Animal Care & Welfare News

Penn Vet Announces Forthcoming Retirement of Faculty Member, Cynthia Otto, DVM, PhD

The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine announced the forthcoming retirement of Professor of Working Dog Sciences and Sports Medicine, Cynthia “Cindy” Otto, DVM, PhD, effective on July 1, 2026, after 33 years of dedicated service to the School. Her pre-retirement sabbatical will begin in July 2025.

Q&A with Penn Vet’s Karen Verderame

It all started with worms. As a child, when her dad would buy worms for fishing, Karen Verderame would take them all, give them a home, and name them George. Caring for the squirmy little creatures roused a fascination with worms, insects, and animals, a lifelong passion she now imparts to and shares with students from grade school to college.

Important Tips from Penn Vet to Keep Pets Safe During the Holidays

Dr. Lisa Murphy, Penn Vet’s Professor of Toxicology, and Dr. Deborah Mandell, Service Head of the Emergency Service at Penn Vet’s Ryan Hospital, offer the following tips to keep pets healthy and out of the emergency room during the holidays.

6 Must-Know Thanksgiving Pet Safety Tips from Penn Vet

Thanksgiving is all about food, family, friends, and fun — but for your pets, it can be a minefield of dangerous treats and holiday hazards. To make sure your furry friends stay healthy (and avoid a trip to the emergency room), Service Head of Emergency Services at Penn Vet’s Ryan Hospital Deborah Mandell offers expert-approved tips.

What to know about the current avian influenza outbreak

Louise Moncla and Aliza Simeone of Penn Vet and Kathleen Hall Jamieson of the Annenberg Public Policy Center share helpful information for the public.

Penn Vet Working Dog Center researchers have identified a field-applicable way to help dogs cool down after exercise

As the director of the Penn Vet Working Dog Center, Cynthia Otto sees that, because working dogs are selected for high motivation, their drive can override physiological signs that they’re getting too hot. She says a search dog working in a humid environment or a police dog tracking a criminal could be at risk of exertional hyperthermia, an exercise-induced increase in core temperature above the baseline.

Erin Gibson, DVM, DACVS-SA, Named to Pamela Cole Professorship at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine

Andrew M. Hoffman, DVM, DVSc, DACVIM, Gilbert S. Kahn Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn Vet) has named Erin Gibson, DVM, DACVS-SA, an assistant professor, clinician-educator track, in the department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, the Pamela Cole Career Development Chair of Small Animal Minimally Invasive Surgery. The Pamela Cole Professorship supports promising, early career faculty engaged in companion animal research.

A summer researching equine osteoarthritis and a potential treatment

Penn Vet Scientist Receives More Than Half a Million Dollars For Research and Development of Mitigation Technology to Halt Methane Emissions from Dairy Cattle

Funding from Gerstner Philanthropies will study effects of probiotic supplement to prevent methane production in commercial herds.

Understanding disease prevalence in Pennsylvania wild turkeys

Researchers from Penn Vet’s Wildlife Futures Program are collaborating with the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Penn State on a multi-year turkey study.

Penn Vet Kicks Off Construction of New $2.8 Million Richard Lichter Advanced Dentistry and Oral Surgery Suite

The project will revolutionize the oral health, specialty care patient experience for small animals

Three takeaways on respiratory illness in dogs

Deborah Silverstein of the School of Veterinary Medicine advises dog owners to stay calm but take certain precautions.

Wry Not’s Triumph Over a Twisted Fate

Penn Vet students helping animals and their owners in Thailand

This summer, 14 students from Penn Vet traveled to Thailand to spay and neuter cats and dogs for owners who would otherwise be unable to afford the procedures.

Penn Vet’s Dr. Nicola “Nicky” Mason Appears on 60 Minutes

The interview highlighted Dr. Mason’s role in leading clinical trials that evaluated a novel Listeria-based vaccine to treat pet dogs with osteosarcoma, a common canine bone cancer.

A FLASH of radiation may lead to new cancer care for people and pets alike

Led by the Perelman School of Medicine’s Keith Cengel and the School of Veterinary Medicine’s Brian Flesner, a new study is evaluating the safety and efficacy of treating oral cancer in dogs with a palliative radiation in just two clinic visits.

NIH-funded canine immunotherapy data center charts a path toward transformative therapies

With support recently for five more years, Nicola Mason of the School of Veterinary Medicine and Qi Long of the Perelman School of Medicine hope their work leads to new insights in cancer care for people as well as pets.

Cooler temps and northern climes associated with increased diabetes diagnoses in dogs

Mirroring a finding in humans, diabetes diagnoses in dogs were more common in colder areas of the U.S. and during winter, according to a new study led by Penn Vet researchers.

Under the same sun

Since its founding by Penn Vet students in 2016, the Gambia Goat Dairy has worked in partnership with Gambians to serve its community. The research and teaching farm also gives current students the opportunity to use their veterinary skills for social good.

Morgan Agnew, V'13: The Rewards of Small Animal Reproductive Care

In what is arguably the world’s best job, Dr. Agnew spends her workdays with puppies or planning for their arrival.