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In light of COVID-19 and the associated restrictions on public activity, many people are looking for ways to safely go about their daily lives indoors and online. Luckily, telemedicine supports this goal and allows individuals to ensure their health and the health of their pets, digitally.

Dog laying its head on a keyboardDr. Lori Teller, a clinical associate professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, speaks to pet owners about the basics of veterinary telemedicine and how this tool can be especially useful in the midst of a pandemic.

Telemedicine is the exchange of medical information from one location to another using electronic communications to diagnose, treat, or improve a patients health status, Teller said. In most cases, all that an animal owner needs to connect is a smartphone with a working camera, microphone, and chat feature.

A computer or tablet may also be used, provided that it is capable of two-way communication and has internet access. In many cases, a telemedicine appointment will be a real-time, live video and audio exchange.

A veterinarian can evaluate many things via telemedicine, Teller said. The first thing will be to obtain a patients history and determine what the current problem is. If the problem is something that can be visualized, such as a skin lesion or limping, then pictures or videos will be helpful. Behavioral and nutritional problems can often be handled via telemedicine as well.

Telemedicine appointments are most effective when there is an established veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR), as the veterinarian may be able to more accurately make a diagnosis and create a treatment plan. If there is no established VCPR, a veterinarian will still be able to provide general advice. Rules on what the outcome of a telemedicine appointment can be, including the prescription of medications, vary by state.

It is important to note that telemedicine does not replace a physical exam, so there will be times when the veterinarian will tell the client that the patient needs to be seen, Teller said.

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Telemedicine can play a huge role, especially in times of disaster, such as a pandemic or hurricane, in helping a client determine if a trip to the veterinarian is needed and, if so, when is it needed.

If a pet has a life-threatening emergency, difficulty breathing, pale or bluish gums, has ingested a toxic substance or something large enough to cause an obstruction, is unable to urinate or to stand, has increased seizures, is non-responsive, is experiencing difficulty during labor, has vomiting and diarrhea and lethargy, or is experiencing other serious veterinary conditions, they should be brought to a veterinary clinic.

Teller recommends calling ahead of time to let the clinic know youre coming and what the problem appears to be.

Telemedicine is an extremely valuable tool to help provide care for a patient, she said. It is not a substitute for in-person veterinary care that requires a physical exam or diagnostic tests, such as blood work or imaging, but is a way to manage patients in-between visits to the hospital.

During times of disruption, such as the current pandemic, telemedicine can be an excellent way to ensure that your furry friend continues to get the care they need while also following social distancing requirements and staying safely indoors.

Telemedicine is especially valuable during a pandemic because it can be used to help the veterinarian and the client determine if and when the patient needs to be seen in the hospital or if the problem can be managed at home, at least for the short term, Teller said. It also helps conserve PPE (personal protective equipment) and other resources for emergencies and for human health care facilities.

Pet Talk is a service of the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. Stories can be viewed on the web at vetmed.tamu.edu/news/pet-talk. Suggestions for future topics may be directed to editor@cvm.tamu.edu.

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PET TALK: Veterinary telemedicine in the age of COVID-19 - New Castle News

Immunotherapies have revolutionized treatment for people with a variety of cancers. But when given to those with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a particularly aggressive form of the disease, less than 20% respond.

A big question in the field has been, Why are the rest not responding? says Rumela Chakrabarti, an assistant professor at Penns School of Veterinary Medicine.

In a new paper in Nature Cell Biology, Chakrabarti and colleagues illuminate the molecular details at play. They found a signaling pathway which could be exploited in TNBC patients to better target therapies in the future. Using a mouse model of the disease that mimics key characteristics of human disease, they showed that losing the activity of the protein ELF5 promotes the activity of another protein, interferon-gamma receptor 1. Stabilized Interferon-gamma receptor 1 leads to activated interferon gamma signaling, which in turn leads to increases in tumor aggression and spread, which could be mitigated with therapeutics that block interferon gamma signaling.

This was an eye-opener, says Chakrabarti, because often interferon gamma has a protective effect in cancer and is commonly given as a cancer therapy to some patients. It works well in certain cancer types, but for particular subtypes of triple-negative breast cancer we see that blocking interferon gamma may be the best strategy for patients.

Chakrabarti had a deep familiarity with the biology of the ELF5 protein. She began studying it more than a decade ago as a postdoctoral researcher at the State University of New York at Buffalo, finding that its normal function supported pregnancy and lactation. More recently, in 2012 she and colleagues published a previous report in Nature Cell Biology showing that ELF5 could suppress a key transition that occurs to enable breast cancers to spread.

That earlier work, however, did not focus on TNBC specifically, in part because scientists had lacked an effective mouse model. Over the course of three years, Chakrabartis team developed a preclinical TNBC model that recapitulated two hallmarks of the disease: its propensity to spread and the influx of immune cells that accompanies tumor growth.

In the current study, the researchers found that, when these TNBC mices tumors also lost the function of the ELF5 protein, their disease course resembled that of human patients even more closely. Losing ELF5 made the disease very metastatic and very aggressive, says Chakrabarti.

To elucidate the molecular happenings that resulted in a more dangerous form of TNBC, Chakrabarti and colleagues examined the RNA that was being expressed in tumor cells of the TNBC mice whose tumors lost ELF5 expression. They found increased activity of the interferon-gamma pathway, caused, they believe, by an increase in expression of that proteins receptor. This loss also led to an accumulation of neutrophils, a type of immune cell, which has immune suppressive function. In contrast, normal mammary cells that retained ELF5 had low levels of interferon gamma signaling.

Blocking this signaling using an antibody against the interferon gamma receptor 1, or by genetically manipulating tumor cells to express lower levels of the receptor caused tumors to grow and spread more slowly.

Finally, to determine whether these findings in a mouse model may be relevant to humans, the research team looked at genetic and protein data from patients to determine their level of ELF5 and interferon gamma receptor expression. Patients with lower ELF5 and higher receptor levels, they observed, fared poorer; their cancers tended to spread sooner around their bodies.

The findings, Chakrabarti says, should be considered carefully by clinicians who are using interferon gamma and immunotherapies to treat cancer patients.

This is telling us that we need to target patients more selectively when we treat them, says Chakrabarti. It could be that if someone has low ELF5, they should be given an interferon-gamma signaling blocking therapy in addition to their immunotherapy.

In future work, Chakrabartis group will be diving in deeper into the immunology of TNBC, examining the role that different immune cells are playing in driving cancer metastasis and aggression. They also hope to see whether what they found regarding interferon gamma signaling in TNBC holds true in other tumor types, such as kidney and ovarian cancers.

Rumela Chakrabarti is an assistant professor of biomedical sciences at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.

Chakrabartis coauthors on the paper were first author Snahlata Singh, Sushil Kumar, Ratnesh Kumar Srivastava, Ajeya Nandi, Gatha Thacker, Hemma Murali, Sabrina Kim, Mary Baldeon, Mario Andres Blanco, and Serge Fuchs of Penn Vet; John Tobias, Rizwan Saffie, and Luca Busino of Penn s Perelman School of Medicine; Temple Universitys M. Raza Zaidi; and Satrajit Sinha of the State University of New York at Buffalo.

The work was supported by the National Cancer Institute (grants CA193661 and CA237243).

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Tailoring treatment for triple-negative breast cancer - Penn: Office of University Communications

Kaitlin Sisk grew up in the town of Erie, Colorado on what she calls a four-acre "family hobby farm." Her mom is a fiber artist, so they had lots of pets including angora rabbits and cashmere goats, and Sisk had her own horse.

Growing up with furry friends helped Sisk focus in on a career path.

