Cummings. BATTLES When people and wildlife collide BACKYARD. Veterinary Medicine

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1 MAGAZINE OF CUMMINGS SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE AT TUFTS UNIVERSITY SUMMER 2014 VOL. 15 NO. 2 Cummings Veterinary Medicine BACKYARD BATTLES When people and wildlife collide

2 CASE SOLVED Liver Fix When Ellen Penafiel adopted Shiloh, she wasn t concerned that the part Bernese Mountain Dog was so much smaller than the other pups in her litter. I joked to my kids that she was going to be like Clifford the Big Red Dog, she says, referring to the classic children s book, in which the runt grows to be 25 feet tall. But the puppy s size signaled that something was seriously wrong. Within six months, Shiloh was vomiting, drooling and acting agitated. A veterinarian in Boston diagnosed her with a liver shunt, a birth defect that occurs when a blood vessel important for liver function does not close, affecting the organ s ability to process nutrients and filter toxins. As liver function deteriorates and toxins build up in the bloodstream, dogs can experience stunted growth, excessive salivation, vomiting or diarrhea. They also can suffer from dementia, blindness or seizures and eventually die. Shunts that occur outside the liver often can be corrected with abdominal surgery. But Shiloh s shunt was in the liver, where surgery can be risky. The dog was referred to John Rush at Cummings School, the only veterinarian in New England who treats liver shunts with a new less-invasive procedure. Using real-time X-rays of the liver to guide his work via a catheter, Rush inserts a special mesh stent, along with metal and fiber coils, to promote blood clotting and reduce blood flow through the shunt. The combination of stent, coils and blood clots creates a dam that directs the blood back where it belongs. My 14-year-old daughter thought it was the most amazing thing ever, says Penafiel. Some people wouldn t have the patience to explain the procedure to a teenage girl interested in science. But Dr. Rush broke out his dry erase marker to illustrate how it worked. Shiloh, now 2, has recovered well. She s much more playful with our five children, says Penafiel. She will go to her bin and grab a toy, something she never did before. genevieve rajewski PHOTO: ALONSO NICHOLS

3 contents S 1 V L 1 features 6 Road Medicine We make a house call with Rachael Gately, one of the Tufts Ambulatory Service s nine large-animal veterinarians who care for sheep, goats, cattle, pigs and horses across southern New England. By Jacqueline Mitchell 8 Sight Lines When your pet is squinting, teary or red-eyed, it s time to see a veterinarian. By Genevieve Rajewski 1 3 Organic Nation Alumna Melissa Bailey helps shape a $35 billion industry as director of the USDA s National Organic Program standards division. By Julie Flaherty COVER STORY 16 Backyard Battles Many species of wildlife have taken up residence in some of the most densely populated areas of the country. What happens when human and animal worlds collide? By Genevieve Rajewski Heal Thyself Stem cell research on canine diseases for which traditional treatments often fail could help people with similarly difficult diseases. By Genevieve Rajewski departments 2 FROM THE DEAN 3 UPFRONT PEOPLE, PLACES & ANIMALS 27 RESEARCH THE PATH TO DISCOVERY 30 ON CAMPUS CUMMINGS SCHOOL NEWS 33 ADVANCEMENT GIVING. GROWTH. GRATITUDE. 36 ASK THE VET IS PET INSURANCE WORTH IT? 33 Cover illustration by Jason Holley

4 FROM THE DEAN What s in a Name? V L 15 SUMMER 2014 in september 2004, william s. and joyce m. cummings, through their foundation (cummingsfoundation.org), committed an extraordinary gift of $50 million to the School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. In recognition of that support, the school was renamed Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. The Cummings Foundation philanthropy has given Tufts the opportunity to shape the educational and clinical missions of the veterinary school as well as its research programs to embrace a vision for One Medicine that the health of animals, humans and the environment are tightly intertwined. It is a concept that former Tufts President Jean Mayer promoted when the veterinary school was founded nearly 40 years ago. The Cummings gift also has given us the ability to finance important projects that have advanced scientific discovery and helped our veterinarians provide top-flight care to animals throughout New England and around the world. In his remarks at the school-renaming ceremony in 2005, Bill Cummings, an alumnus of Tufts University, underscored the important role that Cummings School plays in fighting diseases that affect animals and humans. In this he foreshadowed the close association that would develop between the school and Cummings Institute for World Justice around a global vision for One Health, particularly in aiding the postgenocide recovery in the Republic of Rwanda. Cummings School and the institute have established an ambulatory clinic in the African nation that offers on-site diagnostic capabilities and professional development for veterinarians and paraveterinarians. With the Rwandan clinic and other endeavors, the school has embraced the principles of active citizenship that are dear to Tufts and shared personally and professionally by Bill and Joyce Cummings. The partnership with Cummings Foundation has allowed our school to grow and thrive. Our students, faculty, staff and graduates are exceptional; our clinical services are first-rate, and our burgeoning research enterprise is producing discoveries that will benefit animal and human health. It is fitting that we celebrate the 10th anniversary of our relationship with Cummings Foundation with another name change that of this magazine, which will now be known as Cummings Veterinary Medicine. The quality of the magazine directly reflects the excellence of our school. Neither would be possible without the generous investment of Cummings Foundation and the support and friendship of Bill and Joyce Cummings. This issue showcases the breadth and depth of Cummings School. I invite you to read about dolphin health, urban interfaces among wildlife, people and the environment, and the school s ambulatory food animal practice, among other topics. You will see that our students, faculty and staff make the school special, and it is their contributions that advance animal and human health and well-being. Thank you for your interest in and support of Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. e t ve t r Deborah T. Kochevar, Dean Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine t r Genevieve Rajewski t r r t r Karen Bailey s g r t r Margot Grisar s g 2COMMUNIQUÉ tr t g Wr t rs Michael Blanding, Julie Flaherty, Kristin Livingston, Jacqueline Mitchell St ff t gr rs Alonso Nichols Kelvin Ma tr t g t r Bob Sprague t r A v s rs Ana Alvarado, Senior Director Veterinary Development and Alumni Relations Lorraine Daignault, Marketing Director Joseph McManus, Executive Associate Dean Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine Rushmie Nofsinger, Associate Director Public Relations Cummings Veterinary Medicine is funded in part by the Edward Hyde Cox Fund for Publications. It is distributed to alumni, friends, veterinary students, veterinarians and key university personnel. We welcome your letters, story ideas and suggestions. Send correspondence to: Genevieve Rajewski, Editor Cummings Veterinary Medicine Tufts University Office of Publications 80 George St. Medford, MA or genevieve.rajewski@tufts.edu The Cummings School s website is vet.tufts.edu The telephone number is Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. deborah turner kochevar, d.v.m., ph.d. dean and henry and lois foster professor 2 cummings veterinary medicine summer TRUSTEES OF TUFTS UNIVERSITY Tufts Prints Green Printed on 25% postconsumer waste recycled paper. Please recycle.

5 L LA A AL IFAW s marine mammal rescue team responds to a mass stranding of common dolphins on Cape Cod in Dolphin Rescuers Veterinary student s research could improve survival rates for stranded animals by Genevieve Rajewski No one knows why dolphins beach themselves, but once they wash ashore, they will surely die without proper care. A new study has found that the mammals blood may offer clues about their chances for survival, and those who work to save the dolphins are using this discovery to make beachfront decisions about treating them. The response to stranded dolphins has changed dramatically in the past two decades, says Sarah Sharp, V15, the principal investigator on the research conducted by scientists at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. As recently as the 1980s and 90s, nearly every stranded dolphin was put down, she says. It was assumed that the animal had come ashore for good reason, most likely a fatal illness. Sharp estimates that roughly 300 live dolphins strand in the U.S. each year. Only recently have responders attempted to return beached dolphins to the sea, says Sharp, who worked as the stranding coordinator for IFAW s Marine Mammal Rescue and Research Program for seven years before starting veterinary school. The thinking became that maybe some of the animals are OK to release, or at least the ones that strand in a group. Strong bonds among dolphins, all extremely social, could make the rest of the pod unwilling PHOTO: COURTESY INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE (IFAW). ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED UNDER A STRANDING AGREEMENT WITH NMFS AND IFAW UNDER MMPA. summer 2014 cummings veterinary medicine 3

6 UPFRONT to abandon a sick or confused animal that ventures too close to shore, she says. We started selecting what we believed to be good release candidates based on basic physical exams and blood-work findings, and releasing those that weren t showing signs of stress, shock or overt illness, Sharp says. Many rescue programs tag stranded dolphins so they can be tracked via satellite once they re released. We ve found that some released animals do really well after stranding, she says. Others stop transmitting a day after their release. The question became what health parameters are actually useful in making decisions about which dolphins to release. Sarah Sharp, V15, listens to a common dolphin s heart in her preveterinary school job as IFAW s stranding coordinator. STRESSORS ON SHORE Sharp s study, which was published online in the journal Marine Mammal Science in December, analyzed blood and the overall health of 26 common dolphins beached on Cape Cod, where strandings are common, between January 2010 and June That information was indexed against the fate of the dolphins after they were tagged and released. The study authors, including Joyce Knoll, an associate professor at Cummings School and Sharp s mentor, found significant differences between those that lived and those that died. Many dolphins that didn t survive or died within three weeks of being released had anemia, a shortage of red blood cells that supply oxygen to the body s tissues. The nonsurvivors also had higher levels of lactic acid in their blood and weakened liver function. Many were dehydrated or weighed less than they should. Sharp says the data point to two very different scenarios for at-risk dolphins. Some have preexisting illnesses that traditionally were not picked up when they were assessed on shore. Now responders conduct more extensive blood tests that better predict the animals chances of surviving a beaching. For example, IFAW rescuers now run additional screenings to better assess liver function. Other dolphins blood work showed acute changes that may have been due to the stress of the stranding itself, says Sharp. This is exciting because it points to new treatment options that may prevent these animals from dying after release. For example, the high levels of lactic acid in the blood of dolphins that later died are most likely caused by the physical stress of being on land, Sharp says. When not buoyed by water, a dolphin s weight can crush its internal organs. The stress also results in blood flow being redirected to support the heart and lungs. The muscles and other tissues become oxygen-starved, and lactic acid builds up, much as it does in human long-distance runners. These dolphins are at the highest risk of going into shock. Responders already use large foam mats to take the pressure off the organs. For dolphins with high levels of lactic acid, Sharp says giving intravenous fluids on the beach to boost blood volume, and therefore oxygen flow to tissues and muscles, might turn the tide. It is something that hasn t been done with this population of stranded animals, but it would not be too difficult to do, she says. The study also compared the physical exams, blood work and survival rates for dolphins that came ashore alone with those that had stranded en masse. We didn t see a difference between the solo stranders and the animals involved in mass strandings, says Sharp. The dogma has been that single animals are sick and should be put them down. But these data say why wouldn t we give these guys a shot? The opportunity to help more dolphins survive has helped Sharp find a new gear to power through the notoriously exhausting schedule of a veterinary student almost a decade after she first graduated from college. One of the reasons I love stranding work is you really feel you are on the cutting edge of science, she says. In the past, there hasn t been a lot of medicine involved. We can change that. OVERHEARD Although it s ultimately the breeders responsibility, if there s no pressure from the buyer, the system won t change. Jerold Bell, A GENETICS EXPERT AT CUMMINGS SCHOOL, IN A SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN ARTICLE ABOUT HEALTH ISSUES IN PUREBRED DOGS 4 cummings veterinary medicine summer 2014 PHOTO: COURTESY INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE (IFAW). ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED UNDER A STRANDING AGREEMENT WITH NMFS AND IFAW UNDER MMPA.

