Weekly companion animal news: September 28, 2020

UC Davis vet team rescues animals during California wildfires

A team of University of California, Davis, veterinary students, vet techs and veterinarians has rescued about 600 animals during the recent wildfires, ABC 10 reports. They’re part of UC Davis’ Veterinary Emergency Response Team, which is deployed to care for animals whenever there’s a wildfire in Northern California. They also create “passports” for these animals: searchable documents with key information about them. “We have a very large group of students,” said Lais Costa, the coordinator of VERT. “Very committed. They go way beyond what anyone can imagine. They are full-time students and they work tirelessly.”

More pets may be getting COVID-19 than realized, study shows

New research shows substantial rates of coronavirus infection in dogs and cats whose owners had COVID-19, HealthDay reports. The researchers found that in several cases, infected pets had COVID-like respiratory symptoms at the time their owners were infected. None of the animals tested were found to be infected currently. However, all eight cats tested for antibodies were found to have them, and two of the 10 dogs tested also had them. “These preliminary results suggest that a substantial proportion of pets in households of persons with COVID-19 become infected,” said study co-author Dorothee Bienzle, a professor of veterinary pathology at the University of Guelph in Ontario.

Cats with COVID-19 naturally developed neutralizing antibodies, study shows

Two cats in Spain appeared to have a robust immune response to the new coronavirus, protecting them from developing symptoms, scientists say. The research suggests cats are able to develop their own antibodies that neutralize COVID-19, according to CTV News. “In both cases we have detected neutralizing antibodies; in other words, they have the ability to bind to the virus and block it,” said Julià Blanco, a researcher with the AIDS Research Institute, where the study was conducted. “This is important because it shows us that the immune system of cats can deal with SARS-CoV-2 and, in these specific cases, protect them from developing symptoms.”

Groups push veterinary profession toward diversity and equity

The events of this spring and summer have led many veterinarians to point out the stark lack of diversity in the field. “The profession is going to have to think long and hard after all these years about how they are going to level the playing field,” said Anne Daniel, founder of the National Association for Black Veterinarians. Several groups focused on diversity, equity and inclusion met with AVMA leadership in late July to share the steps they want the association to take to improve diversity and inclusion in the profession. Lisa Greenhill, associate executive director of diversity at the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, said that while there’s reason to be hopeful, there are still many people in the profession who view diversity and inclusion issues as identity politics, as if “forcing change is somehow detrimental to white populations.” Dvm360 reports.

Long Island veterinary specialty center to offer advanced radiation for pets

PetCure Oncology and the Veterinary Medical Center of Long Island announced the New York specialty practice will soon offer advanced radiation therapy for pets. The new service is accepting referrals from local veterinarians with an opening date on October 5. According to the announcement, VMCLI is Long Island’s leading veterinary specialty practice and 24/7 emergency center. The addition of radiation oncology, combined with the practice’s current oncology offerings, give pet owners on the island access to comprehensive cancer care all under one roof for the first time.

High-quality diet and training don’t appear to stop dogs’ mental decline: study

A new study found that diet and training had no significant impact on mental decline in dogs, suggesting even high-quality diets and training won’t prevent the normal effects of aging on the animals. Studies have suggested that lifelong training and an enriched diet could slow dogs’ mental aging, but few have explored aging in pet dogs in real-life settings. The new study found that middle-aged to elderly dogs who were trained throughout their life and fed a nutrient-enriched diet for a year performed no better on thinking tests than dogs who received less training and ate a regular diet. The findings did show that the dogs’ trainability and activity independence appeared to remain sharp. HealthDay reports.

Finland to test coronavirus-sniffing dogs at Helsinki Airport

Finland recently launched a pilot program with coronavirus-sniffing dogs at Helsinki Airport, The Washington Post reports. The voluntary canine tests will deliver results within 10 seconds and require less than a minute of travelers’ time, said Anna Hielm-Björkman, a University of Helsinki researcher who’s using the trial to gather data. While other countries, including the United States and the United Arab Emirates, are studying canine coronavirus tests, the Finnish trial is among the largest in scale and farthest along. People who agree to the test in Finland will swab their own necks to produce a sample, which they’ll submit through an opening in a wall. Regardless of whether they test positive, they’ll be urged to take a standard polymerase chain reaction coronavirus test so researchers can monitor the dogs’ accuracy.

Petco opens 100^th in-store hospital

Petco has opened its 100^th in-store veterinary hospital, located in Encinitas, California. “Petco has doubled down on our full-service veterinary care expansion plans over the past year, and we’re thrilled to be opening our 100^th in-store veterinary hospital in Encinitas—a location that neighbors our corporate offices in San Diego,” said Mike Nuzzo, chief financial officer and chief operating officer at Petco. “We’re especially proud to continue expansion during this time, as vet care is in higher demand than ever.” The Encinitas in-store hospital is a partnership with THRIVE Affordable Vet Care, which Petco established a relationship with in 2017 as a priority regional veterinary partner.