OSU Veterinary Center workers honored for inventions
Here’s some exciting info about two animal folks honored for their work diseases:
The Oklahoma State University Chapter of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) recognized 23 inductees during its inaugural induction ceremony earlier this month. Among those honored were Drs. Sahlu Ayalew and Katherine Kocan of OSU’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences.
Sahlu Ayalew, Ph.D., Assistant Research Professor, is part of a Veterinary Pathobiology team that studies Mannheimia haemolytica, a bacterium that is one of the causative agents of bovine respiratory disease (BRD). The team’s goal is to develop protective vaccines against this bacterium. BRD costs the beef industry more than a billion dollars per year. The team’s research involves, identifying immunogenic proteins of M. haemolytica by immunoproteomic methods, mapping regions (epitopes) of candidate proteins and genetically engineering single vaccines (chimeric or multivalent vaccines) that contain immunodominant epitopes from several proteins. Over the past few years, the team has secured two U.S. patents and the work is ongoing.
Katherine Kocan, Ph.D., OSU Regents Professor, Walter Sitlington Endowed Chair in Food Animal Research and Fellow, Society for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, is known internationally for her work with ticks and tick-borne diseases. She leads a team that partnered with researchers at the University of Minnesota to develop a cell culture system (the first in vitro system of growing the pathogen outside of a tick or cow) for Anaplasma marginale (the organism that causes bovine anaplasmosis, a tick-borne disease of cattle). The patent involves the method of growing the rickettsia, Anaplasma marginale, in cultured tick cells and for the use of antigens generated from this system in vaccine formulations.
According to the NAI’s information, the academy ‘supports the systematic application of organized knowledge and information that can generate technology and produce creative solutions to existing problems. Inventors are the discoverers and creators of these solutions and, as such, are key contributors to the advancement of technology.’
“OSU’s Center for Veterinary Health Sciences is proud to have such forward thinking researchers,” says Dr. Jean Sander, dean of the veterinary center. “New technologies or inventions play a key role in the economic development of the world and the veterinary center’s researchers make an important contribution to that system.”
National Bite Prevention Week
National Bite Prevention Week kicks off today. Check out this video from a really wonderful group called Prevent the Bite.
Another Michael Vick dog recovery
Look at this wonderful pup:
Watch this video about how this dog went from Michael Vick’s fighting rings to loving therapy dog. It makes my heart happy.
2012 Pupnic in the Park
Mark it down people. It’s going to be adorable and free.
The annual Pupnic in the Park will be from 1 to 4 p.m. April 28 at Ross Park, NW 62 and Ross. (The rain date is April 29.)
The shindig will include a parade and contests for costumes, tricks, size and look-alike cuteness. Vendors will be there, and there will be dog obedience demonstration. My dogs will not be part of that.
Dogs should be leashed. For more information, go to www.Pupnic.com.
Is your dog the next Toto?
Norman charity Hands Helping Paws wins grant
The Animal Rescue Site has announced that a Norman chairty is part of its first round of grant winners for 2012. Hands Helping Paws recieved $1,000. The website partnered with Petfinder.com to help voters choose the top 69 charities for the first round of voting in the Shelter + Challenge. There are three more rounds this year. The website is funded by the GreaterGood Network, a nonprofit organizaiton.
What’s poisoning pets? Medicine
The ASPCA has announced the top poisoning agents of pets, and human medicine takes two of the top three spots. The Animal Poison Control Center took 165,000 calls last year, and about 1 in 4 were related to medicine. Here’s the ASPCA’s top 10:
- Prescription medicine for humans.
- Insecticides.
- Over-the-counter medicine for humans.
- People food. The top culprit: chocolate. Don’t celebrate Valentine’s day by making your cat throw up.
- Household items. This includes things like paint and fire logs.
- Veterinary products.
- Rodenticides.
- Plants.
- Lawn and garden products.
- Automotive products.
The ASPCA’s poison control line is open 24 hours a day at (888-426-4435).
Top pet names of 2011
Darn you, Twilight.
Veterinary Pet Insurance Co. recently released its list of the most popular pet names of 2011, and the world’s wimpiest female lead topped the list. Bella is the most popular name for both cats and dogs. Oh come on! It even made it on the bird list! Anyway, here are the list of most popular dog, cat and bird names for last year.
Dogs
- Bella
- Bailey
- Max
- Lucy
- Molly
- Buddy
- Daisy
- Maggie
- Charlie
- Sophie
Cats
- Bella
- Max
- Chloe
- Oliver
- Lucy
- Shadow
- Smokey
- Tiger
- Charlie
- Tigger
Birds
- Charlie
- Max
- Baby
- Sunny
- Buddy
- Jack
- Angel
- Daisy
- Bella
- Coco
New breeder rules approved
The Tulsa World has an interesting story about the Commercial Pet Breeders Board that also ran in our paper today. They approved some rules but backed off on others. Breeders say restrictions are driving them out of business, but animal advocates say the industry needs to be humane. Interesting.
Dogs at Work stamps
As if the Birds of Prey stamps weren’t enough, the U.S. Post Office is releasing a series of stamps depicting working dogs. The stamps show a guide dog, a tracking dog, a therapy dog and a search and rescue dog standing. Oddly enough, my dogs weren’t depicted doing their best work: napping. Like the Birds of Prey stamps, these will debute Jan. 20. Here’s a look:
