The ranking lists the world’s best universities for research impact and academic reputation in 51 academic subjects and includes some 1,300 universities from 80 locations worldwide.

OVC held onto its fifth-place ranking from 2020; the college has consistently placed in the top 10 since QS first included veterinary science in its rankings in 2015.

The post OVC tops Canadian veterinary schools in global ranking appeared first on .

Clinics have sought to protect the health and safety of veterinary staff as well as patients with entry restrictions.

The study found dogs separated from their owners during exams showed more physiological and behavioural signs of fear and stress than dogs with owners in the room.

Solutions? Hold the appointment outside, if possible. Clinics with large, well-ventilated exam rooms could also allow owners to remain in the room where the dog can see them, even if they can’t stand close by, said Dr. Lee Niel, Department of Population Medicine and the Col. K.L. Campbell Chair in Companion Animal Welfare.

The post Dogs stressed without owners in clinic appeared first on .

When OVC had its 150th anniversary in 2012, I made a hockey trophy for the students that turned out better than expected, being appraised at $53,300!
Now, to celebrate the 100th student tournament, I’m making a large base for the trophy on which the names of all the 2,000-plus people who played for their classes will be stamped. The finished trophy will be displayed in OVC’s main building.

Hundreds of OVC alumni have helped me to compile team lists going back to 1931, when the tournament started. However, some lists are incomplete or unverified by people who played for that class. I am appealing to anyone who played hockey while in the DVM program to help check their class hockey player list in case I have missed anyone. I am listing anyone who played hockey for their DVM class team, and any DVM student who played varsity hockey between 1931 and today.

For example, I hope the OVC ’42 grad who recently wrote to Portico will check his class list for me.

OVC 1942 hockey player names to check: Gordon Baux, J.A.T. Behan, Bill Brisbane, Bill Cawker, Nelson Chiles, William Harvey Cowan, Robert Griesback, Peter Lingua, Donald MacDonald, William McCabe, Bernard McSherry, James O’Donoghue, Victor Prest, Alexander Rattray, Clement Reeds, Edward Rothmel, Jim Schroder, Danny Smith, John Sproule, David Thompson, Jack Thomson and Ross Walton.

Brad Hanna, Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and a U of G alum, OVC ’89

Please email me directly at bhanna@uoguelph.ca.

The post Calling all OVC hockey alumni! appeared first on .

She was accompanied on the adventure by her mother, Dr. Ingrid Van Der Linden, also a veterinarian. They both have practices in eastern Ontario. 

The mother and daughter were in Ghana to help farmers increase their income through better feed formulation, as well as improve animal housing and the control and diagnosis of diseases in poultry and livestock. 

Their story made the pages of The Review.

Thomas, who also holds a degree in biology from U of G, is a veterinarian in Almonte, Ont. 

The post Mother and Daughter Vets in Ghana appeared first on .

Prof. Sam Hocker, Department of Clinical Studies, is undertaking a three-year study to learn more about the anti-cancer properties of cannabidiol and its potential for treating urothelial carcinoma, a difficult-to-treat bladder cancer in animals.

The project will provide much-needed research on veterinary applications of cannabis, said OVC dean Jeff Wichtel.

“Veterinarians and pet owners have been eager for information on the medical applications for cannabis,” he says. “This groundbreaking work will help us learn about the role of cannabinoids in cancer and advance this field of medical research in Canada.”

Most bladder carcinomas in humans are treated with surgery and immunotherapy, but some cases are harder to treat. Hocker says work with dogs could help design potential therapeutic options for more aggressive forms of bladder cancer in humans.

Medicinal cannabis is used to treat people, but currently, no products are licensed in Canada for treating animals. Lobbying is under way for legislation to allow veterinarians to authorize use of medical cannabis.

For this research, OVC received one of Canada’s first grants for veterinary cannabis research. Funding came from Grey Wolf Animal Health, a specialty animal health company.

The post Cannabis as treatment for animal cancer appeared first on .

Ontario Veterinary College professors Jason Coe and Lee Niel and post-doc Janet Cutler found that one-third of pet owners failed to expose their puppies to enough social stimuli, including people and animals, during the first few months of the dogs’ lives.

“This is concerning because it means a significant proportion of pet owners are missing the small window between two and 14 weeks where socialization is such a crucial piece in the behavioural development of dogs,” says Coe.

“It’s a limited opportunity where pet owners can have such an influence on a puppy’s life and increase the likelihood of preventing the behaviours that can result in these animals being returned to shelters.”

As well, 51 per cent of pet owners failed to attend puppy classes. The researchers found significant differences in puppy behaviour and owners’ disciplinary techniques between those who attended classes and those who didn’t.

Puppies that didn’t attend classes were more likely to be fearful of noise, such as vacuum cleaners and thunder, and to react fearfully to crate training.