"I think it just sort of like fell in my lap," she said. "It just seemed easy to me being around animals and working with them."

The 31-year-old is in her final year of pursuing a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. She's studying small animals. In mid-March the veterinary teaching hospital moved all of its classes online.

"That's easy to do for some of those didactic lectures, you know, maybe not as good," said Felix Duerr, a professor who works at the hospital. "If you have a class of a hundred thirty something in front of you, you know, you can do that online as well."

The veterinary medicine program also put medical cases online and created other tools that will be useful to students even after the pandemic ends. This includes conducting daily rounds, where students meet as a group to discuss cases, virtually.

"We would just sit in front of a computer and be like, 'hey, can you point at where you see the abnormality that we're concerned about,''' said Duerr. "Now we just do that online and everybody can do it at the same time."

But the hands-on part of the program is more difficult to duplicate digitally. Take a dog that has lameness, said Duerr. A student can't feel if the knee is warmer or has instability on a computer.

"So that's probably our biggest challenge I would say," he said.

Not only have classes moved online, but the hospital staff is now using telemedicine to treat animals with non-emergency illnesses.

Theresa Wendland is a third-year sports medicine and rehabilitation resident. She uses video to to examine animals and consult with their owners. One of her patients is Oliver, a six-year-old poodle with a torn Achilles tendon.

"I've never done a distance fitting before so I'm going to apologize a little bit here that it might be a little trial and error," Wendland said during the video chat.

Before the statewide stay-at-home order, Oliver was diagnosed in person and a custom brace was ordered for him. But once the hospital closed to non-emergency patients, the brace was shipped to the dog's owner. On the video, Wendland shows her and a friend how to put it on Oliver.

"Move your hand up and give the pad a little squeeze. So that you're squeezing the pad onto his foot. There you go," she said. "Then you're pulling that strap snugly across his foot."

Wendland was a CSU veterinary medicine student and remembers the importance of hands-on clinical rotations. She worries current students are going to miss out on valuable experiences.

"So, we're trying to find ways to teach while also still providing services and help to owners and their pets," Wendland said.

Fourth-year student Kaitlin Sisk is still learning a lot online. She's on a two-week orthopedic rotation and watched Oliver get his brace then walk to make sure the fit was right.

"We still could do like a lot of what they were going to do. It's just it's harder when you can't put your hands on it," said Sisk. "But I think it's still working."

Sisk agrees that it's hard to get clinical hands-on training online. Students watch consults and surgeries remotely and study interactive videos. But Sisk has found a way to get practical experience.

"I think I'm lucky because I have a cat and a dog so I can kind of like go through the video and pause it and palpate my dog and and then keep going," she said. "I think it is like a little bit more active learning, like you have to be motivated to do it."

Overall, remote learning hasn't been too bad for Sisk. Since she can't spend her days in the hospital, she's going outside and exercising more.

Sisk is an extrovert. She worried about being stuck at home and not interacting with the people in her program. But something unexpected happened she feels a lot closer to them now.

"I know that it's kind of weird because you'd think that you wouldn't feel close to them when you're sitting in opposite houses. But like you see their house, you see their animals come up behind them and come say hi," she said. "So, it feels like you get to see a little piece of them and their family, which I think it's something we don't really get at school. We're all business."

Sisk is graduating in May. Then she's planning to move and start a job at an animal hospital in Boulder. But when it comes to mapping out the next couple months, Sisk said, "we'll see what happens."

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Online Courses And Virtual Consults: CSU Vet Teaching Hospital Adapts To Coronavirus - KUNC

Chamberlain University partners with Ascend Learnings ATI Nursing Education business to offer a free course in acute care

As healthcare organizations continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals and clinics are calling on nurses from all specialties to fill this critical need. To help those practitioners prepare for direct acute patient care, Chamberlain University, in partnership with Ascend Learning, is offering a free online course for all licensed registered nurses.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200413005115/en/

"As the COVID-19 pandemic sweeps the country, I am in awe of the nursing community as it steps forward in the face of crisis," said Karen Cox, Ph.D., RN, FACHE, FAAN, president of Chamberlain University. "Nurses who havent practiced in acute care recently want to jump in, and hospital leaders want to equip all of their nurses to work on the front lines. As a nurse and an educator, I am honored to assist these healthcare workers in the face of a crisis."

Acute Care Readiness is a review course that is not for academic credit. It covers the knowledge and skills nurses need to help them return to safe clinical practice in acute care settings. These skills include patient assessments, medication administration and complex acute care procedures. Ascend Learning will partner with Chamberlain University to provide online educational expertise.

"As the need and call for more qualified frontline nurses continues to grow, we want to help. We are thankful we can offer free resources to support these courageous and selfless healthcare workers through our ATI Nursing Education solutions as they sharpen their critical care skills and respond to the call to help save lives," said Ascend Learning CEO, Greg Sebasky.

Licensed RNs who may have been working in ambulatory care, long-term care or in non-acute care roles as advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) would benefit from this course. To learn more about the Acute Care Readiness course, contact Chamberlain Universitys director of professional development at CFE@chamberlain.edu.

This partnership responds to the demand for acute care skills in the U.S. at scale in a manner that can be impactful. This is aligned with Chamberlain Universitys parent company, Adtalem Global Education, in its mission to provide workforce solutions and make positive contributions to the global healthcare community. According to the U.S. Department of Educations most recently published data, Adtalem, through its affiliated schools of Chamberlain University, American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine and Ross University School of Medicine, educates and graduates more doctors and nursing professionals than any other individual school in the U.S. Ascend Learnings ATI Nursing Education business is a leading provider of online instruction for nursing schools across the United States with 98% of nurse educators naming it a leader in the nursing education industry and 93% claiming ATIs solutions improved their students ability to perform as a new nurse, according to a 2019 research solutions survey.

About Chamberlain University

Chamberlain University is a part of Adtalem Global Education (NYSE: ATGE). Chamberlain Universitys mission is to educate, empower and embolden diverse healthcare professionals who advance the health of people, families, communities and nations. Chamberlain University is comprised of the College of Nursing, which offers a three-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree program and flexible post-licensure programs such as the RN to BSN online option, Master of Science in Nursing degree program, Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program and graduate certificates, and the College of Health Professions, which offers a Master of Public Health and Master of Social Work degree programs. Chamberlain University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission http://www.hlcommission.org, a regional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For the most updated accreditation information, visit chamberlain.edu/accreditation. To learn more, visit chamberlain.edu.

About Adtalem Global Education

The purpose of Adtalem Global Education is to empower students to achieve their goals, find success, and make inspiring contributions to our global community. Adtalem Global Education Inc. (NYSE: ATGE; member S&P MidCap 400 Index) is a leading global education provider and the parent organization of Adtalem Educacional do Brasil (IBMEC, Damsio and Wyden institutions), American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine, Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists, Becker Professional Education, Chamberlain University, EduPristine, Ross University School of Medicine and Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. For more information, please visit adtalem.com and follow us on Twitter (@adtalemglobal) and LinkedIn.

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About Ascend Learning

Ascend Learning is a leading provider of online educational content, software and analytics serving students, educational institutions and employers. With products that span the learning continuum, Ascend Learning focuses on high-growth careers in a range of industries, with a special focus on healthcare and other high-growth, licensure-driven professions. Ascend Learning products, from testing to certification, are used by frontline healthcare workers, physicians, emergency medical professionals, nurses, certified personal trainers, financial advisors, skilled trades professionals and insurance brokers all along the learning continuum from student through the lifetime career professional. ATI Nursing Education, an Ascend Learning business, uses progressive data analytics and compelling content to help nursing students master core curriculum, develop into a practice-ready nurse, and succeed on the NCLEX. Learn more at http://www.ascendlearning.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200413005115/en/

Contacts

Media Contacts: Elizabeth Story815.545.4242Elizabeth.Story@adtalem.com

Rachel Durbin816.529.3134Rachel.Durbin@ascendlearning.com

Originally posted here:
Chamberlain University and Ascend Learning launch course to help nurses prepare for COVID-19 care - Yahoo Finance

CHICAGO As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to surge worldwide, scientists and health experts, including University of Illinois researchers who helped diagnose a New York zoo tiger with the disease, are now looking into how animals are affected by the new coronavirus.