7 Pedaling for Police Dogs It didn t take much for Casey Dropkin, V16, to persuade her mother Wendy to bike 4,000 miles cross country. When I was growing up, we always talked about driving across the country, but gas got so expensive, Dropkin said. Because this summer will be her last big chunk of time off before she graduates from Cummings School, Casey told her mom she wanted to make the most of it but on two wheels, not four. My mom said, You can t do that without me. I d be so jealous, Dropkin said. From there, we kind of dared each other into it. Mother and daughter started off from Puget Sound in Washington on June 5 and plan to pedal for 67 days, following the northern-tier map from Adventure Cycling to Portland, Maine. Skirting the U.S.-Canadian border, the route crosses four mountain ranges the Cascades, Rockies, Adirondacks and Appalachians and passes through Glacier National Park and by the Great Lakes and Niagara Falls. Casey said they hope to cover 60 to 80 miles a day. We ll be pretty loaded up, with four panniers on each bike to carry our sleeping bags and camping equipment, she said. To pay their way and raise money for a worthy cause, the Dropkins set up a fundraising webpage. So far, they have raised $2,600, the majority of which will be donated to Massachusetts Vest-a-Dog, which provides bulletproof vests for law-enforcement K-9 programs. Casey and Wendy Dropkin are biking 4,000 miles to raise money to buy bulletproof vests for police dogs in Massachusetts. Casey said that she and her mother chose to ride for the nonprofit because it recognizes their love of animals while also honoring her father, a police officer, firefighter and EMT in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire. They were inspired after meeting Sgt. Dustin Parent, a police officer from nearby Guilford, and his partner, Agbar, a German shepherd that recently retired after serving the town for seven-plus years. This dog has such a bond with his officer and so many success stories from his days on the job, Casey said. He also had several close calls while serving the community without a vest. genevieve rajewski FOLLOW THE DROPKINS JOURNEY VIA REAL-TIME GPS UPDATES AND BLOG POSTS AT DROPKINGIRLSBIKEUSA.BLOGSPOT.COM. Hammer Time Tips for ensuring your cat s safety and sanity during a home-remodeling project even under the best of circumstances, the noise, dust and general chaos of home remodeling is enough to drive people a bit bonkers. So imagine how stressful construction can be for cats, which thrive on calmness and consistency. A home-remodeling project is one of the top 10 reasons why cats start urinating around the house, says Nicholas Dodman, director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. It s an anxiety issue. To keep cats safe and reduce the risk of unwanted behavior during renovations, Dodman offers this advice: n Place your cats in a familiar room as far away from the construction zone as possible. n Be sure they have food, water, litter boxes, bedding, toys and a radio to mask construction din. n Post a sign on the door in bold letters that reads: Cats inside. Please do not open! n Each day, after construction workers have left, check for possible escape routes, such as holes in the walls or open windows or doors. n Pick up small objects (nails, tacks and staples) that a curious cat can easily swallow. n Secure any poisonous materials, such as paint, paint thinner or used brushes. n Spend extra time petting or playing with your cats to ease your stress and theirs. ADAPTED WITH PERMISSION FROM CATNIP: THE NEWSLETTER FOR CARING CAT OWNERS, PUBLISHED BY CUMMINGS SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. FOR SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION, VISIT TUFTSCATNIP.COM OR CALL ILLUSTRATION: WARD SCHUMAKER summer 2014 cummings veterinary medicine 5

8 OAD med BY JACQUELINE MITCHELL PHOTOGRAPHS BY ALONSO NICHOLS 6 cummings veterinary medicine summer 2014

9 icine Clockwise from top left: A Romney sheep. Rachael Gately listens to Josephine s heart while owner Dottie Billington steadies her horse. Gately holds a sheep while Emily Picciotto, V15, administers a rabies vaccine and Elissa Mopper, V15, fetches the next patient. Picciotto gets supplies from the ambulatory service truck. VAmbulatory service veterinarians are adept at switching gears veterinarian rachael gately was headed to tina shippee s house to vaccinate some of her Romney sheep a teddy-bearish breed that Shippee s twin daughters show at fairs across southern New England. But the sheep would have to wait. Gately received an emergency call about a 28-year-old Paint mare in distress. I thought this was it, says Dottie Billington about her horse, Josephine, which she found lying in an unusual spot in her paddock near the manure pile. She was really out of it. Billington called the Tufts Ambulatory Service for help. Gately is one of the service s nine large-animal veterinarians who make house calls to farms all over southern New England, caring for sheep, goats, cattle, pigs and horses. They make about 4,000 farm visits each year. The traveling vets are headquartered in Woodstock, Conn., in a building with classroom space, a laboratory and a largeanimal treatment area. Most days, though, they re on the road. Service staffers manage the phones, helping the veterinarians juggle regular wellness visits with all manner of emergencies. Billington had given Josephine a drug called Banamine (basically, equine ibuprofen), so by the time Gately arrives at Billington s home in Foster, R.I., the horse is on her feet. She climbs out of a truck stocked with bottles of medication, buckets, overalls, galoshes and something resembling an accountant s fat briefcase a portable ultrasound machine. Today, she is accompanied by Cummings School students Emily Picciotto and Elissa Mopper, both V15. All veterinary students have two chances to rotate through the ambulatory service; second-year students spend a day there as part of their clinical rotations, and fourth-years complete a three-week rotation to fulfill their core clinical requirements. Picciotto and Mopper watch as Gately listens to the mare s heart, inspects her mouth and gums and takes her temperature. She then dons a long glove and gives the horse a rectal exam. She is in shoulder deep when she feels something amiss. The spleen feels like a shark fin, she announces. What could that mean? she quizzes the students. They arrive precisely at the answer Gately had in mind: an enlarged and displaced spleen, a serious condition called nephrosplenic entrapment. It s not clear that is what is ailing Josephine, Gately says. Some horses just have more prominent spleens. Because the mare seems more comfortable, Gately prescribes extra water and a very light supper. But should the horse s condition worsen, the next step would be to administer a drug that helps shrink the spleen. Still, Gately thinks Josephine is likely out of the woods. You ll know within the next couple of hours, she assures Billington as she climbs into her truck, her next stop to vaccinate those Romney sheep. If she goes back down, you have my cell. Call me. CVM summer 2014 cummings veterinary medicine 7

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11 SIGHT LINES When your pet is squinting, teary or red-eyed, it s time to see a vet BY GENEVIEVE RAJEWSKI

12 P pets don t have to read an eye chart to keep a driver s license or don prescription glasses to see the tiny text on a smartphone. But they still need eye care. In fact, animals experience many of the same eye problems that people do, including cataracts, glaucoma and injuries to the cornea. Unlike people, though, pets usually don t wind up at the vet because of obvious vision loss. Dogs and cats are very good at memorizing their environment, says Christopher Pirie, one of Cummings School s three board-certified veterinary ophthalmologists. We see lots of patients that have pretty advanced visual dysfunction without their owners being aware of it simply because the layout of their home never changed. The vast majority of owners bring their pets to the vet because the animal has a red eye or is squinting. To diagnose the problem, a veterinarian will measure tear production, stain the eyeball to look for corneal ulcers (a scratch on the cornea) and check the pressure inside the eyeball to screen for inflammation or glaucoma. A slit lamp provides veterinary and human ophthalmologists with a supermagnified view of the cornea, iris, lens and interior of the eye; other diagnostic equipment is used to examine the retina, the layer of light-sensitive cells at the back of the eyeball. It may be hard to imagine your dog or cat sitting still through such a comprehensive exam. However, 95 percent of our exams are performed with the animal awake, says Kara Gornik, an ophthalmology resident at Cummings School. For example, she notes that all Labs have a head bob. You just learn to move with them as their heads go up and down. Whether an eye problem is due to disease, injury, anatomical irregularities or genetics, the treatment for pets and people is pretty much the same. And, says Gornik, the vast majority of conditions can be cured or at least successfully treated for a while with medications if they re caught early enough. Troubles with the cornea the transparent outermost layer on the very front of the eyeball account for many trips to the veterinarian. Dogs, cats and rabbits experience corneal trauma (scratches), foreign bodies (dust) and ulcers, which can also be caused by disease and inherited conditions. Corneal ulcers can cause the eye to rupture if they become deep, says Gornik, so we like to catch those early and prescribe the appropriate medications. For some severe ulcers, corneal transplants or conjunctival grafts are used to patch the wound with a tiny graft from a donor animal s cornea or from the patient s conjunctiva, the transparent mucous membrane that lines the inside of the eyelids and the white part of the eye. Eye problems in cats tend to be caused by viruses, says Gornik. Feline herpes, a common respiratory virus, can cause watery eyes, squinting, discharge, severe conjunctivitis and even corneal ulcers. The disease is treatable with medication, but can recur over the pet s lifetime. GLAUCOMA AND CATARACTS Dogs often suffer from glaucoma, an umbrella term for conditions in which fluid buildup causes abnormally high pressure in the eyeball and begins to damage the retina and optic nerve; it can lead to blindness. There is no cure for glaucoma, but you can treat it, says Stefano Pizzirani, another ophthalmologist at Cummings School. The goal is to lessen the pressure within the eye and delay the onset of blindness. Eye drops often reduce pressure, he says, but in some cases, pets will need surgery. 10 cummings veterinary medicine summer 2014 PHOTOS: ISTOCK

13 HUMAN VS. ANIMAL VISION Who sees better, pets or people? It all depends. When it comes to the ability to see something clearly, humans win, says Christopher Pirie, a veterinary ophthalmologist at Cummings School. Normal vision in people is 20/20. A dog with normal vision would be 20/60, and a cat around 20/100, he says. That means a dog needs to be within 20 feet of what a person can see at 60 feet, making normal human vision about three times better than a dog s and five times better than a cat s, Pirie says. That doesn t mean that dogs and cats can t see anything at those distances, just that what they see is grainer or more pixilated. Humans also have the advantage in terms of color perception, compared with other mammals. Cats, dogs, horses and small mammals, such as rabbits, have only two types of the color-detecting cells called cones in their retinas; we have three, says Pirie. Pets color palette has a much smaller range than ours, consisting of duller blue, yellow and green tones (given the lack of cone cells that see colors along the red part of the spectrum). The contrast between colors also is not as vivid, he says. But birds and many reptiles and fish have four types of color-detecting cones. Their world is full of colors we can t even imagine, says Mary Caswell Stoddard, an evolutionary biologist who is researching avian vision and coloration at Harvard s Museum of Comparative Zoology. I d love to wear bird goggles for a day. How we see a city street (top image) versus how our cats would see the same scene. Because their eyes are set on the side of their heads, horses can view things separately with each eye (monocular vision) in addition to using both eyes to look in one direction (binocular vision). This gives horses a wider, more circular range of sight than people. There are only about 10 degrees in their visual field they can t see, which gives them nearly panoramic vision, says Kara Gornik, an ophthalmology resident at Cummings School. Animals ability to see things in low light is also far superior to ours, notes Pirie. Cats have six to eight times as many rods the type of cell that s most sensitive to light in their retinas as do humans. The structure of a feline eye enables it to capture and use very low levels of light. You may get up in what you perceive to be complete darkness and stub your toe, says Pirie, but your cat will be happily watching you do it. genevieve rajewski summer 2014 cummings veterinary medicine 11

