CVM Magazine Summer 2015

CVM

Magazine for the College of Veterinary Medicine | Summer 2015 Where Compassion Meets Science

Cover Story:

Randall Terry’s Lasting Legacy Solving Problems, Saving Lives Singing the Praises of the TAU

1 CVM magazine

CVM MAGAZINE EDITOR Dave Green DESIGNER Angela Miller DEAN Dr. D. Paul Lunn ASSOCIATE DEANS Dr. Kate Meurs Research & Graduate Programs Dr. Steven L. Marks Veterinary Medical Services Dr. Keven Flammer Academic Affairs Dr. Dianne Dunning Advancement (Interim) DEPARTMENT HEADS Dr. Lizette Hardie Clinical Sciences Dr. Chris McGahan Molecular and Biomedical Sciences Dr. Paula Cray Population Health and Pathobiology

HONOR A FRIEND,

whether two-legged or four.

Memorialize a loved one. Thank a veterinarian or caretaker.

Celebrate a birthday, anniversary or other milestone.

BRICKS AND PAVERS are available in the Walk of Honor.

Bricks – Gift of $150 or more. (Three lines of text) Pavers – Gift of $500 or more (Eight lines of text) HORSESHOES are available in the Gallop of Honor.

Bronze – Gift of $250 or more Silver - $500 or more Gold - $1,000

For more information, please contact: 919-513-6660 | cvmfoundation@ncsu.edu | www.cvm.ncsu.edu/ncvmf

DIRECTORS Allison Crouch NCVMF Executive Director (Interim) Dane Johnston Continuing Education & Outreach April Norris Communications & Marketing The CVM Magazine is published by the Office of Communications & Marketing at NC State’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Find this issue online at www.issuu.com/NCStateVetMed (919) 513-6662

NC State University promotes equal opportunity and prohibits discrimination and harassment based upon one’s age, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation and veteran status.

5,000 copies of this public document were printed at a cost of 98¢ per copy.

Contents

4 PERSPECTIVE Dean Paul Lunn on the transforming significance of the gift from the R.B. Terry Charitable Foundation.

5 DISCOVERY The hunt for genes that trigger bladder cancer in beagles and people/ What we are learning from paraplegic dogs/ Improving the odds on the #1 cause of death in the U.S./ Enhancing pain treatment for ferrets.

8 THE LASTING LEGACY OF RANDALL B. TERRY, JR. A $16 million gift from the R.B. Terry Charitable Foundation for scholarship and research will help keep North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine on the cutting edge for years to come.

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16 SINGING PRAISES OF THE TEACHING ANIMAL UNIT “I feel the TAU is the CVM’s greatest asset. We practiced medicine as if we were working for a client whose only income source was their dairy cattle, beef cattle, swine, or poultry operation.”

SOLVING PROBLEMS, SAVING LIVES The Veterinary Hospital annually treats more than 27,000 patients that are often seriously ill and require the best veterinary medicine can provide.

Henry, Buster, and Alice are three such cases.

20 ACCOLADES

22 FRIENDS

Dorman elected AAAS Fellow/ Breen named Oscar J. Fletcher Distinguished Professor/ Thakur selected University Faculty Scholar/ Keene named Seaks Professor for Companion Animal Medicine/ Davidson receives Beal Award for distinguished service.

Randolph Reid and Betty Minton share a love of animals—especially dogs.

So when a beloved retriever was diagnosed with cancer and given a few months to live, they wanted him to receive the best possible healthcare.

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Perspective

A Lasting Legacy

W

We recently celebrated a landmark $16 million pledge from the R.B. Terry Charitable Foundation to the College of Veterinary Medicine. In addition to its

result won’t just impact animal health, but global food

profound effect on everyone associated with the

security and human health, as well.