Earlier this week, the Bronx Zoo revealed that a 4-year-old Malayan tiger tested positive for the new coronavirus after she and six other tigers and lions developed a dry cough. And despite the tiger and a few other animals abroad testing positive for the virus, health officials are dispelling fears that people can contract COVID-19 from their pets.

Theres no evidence that pets, including cats and dogs, can spread COVID-19 to people, said Dr. Casey Barton Behravesh, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions One Health Office in the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases.

Barton Behravesh noted that there was no reason to think that the skin or fur of pets can spread the virus to people.

But while health experts say there is no evidence to suggest pets can transmit coronavirus to humans, they are encouraging people who have the disease or are exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 to remain socially distant from their pets.

If somebody has been diagnosed with COVID-19 in a household, or they have been exposed to someone who was and are in quarantine, they should treat their pet just like any other human in their family, said Dr. Rustin Moore, the dean of Ohio State Universitys College of Veterinary Medicine.

He added, that means maintaining social distancing, no touching, petting, cuddling, or hugging.

Dr. Karen Terio, the chief of the Zoological Pathology Program at the University of Illinois veterinary college, where tests for the Bronx Tiger were done, said she and other scientists are now looking at what other types of animals are susceptible to the virus.

Were trying to understand how this virus might be spread or transmitted between different animal species. and how it might be spread between humans and animals, she said.

Its possible wild cats might be more susceptible to COVID-19 than domestic cats, as other viruses can hit wild cats hard, but not affect domestic cats as much, according to the University of Illinois. But its not yet known what differences there might be in the effect of COVID-10 on house cats and wild cats.

To date, a large number of humans have been infected by the virus and become sick and many people have pet cats, Terio said. The fact that the first confirmed case in an animal in the United States is from a tiger suggests that even among cat species there may be differences in susceptibility to the virus.

Barton Behravesh said the CDC is not recommending routine pet testing.

We dont want a lot of people rushing out to veterinary clinics right now trying to get their pets tested; that would increase the exposure, she said.

Theres a strict criterion that must be met before an animal can get tested by a veterinary lab, Terio said.

Just because we have a test doesnt mean well accept samples from anybodys cat or dog, she said. There has to be approval at multiple levels between both animal and public health officials to have an animal tested.

The Anti-Cruelty Society started reducing their animal population weeks ago in anticipation of needing more cage space to help people across the Chicagoland area who may be quarantined or hospitalized because of COVID-19.

Weve spent the last several weeks preparing for the upcoming weeks to make sure that we have the capacity to have a safe place for peoples animals to go, said David Dinger, vice president of operations for the Anti-Cruelty Society.

And the Anti-Cruelty Societys efforts have been successful.

The societys animal population has reduced from roughly 600 animals to 135 in the last few weeks, Dinger said, which has freed up hundreds of slots for pets that may need a home while their owner has COVID-19.

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With Bronx Zoo tiger catching coronavirus, should pet owners be concerned about COVID-19? Health experts weigh in - Greater Milwaukee Today

NHS trusts are recruiting vets to help relieve pressure on health service staff as hospitals struggle to cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

About 150 vets are volunteering as respiratory assistants with Torbay and South Devon NHS foundation trust, while Hampshire hospitals NHS foundation trust has invited vets, veterinary nurses and dentists to apply for jobs.

Hospitals are being stretched by the scale of the outbreak, which has yet to reach its peak. Pressures are being exacerbated by staff absences due to healthcare workers having contracted the virus or self-isolating because of a suspicion they may have it.

The respiratory assistants at Torbay and South Devon will be unpaid, according to the Health Service Journal, which first reported their recruitment. The Guardian understands they were undergoing training via Zoom on Thursday. They will not be making decisions about triage, intubation or withdrawal of medical treatment, the trust confirmed.

A spokesperson said: We have received many offers of voluntary help from veterinary staff who have valuable skills that can be used to support frontline staff who are dealing with respiratory problems.

A job advert for bedside support workers at Hampshire trust, whose recruitment drive was first reported by Vet Times, says that successful applicants will be paid between 17,000 and 42,000, with vets, veterinary surgeons and dentists in a higher salary band than veterinary or dental nurses.

A spokesperson for the trust said: Following a number of offers of help from skilled professionals working outside the NHS, such as vets and dentists, we have developed a bespoke role called a bedside support worker.

This is a role we have created in response to the coronavirus pandemic, which will support our brilliant staff in critical care and on medical wards, who are all working tirelessly to respond to this unprecedented challenge.

Patient care remains our top priority, and only those who are assessed to have the appropriate transferable skills, education and training will temporarily join our team.

Vets have been contributing to the crisis effort in other ways. On Thursday, Willow Farm vets, a team that works across northern England, said it had donated 4,000 protective gowns, amid concerns about a shortage of personal protective equipment for hospital staff. It followed VetPartners, based in York, which said on Monday that it was donating masks, aprons, gloves and ventilators to the health service.

Dr Rachel Dean, director of clinical research and excellence in practice at VetPartners, said some ventilators used on animals were the same as those used on humans, particularly on children.

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons issued advice to its members on Wednesday about how they could best help during the Covid-19 pandemic, recommending that they consider assisting the livestock production, meat hygiene and food import/export industries before volunteering with the NHS.

The colleges registrar, Eleanor Ferguson, said: If local NHS trusts do choose to employ veterinary professionals to undertake roles that are not reserved by law to licensed doctors, nurses or other regulated professionals, they must be satisfied that the individual has the skills and competencies to do that role.

However, any veterinary professionals employed in these roles should not misrepresent their position to patients and must be careful not to hold themselves out as a licensed medical doctor or nurse.

Read more from the original source:
Vets recruited to work in UK hospitals during coronavirus outbreak - The Guardian

As we all are learning to cope with our current, ever-changing new normal I want to offer some musings and things I have learned through this coronavirus pandemic crisis. It is my sincerest hope that as you read this column, you, too, are overcome with love and compassion for our collective, human and animal suffering and rebounding resilience.

Veterinary medicine has always been touted as a career for animal lovers. However, anyone who remains in the field knows that to be successful one must enjoy interacting with people. After all, pets are always accompanied by their owners.

One of the things I have always loved about general practice is the ability to develop bonds not only with my patients but also their families. I enjoy hearing about the familys joys and triumphs. I have always tried to focus my interactions not only on presenting facts, guidance, and honesty; but also through a lens compassion and understanding for the family.

COVID 19 has shown me that I never realized how much I would miss these interactions until I couldnt be there for my clients in person.

I never realized how much I would miss being able to hug a client during a euthanasia or when were trying to make a difficult decision.

I miss being able to introduce myself to new clients by shaking their hand and inviting them into the exam room.

I miss being able to spend time in the exam room with clients talking them through my exam findings in real time. I miss helping seniors carry their pets to their cars. I even miss letting kids use my stethoscope to listen to their pets heartbeats.

Because at the end of the day yes my job is to do medicine, it is to be a veterinarian. But the best part of my job has, and always will be, interacting with clients and their pets.

The best part is that I get to help maintain and foster a deeper human animal bond through teaching the importance of what were trying to do.