14 Tufts Veterinary Emergency and Treatment Specialties (Tufts VETS) in Walpole, Mass., is the only practice in New England that offers endolaser surgery, a human medical procedure in which an incision is made in the eye and then a beam of light is used to destroy the structures behind the iris responsible for excess fluid production. Cataracts, the clouding of the eye lens, can occur in any species, but are most common in dogs. Although cataracts can be caused by diabetes, trauma or inflammation, the condition is mostly inherited and if left untreated, can cause blindness or glaucoma. Cataract treatment for pets and people is the same. After making a small incision in the eye, the veterinary ophthalmologist uses a tiny probe to break up the cataract with sound waves and suck out the cataract particles. An artificial lens is implanted to replace the diseased one. More than 90 percent of canine patients regain normal vision after the surgery, says Pirie. The Foster Hospital treats pets with eyelid problems. Entropion, a condition in which the eyelid rolls in and chafes the surface of the eye, can lead to scarring, infection or ulceration if the misshapen lid is not surgically corrected. Dogs and cats can also suffer from cherry eye, a congenital condition in which a gland in the third eyelid pops out of place and appears as a red mass in the corner of the eye. SIGNS OF AN EYE PROBLEM If your pet is experiencing any of these symptoms, you probably want your veterinarian to check it: n Tearing n Discharge n Squinting n Red eye n Rubbing, pawing or scratching the eye n Cloudy eye n Color changes in the eye n Loss of vision, usually evident when an animal appears clumsy or confused in low-light conditions. Veterinary eye surgeons operate on their patients under a microscope most of the time, and pets undergoing surgeries inside the eye also require much deeper anesthesia than what s used in general veterinary practice. We essentially paralyze patients, putting them on a ventilator and relaxing all their muscles, so the eye has absolutely no reflex, says Gornik. In some cases, an animal s eye may need to be removed. Sometimes it s because of disease, like cancer, says Pirie, and sometimes it s because of how long a problem like glaucoma may have gone untreated. Although an owner may be anxious about that kind of surgery, Pirie says it can preserve a pet s quality of life. From the dog s perspective, it s the most practical option, he says. The eye is not functioning as it is. The dog won t look in a mirror and wonder what happened to its face. It just doesn t want to be in pain anymore. Most domestic animals that are partially or fully blind function quite well, says Pirie, who had a kitten patient that still chased foam balls after having both eyes removed because of a congenital problem. Basic eye care is also essential to a pet s quality of life, says Pirie. The eye is four times more sensitive than the tips of our fingers. Think about when you have an eyelash or piece of dust in your eye, he says. Every time you blink, it is right there. You ll do anything you can to get it out. Animals with eye pain rarely whine, pant or cry to signal their discomfort, says Pirie. Instead, they tend to sleep more and be less active symptoms commonly misattributed to aging. Many owners don t appreciate the impact of an eye problem until after we ve addressed it, he says, when their dog starts bouncing around like a puppy again. CVM Genevieve Rajewski, the editor of this magazine, can be reached at genevieve.rajewski@ tufts.edu. SPOOKY SYMPTOMS While dogs and cats ability to memorize their surrounding often masks impaired vision, behavioral changes in horses can quickly alert owners that something is wrong. Because horses have evolved to scan the horizon for possible predators, they startle at visual disturbances much easier than dogs and cats, says Kara Gornik, a resident in veterinary ophthalmology at Cummings School. If a horse s vision is off in any way, they can spook on the side of the affected eye or react differently to situations than they normally would. With hunters and jumpers, a rider may notice that the horse seems to be struggling during events. Like people, horses can become more farsighted or nearsighted with age, says Gornik, but we can t fit them for glasses or contact lenses. Equine cataract surgery is also not nearly as successful as the same surgery in dogs and cats. However, she says, many other eye conditions can be treated successfully if caught at an early stage. Corneal ulcers often result from minor trauma, such as a scratch from a tree branch, a fly bite or a speck of dust. Injuries to the surface of the eye can lead to scarring that can create a blind spot in a horse s field of vision, especially if it s not caught early. Veterinarians often recommend fly masks to protect an injured eye from harsh light or insect bites. Iris cysts are perhaps the most common reason for spooking in horses, says Gornik. Fluid-filled pockets form on the horse s corpora nigra, a kind of equine eye curtain that extends from the iris and protects the retina from bright light. The cysts, which an owner usually can t detect, become larger until they actually obstruct the horse s pupil, she says. Instead of seeing normally, the horse sees a black shadow, especially during the daylight, which makes it more likely to spook. Remedying the problem is simple, says Gornik. We use a diode laser to pop the cysts, which sound like Rice Krispies when they pop. g.r. 12 cummings veterinary medicine summer 2014

15 Organic BY JULIE FLAHERTY NATION PHOTOGRAPH BY CHRIS HARTLOVE Melissa Bailey oversees the standards that shape a burgeoning $35 billion industry

16 Melissa bailey has been director of the standards division for the National Organic Program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture since She helps the USDA develop the rules for how all sorts of agricultural products from cotton fibers to chicken wings become certified as organic. Bailey, who studied biology as an undergraduate, earned a master s in animals and public policy from Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in Her interest in how farmers support conservation efforts led her to the Friedman School of Nutrition s Agriculture, Food and Environment Program, where she soon became intrigued by the way agriculture intersects with the environment, labor and economics. In her dissertation for her Ph.D. in agricultural policy, which she received in 2010, she investigated livestock production systems and water-quality policies. We talked with Bailey about what it means for a food product to be certified organic, how the rules governing organic are made and what she would change about the system if she could. What keeps you up at night? It can quite literally be the amount of work that we have on our plates. We have 34 staff responsible for a $35 billion (and growing) industry in the United States, so each staff person is essentially overseeing a billion dollars of product. And our program globally oversees approximately 25,000 certified operations that operate in 133 countries. For example, a farmer can be based in Mexico and get certified to the USDA organic standards. How does the National Organic Standards Board, the 15-member panel that advises the National Organic Program, influence what ingredients can be used in certified organic products? The default rule for organic certification is that natural materials are allowed in organic production and synthetic materials are not. The National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances outlines the exceptions to this rule. There are certainly some natural substances that we wouldn t want to allow in organic production for example, arsenic or strychnine so those are on the prohibited list. Then there are some synthetic substances that are allowed, and these were all recommended by the National Organic Standards Board. In making such recommendations, the board considers the need of the substance for organic production and handling, how it affects human health and the environment, and its compatibility with sustainable agriculture. For example, pheromones have long been used as an effective, nontoxic way to confuse insects that might otherwise infest organic crops, especially fruit. Another example would be vaccines for animals, which are important disease-prevention tools, especially since antibiotic therapy is prohibited under the organic standards. Then there are processing aids like baking soda, which is needed to leaven the dough for organic pancakes, baked goods or other products. At the end of the day, it is really a balancing act between what is essential for producing organic food and what consumers expect when purchasing these products. What does the organic label tell consumers about their meat, eggs and dairy? A good way to talk about this is to walk through the production of a specific food, such as organic cheddar. Before milk can be turned into cheese, organic milk has to come from a certified organic cow. The cow cannot be given growth hormones or antibiotics, and its feed must be certified organic. The feed comes from land that has not been treated with any prohibited substances for example, synthetic fertilizers and most synthetic pesticides and the land cannot have been treated with prohibited substances for at least three years before harvest or grazing. The land itself must be managed in a way that maintains soil fertility and minimizes erosion, while having distinct and defined boundaries to ensure that prohibited substances don t come into contact with organic fields. The organic dairy cow grazes on organic pastures for the entire grazing season, which must be at least 120 days a year. And it has to receive at least 30 percent of its nutrition from pasture during the grazing season. Throughout the cow s life, it has to be raised in living conditions that accommodate its natural behaviors and support health and welfare. The cow is milked, and the milk gets transported to a certified-organic processing facility. The milk goes through a cheddaring process, during which an enzyme, such as rennet, would be added to separate the curd and whey. That would be an example of a substance that is allowed in organic food products. Have animal-welfare concerns influenced current standards? If you look at the existing USDA organic regulations, animal health and welfare 14 cummings veterinary medicine summer 2014

17 For that cheddar on your cracker to be certified organic, the cow and the milk it produces also have to achieve that national standard. requirements already play a prominent role. Organic livestock producers can t use antibiotics and hormones. Continuous confinement of organic livestock is prohibited, and producers must provide access to the outdoors, shade, shelter, fresh air, clean water, dry bedding and direct sunlight. Livestock have to be able to graze daily. How do veterinarians care for sick organic livestock if the use of antibiotics and other substances is banned or limited? Prevention is really a tenet of organic livestock production. Since organic farmers can t routinely use drugs to prevent disease and parasites, they could certainly use guidance from their veterinarian about how to select suitable breeds and institute management practices that would minimize the need for medical care. There are some tools that are allowed in organic production that veterinarians can turn to when needed, including electrolytes, certain pain medications and dewormers. If an animal gets sick and ends up needing Organic livestock producers are prohibited from withholding treatment from a sick animal to preserve its organic status. antibiotics, organic standards require that it receive these treatments, but be removed from organic production. In other words, products from treated animals can no longer be sold, labeled or represented as organic. Organic livestock producers are prohibited from withholding medical treatment from a sick animal in order to preserve its organic status. If there is one thing you could change about organic farming, what would that be? I would like to see more farmers engage in the further development of the organic standards, whether it is at National Organic Standards Board meetings or during our rule-making process and not just current organic farmers, but also farmers who are deciding whether they want to pursue organic certification. I recognize that it can be difficult to find time between planting and harvesting or raising livestock. But farmers offer such an important perspective, one that we don t always hear when we are creating our rules. Their voices are critical to the future of the organic program. By one estimate, a half a million people work in organic agriculture in the U.S. alone. We really want to see more of those people involved in helping us build success in this growing market. CVM PHOTOS: ISTOCK summer 2014 cummings veterinary medicine 15

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19 The unhappy convergence of suburbia and wildlife BY GENEVIEVE RAJEWSKI ILLUSTRATION BY JASON HOLLEY you d think it would take a pretty exotic ecosystem to surprise Chris Whittier, V97. He has, after all, treated wild gorillas in six national parks in central Africa. But when Whittier, now director of the master s in conservation medicine program at Cummings School, used motion-sensing infrared cameras from his ongoing Africa work to figure out what was digging up the dirt around his lamppost, he was stunned. Over just a few evenings, red and gray foxes, a fisher, opossums, coyotes, deer, raccoons, a wild turkey, a woodchuck and a skunk (the actual culprit) all passed through his suburban yard in Grafton, Mass. Of course, I knew logically that these animals are around, he says, but I never expected to see them all here. summer 2014 cummings veterinary medicine 17