College and our programs, this magnificent support

At the CVM, our past accomplishments, and our

underscores a vital truth: we couldn’t do what we

ongoing commitment to educational excellence and

do here at the CVM without the incredible vision

innovation has earned us high regard as one of the

and generosity of our friends. I’m delighted to take

leading colleges of veterinary medicine in the nation

this opportunity to share with you more information

and the world. However, we did not get here on our

about the transformational impact this gift will have

own. While I never had the honor to meet Mr. Terry,

in the years ahead -- not just at the CVM, but also

I’m grateful on a daily basis for his inspirational

upon the greater North Carolina State community,

commitment to the CVM and the field of veterinary

and the field of veterinary medicine.

medicine. His vision inspires everyone who works

The R.B. Terry Charitable Foundation’s pledge

at the CVM and everyone who is impacted by our

comes at a particularly vital time. With young

programs. The R.B. Terry Charitable Foundation

graduates facing unprecedented financial challenges,

has created a permanent legacy of excellence, and

the Terry Charitable Foundation’s support will create a

promises to achieve so much more in the future.

very significant new student scholarship endowment

As we look forward to the challenges ahead, we

– a vital resource for our new DVM trainees. These

will continue to rely on our trusted supporters to help

funds help ensure that the best and brightest students

us reach our goals. If you have already made a gift in

will continue to have access to the CVM’s high-quality

support of the College, I thank you. If you have not,

veterinary education. The gift also supports our

it is my great hope that you will choose to share in

mission to prepare the world’s future veterinarians

our vision. Together, we can make the world a better

to share their exceptional gifts within our local

place -- starting right here at the NC State University

communities and across the globe.

College of Veterinary Medicine.

The R.B. Terry Charitable Foundation’s pledge will also create endowments to recruit innovative new faculty leaders and provide pump-priming funding for

4 Summer 2015

groundbreaking research programs designed to translate

D. Paul Lunn

from the lab to the patient. The new discoveries that will

Dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine

Discovery

Dr. Natasha Olby (left) and veterinary technician Kim Williams work with a dog at the NC State Veterinary Health and Wellness Gait Laboratory. Photo by Marc Hall.

Neurology Study May Lead to Better Outcomes for Paraplegic Dogs A clinical trial involving paraplegic dogs demonstrates that a “one-size fits all” approach is not ideal for treating spinal cord injuries. The study reports that canine paraplegics—even those with the same injury—are diverse, and treatment should be equally so. These findings may lead the way to personalized treatments for spinal cord injuries, and hopefully better outcomes for canine and potentially human patients.

Natasha Olby, professor of neurology, along with a team of postdoctoral students, conducted a clinical trial involving the drug 4-AP and a derivative of the drug called t-butyl, which was developed by co-author Daniel Smith and the Center for Paralysis Research at Purdue University. 4-AP has been tested on humans for spinal cord injury, and is currently in use as a treatment for multiple sclerosis. T-butyl, the derivative, has not been tested clinically on humans. Both drugs work by helping damaged nerves transmit signals.

Dr. Olby and her team recruited 19 paraplegic dogs for the trial. The dogs suffered similar spinal cord injuries and had been injured long enough to rule out hope of unaided recovery. All dogs were treated with a placebo and both drugs, each for a two-week block of time assigned randomly, to first determine whether the drugs were effective, and then see whether or not there was a difference in efficacy between the two medications. The testing was conducted in a blind trial.

The researchers found there was little difference in efficacy between the drugs, as both produced a significant improvement in stepping when compared to placebo. However, the difference in levels of response from the dogs in the trial ranged from no improvement to being able to take unassisted steps on a treadmill.

“The question quickly went from ‘Do the drugs work?’ to ‘Why aren’t they having similar effects across the board?’” Olby says.

“And there are many possible factors to consider – some of the dogs may not have any axons left for the drug to act on, or it may depend upon how long they’ve been paralyzed or even whether or not they have a genetic predisposition to respond to this treatment.”

While Olby is pleased with the progress of the dogs who showed improvement during the trial, she is now focused on determining how best to identify patients that will respond best to the treatment. “There is no doubt that either or both of these medications can have an amazing effect on the right patient – but now we have to do the work of finding out what conditions make a patient the right one. If we can do that, we may save both patients and owners a lot of unnecessary frustration.”

Olby’s findings appear online in the journal PLOS One. Other contributors to the work include veterinary postdoctoral students Ji-Hey Lim and Audrey Muguet-Chanoit, as well as Eric Laber, NC State assistant professor of statistics.