Please know that our curbside check-ins and the way we are structuring appointments is to maintain public health and safety.

However, we feel the absence and change too. May we never take for granted again the power of a hug, a handshake and in-person conversation. I, for one, never will again.

Danielle Carey, a doctor of veterinary medicine, is an associate veterinarian at the Animal Clinic of Walla Walla.

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Scope of veterinary medicine embraces animals and their people - Walla Walla Union-Bulletin

Michigan State Universitys College of Veterinary Medicine was ranked eighth in the world and third in the United States among veterinary schools in the latest global ranking from educational data specialists Quacquarelli Symonds, or QS.

At a time when everyone is being challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic and good news is a hot commodity, our college takes special pride in the high-quality of education we deliver to our students, said Birgit Puschner, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. Our DVM program is a testament not just to our students and educators, but to our entire community alumni, donors, staff, and our health and research partners that supports us, no matter the context or conditions we face.

The veterinary colleges prominent ranking continues on its upward trajectory the college was ranked eleventh in 2019 and 2018, 12th in 2017 and 15th in 2016.

MSU also retains its number one rank among the six colleges of veterinary medicine in the Big Ten, a union of world-class academic institutions that share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Six of the 30 veterinary programs in the United States are in the Big Ten.

Original post:
MSU veterinary school ranks third in the nation, top 10 in the world - MSUToday

College of Veterinary Medicine continues serving community and state

It has been a little under a month since COVID-19 was first recognized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Around the world, people from all walks of life have been asked to adapt to a new lifestyleone of constant change and social distancing.

Despite the upheaval, the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine and its units continue to make daily contributions to the fight against COVID-19 providing vital equipment, research expertise and continued care to the communitys animals.

The Veterinary Teaching Hospital has remained open, operating on an emergency-only basis, with faculty and staff providing care for more than 575 patients since March 16. Likewise, our Diagnostic Laboratories in Tifton and Athens, our Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center, and the colleges other affiliated laboratories continue to provide critical services that ensure the health of animal companions and safeguard the food supply both around the globe and here at home.

Additionally, researchers in the college have been engaged by Gov. Brian P. Kemps task force to perform research on COVID-19, develop testing protocols, and test the vaccines that might one day make this virus a threat of the past. Eleven researchers from across the collegeincluding the Center for Vaccines and Immunology and four academic departmentsare actively engaged in projects related to the virus. This research is being conducted in the colleges Animal Health Research Center in conjunction with universities around the state.

The college has also donated equipment to various hospital and testing services around the state. The colleges single human-appropriate ventilator is currently at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center. Likewise, vital testing equipment and reagents have been donated to Emory University and Georgia State University and personal protective equipment, such as N95 masks, have been donated to the state for distribution as needed.

The mission of the college is to create a healthier world for animals and humans. In the face of adversity, the college has stepped up and stayed the coursein their own way contributing to the cause during these unprecedented times. Dean Lisa K. Nolan summed it up in a recent email: We do what we do because we provide certain services no one else in the state can and because our clients and referring veterinarians count on us being here, supporting them.

Read the original post:
Staying the course in the face of chaos - University of Georgia

Since first hearing about the COVID-19 outbreak in China, media outlets around the world have reported on strains of the virus originating in animals, on pets testing positive for the virus and most recently, on a tiger testing positive for COVID-19 at the Bronx Zoo.

Annette OConnor chairperson of the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences and professor of Epidemiology at Michigan State Universitys College of Veterinary Medicine says that there are seven different types of coronaviruses and that the Centers for Disease Control doesnt believe the COVID-19 strain can be transmitted to domestic animals.

However, OConnor explains that since COVID-19 is a new virus, its critical for humans to take extra precautions around animals and pets since there isnt a wealth of research about the virus.

OConnor answers common questions related to COVID-19 and pets:

Can my pets get sick from COVID-19?

At this time, we have very limited information about animals and COVID-19 because it is too new of a virus. However, if pets do get sick, we would expect them to have signs such as diarrhea, vomiting or respiratory problems, like trouble breathing. If you are concerned about your pet, you should do what you would usually do: isolate them and contact your veterinarian.

Am I at risk for catching COVID-19 from an animal?

The transmission we see currently see of COVID-19 is human-to-human transmission. We do continue to see rare reports of cats and dogs that live with COVID-infected patients being infected.

To date, we have no evidence that owners can catch the virus from cats or dogs because we have no evidence that naturally infected cats and dogs shed the virus.

However, as this is a very new virus, pet owners need to continue to follow routine practices for pet hygiene recommended by the American Veterinary Medical Association. These guidelines include washing your hands after petting animals, avoiding touching your face, dont kiss your pet, and dont share dishes, drinking glasses, cups, eating utensils, towels or bedding with other people or pets.

So what about the tiger at the Bronx zoo who tested positive?

The detection of the virus that causes COVID-19 in the tiger is interesting, because it appears to be an example of the transmission from humans to tiger a very rare event. This finding has highlighted the concern for our wild animal populations, and staff at zoos have adopted practices that will protect these valuable populations.

If I have or someone I know has COVID-19, can my pet catch it?

If an owner is ill with COVID-19, as suggested by the CDC, they should isolate themselves from the pets and have another household member care for them.

If isolation of the pet isnt possible, continue to use frequent hand washing and avoid touching your face. Also remember: if your pet requires veterinary care, make sure you inform your veterinarian that you or a household member is ill with COVID-19. That information will allow your veterinarian to take adequate precautions.

Can my pets catch the virus that causes COVID-19 from other pets?

There is evidence that cats can catch COVID-19 from other cats but there is only a small amount of evidence at this point. The largest study we have only involved 102 cats from Wuhan, China; of the 102 tested, only 11 had antibodies to COVID-19. None had evidence of the virus, so they were probably infected some time ago. In that study we also dont know how the cats became infected, perhaps they were infected from humans, or maybe cat-to-cat transmission does occur. We need to wait for more data.

Information and resources about the coronavirus, COVID-19 and animals is available through the College of Veterinary Medicine.

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Ask the expert: pets and COVID-19 - MSUToday

Clinicians, staff, senior veterinary students are still doing rotations everyday

OLIVER MCKENNA | DAILY EVERGREEN FILE

Charlie Powell, public information officer for the college of veterinary medicine, said the veterinary hospital is still open and treating emergency and urgent cases.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, WSUs Veterinary Teaching Hospital is open to emergency and urgent cases.

Charlie Powell, public information officer for the College of Veterinary Medicine, said clinicians, staff and senior veterinary students are on clinical rotations everyday.

Animals are being taken care of with the highest standards, under federal law, all the time, regardless of what the current situation is, Powell said.

He said the veterinary school is not closed to the public and they are still treating critical cases. A lot of those cases begin with meeting animals in the parking lot before bringing them inside.

According to WSUs Insider website, the hospital has modified some of its operations in accordance with federal, state and regional public health recommendations.

The hospital took precautions early on and the hospital is fully stocked, according to the website. Staff and faculty are being encouraged to conserve supplies where possible as all human and animal care facilities.

The hospitals fee schedule will remain the same as it is during times of regular weekday, weekend and holiday operations, according to the website.

All in-patients will be cared for as usual until their normal discharge is indicated, according to the website.

Oliver, an 18-month-old Kunekune pig, was brought in from Spokane after he was vomiting and acting lethargic, according to the hospitals website,

Dr. Rachel Baumgardner and Dr. Marcie Logsdon located an unknown foreign object that was irritating his gastrointestinal tract, according to the website.

Oliver responded well to medical management and is now back home, according to the website.