20 In just a few decades, many species of wildlife have relocated to some of the most densely populated regions of the country. Because of development sprawl and the successful restoration of species and forest habitats damaged by human activity, we now routinely encounter wild birds and animals that our parents and grandparents rarely saw. Today, the eastern third of the country has the largest forest in the contiguous U.S. as well as two-thirds of its people, reports Jim Sterba in his 2013 book Nature Wars. Many wild animals don t simply adapt to but actually thrive in the artificial habitats we create. Canada geese, raccoons, coyotes, skunks, opossums and deer all seem to prefer the suburbs to more rural areas, says Allen Rutberg, director of the Center for Animals and Public Policy at Cummings School. We fertilize and water our yards, creating a super-productive environment for anything that eats plants or eats living things that eat plants, he says. Birdfeeders, pet food, unsecured trash and other features of suburban backyards attract raccoons, skunks, bears, coyotes and other wild visitors. PERILS IN SUBURBIA ecause of the speed of these changes, evolution hasn t exactly equipped wildlife with the mechanisms to cope with the dangers of the suburban landscape. Many of our patients are brought in for trauma resulting from human causes, says Flo Tseng, director of the Wildlife Clinic at Cummings School. Admissions to the clinic have increased 41 percent in just over a decade, mostly due to accidental clashes between animals and people. Cars hit all manner of furry, feathered and scaly creatures. Fences and soccer nets ensnare birds. Nestlings and baby squirrels crash to the ground when homeowners prune trees and shrubs. Lawn mowers chew up rabbit nests. On a recent day at the Wildlife Clinic, staffers hover around a painted turtle that looks like Humpty Dumpty; its shell was shattered during a run-in with a car. Staff veterinarian Maureen Murray, V03, undertakes the painstaking process of putting the reptile back together again. She inserts a tiny breathing tube to administer anesthesia, A few recent patients of the Wildlife Clinic, clockwise from top left: a young porcupine, a baby rabbit, a lynx and a snapping turtle. 18 cummings veterinary medicine summer 2014 PHOTOS: ALONSO NICHOLS

21 and then drills tiny holes around the edges of the fractured shell. She threads fine wire through the holes, pulling it tight. The shell will heal nicely around the wires, and the turtle will be released when it s deemed healthy. People who bring animals into the clinic receive a case number for the patient they ve delivered and many of them call back, sometimes daily, for updates. It s always great to be able to share good news, says Jessica Zorge, the staff assistant who helps triage the 100 to 250 phone calls the clinic receives every day during the busy season from April to August. Since they took the time to bring an injured animal in, it s satisfying when you can let them know it will return to the wild. Wild animals are more likely to die from trauma than our pets. A cat or dog attack on a baby bunny might not look severe initially, but Tseng says that many of these animals are not in great shape by the time people bring them to the Wildlife Clinic. The stress of the initial injury or illness, followed by captivity, can sometimes be too much, especially for prey species, she says. Wild animals that suffer even a mild gash from a dog or cat s teeth often go into shock and die as a result of nasty infections caused by the bacteria found normally in pets mouths. Treating wildlife is a lot different from treating pets, Tseng says. In small-animal medicine, you can do a lot more medically and surgically with the patients. The Wildlife Clinic staff weighs the benefits of giving medications and performing procedures against the potential harm of handling a wild animal too much. We try to be as hands-off as we can, Tseng says. Every time we touch a wild animal, it thinks it s going to be eaten. It s like an alienabduction experience for them. Wild patients can t get the level of follow-up care that makes the prognosis better for our companion animals. Our patients have to be pretty perfect to be released, says Tseng. A dog hit by a car may have an owner willing to administer daily pain relievers to keep it comfortable for the rest of its life, she notes. But a coyote with the same injury has to be able to run fast enough to catch its meals. TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT Tips for sharing the picket-fenced jungle Because we increasingly share the same habitat with wildlife, we can t completely avoid one another. Cummings School experts offer these tips for keeping your family, pets and backyard wildlife safe: Don t handle wild animals. All wild mammals can carry rabies. Raccoons and skunks also transmit a roundworm parasite that can be fatal to humans. Avoid inadvertently feeding wild mammals. Many of us love to watch birds at a feeder. But the seed hulls and nuts that fall to the ground can attract nuisance animals like rats. Bird feeders can also tempt bears or other large animals in search of the same high-calorie feed as well as coyotes that hunt seed-eating rodents. Feeding your pets or neighborhood cats outdoors or just inside a pet door also can invite unwanted encounters. Wildlife can smell pet food from afar. Keep your pets indoors or supervise them outside. You don t want your cat or dog interacting with native critters that carry diseases or parasites. Domesticated animals are also easy prey for coyotes, fishers, great horned owls and other predators. Free-roaming cats and loose dogs also kill and injure large numbers of birds and small mammals. Don t try to save animal babies. Young animals often appear to be abandoned, but that s usually because their mother is limiting her visits to the nesting area to prevent predators from finding them. A young animal s best chance for survival is with its parents. If you know the young are injured or the mother is dead, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator can advise you about how best to proceed. Search for a rehabilitator by state and species, using the resources listed at nwrawildlife.org/content/finding-rehabilitator or call the Wildlife Clinic staff at Make your home and yard a conflict-free zone. To prevent wild animals from setting up shop where you don t want them, pay attention to home maintenance. Keep your yard free of brush piles, trim branches away from the roof, cap the chimney and plug any holes in the foundation. If you hear or see signs of an animal around your home, the MSPCA has an interactive website that can help you identify the culprit and solve the problem humanely: mspca. org/intruderexcluder. Don t relocate wildlife. Moving an animal from your yard is illegal in many states, and also inhumane. Imagine if someone threw you in the back of a van and dropped you off someplace without your family, food or shelter? Moving a wild animal can also promote disease transmission. The raccoon rabies strain now widespread in the eastern U.S. can be traced to 1978, when Virginia hunters imported raccoons from Florida and Georgia, where the disease had previously been confined. PHOTO: ISTOCK summer 2014 cummings veterinary medicine 19

22 OH, DEER f course, not only wild animals suffer from living too close to people. We have our own concerns about living in such proximity. Even if you appreciate that bats eat pest insects and help pollinate plants, you probably don t want them living in your attic, says Linda Huebner, the former assistant director of advocacy at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals who oversaw its Living with Wildlife program for six years. Although the risk is very small, bats are still the source of nearly all U.S. rabies cases in humans, she says. Raccoons not only tear apart garbage bags, they also shed a roundworm in their feces that s potentially fatal to humans, she says. And although harmless in most locations, beavers can flood out septic systems and roads with their impressive dams. Potential problems like these don t just create human-animal conflict they also spark human-human conflict, says Huebner, who received a master s degree in animals and public policy from Cummings School in You know who always seems to own homes right next to each other? Someone who wants to see wildlife every day and someone who doesn t, she says. When it comes to polarizing creatures, perhaps none is as divisive as the whitetailed deer. Deer are evil. You can quote me on that, says Sam Telford, an expert on tickborne diseases and a professor at Cummings School. An animal lover, Telford says he s a public health official at heart and that Bambi s offenses speak for themselves. Telford has spent 30 years studying how the deer population is related to the number of ticks present in an area he s found as many as 300 ticks on a single deer. That s only one week s accumulation, he says, and if half of those are female, that s 150 ticks, each enjoying a meal that will allow it to lay another 2,000 eggs. Deer ticks can carry five infections that affect people, Telford says. The alarming growth in Lyme disease cases alone they nearly doubled between 2004 and 2009, when almost 38,500 people were diagnosed in the U.S. is reason enough to be grim about ample deer populations. Car accidents [involving deer] are a public health issue, too, notes Telford. Most communities in eastern Massachusetts have about 20 to 25 deer per square mile, according to Telford. Rutberg notes that in the Mid-Atlantic states, including New York, Pennsylvania and Maryland, there can be 30, 40 or more deer per square mile. Flo Tseng To curb the incidence of Lyme disease alone, Telford and Rutberg say the deer population needs to be reduced to five or fewer animals per square mile. This could be best achieved through an increase in hunting, Telford says, because it s a free solution. However, in the densely populated Northeast, fewer and fewer suburbs have land open to hunting with firearms. Out of two square miles, there might be 50 or 100 acres where you can discharge a gun, putting more than 90 percent of the land off-limits, Rutberg says. As a result, public discussion in many communities has turned to an expansion of bow hunting. Throughout the eastern U.S., town meetings about deer control draw equally large numbers of hunting supporters and opponents. Such was the case in Hastings-on- Hudson, N.Y., a small village 16 miles north of Manhattan. As a result, the mayor opted for a radically different approach to reduce the 120-deer herd that has overrun the town s two square miles: the country s first birth-control study of free-roaming deer. Rutberg will lead a team seeking to inject 40 to 50 does with a contraceptive vaccine over the next two years. The community hopes the vaccines which work for at least two years with one dose and have no harmful side effects will reduce the deer population by 40 percent. It won t be easy, but we wouldn t be attempting it if wasn t doable, says Rutberg, who has studied the effectiveness of birth control in deer and wild horse populations for more than 20 years. We ve shown that we can reduce deer populations in relatively confined spaces by 30 to 60 percent, he says. More than 50 residents volunteered to assist with the research project. Children and adults will track the movement of deer in their neighborhoods and report in to an online database. Others will monitor whether deer consumption of seedlings declines as a result of the program. The local high school environmental studies class is helping set up fenced areas to assess how deer grazing affects local vegetation. Rutberg says that he s impressed by the extent to which community members have been involved in the birth-control project. There s a lot of concern these days about what is known as nature-deficit disorder, he says. The term was coined by the journalist Richard Louv in his 1995 book Last Child in the Woods, in which he argues that kids behavioral problems are on the rise because they re spending less time outdoors. The Hastings-on-Hudson program, Rutberg says, has provided an extraordinary opportunity for people to get more engaged with wildlife and their own habitat. CVM Genevieve Rajewski, the editor of this magazine, can be reached at genevieve.rajewski@ tufts.edu. 20 cummings veterinary medicine summer 2014