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Beagles Help Researchers Study Genes Associated with Bladder Cancer Beagles aren’t just one of America’s most popular dog breeds. According to new research from North Carolina State University’s Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research (CCMTR) they’re also key to new findings about the chromosomal changes associated with urothelial carcinoma, or bladder cancer. These findings could lead to better diagnostic tests for both canine and human patients.

Urothelial carcinoma is the most common form of bladder cancer in both canines and humans, and certain breeds of dogs—beagles, shelties, and several varieties of terriers—are more prone to the disease than others. More than 40,000 new cases of bladder cancer are estimated to occur in the canine population each year (there are approximately 74,000 new cases per year in humans). Since symptoms often mimic those of routine bladder infections and benign lesions, the disease is difficult to catch early.

Adding to the difficulty of diagnosing the disease is the fact that there is some evidence that performing biopsies on suspicious masses in dogs can lead to spread of the disease and make the cancer harder to treat.

Beagle research may aid human patients.

may cause the cancer to disperse across the bladder. What we need is an accurate means of diagnosis with a specimen that is both noninvasive and easy to collect, such as a sample of free-catch urine.”

Dr. Breen and a team of researchers decided to look at the genomes of the canine tumors to identify a signature that would identify these cancers.

Susan Shapiro, a DVM/Ph.D. student in comparative biomedical sciences and the paper’s lead author, evaluated a series of canine specimens, isolated DNA samples from dogs with bladder cancer, and looked for genetic similarities.

“We found that in all cases of urothelial carcinoma we evaluated there was an aberrant “Bladder cancer is “We then look at where number of copies of relatively treatable and the canine ‘trouble spots’ three particular canine median survival with chromosomes: 13, 19, and standard of care therapy are on the human genome, and it helps us narrow 36,” Shapiro says. “Dogs is generally around seven with bladder cancer would months, though about down the search for either gain extra copies of 20 percent of dogs can genes that may play a chromosomes 13 or 36, or live for over a year,” role in cancer.” lose one or both copies of says Matthew Breen, chromosome 19. professor of genomics in the College “These were really exciting findings for of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of us, since all patients showed at least one Biomedical Sciences and senior author of of these chromosome changes and most a CCMTR paper describing the research. commonly a combination of the three,” “A confirmed diagnosis generally needs Shapiro adds. “I’m really optimistic that a biopsy specimen, but obtaining these these findings can help us create a reliable

6 Summer 2014

diagnostic test to help clinicians catch tumors before they become aggressive and serve as a screening test for predisposed breeds.”

Breen decided to take the information one step further and determine the value of the canine data for advancing what is known about human bladder cancer.

Collaborating with a group at the University of Utah led by pediatric oncologist Joshua Schiffman, the team mapped the canine genome to that of humans.

“We are able to take the genetic information from the dog and rearrange it so that it maps exactly to the human genome,” Breen says. “We then look at where the canine ‘trouble spots’ are on the human genome, and it helps us narrow down the search for genes that may play a role in cancer.” With input from Schiffman’s lab, Breen and his team found a gene located on human chromosome 8 called PABPC1 that looks very promising for both dogs and humans.

“The fact that we know with almost 100 percent certainty what to look for chromosomally in canine bladder cancer means that we are now are well on the way to developing a highly effective and noninvasive assay for early detection of canine bladder tumors” Breen says. “And the identification of PABPC1 as associated with bladder cancer in both dogs and humans may help us with early detection and better treatment options for those patients as well.”

The results appear in Chromosome Research (doi:10.1007/s10577-015-9471-y).

Funding was provided by the Skippy Frank Fund for Life Sciences and Translational Research/ Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, the National Institutes of Health, and the NC State University-CVM Cancer Genomics Fund.

—Tracey Peake

Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ke Cheng and researchers in his laboratory in the NC State Center for Comparative Medicine and Translational Research hope to change that statistic.

Dr. Cheng, an associate professor of regenerative medicine in the Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, is investigating what could become new treatment options for people suffering from cardiac disease.