Hospital Director Deb Sellon said the hospital is lacking resources such as basic cloth masks to protect employees and clients during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

These masks will block droplet transmission if someone on the team is an asymptomatic carrier and help conserve our supply of surgical masks, Sellon said.

People who want to donate the masks are asked to leave them in the bin at the entrance of the hospital and call (509) 335-0711 when they do.

Original post:
Vet hospital still running amid COVID-19 pandemic - The Daily Evergreen

LOS ANGELES, April 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --A telehealth announcement shocks veterinarians in California trying to safely treat their patients during the Coronavirus pandemic. While many states amended their telemedicine laws to account for stay-at-home mandates, the California Veterinary Medical Board has made it harder for a pet to be seen by video call. The board announced Thursday that telemedicine may only be used with existing patients for preexisting conditions. Veterinarians like Dr. Shea Cox with PetHospice say these measures directly violate the medical professional oath 'to do no harm.'

"Putting up barriers to healthcare is the opposite of what should be done to protect pets," said Cox. "Veterinarians should be allowed to use sound judgment regarding telemedicine without fear of repercussion."

The board released a statement Thursday saying, "Telemedicine may be conducted by a veterinarian only within an existing Veterinarian-Client-Patient Relationship (VCPR) and can be used only for specific medical conditions for which the animal patient has been previously examined and diagnosed by the veterinarian."

"Taking this vital tool away from pet parents is harmful - especially during the time of a pandemic," said Cox. "Telemedicine can address many issues, keeping people at home; asking pet parents to come into a clinic causes unnecessary exposure to all."

Veterinarians use telemedicine for triage, symptom management, and to offload nonemergency care from overburdened veterinarians. Many are operating with reduced staff to comply with social distancing. Now, veterinarians can't see telehealth patients referred from other vets until they can first physically touch the patient.

"Say you're out of the fluids that manage your dog's kidney disease. Now, I can't call in medicine for you unless I've physically examined your pet within the year even if I have the diagnosis from your primary veterinarian," said Cox. "I'd have to first send one of our vets into your home, which then leaves the humans more susceptible to COVID-19."

Veterinarians are frustrated, asking why California isn't following other states by making temporary changes to laws in order to better serve pets and their people. "We shouldn't have to make the choice between risking our lives or risking our license in order to treat pets," says Cox.

For telehealth information and photos visit the PetHospice Press Kit.

SOURCE PetHospice

http://www.pethospice.com

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Veterinarians in California risk losing their licenses if they treat new patients by video call during Pandemic - PRNewswire

The Tennessee Veterinary Medical Association (TVMA) recently named its 2020-2021 executive board, comprised of veterinarians from across the state.

The newly elected officers are:

President Matt Povlovich, DVM, Tennessee Equine Hospital, Thompsons Station

President-Elect Tai Federico, DVM, Riverview Animal Hospital, Chattanooga

Vice President Bob Parker, DVM, Shelby Center Hospital for Animals, Bartlett

Secretary/Treasurer Margaret (Midge) Phillips, DVM, Clovercroft Veterinary Hospital, Franklin

Immediate Past President Danny Walker, DVM, University of Tennessee at Martin

Six members-at-large were also elected to represent East, West and Middle Tennessee. They are: Joanne Hibbs, DVM,Tazewell Pike Animal Clinic, Corryton; Robert Monin, DVM, Mountain Empire Large Animal Hospital, Johnson City; Lee Butler, DVM, Huntington Animal Clinic, Huntington; Lauren Dabney, DVM, Northside Animal Clinic, Humboldt; Beau House, DVM, Nashville Veterinary Specialists, Nashville; and Julie Buford, DVM, Nashville Veterinary Specialists, Nashville.

Deloris Green Gaines, CMP, serves as the executive director for the Tennessee Veterinary Medical Association.

About Tennessee Veterinary Medical Association

Since 1909, the Tennessee Veterinary Medical Association has been committed to advancing the science and art of veterinary medicine. More than 1,200 members work to ensure that laws and regulations promote the health and well-being of all animals and protect public health and human welfare. Large and small animal practitioners, students and veterinary school graduates make up TVMA membership. For additional information, visit http://www.tvmanet.org.

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Thompson's Station veterinarian named president of state executive board - williamsonherald.com

Dr. Bret McNabb has been appointed as director of the Large Animal Clinic at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, effective April 1 for a five-year term.

An assistant professor of clinical livestock reproduction in the School of Veterinary Medicines Department of Population Health and Reproduction, McNabb has been service chief for the VMTHs Livestock Herd Health and Reproduction Service since 2013.

Well respected as a leader, McNabbs clinical acumen and dedication to patient care is widely acknowledged and he, along with his service colleagues, has contributed to rebuilding the VMTHs livestock herd health and reproduction caseload in recent years. He has offered expanded clinical services and is the attending veterinarian for multiple campus herds belonging to the undergraduate Department of Animal Science and two UC field stations.

We are thrilled to welcome McNabb as the leader of our Large Animal Clinic and a member of our dedicated hospital leadership team, said Dr. Jane Sykes, VMTH chief veterinary medical officer. He brings a wealth of experience in our hospital; a warm personality and positive outlook; a special ability to bring people together to create positive direction; and a dedication to supporting our students, clinicians, staff, clients, referring veterinarians and patients. His leadership will allow us to promote our cultural beliefs and maintain our reputation for excellence in teaching, clinical research and patient care.

McNabb is active in maintaining a public presence for the VMTH, providing veterinary services for many animal events throughout California, including the California State Fair and the Professional Bull Riders Tours annual event in Sacramento. McNabb has also contributed materially to the design process for the new Livestock and Field Service Center, as part of the future Veterinary Medical Center at UC Davis.

I am excited for the opportunity to serve the Large Animal Clinic, and strengthen our equine and livestock services, McNabb said. Working collaboratively with our faculty, I plan to continue our legacy of clinical excellence and fulfill the mission of the School of Veterinary Medicine.

As director of the Large Animal Clinic in conjunction with Sykes and the VMTH leadership team McNabb will be responsible for the professional, academic, and ethical affairs; financial health; personnel welfare; and operational efficiency of the Large Animal Clinic. He will be responsible for promoting a culture of clinical excellence; equity, diversity, and inclusion for all; and ensuring a supportive clinical learning environment for students, house officers, and other trainees.

Excerpt from:
McNabb named director of the Large Animal Clinic at the UC Davis - Red Bluff Daily News

Showers will break away Friday with a brief lull in activity. On Sunday, pay attention to the weather as severe weather is possible.

THE FORECAST:

Today and Tonight: Clouds and showers may linger Friday morning followed by some returning sun and cooler highs in the low 70s. With northeasterly winds, expect overnight lows in the low 50s beneath partly cloudy skies.

Up Next: Drier conditions will last through Saturday morning and then a period of active, perhaps impactful weather will begin. A warm front lifting through the area from south to north will return showers and thunderstorms to the area as early as Saturday afternoon. When the associated cold front and upper level energy move into the area on Sunday, some of the thunderstorms are expected to be severe. The Storm Prediction Center is using bolder language than usual saying an outbreak of severe thunderstorms appears possible on Sunday. The day three outlooks places areas north of I-12 in an unusual 4/5 moderate risk with the remainder of the area in a 3/5 enhanced risk for severe weather. Everything from damaging wind gusts to hail to tornadoes will be possible. In this time of staying home with loved ones, now is a great opportunity to identify or review your severe weather plan. Find the lowest and most interior place in your home to use as a safe place if a warning is issued. Mobile Home residents should find a nearby brick and mortar home of a family member or friend as it is recommended you prioritize the near term weather threat over social distancing. CLICK HERE for some ideas. Quiet weather and below average temperatures will persist Monday through Wednesday.

