Stop by Fairview Farm outside Dallas, Oregon and you’ll find more than just goat cheese for sale. The nation’s first goat museum has opened there and features 200 square feet of facts, legends and photos — everything you ever wanted to know about goats.
Oregon Has First Goat Museum in U.S.
July 15th, 2013Cats Needed for Feline Hyperthyroidism Study
July 10th, 2013
The OSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital is currently recruiting untreated hyperthyroid cats to participate in a study of CT imaging of the feline thyroid gland.
Feline hyperthyroidism is the most common endocrinopathy in cats. These cats have an overproduction of thyroid hormones from abnormal thyroid tissue. The elevated concentrations of thyroid hormone can have many effects in cats, most noticeably increased appetite, weight loss, vomiting and hyperactivity. Evaluation of the thyroid glands with diagnostic imaging is potentially useful for optimizing treatment of this disease.
The goal of this study is to determine the size and CT imaging characteristics of abnormal thyroid tissue before and after methimazole treatment in awake cats. We are recruiting cats that have been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism but have not yet received any treatment. Specifically, we are seeking cats whose owners are interested in initial treatment with methimazole. Participating cats will receive outpatient CT imaging before beginning methimazole treatment and again during treatment once blood concentrations of thyroid hormone are normal. The two CT studies and a consultation with a Veterinary Internal Medicine Specialist will be at no cost to the owner of the cat.
If you are interested in participating or would like more information, contact Jen Bush at bushj@onid.orst.edu or the Small Animal Clinic 541-737-4812. We are enrolling 10 cats over the summer of 2013.
Last Chicken Feathers Swept Out of Dryden
July 10th, 2013Built in 1927 as the OSU Poultry Science Building, Dryden Hall provided the only classroom space for the fledgling College of Veterinary Medicine prior to the building of Magruder Hall. It currently houses the Department of Biomedical Sciences, but until recently, the building hadn’t changed much in 85 years.
This summer a massive remodeling of the interior of Dryden is taking place. On the first floor, the old classroom and two poultry labs that held incubators and a chicken-plucking machine are being replaced with a state-of-the-art bio-safety laboratory. Next door, the old concrete freezer and utility spaces will be replaced with a classroom. This is just one phase of a whole-building remodel that has also added new graduate student work areas and faculty offices on the second floor.
The building originally did not include a lady’s restroom so in the 1950s, a mensroom on the second floor was coverted for women to use. Beth Chamblin, Assistant to the Department Head in Biomedical Sciences, is especially pleased that a women’s restroom will now be added to the first floor. “We’re all looking forward to it,” she says.
Dean Cyril Clarke has been setting aside carryover funds from the general budget for several years to help finance the Dryden upgrade. Oregon State University is funding the accessibility upgrades and new equipment will be paid for with funds from generous donors.
Class of 1983 in the first-floor Dryden Classroom.
The same classroom today – demolished to make way for a new state-of-the-art laboratory.
Mystery Flowers For Hospital Newbies
July 9th, 2013
Amorette Drexler, Chelsea Baker, and Lindsey Bohard show off the flowers they received from a mystery client.
A grateful family sent a big bouquet of spring flowers to the reception staff at the small animal clinic this week. The message on the flowers read “Thank you for your help and patience’ and was signed from ‘Cooper and his Family’. But which Cooper? It turns out that Cooper has been a popular pet name at the hospital recently so the staff isn’t sure who sent the thoughtful gift.
Amorette Drexler, Chelsea Baker, and Lindsey Bohard man the front desk in the small animal hospital lobby and all have been on the job less than three months. Kudos to them for going the extra mile to help clients and their pets.
Cat Droppings Can Cause Human Health Problems
July 8th, 2013
According to the Center for Disease Control, cats play an important role in the spread of Toxoplasmosis, a protozoan parasite. Infected cats shed an embryonic stage of the parasite called oocysts in their feces.
In the United States it is estimated that 22.5% of the population 12 years and older have been infected with Toxoplasma. The parasite causes acute health problems in the very young or those with compromised immune systems.
The Humane Society estimates there are 86 million cats that are household pets in the United States, and more than 30 million feral cats.
The presence of large numbers of oocysts on playgrounds and in sandboxes, where kids stick their hands in their mouths , bears particular attention, says Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, pediatric disease specialist. “If you have a sandbox that isn’t covered, get rid of the sand and cover it when kids aren’t playing,” he says.
He also has advice for green thumbs. “Studies have shown that you can have almost 100 oocysts under your fingernails after gardening. So always wash your hands after gardening, and wash vegetables before eating them,” he says.
In case you’re afraid of what this means for your own pet, Torrey says, “strictly indoor cats really shouldn’t be a problem. The chance of them becoming infected is very low.” Read more.
A Heartfelt Thank You Letter to CVM
July 2nd, 2013
Dear OSU Students and Staff,
Woody, also known as “Sweet Woodruff”, passed away yesterday after a three-year battle with Osteosarcoma. Woody endured many hardships in his life; a rescue from an abusive first owner as a pup, a painful pinch from a car tire, and finally, several rounds of Chemo, due to osteosarcoma. And all the while, the golden essence of his nature was never lost: Kids, Frisbee, exploring the forest, and being a loyal, quiet, close companion will not begin to describe all of the joy he gave to not only our family, but everyone he met.
Our family is both humbled and grateful to the remarkable OSU medical team, who took him in on Christmas Eve of 2010 and performed the surgery that saved his life. We remember coming in to see him on Christmas Day, and we were amazed when he ran out to greet us! We were told that he had several students and staff attending to him; one allowed him to lie under her computer terminal, and another sat in his kennel with him to hold his head and pet him. And even after such a difficult medical experience, he was always happy to come back and visit for his Chemo treatments and checkups, and would even pull on his leash to get us into the building to see his OSU friends!