In research published in Nature Communications, Cheng and his colleagues reported that a targeted nanoparticle may help heart attack patients regenerate healthy heart tissue without using donated or processed stem cells. This new nanomedicine could also alleviate some of the difficulties involved with stem cell therapy, including treatment delays and invasive procedures.

The particle, a “magnetic bi-functional cell engager” called MagBICE, consists of an iron platform with two different antibodies attached. These antibodies have different functions – one locates a patient’s own stem cells after a heart attack, and the other grabs injured tissue, allowing MagBICE to act as a matchmaker between injury and repair crew. The iron platform makes MagBICE

magnetically active, allowing physicians to direct the particles to the heart with an external magnetic field. The iron platform also enables magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The research team tested MagBICE in rats and found that the particle was effective in redirecting stem cells in the blood to the injured heart.

Additionally, MagBICE was easier and faster to administer than current stem cell therapy products.

“MagBICE optimizes and amplifies the body’s own repair process, which means we don’t have to worry about patient rejection of donated stem cells, or delay treatment while a patient’s stem cells are being processed, purified and prepared,” Cheng says. “The drug can be offered to patients immediately after blood vessels to the damaged areas are reopened and can be given intravenously, which isn’t possible with stem cell therapy.”

Stem cell therapy remains a promising option for repairing heart tissue damaged by heart attack, according to Cheng.

However, the main obstacle to cardiac

Illustration by Alice MacGregor Harvey

Healing Damaged Hearts

stem cell therapy also happens to be pretty difficult to correct or work around— and that’s the fact that the heart is constantly in motion.

“Cell retention is always problematic when you do cell transplantation, but in the heart it is particularly difficult,” says Cheng. “The heart’s pumping can wash cells out of the organ and they’ll either disappear or end up in other organs – where they are essentially wasted.”

Research Study Enhances Pain Treatment for Ferrets Researchers at the College of Veterinary Medicine are advancing the understanding of how best to treat pain in pet ferrets.

Ferrets have been domesticated for more than 2,000 years, long before house cats. A member of the mustelid family, which also includes otters, mink, badgers, and weasels, ferrets are inquisitive, affectionate, and playful—and an increasingly popular pet in American homes.

The popularity of the animal means more ferret owners are bringing their pets to veterinary practices for checkups and, when necessary, diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions.

Some of these treatments will mean prescribing a medication to ease post-procedure pain or discomfort. Until now, the only analgesic drug evaluated and licensed in the U.S. to treat pain in ferrets has been epidural morphine. Meanwhile, the nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) meloxicam has been studied in humans, birds, horses, sheep, rabbits, and rodents and is

commonly used to treat pain in dogs and cats. Further, meloxicam is available in an injectable and oral form.

The researchers studied meloxicam in nine male and female ferrets. Among the discoveries: the correct meloxicam dose may be similar to that needed for cats and dogs while male and female ferrets may have slightly different requirements.

The detailed results are in the Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

CVM researchers included: Sathya K. Chinnadurai, postdoctoral resident in Department of Clinical Sciences; Kristen Messenger, lecturer in anesthesiology in the Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences; Mark Papich, professor in the Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences; and Craig Harms, associate professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences. Drs. Chinnadurai, Papich, and Harms are also members of the CVM Environmental Medicine Consortium.

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The Lasting Legacy of Randall B. Terry, Jr. Photographs by Marc Hall

8 Summer 2015

A

new $16 million gift from the R.B. Terry Charitable Foundation will keep NC State’s College of Veterinary Medicine on the cutting edge for years to come — by providing generous support for its student, faculty and research endowments.

The college is ranked third in the nation (U.S. News & World Report, 2015), a remarkable achievement given it only graduated its first students in 1985. That success is thanks in large part to the extraordinary private support the college receives from alumni and friends like the late Randall B. Terry, Jr. A co-publisher of the High Point Enterprise, Terry first became involved with the College of Veterinary Medicine in 1998 when one of his nine beloved golden retrievers, Nike, fell ill. The superb care Nike received at NC State prompted Terry to join and later preside over the North Carolina Veterinary Medicine Foundation (NCVMF). In the final years of his life, he was devoted to the betterment of veterinary medicine.