The Mississippi River: At Baton Rouge, major flood stage continues with a level of 42.7 as of Thursday morning. It is projected to crest near 43 this weekend. The high water is primarily an issue for river traffic and river islands, although some inundation will continue for a few spots north and south of Baton Rouge that are not protected by levees. Unprotected low-lying areas will be flooded and agricultural operations will be impacted on the west side of the river. The grounds of the older part of Louisiana State University's campus become soggy. This includes the area around the Veterinary Medicine building, the Veterinary Medicine Annex, the stadium and ball fields. The city of Baton Rouge and the main LSU campus are protected by levees at this level. This comes after a year where the gauge at Baton Rouge spent a record smashing run of 212 consecutive days above flood stage between January and August. Peaking at 44.1 on March 19, 2019 the river set its 7th highest recorded crest at Baton Rouge. The level is also high in New Orleans and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has opened the Bonnet Carre Spillway.

THE EXPLANATION:

Beyond morning showers, a lull in precipitation will come early Friday through early Saturday. Northerly winds will maintain cold air advection processes and keep below average temperatures in place through Saturday morning. A locations north of I-12 could even nip the upper 40s. An upper level low pressure system will advance out of the southwest U.S. on Saturday forcing a warm front to lift through the region. With warmer air surging northward, scattered showers and thunderstorms could develop late in the day. The deep upper level low pressure system will move over Texas by Sunday. As this occurs, it will begin to orient from northwest to southeast, this is called a negative tilt, and this is a reliable indicator for active weather. Rich low-level moisture will be drawn inland from the Gulf of Mexico in advance of a strengthening surface low that will move north of the local area dragging a cold front across the central Gulf Coast. Instability will work in tandem with a strong jet stream (winds aloft) to result in a very favorable environment for severe thunderstorms to develop. The combination is supportive of widespread damaging wind and strong, long-lived tornadoes. Timing is not yet clear, but will come into focus as we get closer. The front will clear to the east by Sunday night with cooler and drier conditions persisting into early next week. Please stay in touch.

--Josh

The WBRZ Weather Team is here for you, on every platform. Your weather updates can be found on News 2, wbrz.com, and the WBRZ WX App. on Apple and Android devices. Follow WBRZ Weather on Facebook and Twitter for even more weather updates while you are on the go.

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Prepare now, uncommon moderate risk of severe weather Sunday - WBRZ

New Jersey, United States: Market Research Intellect has added a new research report titled, Veterinary Medicine Market Professional Survey Report 2020 to its vast collection of research reports. The Veterinary Medicine market is expected to grow positively for the next five years 2020-2026.

The Veterinary Medicine market report studies past factors that helped the market to grow as well as, the ones hampering the market potential. This report also presents facts on historical data from 2011 to 2019 and forecasts until 2026, which makes it a valuable source of information for all the individuals and industries around the world. This report gives relevant market information in readily accessible documents with clearly presented graphs and statistics. This report also includes views of various industry executives, analysts, consultants, and marketing, sales, and product managers.

Market Segment as follows:

The global Veterinary Medicine Market report highly focuses on key industry players to identify the potential growth opportunities, along with the increased marketing activities is projected to accelerate market growth throughout the forecast period. Additionally, the market is expected to grow immensely throughout the forecast period owing to some primary factors fuelling the growth of this global market. Finally, the report provides detailed profile and data information analysis of leading Veterinary Medicine company.

Veterinary Medicine Market by Regional Segments:

The chapter on regional segmentation describes the regional aspects of the Veterinary Medicine market. This chapter explains the regulatory framework that is expected to affect the entire market. It illuminates the political scenario of the market and anticipates its impact on the market for Veterinary Medicine .

The Veterinary Medicine Market research presents a study by combining primary as well as secondary research. The report gives insights on the key factors concerned with generating and limiting Veterinary Medicine market growth. Additionally, the report also studies competitive developments, such as mergers and acquisitions, new partnerships, new contracts, and new product developments in the global Veterinary Medicine market. The past trends and future prospects included in this report makes it highly comprehensible for the analysis of the market. Moreover, The latest trends, product portfolio, demographics, geographical segmentation, and regulatory framework of the Veterinary Medicine market have also been included in the study.

Ask For Discount (Special Offer: Get 25% discount on this report) @ https://www.marketresearchintellect.com/ask-for-discount/?rid=202753&utm_source=SI&utm_medium=888

Table of Content

1 Introduction of Veterinary Medicine Market1.1 Overview of the Market1.2 Scope of Report1.3 Assumptions

2 Executive Summary

3 Research Methodology3.1 Data Mining3.2 Validation3.3 Primary Interviews3.4 List of Data Sources

4 Veterinary Medicine Market Outlook4.1 Overview4.2 Market Dynamics4.2.1 Drivers4.2.2 Restraints4.2.3 Opportunities4.3 Porters Five Force Model4.4 Value Chain Analysis

5 Veterinary Medicine Market, By Deployment Model5.1 Overview

6 Veterinary Medicine Market, By Solution6.1 Overview

7 Veterinary Medicine Market, By Vertical7.1 Overview

8 Veterinary Medicine Market, By Geography8.1 Overview8.2 North America8.2.1 U.S.8.2.2 Canada8.2.3 Mexico8.3 Europe8.3.1 Germany8.3.2 U.K.8.3.3 France8.3.4 Rest of Europe8.4 Asia Pacific8.4.1 China8.4.2 Japan8.4.3 India8.4.4 Rest of Asia Pacific8.5 Rest of the World8.5.1 Latin America8.5.2 Middle East

9 Veterinary Medicine Market Competitive Landscape9.1 Overview9.2 Company Market Ranking9.3 Key Development Strategies

10 Company Profiles10.1.1 Overview10.1.2 Financial Performance10.1.3 Product Outlook10.1.4 Key Developments

11 Appendix11.1 Related Research

Complete Report is Available @ https://www.marketresearchintellect.com/product/veterinary-medicine-market-size-and-forecast/?utm_source=SI&utm_medium=888

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Market Research Intellect provides syndicated and customized research reports to clients from various industries and organizations with the aim of delivering functional expertise. We provide reports for all industries including Energy, Technology, Manufacturing and Construction, Chemicals and Materials, Food and Beverage and more. These reports deliver an in-depth study of the market with industry analysis, market value for regions and countries and trends that are pertinent to the industry.

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Tags: Veterinary Medicine Market Size, Veterinary Medicine Market Growth, Veterinary Medicine Market Forecast, Veterinary Medicine Market Analysis, Veterinary Medicine Market Trends, Veterinary Medicine Market

Original post:
Veterinary Medicine Market Size Analysis, Top Manufacturers, Shares, Growth Opportunities and Forecast to 2026 - Science In Me

This weekend a tiger at the Bronx Zoo tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 in humans. But its a leap to worry if your household feline can get or transmit the coronavirus, says Karen Terio, chief of the Zoological Pathology Program at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, which assisted in diagnosing the tiger.

A tiger is not a domestic cat, they are a completely different species of cats, she says. To date we have no evidence of the virus being transmitted from a pet to their owners. Its much, much more likely that an owner could potentially transmit it to their pet.

Even then, the risk of a pet contracting the virus is low. Globally, only two dogs and two cats have tested positive for the virus, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).

The first publicly recorded instance of a pet diagnosed with COVID-19 happened in Hong Kong in late February, and Hong Kongs Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department along with veterinary experts at the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) concluded it to be a case of human-to-animal transmission. The pet dog belonged to someone who had the virus, and authorities at the Hong Kong Agriculture Department and OIE believe the dog contracted the virus from its owner.

