledge of this four-gene region should be useful in breeding beef cattle. Wed, 05 Aug 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803193649.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090730111152.htm Data from an ongoing study in monkeys suggest that people who consume deer and elk with chronic wasting disease may be protected from infection by an inability of the CWD infectious agent to spread to people. Mon, 03 Aug 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090730111152.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090723194319.htm Dog breeds selected to work in visual contact with humans, such as sheep dogs and gun dogs, are better able to comprehend a pointing gesture than those breeds that usually work without direct supervision. Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090723194319.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623162121.htm Elemental hyperaccumulation in plants is hypothesized to represent a plant defense mechanism. The objective of this study was to determine whether selenium hyperaccumulation offers plants long-term protection from the black-tailed prairie dog. This study is the first to test the ecological significance of hyperaccumulation over a long period in a hyperaccumulator's natural habitat. Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090623162121.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090706134058.htm Pinpointing the genes involved in human brain cancer can be like looking for a needle in a haystack, and sometimes the needle you find may not be the right one. Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090706134058.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629100639.htm Scientists are describing discovery and successful tests of the first once-a-month pill for controlling both fleas and ticks in domestic dogs and cats.  Mon, 06 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090629100639.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090702140845.htm Milder winters are causing Scotland's wild breed of Soay sheep to get smaller, despite the evolutionary benefits of possessing a large body, according to new research. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090702140845.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090626084633.htm Many animals and people experience chronic joint pain. In dogs, a common source of joint pain is hip dysplasia, a developmental defect of the hip joint. Implantation of gold into the soft tissues around the hip joints of dogs with dysplasia can relieve pain and lessen stiffness for several years. Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090626084633.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090625141506.htm Researchers have discovered a link between copper and the normal functioning of prion proteins, which are associated with transmissible spongiform encephalopathy diseases such as Cruetzfeldt-Jakob in humans or "mad cow" disease in cattle. Their work could have implications for patients suffering from these diseases, as well as from other prion-related diseases such as Alzheimers or Parkinson's. Sun, 28 Jun 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090625141506.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616080143.htm Neurologists questions the safety of eating farmed fish, adding a new worry to concerns about the nation’s food supply. They suggest farmed fish could transmit Creutzfeldt Jakob disease -- commonly known as mad cow disease -- if they are fed byproducts rendered from cows. Wed, 17 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090616080143.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090611065839.htm What dog owner has not come home to a broken vase or other valuable items and a guilty-looking dog slouching around the house? By ingeniously setting up conditions where the owner was misinformed as to whether their dog had really committed an offense, researchers uncovered the origins of the "guilty look" in dogs. Sun, 14 Jun 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090611065839.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090610124829.htm Osteoarthritis is commonly diagnosed in the late and irreversible stages, when treatment can only be expected to decrease pain and slow progression of disease. Because osteoarthritis is a widespread problem in dogs and humans, doctors and veterinarians need a precise way to diagnose the disease early and accurately. Now, researchers are investigating potential biomarkers in dogs for early diagnosis of osteoarthritis, which could help identify patients at increased risk of developing osteoarthritis. Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090610124829.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090529112528.htm Climate change can have devastating effects on endangered species, but new mathematical models may be able to aid conservation of a population of bighorn sheep. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090529112528.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090602083759.htm Researchers have discovered the genetic cause of day blindness or "cone-rod dystrophy" in the wire-haired dachshund. The disease was discovered in two litter mates in 1999 and has since been studied in both clinical and genetic trials in offspring of these. Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090602083759.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090528203819.htm Current tests to identify specific strains of infectious prions, which cause a range of transmissible diseases (such as mad cow) in animals and humans, can take anywhere from six months to a year to yield results -- a time-lag that may put human populations at risk. Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090528203819.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090522180257.htm Scientists are in a longstanding battle against two serious bacterial infections of livestock: Johne's disease and bovine tuberculosis. Mon, 01 Jun 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090522180257.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090521112711.htm A new study shows how the behavior of dogs has been misunderstood for generations: in fact using misplaced ideas about dog behavior and training is likely to cause rather than cure unwanted behavior. The findings challenge many of the dominance related interpretations of behavior and training techniques suggested by current TV dog trainers. Mon, 25 May 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090521112711.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519075845.htm Eating more healthily might be better for us as individuals, but would it be bad news for farmers? A research project has found that if we all followed government advice to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day this could have serious implications for the countryside. Wed, 20 May 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090519075845.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090512202738.htm DNA analysis shows that Indonesian zebu cattle have a unique origin with banteng (Bos javanicus) as part of their ancestry. Throughout the world, cattle inhabit a range of climatically diverse environments: common taurine cattle, for example, are kept in temperate zones, zebus in hot, dry climates and yaks at the high altitudes of Tibet. Wed, 13 May 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090512202738.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090507101820.htm Researchers investigated whether MRSA and C.difficile could be passed between pet therapy dogs and patients. The findings suggested that MRSA and C. difficile may have been transferred to the fur and paws of these canine visitors through patients handling or kissing the dogs, or through exposure to a contaminated health care environment. The dog that acquired C.difficile had politely shaken paws with many of the patients. Fri, 08 May 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090507101820.htm