“I think his association with us was obviously through his love of animals,” said Dr. Oscar Fletcher, professor in poultry health management and member of the foundation’s board. “That just demonstrates the power of the human-animal bond.”

In his lifetime, Terry chaired a campaign that raised $10 million for veterinary student education at NC State. He gave more than $4 million himself in challenge grants and student scholarships. Following his death in 2004, the Terry Foundation pledged an initial $20 million to help build the Randall B. Terry, Jr. Companion Animal Veterinary Medical Center, which opened in 2011.

More than twice the size of NC State’s original veterinary teaching hospital, the Terry

The Terry Foundation’s new gift supports the college’s innovation and problem-solving, too. It includes a $3 million investment in research support and $5 million dedicated to attracting and retaining leading faculty in the field.

Center is among the most advanced of its kind in the country. It realizes Terry’s vision of an outstanding environment where talented faculty and students can work at the forefront of veterinary medicine. And it combines with the college’s other extensive referral and emergency services to provide care for all those who need it.

“Like so many places at NC State, we’re providing a service to people,” says Fletcher. “In the Terry Center, we’ve got clients who are bringing their animals because they have a need, and we’ve got students learning how to apply the art and science of veterinary medicine to solving those problems.”

Those students are the chief recipients of the Terry Foundation’s latest gift: Half of the $16 million pledged will go toward supporting and training the next generation of veterinary leaders. This will more than double the college’s student scholarship endowment, ensuring that the top prospects in the nation can learn and thrive at NC State.

“Every student that graduates, that doesn’t have to pay back debt — that’s success,” said Susan Ward, member of NC State’s Board of Trustees and former NCVMF president. “Every new thing they try here, every problem they solve, that’s success. That’s how I measure it.”

The Terry Foundation’s new gift supports the college’s innovation and problem-solving, too. It includes a $3 million investment in research support and $5 million dedicated to attracting and retaining leading faculty in the field.

“Talented people are in demand all over the world, so they can go anywhere,” said Fletcher. “Private support helps us keep them in North Carolina. Endowed chairs, additional grant support — they give us a competitive edge.”

The Terry Foundation has also pledged to match other private donations and state funds raised, potentially doubling the gift’s impact.

That, too, is in keeping with the legacy of Randall B. Terry, Jr. “Randall always said he liked to use money to make money,” said Ward. “He’d say, ‘Let’s use it as a challenge gift, a matching challenge.’

We’d use that to attract other donors who would want to join his efforts.”

Thanks to those efforts, NC State’s College of Veterinary Medicine now enjoys national pre-eminence and provides world-class care to more than 27,000 patients each year. With the continued support of the Terry Foundation and other friends, the college’s mission is bolder and more ambitious than ever.

“Private support provides us with the critical funding to do groundbreaking research,” said Chancellor Randy Woodson. “We are educating the next generation of veterinary health professionals and improving lives. It’s the investments that private support provides that allow NC State to think and do.”

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Solving Problems, Saving Lives The Veterinary Hospital at NC State University is major referral center for veterinarians from throughout the Southeast. Board certified specialists annually diagnose and treat more than 27,000 patients who are often seriously ill and require the best that veterinary medicine offers. The patient case load also allows for instruction of the next generation of veterinarians and the opportunity for clinical trials that advance animal health and well-being.

By Whitney L.J. Howell Photo by Lisa Speet

10 Summer 2015

Henry: the Pain Puzzled His Doctors Henry, a Hanovarian horse, was fast. Galloping was always

Fogle discovered Henry’s problem during a preliminary

one of his favorite things. Charging down a trail at speed, he

conversation with his trainer. When she opened Henry’s mouth,

never missed an opportunity to let loose with a playful buck.

she saw it—a mass invading his lower right jaw, pushing his

Until one day, he started to hurt. Initially, Henry tried to ignore

teeth out of alignment.

the pain to keep running in the field and competing in Hunter/

“His trainer was shocked,” Fogle says. “She’s very thorough

Jumper shows with his owner. As time passed, the pain grew. He

and attentive, and even she hadn’t seen this. That’s how quickly

stopped running, and almost any exercise in the field or the show

this tumor had grown, and she was convinced that was the

ring caused discomfort. No matter what he did, he couldn’t shake

source of Henry’s head-shaking.”

the problem, and his doctors were stumped.