Over 1 million human cases at this point worldwide and weve only seen four domestic animals test positive so far worldwide, so the risk is very minimal [for COVID-19] to get to pets, says William Sander, assistant professor of preventive medicine and public health, also at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.

Keep up to date with our daily coronavirus newsletter by clicking here.

At the moment, Sander says, it appears theres little-to-no risk of pets transmitting the virus to their human owners, with no specific evidence suggesting this type of transmission has ever happened. Thats why in the U.S. were really not pushing hard to test pets at all, he says. In the U.S., there hasnt been a single case of a pet diagnosed with the virus, at least according to the countrys Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

There is no reason to think that animals, including pets, in the United States might be a source of infection with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, a spokesperson for the AVMA wrote in an emailed statement to TIME. COVID-19 appears to be primarily transmitted by contact with an infected persons bodily secretions, such as saliva or mucus droplets in a cough or sneeze.

Terio, however, emphasizes that there is still much that is unknown. If your pet, for example, did contract the virus, it is not clear whether your animal would show signs of infection the way a human would. The tiger at the Bronx Zoo did show signs of respiratory distress, Terio says, but theres a lot that we dont know about how different animals are going to respond to a viral infection.

We dont know if an animal could be an asymptomatic carrier, or if theyd experience a mild or severe form of the disease, Terio adds. This is the tip of, you know, just trying to figure out whats going on, she says. Unfortunately there are way more questions than answers at this time, and thats toughI think this whole thing is unsettling for everybody, and its hard when we dont have good answers for people.

Out of caution, the CDC and AVMA recommend that sick humans stay away from their animal companions. Just like youre keeping your distance from other people, try to have somebody else in your house take care of your pet, just to be overly cautious, Sander says. If you are sick or showing symptoms and you have to take care of your pet, the CDC recommends avoiding snuggles or touching your pet, and washing your hands thoroughly before and after feeding.

Sander and Terio note that scientists still dont fully understand how viruses like the one that causes COVID-19 might or might not move between humans and domestic animals.

Several preliminary studies, which have not been peer reviewed yet, have been shared on public access websites in the last week, Sander says, suggesting that some groups of domestic animals can be infected with SARS-CoV-2 in laboratory settings. Similarly, during the 2003 outbreak of SARS-CoV, also caused by a coronavirus in the same family as SARS-CoV-2, researchers determined that cats and ferrets could be infected with the virusbut that was in a lab setting. Those studies determined that there was little cause for concern that transmissioneither to humans or to other animalscould happen in a natural environment, Sander says.

To understand SARS-CoV-2, we base some of our educated guesses on the previous SARS-CoV that came out in 2003, Sander says. As of now, researchers believe SARS-CoV-2, like the previous SARS, is not likely to transmit from pets to humans.

The AVMA also cautions against over-interpreting the results described in more recent studies, some of which may report on data from a very small number of animals or provide only preliminary results.

Though studies have shown that the virus can live on a variety of surfaces for several hours or days, both Sander and the AVMA say it is unlikely the virus can live on an animals fur, though Terio notes that there isnt enough research to say that with 100% certainty.

According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, SARS-CoV-2 can live on plastics for 72 hours, on stainless steel for 48 hours, on cardboard for 24 hours and on copper for 4 hours.

Obviously, pet fur was not one of the [surfaces] they tested, Terio says. There are a number of variables involved, but you have the presume that [the virus] could potentially survive for a period of timeof potentially a day or so on the surface. Again, we dont know the answer.

In its emailed statement, the AVMA spokesperson writes that while the virus can be transmitted by touching a contaminated surface or object and then touching your nose, mouth or eyes, this appears to be a secondary route. In addition, smooth, non-porous surfaces such as countertops and doorknobs transmit viruses better than porous materials; because your pets hair is porous and also fibrous, it is very unlikely that you would contract COVID-19 by petting or playing with your pet. However, its always a good idea to practice good hygiene around animals, including washing your hands before and after interacting with them.

Though there remain a lot of unknowns, the experts TIME spoke with agree that it is unlikely that a pet can be infected with the virus or that a pet can transmit the virus to humans. But if you are sick, take extra precautions around your animals, because there is a small chance they could catch the virus from you.

In this time of social isolation, pets are actually a great comfort for the mental health side of things too, Sander says. If you arent showing any clinical signs of anything, take advantage of having that mental support.

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Write to Jasmine Aguilera at jasmine.aguilera@time.com.

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Your Pets Are Not Likely to Get or Transmit Coronavirus. Here's What the Experts Say - TIME

As COVID-19 spreads across the globe, a common question is, can infectious diseases be connected to environmental change? Yes, indicates a study published today from the University of California, Davis One Health Institute.

Exploitation of wildlife by humans through hunting, trade, habitat degradation and urbanization facilitates close contact between wildlife and humans, which increases the risk of virus spillover, found a study published April 8 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Many of these same activities also drive wildlife population declines and the risk of extinction.

The study provides new evidence for assessing spillover risk in animal species and highlights how the processes that create wildlife population declines also enable the transmission of animal viruses to humans.

Spillover of viruses from animals is a direct result of our actions involving wildlife and their habitat, said lead author Christine Kreuder Johnson, project director of USAID PREDICT and director of the EpiCenter for Disease Dynamics at the One Health Institute, a program of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. The consequence is theyre sharing their viruses with us. These actions simultaneously threaten species survival and increase the risk of spillover. In an unfortunate convergence of many factors, this brings about the kind of mess were in now.

For the study, the scientists assembled a large dataset of the 142 known viruses that spill over from animals to humans and the species that have been implicated as potential hosts. Using the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, they examined patterns in those species abundance, extinction risks and underlying causes for species declines.

The data show clear trends in spillover risk that highlight how people have interacted with animals throughout history. Among the findings:

We need to be really attentive to how we interact with wildlife and the activities that bring humans and wildlife together, Johnson said. We obviously dont want pandemics of this scale. We need to find ways to co-exist safely with wildlife, as they have no shortages of viruses to give us.

Study co-authors include Peta Hitchens of the University of Melbourne Veterinary Clinic and Hospital, and Pranav Pandit, Julie Rushmore, Tierra Smiley Evans, Cristin Weekley Young and Megan Doyle of the UC Davis One Health Institutes EpiCenter for Disease Dynamics.

The study was supported by funding through the USAID Emerging Pandemic Threat PREDICT program and the National Institutes of Health.

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The Link Between Virus Spillover, Wildlife Extinction and the Environment - UC Davis

COLLEGE STATION In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated restrictions on public activity, many people are looking for ways to safely go about their daily lives indoors and online. Luckily, telemedicine supports this goal, and allows individuals to ensure their health and the health of their pets digitally.

Dr. Lori Teller, a clinical associate professor at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, speaks to pet owners about the basics of veterinary telemedicine and how this tool can be especially useful in the midst of a pandemic.

Telemedicine is the exchange of medical information from one location to another using electronic communications to diagnose, treat or improve a patients health status, Teller said. In most cases, all that an animal owner needs to connect is a smartphone with a working camera, microphone and chat feature.

A computer or tablet may also be used, provided that it is capable of two-way communication and has internet access. In many cases, a telemedicine appointment will be a real-time, live video and audio exchange.

A veterinarian can evaluate many things via telemedicine, Teller said. The first thing will be to obtain a patients history and determine what the current problem is. If the problem is something that can be visualized, such as a skin lesion or limping, then pictures or videos will be helpful. Behavioral and nutritional problems can often be handled via telemedicine as well.

Telemedicine appointments are most effective when there is an established veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR), as the veterinarian may be able to more accurately make a diagnosis and create a treatment plan. If there is no established VCPR, a veterinarian will still be able to provide general advice.