23 OPINION GAPS Women and pet owners more likely to oppose lethal methods for controlling wildlife Wildlife policy traditionally has focused on two groups of stakeholders: farmers who want to keep pests and predators from hurting their crops and livestock, and game enthusiasts who seek ample populations for hunting and fishing. Now that more and more wild animals have moved into our backyards, those with far more varied perspectives want a say in how conflicts and conservation are handled. Public opinion gatherers, however, continue to disregard a significant number of stakeholders namely women, says Jennifer Jackman, an associate professor of political science at Salem State University in Massachusetts who holds a master s in animals and public policy from Cummings School. Most polling about these issues relies on published telephone numbers to gather feedback roughly 70 percent of which are listed under a man s name, she says. The lack of a female voice hurts public policy because gender is one of the most significant factors when it comes to attitudes on wildlife issues, Jackman says. Research shows that women are far more likely than men to oppose hunting, trapping and lethal methods to manage wildlife, she says. Women also favored animal-protection measures more than men in 11 state ballot initiatives, including ones that banned dove hunting in Michigan (2006), cockfighting in Oklahoma (2002) and body-gripping traps in Massachusetts (1996). To gather more balanced data for her own research, Jackman used voter lists typically 53 percent of registered voters are women when she surveyed attitudes about coyotes on Cape Cod in 2005 and She chose Cape Cod for her research because it was one of the last areas in the Northeast to be colonized by coyotes and because human-coyote interactions frequently occur in this fragmented, semi-urban habitat. COYOTES NOT SO UGLY Both surveys sought to assess public support, fears and other attitudes about Cape coyotes. The surveys included questions about pet ownership and care. Both the 2005 and 2012 surveys found a significant gender gap on policy issues, with women far less likely to support policy using lethal interventions, says Jackman. But overall, in both men and women, there was a growth in acceptance and tolerance of coyotes over the seven-year period. Results from both surveys also revealed a statistically significant pet gap in attitudes. Although harm to pets was the biggest source of complaints related to coyotes, pet owners were still more supportive and less fearful of coyotes and more opposed to lethal interventions than those without pets, she says. Owners perceptions of their pets may offer clues about how human behavior contributes to the escalation or resolution of conflicts with coyotes. Jessica Bridgers, who received her master s in animals and public policy from Cummings School in February, analyzed interviews with 73 survey respondents to explore that notion as part of her coursework. Her research, which was supported by a grant from the Elizabeth A. Lawrence Endowed Fund, found that owners who view their pets as wild describing a dog as cunning or cats as little tigers, for example are more likely to let their animals outside unattended. These owners believe their pets have the right to be interacting with wildlife and the natural environment, Bridgers says. Other owners don t view their pets as having a rightful place in the natural world. As a result, she notes, they re more likely to keep pets separate from nature, either indoors, fenced in or on a leash. Given that pets are the biggest source of conflicts with coyotes in urbanized areas, Jackman and Bridgers believe data like theirs can help local officials develop better solutions to manage the wild animals. As we craft policies to address nuisance wildlife in the suburbs, Jackman says, it s important to know if people are changing their own behaviors. genevieve rajewski PHOTO: ISTOCK summer 2014 cummings veterinary medicine 21

24 ILLUSTRATION BY STUART BRADFORD E AL BY GENEVIEVE RAJEWSKI Stem cell therapy holds promise for treating many incurable diseases in pets and people oh my god, come look at bella, diane joseffy heard her husband call out. she s actually sitting down! Joseffy s yellow Labrador retriever Bella hasn t sat willingly in years and not for lack of obedience training. The 11-year-old dog suffers from anal furunculosis, a painful condition that causes foul-smelling skin lesions in tissues in and around the dog s rump. It s a horrible disease, and one without a certain cure, says Claire Sharp, a veterinarian at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts. She and other veterinarians at the school s Foster Hospital for Small Animals are looking at stem cells those multipurpose cells that have the potential to become many types of tissue in the body as a new way to treat the condition. It s especially sad because the dogs have a really compromised quality of life, even though the rest of their body is totally healthy, Sharp says. We really don t know what triggers the disease, but we suspect it has an autoimmune cause. Some research suggests that normal intestinal bacteria may provoke the body to attack itself and destroy healthy tissue. 22 cummings veterinary medicine summer 2014

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26 Joseffy tried to control Bella s disease for seven years with two immunosuppressant drugs that cost about $500 a month. When her husband lost his job, she asked her veterinarian whether there was a cheaper way to treat her pet. She got lucky. When her veterinarian consulted with Lluis Ferrer, a veterinary dermatologist at Cummings School, she was not only advised on how to switch to one immunosuppressant, she also learned about the school s free clinical trial, which is assessing whether stem cells, paired with conventional medications, can cure or improve anal furunculosis. Joseffy and Bella were in. BIOLOGICAL REPAIR KITS Stem cell therapy is considered by many to be the most important breakthrough in the life sciences since genetic engineering. Researchers in human medicine are exploring the use of these cells to regenerate cardiac tissue in patients with heart failure and brain tissue in stroke patients, for example. Because stem cells send out signals that regulate immune system function, they also hold great promise as biological repair kits for diseases in which the immune system is out of whack, as in lupus or multiple sclerosis; chronic inflammation (rheumatoid arthritis); or dangerous scar tissue, such as the kind that develops after some heart attacks. At Tufts School of Dental Medicine and Tufts Medical Center, scientists are looking to mine these cells potential to treat chronic dental pain and the nonhealing foot ulcers common in diabetics. The FDA has outlawed the sale of stem cells for use in human medicine, and any stem cell treatment must meet the same standards as a traditional drug trial. With the exception of bone-marrow transplants which have been used since the late 1960s to replace diseased blood-making cells with healthy ones stem cell therapy has not been approved for human patients in the U.S. At Cummings School, stem cell research is focusing on several canine diseases for which traditional treatments often fail. The work could speed the development of stem cell therapies for humans with similarly difficult diseases. We are gravitating toward patients that are pretty dire, says Andrew Hoffman, director of the school s Regenerative Medicine Laboratory. Funded by a $1 million grant from the Shipley Foundation, Cummings School veterinarians will test stem cell therapy on such canine conditions as spinal-cord injuries that have caused paralysis, fatal kidney disease and an AT CUMMINGS SCHOOL, STEM CELL RESEARCH IS FOCUSING ON SEVERAL CANINE DISEASES FOR WHICH TRADITIONAL TREATMENTS OFTEN FAIL. inflammatory disease of the brain and nervous system that s akin to multiple sclerosis in humans. The hope for these clinical trials at the Foster Hospital, Hoffman says, is that the participating dogs will be able to live more comfortably or, better yet, be cured. The veterinary researchers also will determine whether stem cell therapies can improve patient outcomes in other ways, such as reducing the cost of long hospital stays associated with a chronic disease or lengthening the time between relapses. Cummings School veterinarians chose anal furunculosis for one of their first clinical trials, in part because it s similar to a complication seen in some people with Crohn s disease, an inflammatory bowel condition affecting as many as 700,000 individuals in the U.S. Drugs that suppress the immune system combined with a high-fiber diet have helped some dogs, and people, recover from perianal lesions. For others, this treatment provides only temporary relief. In some dogs and people, these conditions become debilitating. Given the high rate of relapse for Crohn s patients, researchers have begun to investigate whether stem cells could help. In a study published in February in Gut, the journal of the British Society of Gastroenterology, researchers reported that stem cells successfully treated lesions in seven Crohn s patients and shrank lesions in three other cases all without any adverse effects. Bella was in the first group of dogs to participate in a similar clinical trial at the Foster Hospital. For the study, Sharp drew bone marrow samples from Bella and four German shepherds; none of them had responded to conventional therapy. Hoffman used these samples to grow large numbers of mesenchymal stem cells in the lab. (See A Field Guide to Stem Cells, page 25.) Ferrer, the veterinary dermatologist, then injected those cells into and around the lesions once a month for three months. The dogs experienced no ill effects, and four of them had a 30- to 70-percent reduction in the width, length and depth of their lesions. (The owner of one dog with extreme lesions decided to euthanize it before the study ended.) Ferrer presented the results of the study in April at the North American 24 cummings veterinary medicine summer 2014

27 A Field Guide to Stem Cells There are several kinds of stem cells, and each plays a different role in the body. Embryonic stem cells (also known as pluripotent stem cells) are the most clever and versatile of all the stem cells because they can develop into anything a body needs: kidneys, eyes, heart, teeth, you name it. They can be isolated five days after a sperm fertilizes an egg. As an embryo develops into a fully formed animal, these stem cells essentially choose a career path and lock into it. For example, embryonic cells will make kidney cells that will forever remain kidney cells, heart cells that will always be heart cells and so on. A core population created by the embryonic stem cells is known as adult (aka somatic) stem cells. Every organ in the body contains highly specialized adult stem cells that may be activated in response to tissue damage. Heart stem cells may go into action after a heart attack, for example. The majority of adult stem cells fall into these six categories: 1 Neural stem cells generate several types of specialized cells in the brain and spinal cord as well as cells outside the central nervous system that communicate with one another to produce physical sensation, cognition and vital functions, such as breathing. 3 Mesenchymal stem cells can generate bone, cartilage, fat and other kinds of connective tissue. Easily harvested from bone marrow, fat or umbilical cord tissue, these cells are often used in clinical trials in human and veterinary medicine Endothelial stem cells replenish blood vessel and lymphatic cells, which are the building blocks of the intertwined circulatory and immune systems. Found in the lining of the digestive tract, skin, lungs and other specialized organs, epithelial stem cells produce several kinds of cells that exchange fluids or nutrients with their environment. Reproductive stem cells replenish eggs or sperm in the body, helping to maintain fertility. 6 Found in bone marrow, hematopoietic stem cells generate the body s red and white blood cells, which live only about four months before needing to be replaced. Veterinary Dermatology Forum. Bella s lesions didn t go away, notes Joseffy, but they seem a bit improved. She has been doing better on just one medication since the stem-cell injections. In a follow-up study, Ferrer and Sharp will evaluate whether using mesenchymal stem cells derived from human embryonic stem cells will produce better outcomes than treating the dogs with their own stem cells. Because the potency of the stem cells may vary greatly from dog to dog, using stem cells developed from a more uniform source will allow veterinarians to better evaluate the therapy s effectiveness. It can be difficult to tell if a treatment works when we are essentially giving all the patients a different pill, Hoffman notes. ONE MEDICINE Another clinical trial at the Foster Hospital will look at the effectiveness of stem cells in treating dogs whose intestines rupture after they have eaten a sharp object. As the intestine leaks into the abdominal cavity, the gut s naturally occurring bacteria cause a severe abdominal infection known as sepsis. Forty percent of these dogs will never leave the hospital, despite aggressive treatment that involves surgery and high doses of antibiotics. It s not the bacteria in their bellies that kill these dogs so much as the animals immune response to the bacteria, says Sharp. As the revved-up immune system attacks the onslaught of bacteria, it can cause life-threatening collateral damage to the body s bloodmaking abilities, kidney, liver and lungs. If the stem cells function as expected, Sharp says, they should keep the immune system in check and prevent the infection from taking over. INFOGRAPHIC: 2COMMUNIQUÉ summer 2014 cummings veterinary medicine 25