Fogle wasn’t convinced because head-shaking root causes

The puzzle pieces finally started to come together when

can be elusive and a mandibular, or lower jaw, problem causing

Henry’s owners, the Thompsons, brought him to North Carolina

head shaking hadn’t been described before. Quick X-rays revealed

State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. Despite his

an abnormal growth of new bone in Henry’s jaw, radiating from

uncertain future as a show horse, the Thompsons wanted him to

its center like a sunburst. Tests of a small sample of the growth

receive the best care possible.

revealed that it was aggressive cancer, and the pathologist classified

“Henry has a great personality—he just loves people,” says Julia Thompson. “He’s the sweetest thing, like the son I never

it as a tumor of dental origin. The tests also revealed another significant problem—Henry also had a bacterial infection in his jaw.

had. Seeing Henry in so much pain was very

But the team needed more information. They

distressing for my daughter because no one

did a short-acting nerve block of the jaw and

could figure out what was wrong with him. She

took Henry out for exercise, to ensure the mass

was very attached to him.”

was the problem spot. With this area of his jaw

As a horse with undiagnosed head-shaking,

desensitized, Henry was able to hold a bit and

Henry needed a veterinarian experienced with

had no head-shaking. Tumor-induced pain was

difficult-to-solve cases and a clinic with advanced

most likely the culprit behind the head-shaking,

technologies and varied expertise unavailable

which meant to treat Henry’s head-shaking,

elsewhere.

she’d have to remove a significant portion of the

Initially, his owners and primary care veterinarian speculated Henry’s head-shaking appeared because he wasn’t accustomed to the

3-D reconstruction of Henry’s Computerized Tomography (CT) scan shows tumor site and endotracheal tube.

gnats in his new environment. Bred in arid New

rostral, or front portion, of his mandible.

“In a horse, that’s not something to be taken lightly because they need their teeth for grazing and grasping things,” says Fogle. “It affects

Mexico, he’d never encountered the insects so common in humid

them. We had to make sure we took enough of the jaw to get the

Charleston, South Carolina. But when the behavior continued

entire tumor, but no more than absolutely necessary.”

to the point where he couldn’t hold a bit, everyone searched for another reason.

Head-shaking in horses isn’t uncommon, according to Callie Fogle, clinical associate professor of equine surgery at NC State’s Veterinary Hospital. It’s thought to be similar to the severe

To get a better idea of the tumor’s exact location and size, they anesthetized Henry and performed a CT scan with 3D reconstruction images, an advanced imaging procedure not available in the majority of equine veterinary clinics.

Fogle removed the whole right side of Henry’s rostral

headaches and uncomfortable tingling sensations experienced

mandible, including his canine and all incisor teeth on that side.

by humans with trigeminal neuralgia. The pain and tingling in

She was able to preserve enough of his jaw bone, though, so

the head of the horse, however, manifests itself through head-

that he didn’t need a prosthetic device or any stabilizing metal

shaking, particularly during physical exertion. It can be extremely

implants. Henry was also given antibiotics to treat the bacterial

debilitating.

infection within his jaw.

“This can be a really terrible thing in a horse,” says Dr. Fogle.

Now, more than a year-and-a-half after surgery, Henry’s back

“Some can’t eat, they can’t function, and most horses can’t

to his old activities and doing well according to the Thompsons.

be ridden because of the bobbing and shaking of their head

“He’s like Prince Charming—still a loving, wonderful and kind

the whole time. Some cases can be so uncomfortable that it is

spirit, full of personality,” she said. “He’s doing much better and

difficult for them to live normally.”

his demeanor never changed. He just exudes charm.”