Rules on what the outcome of a telemedicine appointment can be, including the prescription of medications, vary by state.

It is important to note that telemedicine does not replace a physical exam, so there will be times when the veterinarian will tell the client that the patient needs to be seen, Teller said. Telemedicine can play a huge role, especially in times of disaster, such as a pandemic or hurricane, in helping a client determine if a trip to the veterinarian is needed and, if so, when is it needed.

If a pet has a life-threatening emergency, difficulty breathing, pale or bluish gums, has ingested a toxic substance or something large enough to cause an obstruction, is unable to urinate or to stand, has increased seizures, is non-responsive, is experiencing difficulty during labor, has vomiting and diarrhea and lethargy, or is experiencing other serious veterinary conditions, they should be brought to a veterinary clinic.

Teller recommends calling ahead of time to let the clinic know youre coming and what the problem appears to be.

Telemedicine is an extremely valuable tool to help provide care for a patient, she said. It is not a substitute for in-person veterinary care that requires a physical exam or diagnostic tests, such as blood work or imaging, but is a way to manage patients in-between visits to the hospital.

During times of disruption, such as the current pandemic, telemedicine can be an excellent way to ensure that your furry friend continues to get the care they need while also following social distancing requirements and staying safely indoors.

Telemedicine is especially valuable during a pandemic because it can be used to help the veterinarian and the client determine if and when the patient needs to be seen in the hospital or if the problem can be managed at home, at least for the short term, Teller said. It also helps conserve PPE (personal protective equipment) and other resources for emergencies and for human health care facilities.

Pet Talk is a service of the College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University. Stories can be found on the Pet Talk website. Suggestions for future topics may be directed to editor@cvm.tamu.edu.

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Pet talk: Veterinary telemedicine in the age of COVID-19 - Marshall News Messenger

How can we help?

That simple question has spurred a flurry of activity among students, faculty, staff and university administrators who have looked for ways to assist health-care workers in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether its repurposing university-owned equipment to decontaminate N95 masks, mixing hand sanitizer in chemistry labs for use by hospitals, collecting supplies of personal protective equipment -- of which there is a critical national shortage -- or babysitting health-care workers children, professionals in higher education and the students they serve have found all kinds of ways to help.

We go into this field wanting to help others in one way or another, said Brianna Engelson, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Minnesota. Engelson and other medical students founded MN COVIDSitters, a group that matches students with health-care professionals in the Twin Cities metropolitan area needing childcare, pet-sitting or general errand running. Engelson said more than 300 student volunteers are helping more than 200 health-care providers and their families. They're still seeking more volunteers to help more than 100 other families who have signed up for assistance.

Its tough to be on the sidelines watching your mentors and the people who have been such a critical part of your education giving so much while youre sitting back at home feeling a little helpless, said Engelson, who will be starting a residency program in psychiatry at the university in June. I know I certainly did. Being so close to graduation, Im so close to being there with them, yet here I am at home doing nothing. Thats part of it -- wanting to be involved, but also really wanting to support our mentors.

Students and higher education professionals have found all manner of ways to get involved.

Peter Tonge, the chair of the chemistry department at the State University of New York at Stony Brook, helped coordinate an effort to mix hand sanitizer after he received a message from the dean of Stony Brook's College of Arts and Sciences, a chemist, about a shortage at the university hospital. Tonge said the chemistry department used the World Health Organization's formulation for hand sanitizer, which is made up of hydrogen peroxide, glycerol and either ethanol or Isopropyl alcohol -- all raw materials that faculty members had in their labs.

I created a Google spreadsheet and sent it to faculty. In a couple of hours, they filled in a spreadsheet with the location and amount of each of these reagents, Tonge said. We got a cart, myself and two other people went through building collecting all the reagents, took it down to our general chemistry lab, and a postdoctoral associate and a research scientist mixed up the reagents. By 5 p.m. the same day hed received the email, he said theyd made 17 gallons.

That basically exhausted all of our supplies in the building, so we placed an order for another 80 gallons of ethanol, and today we made another 80 gallons of hand sanitizer, Tonge said Friday.

In a similar effort, the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab at Oregon State University manufactured a fluid needed to transport COVID-19 test swabs in a sterile environment with the materials the lab had on hand. The fluid, known as viral transport medium, protects the virus's genetic material until the swab can be tested. Justin Sanders, an assistant professor at Oregon State's Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, said the lab's scientist initially made three liters of the solution, enough for 1,000 tests, after learning of a shortage from an infectious disease doctor at the Corvallis, Ore.-based Samaritan Health Services. Sanders said the veterinary college has fielded requests for the solution from other hospitals after their efforts were publicized.

Universities, including Oregon State, have also been collecting supplies of personal protective equipment -- including masks, gloves and gowns -- from university labs to donate to hospitals. Oregon State collected 10 pallets of PPE, including an estimated 200,000 pairs of gloves and approximately 8,000 face masks, to donate to county emergency management centers.

We focused on laboratories, kitchen areas, custodial -- anybody that had personal protective equipment, said Mike Bamberger, the emergency preparedness manager at Oregon State University. We collected it up and put in a pile. Then on the main campuses we had people go around and collect it and palletize it and take it over to the local county for distribution.

San Jacinto College, a community college in Texas, also organized a PPE donation drive, collecting supplies from its various health-science programs.

We work with all of our sister agencies, Harris County Emergency Management, Harris County Public Health -- we reached out to them and asked what we could do to help, and they gave us their high-need items, said Ali Shah, the colleges emergency manager. Shah said the college has also collected specimen bags needed by local hospitals and transferred two ventilators owned by its respiratory therapy program to a local hospital. San Jacinto has also partnered with other Houston-area colleges to use 3-D printers to manufacture a component of protective face shields for health-care workers.

Faculty members and students at multiple universities -- including but not limited to Duke University, in North Carolina; Rowan University, in New Jersey; SUNY Stony Brook; and the Universities of Montevallo, in Alabama; and South Carolina -- have mobilized to manufacture masks or face shields using 3-D printers.

Some universities, such as Duke and the University of Nebraska Medical Center, are using different technologies to decontaminate N95 masks, which are in scarce supply.

Michigan State University has repurposed a spiral oven in its Food Processing and Innovation Center -- which is typically used by food companies to test new recipes -- to decontaminate masks using heat. Michigan State has partnered with a local hospital provider, Sparrow Health System, on the effort.

We think this can have a significant impact for our health-care providers in the Lansing region, said Jeffrey W. Dwyer, the director of MSU Extension and senior associate dean of outreach and engagement for the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. We will simultaneously be able to work with others around the state and even the country to share our protocol with them and work with them to adapt it.

A group of scientific professionals, engineers and clinicians has organized a volunteer consortium, N95DECON, to review and publish scientific information on mask decontamination strategies.

We came together and did what scientists do best -- read available literature, synthesize information, evaluate data and debate vigorously. Our goal is to better equip hospitals and health-care personnel in these challenging times with concise, organized, data-backed information on this important issue, said Hana El-Samad, an organizer of the consortium and the Kuo Family Endowed Professor and vice chair of the department of biochemistry and biophysics at the University of California, San Francisco.

El-Samad emphasized that decontamination is a substitute for what would be the best solution -- an increased supply of PPE. But she said the need for decontamination among health-care providers is great.

It is true that many institutions and medical centers are taking a courageous lead in setting up methods and protocols for decontamination, El-Samad said. "But there are over 6,000 hospitals in the U.S. alone, plus many other settings with professional users of N95 masks in the U.S. and abroad. Only a handful have adopted any decontamination strategies to date, but a growing number are realizing it might be a decision they need to make in the near future.

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Universities and their students are helping in the coronavirus response in myriad ways - Inside Higher Ed