Pet owners who didn’t attend classes were more likely to use punishment-based discipline such as yelling or holding their puppy on its back, the study says.

“This speaks to how puppy classes aren’t just about obedience,” says Coe. “They are about exposing your pet to other people and animals as well as educating pet owners.”

Properly socialized puppies are less likely to be hyperactive or fearful, engage in unwanted chewing or show aggression toward people or other pets, Cutler adds.

“These problem behaviours in dogs are the leading cause of breakdown in the human-dog relationship and are associated with relinquishment,” she says.

The post Pet owners aren’t adequately socializing their puppies appeared first on .

Hugs aren’t necessarily off limits. The key is respecting your dog’s boundaries and personal space. Niel says each dog is different in terms of what they like and don’t like, so it’s important to watch your dog’s behaviour for clues.

“If they are showing signs of fear — things like lowered ears, lowered body posture and trying to pull away — those are obvious signs they are not enjoying a particular type of inter- action,” says Niel. “But if they are leaning in and soliciting more attention, you know you are on the right track as to the kind of things they enjoy.”

The type and amount of affection a dog enjoys isn’t about the dog’s breed. Niel says it’s about previous experien- ces and the individual personality of

the dog. This shouldn’t come as a surprise — it’s true of people, too. “The way we all interact with the world is based on our previous experiences of what is safe and what isn’t,” she says.

And just like us, if your dog is focused on an activity such as eating dinner or feels anxious for some reason, it might not be the best time to solicit affection from them.

“When your dog is stressed and focused on dealing with that stress, they might not want to be cuddled and touched because that might be distracting to them,” says Niel.

This is also true if they are sleeping. Like you, your dog may not want to be woken up for a hug.

Niel says the best approach for a happy dog is to make yourself avail- able and let them come to you.

Dogs can also adjust to our behav- iour. “You probably already know some ways your pet likes to interact with you,” says Niel. For example, most dogs like to be scratched on the shoulders.

Get to know what your dog likes and you will enjoy a trusting relation- ship with all the benefits of the human-animal bond. – KAREN MANTEL

The post Is it true my dog doesn’t like to be hugged? appeared first on .

However, the team found that pets can make it difficult for their owners to obtain social services.

The study looked at 198 street youth in Toronto, Ottawa, Kingston and Hamilton who were in shelters and drop-in centres. Among the participants, 98 had a pet and 100 didn’t.

Many youth are very open to discussing their struggles and issues with veterinarians, said lead author Michelle Lem, DVM ’01, M.Sc. ’12, and founder and director of Community Veterinary Outreach (CVO), a volunteer group providing mobile veterinary services to homeless people in Toronto, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph and Ottawa.

Calling for pet-friendly shelters, she says, “So many of these youth have lost trust in people, and the animal gives them unconditional love. They will do anything for their pets, which means they are less likely to commit potentially harmful acts, but also face more challenges with accessing housing, health care or addiction treatment services.”

The study is the first of its kind to look at the benefits of pet ownership among homeless youth in Canada.

The post Homeless youth with pets less depressed, less likely to use drugs appeared first on .

The funding will support the renovation and expansion of facilities at OVC, including new spaces for enhanced clinical teaching and learning, and advanced surgery and anesthesia facilities.

“This critical funding will support our continued accreditation,” says Franco Vaccarino, University of Guelph president. “It will also help us maintain our leadership position in innovative education and research, and in understanding the powerful connection between animal and human health.”

Renovations started this summer. The project will include new laboratory and classroom spaces equipped for computer-based case studies, patient simulators and demonstration models.

Modern surgery and anesthesia areas will be built in renovated spaces, and the college will install new equipment and improved biosecurity and infection control.

The post OVC receives $23-million provincial investment appeared first on .

Every year, OVC treats more than 2,000 dogs, cats and other pets referred by veterinarians for advanced diagnostic and surgical procedures.

A new $9-million fundraising campaign was launched last fall to establish new surgery and anesthesia facilities at OVC to benefit companion animals. The proposed facilities will contain surgical and diagnostic video and imaging devices, including operating microscopes, orthopedic and neurological equipment, and a sophisticated anesthesia and pain management unit.

A $1-million gift to the campaign from Lindy Barrow will be used to create the Lindy Barrow Minimally Invasive Procedures Suite, the first unit of its kind for a veterinary teaching hospital in Canada.

A previous campaign raised more than $13.5 million for OVC’s Mona Campbell Centre for Animal Cancer.

“These facilities will have far-reaching impacts on both pets and pet owners,” says Jeff Wichtel, OVC dean. “They will help ensure our continued ability to improve the health and well-being of pets, whether we are providing advanced diagnosis or life-saving procedures, raising the standard of care, or making meaningful contributions to clinical research and innovation.”

Learn more at pettrust.ca.

The post OVC Pet Trust celebrates 30th anniversary appeared first on .