28 Like dogs, people whose intestines rupture are at high risk of dying, even when they receive the best care. Abdominal sepsis in people is a huge area of interest in medical research, says Sharp. But those clinical trials take years to develop and still more years to see results. They also cost billions and often fail, says Sharp. Follow the Evidence Even though veterinary stem cell science is in its nascent stages, several companies are already marketing veterinary stem cell therapies, most often for treating arthritis or soft-tissue injuries. They manufacture kits for veterinarians to harvest bone marrow or fat from an animal and mail those samples back to the company. The firms isolate the stem cells and return them to the veterinarian, who injects them into the animal. Michael Kowaleski, V93, an orthopedic surgeon who is conducting clinical trials of stem cells for treating elbow osteoarthritis in dogs at Cummings School s Foster Hospital for Small Animals, says pet owners should proceed We have an opportunity in veterinary medicine to get an idea into clinical trials much more affordably, Sharp says. Each stem-cell pilot study at Cummings School costs about $5,000 per dog; a similar human trial would run $20,000 to $100,000 per patient, depending on the study. Unlike in rodent studies, in which drugs Make sure you ve done your homework on stem cell therapy. with such treatments only if there are proven, evidence-based results. Unlike in human medicine in which sales of stem cells are banned and stem-cell treatments must undergo the same approval process as a drug neither the FDA nor the U.S. Department of Agriculture has regulations governing the sale and use of stem cells in veterinary medicine. Before agreeing to stem cell therapy, Kowaleski recommends that pet owners ask their veterinarian these questions: n Why are you recommending this approach? n How does it compare with other treatments that are available? n What is the evidence for the safety of this treatment? n Was the treatment effective, and what were the objective measures for determining that? For example, in an arthritic animal, were tests done with a force plate to show that the animal was able to bear more weight after the treatment, or were the results determined by owners observations that the animals seemed better? n Was the research peer-reviewed, meaning was it determined to be valid by experts in the field who were not associated with the study? n Was there a control group of animals that received a placebo, such as a saline injection, and how much benefit did the stem-cell treatment produce compared with the placebo? n Was the research blind? That is, were the owners and researchers prevented from knowing which animals received the treatment and which ones received the placebo to ensure that expectations did not influence the results? n Who funded the research, and does a commercial concern stand to benefit from it? genevieve rajewski often appear to work but later in fail in human patients, we do all the same things to save dogs with abdominal sepsis that are done in human medicine, says Sharp. So if we see benefit in our patients, that should be an extra impetus to consider the treatment in humans. To bolster the application of veterinary research to human medicine, Cummings School has filed several stem-cell pilot studies with the FDA Center for Veterinary Medicine. This creates an important public record of the steps involved in the harvesting, growth, storage and delivery of stem cells to patients. The FDA also collects the research plan, or protocol, for each clinical trial. Designed to safeguard the health of participants and answer questions about experimental treatments, the protocol outlines the reason for conducting the study; the schedule of tests, procedures and stem-cell injections and dosages; and what information will be gathered about the participating animals, among other data. Most important, the FDA makes suggestions about how to conduct the trial better, including how to improve the client-consent forms so that pet owners are absolutely clear about the benefits and risks of participating in a clinical trial. Collectively, such research protocols will create a national resource about which stem cells work best for which diseases and how well the canine disease models predict the success of such treatments in humans. Because dogs are so anatomically and physiologically similar to humans and live among us therefore sharing our environmental risk factors for disease Hoffman expects that the results in dogs will be highly predictive of how humans with similar medical conditions might respond. But, he says, the possibility of finding new therapies for canine disease alone is payback enough. These pets desperately need alternatives, says Hoffman They need help just like people do, and we have to start somewhere. CVM Genevieve Rajewski, the editor of this magazine, can be reached at genevieve. rajewski@tufts.edu. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CLINICAL TRIALS AT CUMMINGS SCHOOL, VISIT GO.TUFTS.EDU/VETTRIALS. 26 cummings veterinary medicine summer 2014 PHOTO: ISTOCK

29 research T AT T V Y Ben Nephew is studying female animals as models for human anxiety and depression. Most research in this area has used male animals, even though these conditions are more common in women. Help for New Moms Hormone studies in rodent mothers could lead to better treatments for postpartum depression in humans by Michael Blanding Caring for a new baby can be fraught with difficulty even more so for a mom living with stressful family dynamics or other uncertainties. Now a Cummings School researcher has shown how stress and hormone levels impair a mother s ability to fully care for her offspring work that could lead to new ways to prevent or treat the postpartum depression experienced by 9 to 16 percent of human mothers. Ben Nephew, a reproductive biologist who specializes in maternal behavioral disorders, says his research uses the behavior of female rats that have just given birth to draw broader conclusions about stress levels and well-being of mothers and their offspring. He creates social stress by introducing a different male rat into a new mom s cage each day. To protect their young, the mothers become aggressive, and so in addition to being exposed to conflict, the rat pups receive less attention from their moms. This type of exposure is very similar to a human situation where there is social stress in the family that adversely affects maternal behavior, says Nephew, who earned his doctorate in biology from Tufts. He observed distinct differences in behavior between control and stressed rats after just a week of daily visits from the male. The control mother would go about a typical routine of gathering her babies back into the nest, grooming herself, grooming the pups and then settling down to nurse. The stressed mothers would take longer to retrieve the pups and wouldn t groom or nurse them as much. Nephew says the anxious moms also roamed around the cage more. Sometimes they would even move the location of the nest, which isn t normal behavior. We think these changes represent a good model of maternal-specific anxiety, he notes, in addition to the diminished maternal care often seen in depressed human mothers. The anxious behavior also affected the pups ability to thrive. The pups who were exposed to the male intruder weighed 9 percent less at 70 days of age than the control pups, a sign that they were getting less milk from their moms. GENERATIONAL ANXIETY The effects of stress on one generation of mothers can also impede their daughters maternal abilities, Nephew discovered. To gauge the relevance of his rat research to human mothers and their children, he consulted with Kristina Deligiannidis, an assistant professor of psychiatry and obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center who specializes in postpartum depression. The most severe cases of postpartum depression and anxiety are seen in women who have experienced chronic stress throughout their lives, not just after giving birth, she says. To test that theory, Nephew looked at the maternal behavior of female offspring exposed to social stress as pups. He draws a parallel with human children who have experienced family conflict both firsthand and indirectly as a result of the lack of attention they received from their mothers. He PHOTO: VEER summer 2014 cummings veterinary medicine 27

30 RESEARCH found that the second generation of mother rats also had trouble caring for their young and experienced anxiety and impaired lactation even though they were not exposed to male intruders after they had given birth. Nephew found a potential cause of this phenomenon in the hormones oxytocin and prolactin, which affect maternal care and milk production. The second-generation mothers had lower levels of oxytocin and prolactin in the brain and less prolactin in the blood. That really indicated that there was some kind of impairment in their ability to regulate nursing at the level of the brain, says Nephew. He theorizes that because the second-generation moms were exposed to stress early on, it impaired the development of the mechanisms that control these hormones. The good news is that after a week, the second-generation mothers seemed to compensate and spent more time grooming and nursing their pups. Nephew speculates that the mothers may have responded to some form of ultrasonic vocalization from their pups that they need more milk. Nephew s most recent data indicate that the regulation of prolactin and oxytocin and the social behavior of both male and female rats from the third generation are also impaired, supporting observations of increased risk for depression, anxiety disorders and autism in the children of human mothers exposed to stress early in life. The research, published in the journals Stress, Psychoneuroendocrinology and Hormones and Behavior, has direct relevance to human mothers, says Nephew, because it may finally provide a more behaviorally relevant way to assess new preventive measures and treatments for postpartum depression, anxiety and nursing difficulties. Working with Deligiannidis, Nephew is looking at both synthetic hormone replacement therapies and natural methods of manipulating hormone levels to determine their effects on postpartum depression in rodent moms. If you can prevent or effectively treat depression or anxiety in a mother, he says, the gains you can make in terms of improved mental and physical health of her offspring and subsequent offspring is very exciting. Having a pet can boost kids engagement with the world around them. Caring for Animals May Make Teens Better Adults Young adults who have bonded with a pet may forge stronger social relationships and better connections to their communities, according to a Tufts study. Our findings suggest that it may not be whether an animal is present in an individual s life that is most significant but rather the quality of that relationship, says study author Megan Mueller, a developmental psychologist and research assistant professor at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. The young adults in the study who had a strong attachment to pets reported feeling more connected to their communities and relationships, she says. For the study, published earlier this year in Applied Developmental Science, Mueller surveyed more than 500 predominately female participants, ages 18 to 26, to evaluate their attitudes about and interaction with animals. Those who cared for animals reported engaging in more contribution activities, such as participating in community service, helping friends or family and demonstrating leadership than those who did not. The more actively they participated in a pet s care, the higher their contribution scores. The study also found that high levels of attachment to an animal in late adolescence and young adulthood were associated with feeling connected with other people and possessing empathy and confidence. Mueller s assessments were drawn from the ongoing 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development, research sponsored by the National 4-H Council in which her 500 subjects also had participated. Since 2002, the study has surveyed more than 7,000 adolescents in 42 states to determine the impact of 4-H programs on future success, from healthier lifestyle choices to academic achievement to civic engagement. While there is mounting evidence of the positive effects of animals on children in therapeutic settings, not much is known about how everyday interactions with pets may benefit youth development. This study cannot prove that having a pet helps children grow up to be happier and more responsible adults, but it is a promising starting point to better understand the role of animals in our lives, says Mueller, who holds bachelor s, master s and doctoral degrees in child development from Tufts and is a faculty member at Tufts Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service. 28 cummings veterinary medicine summer 2014 PHOTO: ISTOCK

31 The Genetics of Bloat Researchers hope their work will help predict which dogs may get the deadly disease by Genevieve Rajewski Veterinary researchers at cummings school are teaming with scientists at Harvard, MIT and Nestlé Purina PetCare to decipher the genetics of bloat, a common cause of death in large dogs. For veterinarians and breeders, bloat remains a baffling disease that s difficult to prevent or treat. It develops when a dog s stomach twists over, like a hammock in a storm, between its fixed attachments at the esophagus and the upper intestines. The stomach contents, which contain gas-producing bacteria, become trapped. The stomach swells from the growing gas pressure so much that it eventually crushes a major vein, preventing blood from returning to the heart and often sending a dog into shock. Bloat is a challenging disease because it escalates quickly, says Claire Sharp, an emergency and critical care veterinarian at the Foster Hospital for Small Animals. The dog is fine one minute and in a life-threatening situation the next. Dogs often die from bloat while their owner is off at work or sleeping at night. A quick diagnosis and emergency surgery to untwist and stabilize the stomach doesn t guarantee a happy ending. Many pets are euthanized because their owners can t afford an unplanned major operation, says Sharp. Even with surgery, 10 to 30 percent of dogs with bloat die, she says. MEDICAL MYSTERY Bloat most commonly occurs in largebreed and deep-chested dogs, such as German shepherds, Great Danes, big mixed-breed dogs, standard poodles and Labrador and golden retrievers. And although bloat appears to run in families, Sharp says no single gene has been identified as the culprit. The Tufts-led research could provide some genetic targets for the first test for bloat. Sharp and Elizabeth Rozanski, another emergency and critical care veterinarian at the Foster Hospital, have been awarded a two-year, $250,000 grant from AKC Canine Health Foundation to unravel the complex genetics of bloat. They will work with researchers at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, where scientists are studying the genetics Bloat is the number one killer of Great Danes. of purebred dogs to gain insight into how human and canine diseases develop, as well as scientists at Nestlé Purina PetCare who want to understand the effects of nutrition on dog health. Using blood samples from canine patients at Cummings School as well as samples from the Broad Institute, researchers will attempt to tease out the differences in the genetic makeup of purebred dogs with and without bloat. Currently, researchers believe that bloat is most likely linked to a dog s size and conformation, among other factors. The ligaments that hold the dog s stomach in place may be too loose, Sharp says. She notes that bloat also appears to occur more often in highanxiety dogs, perhaps because they tend to gulp in lots of air when they pant. Veterinarians suspect that excess air in a dog s stomach may cause it to twist. The disease probably involves a variety of genes as well as environmental and dietary influences that push the dog over the edge from being highly at risk to actually developing the disease, she says. Sharp and Rozanski also will collect blood and abdominal tissue samples from canine patients with and without bloat to determine whether certain types or amounts of proteins, hormones and other molecules in blood and tissues can predict which dogs will get the disease. We are confident that a significant amount of risk for bloat will be explained purely by genetics, and thus provide data to develop a test for the disease, says Sharp. A genetic test could determine which dogs are at highest risk of developing bloat. At-risk dogs could undergo preventive surgery known as gastropexy to affix the stomach to the abdominal wall so it can t twist. It would also be a breakthrough for the dog-breeding community, Sharp says. A genetic test would help them dramatically reduce the likelihood of bloat in future offspring. If you have a dog that has had bloat and would like to contribute DNA to the study, please Claire Sharp at claire.sharp@tufts.edu. PHOTO: ISTOCK summer 2014 cummings veterinary medicine 29