11 CVM magazine

Buster: Pulmonic Stenosis Photo by Jeff Hammond

I

nitially, Lisa Bass from Greenville, South Carolina, wasn’t keen that her son brought Buster home from college. Her house was already crowded with a 13-year-old Labrador Retriever and an

18-year-old Schnauzer. She couldn’t see where a 12-week-old Bernese Mountain Dog puppy— a toddler-sized dog—would fit. But after one summer, Buster won her over.

12 Summer 2015

“We fell in love with him,” says Bass.” He makes you smile. He’s such a little cut-up. When he looks at you, it’s not with the eyes of a dog, but a person. He’s constantly playful—he’s the light of our lives.”

laboratory. A catheter is introduced through a needle stick in either the jugular vein in the neck or the femoral vein in the groin.

Under fluoroscopic (x-ray) guidance, a high pressure balloon is carefully placed across the defective valve. Once positioned, the balloon is inflated to expand the valve area, relieving the obstruction to blood flow across the valve. At NC State, the procedure is permanently effective in returning the valve to nearnormal function more than 90% of the time.

Buster’s outcome, according to Dr. Teresa DeFrancesco, section chief for cardiology,

That’s why Bass was

dermatology, and oncology at

so surprised when her

the Veterinary Hospital, was

veterinarian heard a heart

outstanding.

murmur during Buster’s

Buster’s peak pressure

one-year check-up. After an

gradient fell to 44mmHg.

echocardiogram (a cardiac

“Buster now has only mild

ultrasound exam), Buster’s

residual stenosis, and his

diagnosis was clear. He

lifespan should no longer be

had pulmonic stenosis—a

significantly shortened by

congenital defect of the

his heart defect. He still has a

valve between the heart’s

heart murmur, but we’ve gone

right ventricle and the main

from a severely affected dog to

artery that carries blood

one mildly affected.”

to the lungs (pulmonary

The Bass family sees no

artery). This defect thickens

change in Buster’s behavior—

and narrows the valve,

and that’s just what they

forcing the heart to work

wanted.

harder to pump blood

“From our perspective,

across it. Dogs with severe

Buster has stayed the same,”

pulmonic stenosis often live

says Bass. “He never gave

shorter than normal lives,

us any indication that he was

and they can develop heart failure or arrhythmias at a relatively young age.

Even through Buster was not showing clinical

sick, and now that he’s back Buster’s balloon valvuloplasty procedure involved a wire being threaded from the right jugular vein into the right heart and looped out into the pulmonary artery. The balloon shown here is almost completed inflated. The waist on the balloon is at the level of the stenotic or narrowed pulmonic valve. The balloon will be completely inflated opening up the valve.

home and being Buster, you’d never know he’d been sick. It’s amazing that his energy level is the same. He lights up a

signs of his heart defect,

room with his expressions. If I

he had a poor prognosis for a normal life. Buster’s pulmonic

had to do it all over again, there’s no question I’d bring Buster to

stenosis was severe, causing a pressure difference between the

N.C. State.”

right ventricle and pulmonary artery of over 100mmHg (there is

Buster, who probably would have died as a young adult, now

normally no difference). The best option, Bass’s veterinarian said,

has the potential for a normal lifespan thanks to his veterinarian

was an interventional procedure called balloon valvuloplasty, and

who detected the problem during his annual checkup.

he referred Buster to the Hannah Heart Center of the Veterinary

“Sometimes when dogs are older, the affected tissues are

Hospital at NC State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine—

tougher, and more difficult to dilate,” says DeFrancesco. “This

the only veterinary heart center in North or South Carolina that

means our ability to help may be reduced. We like to see patients

performs the procedure.

with this defect as soon as possible. Puppies presenting with

Balloon valvuloplasty is a minimally invasive procedure that is done under general anesthesia in the cardiac catheterization

loud murmurs (grade 3/6 and above) should be evaluated by a veterinary cardiologist as soon as possible.”

13 CVM magazine

Alice: Diagnosed with Uterine Cancer

It’s said there’s often one hen to rule the roost.

In the case of Alec Bergin, a 13-year-old boy from Moore County, that hen is Alice, a rare breed Phoenix chicken. Ever since Alice joined the Bergin family with three other Phoenix hens, Alec has hand-fed her treats and watched her assume a leading-lady role, hatching and mothering her share of 12 chicks.