32 ON CAMPUS L W N early forty miles separate the campuses of Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in rural North Grafton, Mass., and Tufts School of Medicine in bustling downtown Boston. Leaders at both schools Veterinary cardiology resident Vicky Yang, V09, was the first Cummings School resident to shadow physician counterparts at Tufts Medical Center in Boston. One Medicine, Two Perspectives Veterinary residents and their physician counterparts find they have a lot in common by Jacqueline Mitchell are working to close that distance For two years, veterinary residents from Cummings School have had the chance to observe their physician counterparts during weeklong rotations at Tufts Medical Center. The veterinary specialists-in-training participate in hospital rounds and watch the physicians interact with patients and their families, work up diagnoses and perform surgery. The university considers all medicine to be one medicine, says John Berg, a professor of soft-tissue surgery at Cummings School and a founder of the residency exchange program. Our veterinary residents see that many of the challenges and diseases in veterinary medicine are present in human in medicine as well. The exchanges could be a very valuable experience, says Douglas Payne, a former cardiothoracic surgeon and professor emeritus of surgery at Tufts. The only medical school faculty member on Cummings School s board of advisors, Payne partnered with Berg to create more interaction between Tufts Boston and Grafton campuses. They launched the exchange program in fall 2012, sending veterinary cardiology resident Vicky Yang, V09, to Tufts Medical Center for a week; three other veterinary residents followed. This year, six residents and two Cummings School faculty members participated. We thought it would be a nice opportunity not just for [Yang], but also for us to learn about the kind of work they re doing at the veterinary school and about possibilities for research collaboration, says Ayan Patel, a professor of medicine who hosted Yang during her rotation. Yang, who studied engineering as an undergraduate, was eager to see the state-of-the-art imaging technology at Tufts Medical Center. She was particularly interested in the hospital s 3-D echocardiogram machine, which provides a moving image of the beating heart that reveals its size and shape as well as how efficiently it is pumping. Most veterinarians won t get their hands on these machines any time soon. The latest technology generally debuts in human medicine because of the greater volume of patients and the insurance-payment model, Berg says. But many innovations in medical technology eventually end up in the veterinary clinic, so it behooves a young vet to get a jump on handling them. But the veterinary residents say that not 30 cummings veterinary medicine summer 2014 PHOTO: KELVIN MA

33 every lesson comes with a big price tag. Tracy Sutton, V11, a neurology/neurosurgery resident who completed her rotation in March, says she appreciated learning more about human medicine because many owners expectations about pet care come from their own experiences. Pet owners often ask her about spinal fusion, in which two or more vertebrae are bonded after disc surgery. That s not a standard procedure in dogs, but many of Sutton s human clients have had it. Before the Tufts Medical Center rotation, Sutton says she wasn t sure how to address their concerns about their dogs not getting the gold standard of care. Sutton learned that fusion helps stabilize humans upright spines, but dogs horizontal spines don t require as much support. Yang says she learned a simpler way of calculating the size of an aortic stenosis a narrowing of a major heart valve that can lead to cardiac damage from her human medical colleagues. Some of the rotations more intangible lessons underscore the ways in which the two professions overlap. Physicians and veterinarians both grapple with families grief and loss, notes Berg, and both professions encounter the occasional challenging personality. Veterinarians often lament that their patients can t tell them where it hurts, says Melissa Bucknoff, a third-year veterinary resident in emergency and critical care who completed a hospital rotation last fall. After spending time with elderly, medicated postsurgical patients many of whom did not speak English as their primary language I saw the medical doctors cope with the exact same hurdles, she says. Communication is the most important part of both of our jobs. The veterinary and medical residents predict they will consult with each other and perhaps work together on cases or research projects. That kind of interdisciplinary collaboration was the goal of the resident exchange in the first place. Most of the flow historically has been from human to veterinary medicine, Berg says, but that is starting to reverse. That s a good, healthy thing and what One Medicine is all about. From Labs to Laps Students and beagles trade roles as teachers and learners For Cummings School students, beagles are among their best teachers, helping them learn such skills as conducting physical exams, performing ultrasounds and taking X-rays. Eventually, the tables are turned, and the veterinary students teach their canine instructors about life after the classroom. The school has 20 teaching beagles, and first-year veterinary students take on the task of socializing the dogs so they can go to permanent homes. For the course Human-Animal Relationships, they take the dogs on daily walks and help them master basic obedience skills. The beagles come to Cummings School from other research institutions as young adults; all were bred specifically for research. Beagles are popular laboratory dogs for the same reasons they are popular pets: They are small, docile and get along well with other dogs and humans. All our teaching beagles have been donated from outside labs, says Emily McCobb, V00, M.S.03, director of the shelter medicine program at Cummings School. After about three years of teaching service here, they are adopted to a forever home. Because the beagles grow up in kennels, most have behavioral issues that need to be addressed before they can become someone s pet. They can be challenging to housebreak, because they have never gone to the bathroom outside on a leash, McCobb says. The students train the dogs to sit, stay, lie down and respond to their names. They also take the dogs out daily to play off leash in groups. I love seeing the transformation, says Amanda Steneck, V17, who helps coordinate the dog-walking schedule. The beagles go from being [timid about] the outdoors to racing down the kennel aisle to go outside for a walk. The students have proven to be as gifted at teaching as their canine instructors: Every beagle has made the leap from class to couch. Kimberly Flink, the research veterinary technician who runs the socialization program, estimates that over the past five years, she has placed 40 beagles in permanent homes. We have a 100- percent adoption rate, she says. The program is a win for students as well. Not every student has owned a dog before, says Eric Littman, V17. This lets them get that hands-on experience with small animals without having to commit to having a pet. Scout, the 7-year-old former teaching beagle Initially, I was pretty indifferent that Kelsey McKenna, V15, adopted. to the idea of the program, as it was just another thing I had to do, confesses Littman, who has been walking Aries, a 2-year-old beagle, since last fall. Now when it s my turn to walk Aries, I plan my day around it to make sure I can visit with her a couple times, if possible. On a bad week, we have 40 hours of classes, and that s not including studying. So that hour a week we get to spend with our dog is fantastic. INTERESTED IN ADOPTING A TEACHING BEAGLE? KIMBERLY FLINK AT KIMBERLY.FLINK@TUFTS. EDU OR SHERRY ANN CASTONGUAY AT SHERRY.CASTONGUAY@TUFTS.EDU. PHOTO: KELVIN MA summer 2014 cummings veterinary medicine 31

34 ON CAMPUS Diversity Council Issues Final Report T he university council on Diversity s final report outlines specific measures to achieve greater diversity among the student body, faculty and staff and to ensure that Tufts promotes and embraces a culture that is welcoming to all. Among the report s recommendations are hiring a chief diversity officer, increasing financial aid to attract and retain talented students who traditionally have not considered Tufts, examining curricula and other programs to make sure they support diversity and inclusion, and articulating more clearly how central these values are to Tufts mission and vision. The report stresses that fostering diversity and inclusion is the shared responsibility of the entire university community. The council believes that Tufts is well positioned to be an institutional leader and live up to its values in these areas, the report states. Diversity drives excellence in our academic mission, says President Anthony Monaco, who established the Council on Diversity in early 2012 and underscored the importance of the initiative by chairing the group. Having faculty, staff and students who come from different backgrounds and have different perspectives enriches everyone in our community. A diverse campus environment, he notes, is equally essential to the success of Tufts graduates, who will live and work in an increasingly multicultural society. The council, made up of faculty, staff and undergraduate and graduate students, consulted extensively with the wider Tufts community during its 18-month review. Joanne Berger-Sweeney, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, served as council vice chair. The group s work helped shape the university s strategic plan, Tufts: The Next 10 Years, which the Board of Trustees approved in November One of the plan s four major themes seeks to engage and celebrate commonalities and differences within the Tufts community, and the council s recommendations will help advance those shared values, Monaco says. The members of the council worked from a broad definition of diversity that encompasses many aspects of personal and group identity, among them race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, gender, Having faculty, staff and students who come from different backgrounds and have different perspectives enriches everyone in our community, says Tufts President Anthony Monaco. cultural background and sexual identity. Through focus groups and community engagement, surveys and quantitative research, three council working groups examined particular areas of the university experience undergraduate students, graduate and professional students, and faculty and staff. Joyce Sackey, dean of multicultural affairs and global health at the School of Medicine, chaired the Graduate and Professional Student Experience Working Group. THE CASE FOR FINANCIAL AID Recognizing that the cost of a Tufts education has a bearing on the university s ability to attract students from minority and other underrepresented groups, the council urges continued fundraising for scholarships and fellowships. Despite the strong efforts made during the university s last major fundraising campaign, Tufts still provides less financial aid than many of its peers. Related to affordability is the need to expand the so-called pipeline programs, reaching out to students who traditionally have not applied here. For instance, the School of Medicine recently started a program with the University of Massachusetts Boston to attract students who might not otherwise consider careers in medicine or biomedical research. The council s report calls for more such efforts. Because faculty members play a key role in mentoring students, the council says the diversity of the faculty should more closely mirror that of the student body. Study after study shows that providing a supportive and welcoming environment for students helps them achieve, and not having that kind of environment impairs their full achievement, says Berger-Sweeney. At Tufts, diversity and excellence must be inextricably linked, Monaco says. Only then can we achieve our collective potential as a community. To read the full report, go to president.tufts.edu/ strategic-initiatives/diversity. 32 cummings veterinary medicine summer 2014

35 ADVANCEMENT V WT AT T Anne and Travis Engen, pictured with their corgis Sally and Owen, support the renovation of the Foster Hospital at Cummings School. The hospital provides comprehensive care, including cancer treatment and emergency surgery. Where the Heart Is More than 28,000 pets come to the Foster Hospital each year. Expansion will enable its vets to help even more by Kristin Livingston The call came on thanksgiving night two years ago. your house is on fire, the police officer said. Nicole McManus immediately thought of her family: Her son, Aidan, was safe with his father, but her 6-year-old cats, Luna and Hermione, were in the burning home. When she reached the house, she learned that Luna hadn t survived. A firefighter held Hermione, who was seriously injured. Her ears and paws were burned and bleeding, McManus says. A friend rushed the cat to Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, where McManus found a community of skillful, compassionate veterinarians and others who would help her pet. Within minutes of arriving at the Foster Hospital for Small Animals, Hermione was in intensive care for third-degree burns to her paws, tail, ears, nose and cheeks; her tail had to be amputated. A team of seven emergency and critical-care veterinarians, two surgeons and a dermatologist managed the cat s care around the clock. Despite her severe injuries, Hermione happily received belly rubs and dispensed purrs for everyone. After a few days, she was well enough to go home. McManus still had a tough road ahead. I had just lost everything, she says. A single mother, she couldn t afford the care Hermione needed. The staff at Cummings School found grants to cover PHOTO: ROBERT CAPLIN summer 2014 cummings veterinary medicine 33

36 ADVANCEMENT Caring clinicians and generous benefactors helped Hermione recover from severe burns. some expenses, and someone she met in the hospital waiting room paid the remainder of the bills anonymously. I can t thank them or the Cummings team enough. No one was willing to give up on Hermione. In time, Hermione made a full recovery, though she looks different. People think she s a bobcat with her rounded ears, McManus says. But she s still the same loving, cuddling sister to Aidan that she always was. The Foster Hospital takes care of more than 28,000 pets every year. The hospital is such a lifeline for so many pets and their owners that Cummings School has launched a major renovation and expansion project so Tufts veterinarians can help even more animals. GIFTS OF THANKS Anne and Travis Engen have been longtime benefactors of Cummings School. It is their way of recognizing the exceptional care Tufts veterinarians provided to their corgis, Belle and Dusty. In 2008, the couple honored the faculty clinicians who treated their dogs with a significant gift to support veterinary research and patient care. In 2009, after Dusty died of cancer, they made another generous gift to help the school establish a program in comparative oncology, which brings together veterinary and medical oncologists to advance understanding of cancer biology and to improve treatments of the disease in animals and humans. Most recently, the Engens have donated $2.5 million to the $8 million campaign to renovate the Foster Hospital. Their gift helped the school reach 50 percent of the $5 million that needs to be secured by the end of the year to meet a matching challenge grant from the Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund. When the Foster Hospital opened in 1985, the patient caseload was expected to be 12,000 animals annually; that has grown by more than 133 percent over the past three decades. The renovation is important for providing the highest level of care to pets as well as for attracting the best students and faculty to Cummings School. My fundamental belief is that you look around and ask, What draws me to help?, says Anne Engen. And you choose a worthy object that touches your heart. You Make the Difference Act now and you can help Cummings School veterinarians save even more lives. The Amelia Peabody Charitable Fund has given the Foster Hospital renovation project a huge boost: If the school raises $5 million in gifts or pledges by December 31, the fund will donate $2.5 million to the project. That s $1 extra for every $2 raised. Please make your gift by contacting Ana Alvarado, senior director of development at Cummings School, at or ana.alvarado@tufts. edu. Or visit vet.tufts.edu/renovation. WHY THEY GIVE I will always be grateful for the staff at Tufts for giving Honey back to us and allowing her to get well and come home. She s Honey again. It s amazing. It was a great team. That s the only way she made it a team effort. Cindy Tingle, OWNER OF HONEY, AN 8-YEAR-OLD ENGLISH SETTER (RIGHT) THAT UNDERWENT EMERGENCY SURGERY FOR A HOLE IN HER STOMACH HONEY S HAPPY ENDING AND THE EDUCATION OF COMPASSIONATE VETERINARIANS ARE MADE POSSIBLE BY YOUR ANNUAL GIFT TO THE CUMMINGS VETERINARY FUND. TO MAKE A CONTRIBUTION, VISIT VET.TUFTS.EDU/GIVENOW2. 34 cummings veterinary medicine summer 2014 PHOTO: ANDREW CUNNINGHAM

37 Willy s Gift Connecticut couple establish research fund to recognize the care their cat received by Kristin Livingston In the kitchen, willy hale is always underfoot, waiting for an errant morsel to drop. The black American shorthair cat has polydactyl paws wide enough to pick up almost anything that hits the floor. Retired doctors Zoey and Mahlon Hale smile at their cat s antics. He s a grand cat, Zoey says. For 14 years, Willy has lounged and lazed, a part of their lives, occasionally scampering through the yard of their Connecticut home on warm afternoons. When he comes back inside, he always kisses his 5-year-old feline sister Cleo hello. Two years ago, Willy s charmed life was threatened when the Hales found a growth on his chest. Their local veterinarian removed it. But the tumor grew back, and a biopsy showed cancer. The Hales were devastated. Their veterinarian recommended the Hales see an oncologist. Of course we came to Cummings School at Tufts, Zoey says. Everyone knows about the Foster Hospital, because it s the best in the area. Veterinary surgeon John Berg diagnosed Willy with fibrosarcoma, a cancer of the connective tissue. The large mass needed to be removed as soon as possible. Fibrosarcoma is the kind of cancer that usually isn t located next to any vital organs, and so generally it won t be fatal, Berg says. But even cancers like this on the surface of the body, if left untreated, can grow beyond what we can remove surgically. That s life-threatening. Fortunately, Willy was treated at an early stage. More than a year later, there is no sign of a recurrence, and he s back to waiting patiently by the fridge for his daily bite of turkey. The odds are very strong that he will be fine, Berg says. The Hales are thrilled with the prognosis, not to mention the care Willy received. We loved Cummings, Zoey says. We loved seeing all the other patients, Mahlon adds, but most importantly, we appreciated how timely and thorough Dr. Berg and the staff were and how they constantly kept us in the loop. Because of all this wonderful care, we are very grateful. To say thank you, the Hales have given Cummings School $100,000 to establish the Willy Hale Fund, which will support research by faculty, hospital clinicians and students. The extra help is important, Berg notes. The federal government doesn t provide much research funding for dog and cat diseases, so we re very reliant on support like this. Every dollar invested Zoey and Mahlon Hale with Willy, for whom they named a research fund at Cummings School. in research helps us teach residents and interns-in-training and, in the end, can potentially help every animal. As health-care professionals themselves (Zoey is an infectious disease specialist, and Mahlon is a psychiatrist), the Hales understand the need to invest in the future of the profession. But this gift is also deeply personal. Every student who receives Willy Hale research funding will also get a photograph of the fund s namesake, the cat named Willy, born on Leap Day, with many more years ahead, thanks to Cummings School. PHOTO: GALE ZUCKER summer 2014 cummings veterinary medicine 35

38 ASK THE VET A V F A Pros and Cons of Pet Insurance Steven Rowell, V83, an assistant professor emeritus at Cummings School, responds to a reader s question about pet insurance. Q: A: I just adopted a new dog. Is buying pet insurance a good idea? What does it cover? Many pet owners end up having to spend a large sum of money because of an unexpected health crisis. And euthanasia for financial reasons is all too common in veterinary practice. Pet insurance can make the difference between being able to go ahead with treatment or not. If you have a young, healthy pet and plan to treat it like a family member, pet insurance is a smart way to help control costs over its lifetime. However, if you are looking to buy insurance for an older pet, many companies will look at the animal s medical history very carefully to exclude preexisting conditions. This can make it difficult to find adequate, affordable coverage. What pet insurance covers depends on the plan you purchase and you get what you pay for. Some plans will help you with reimbursements toward wellness visits, plus costs associated with accidents or illness. Or you can buy a plan geared more toward providing catastrophic coverage. The monthly premium will be based on your pet s age, medical history and breed, as well as the cost of veterinary services in your area. Pet insurance usually doesn t cover 100 percent of veterinary costs. Typically, there s an annual or per-medical-incident deductible, and you may be required to pay a certain percentage of costs. With most plans, you pay the entire bill upfront and then receive reimbursement after you submit a claim. However, your veterinary hospital may be able to bill the insurer directly, so be sure to do your research if that s important to you. The American Veterinary Medical Association lists pet insurance providers at avma.org/public/petcare/pages/pet-insurance.aspx. PLEASE YOUR QUESTIONS FOR ASK THE VET TO GENEVIEVE RAJEWSKI, EDITOR, CUMMINGS VETERINARY MEDICINE, AT GENEVIEVE.RAJEWSKI@TUFTS.EDU. BECAUSE OF THE VOLUME OF INQUIRIES, WE CANNOT RESPOND TO ALL QUESTIONS SUBMITTED. FOR ANY PET HEALTH ISSUE, OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT THEIR VETERINARIAN. HOW TO REACH US Main hospital switchboard and after-hours emergencies Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals, appointment desk Hospital for Large Animals, appointment desk Tufts Ambulatory Service, Woodstock, Conn Tufts Veterinary Emergency and Treatment Specialties, Walpole, Mass Wildlife Clinic Directions to Tufts (ext ) Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine Administration Veterinary Student Admissions Office Veterinary Alumni Relations Cummings Veterinary Fund Tufts Pet Loss Support Hotline Continuing Education Public Relations Website: vet.tufts.edu If you are interested in learning more about how you can support Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, contact Ana Alvarado, senior director of veterinary development and alumni relations, at , or ana.alvarado@tufts.edu. 36 cummings veterinary medicine summer 2014 ILLUSTRATION: WARD SCHUMAKER

39 We re part of the Cummings School family. Martin and Linda Haspel have been raising Irish Setters for more than 40 years. The proud parents of Ruaidri, six, Deaglan, two, and Aedan, seven (not pictured), the Haspels trust the Foster Hospital for Small Animals to provide state-of-the-art, compassionate care for their dogs. Eight years ago, when their dog Brendan was diagnosed with diabetes, their local veterinarian recommended that they bring Brendan to the Foster Hospital so he could receive the best possible care from world-class internist Dr. Linda Ross. Fast-forward to today: Martin and Linda continue to bring their loved ones to Cummings for specialty veterinary care and have become good friends with Dr. Ross and other staff and clinicians there. Including a bequest for the Cummings School in their estate plans was a no-brainer, says Martin. We want to continue this legacy of exceptional care. By deciding to leave a percentage of our estate to the school now, we can commit ourselves to its future, no matter what happens to us. If your family is a Cummings family, consider including the school in your estate plans. For more information, please contact Tufts Gift Planning Office: giftplanning@tufts.edu tufts.edu/giftplanning

40 Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine 200 Westboro Road North Grafton, ma NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID BOSTON, MA PERMIT NO THINK TANK When Leigh Clayton, V97, director of animal health at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, needs a break, she goes animal gazing. The chance to watch how they behave and learn brings home to you how smart all animals are, she says. Learn more about how Clayton helps care for the 750 species of fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles and mammals at the aquarium, many of them rescue patients, in this five-minute documentary produced by Chris Mattle and filmed by David Coffey: TUFTS UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF PUBLICATIONS /14