“This is Alec’s own flock, and he takes care of them,” says Jennifer Bergin, Alec’s mother. “He’s responsible for feeding and watering them. He goes outside and spends 20 minutes every day just watching them to make sure they’re acting normally. If anything’s wrong, he can catch it early on.”

And that’s exactly what Alec did one evening. Instead of running for her treat like normal, Alice stayed on her nest.

She only half-heartedly pecked at the niblet, and after looking her over, Alec and his mother noticed her distended belly and discovered her back end was covered in feces. Their first assumption: she couldn’t lay her eggs.

Taking Alice to the community veterinarian wasn’t an option— chickens aren’t everyday pets. To get this family hen the proper care, Bergin brought her to the NC State Veterinary Hospital and put her in Jeff Applegate’s hands.

“When Alice came in, she was very lethargic and exhibited the distended belly or coelom so we started with a physical exam, completed blood work, and proceeded to complete an

Alec Bergin and Alice. Reproductive disease is common in chickens, and it’s analogous to uterine disease in humans and other mammals. Photo by Jeff Hammond.

emergency ultrasound in concert with the Radiology Service,” says Dr. Applegate, a clinical veterinarian specializing in companion exotic animal medicine.

“The ultrasound revealed significant fluid and abnormal tissue in and around the reproductive tract,” Applegate continues. “There shouldn’t have been any free fluid in her belly. Of the more routine birds that

14 Summer 2015

Surgeon’s Notes The decision to pursue an avian salpingohysterectomy is often considered a last resort due to risks associated with avian anesthesia and surgery.

Veterinarians who specialize in avian medicine This ultrasound showed Alice had fluid in her abdomen and soft tissue enlargement of the oviduct (“avian uterus”). The diagnosis was oviductal adenocarcinoma, a type of malignant cancer.

we treat as pets, the abdomen or more appropriately referred to as a coelom can be described as a central column of organs like the heart, liver, and intestines, with the remaining space occupied by the surrounding air sacs and lungs. ” Reproductive disease is common in chickens, and it’s analogous to uterine disease in humans and other mammals. The ultrasound showed Alice had free coelomic fluid and abnormal tissue in her oviduct, the tunnel in which an egg forms and by which it leaves the hen’s body. The diagnosis was oviductal adenocarcinoma—Alice had uterine cancer. The treatment: a salpingohysterectomy, the avian equivalent to spay.

Once the Bergins green-lighted surgery, understanding Alice would never again lay eggs, Applegate assembled a team from the Exotic Animal Medicine Service to combine their skills during Alice’s operation. Pooling talents from multiple specialties is a benefit the NC State University Veterinary Hospital offers patients according to Applegate. In cases like this, many collaborating hospital services may include specialists from emergency and critical care, radiology, anesthesia, and surgery.

The surgery—an invasive procedure with the surgeons removing Alice’s diseased oviduct through a small L-shaped incision behind

tend to be comfortable with these types of procedures but that by no means eliminates the risks. Effort taken prior to surgery ensure that the patient is as stable as possible for anesthesia.

These efforts include conducting a thorough physical exam, blood work, and imaging such as radiographs (X-rays) and/or ultrasound to characterize the current disease process as thoroughly as possible and to rule out any other underlying diseases. In Alice’s case, she was also administered a medication by injection weeks prior to the surgery to help reduce any reproductive activity and decrease bleeding during surgery.

Avian patients that undergo surgery at NC State through the Exotic Animal Medicine Service are managed with the most advanced techniques possible. Each patient is intubated with a tube in their airway to manage breathing, an intravenous catheter is placed in a vein for fluid support, and they are monitored with a variety of equipment including an ECG to monitor heart rate and rhythm, a pulse oximeter to monitor the oxygen in the blood, a capnograph to monitor exhaled carbon dioxide, and equipment for temperature

her left leg—was a success with few complications and a moderate

and blood pressure monitoring.

amount of bleeding.

Specialized surgical instrumentation are employed

After two weeks recuperating in the Bergin’s master bathroom, Alice moved back outside and assumed her leadership position.

“She’s living with friends and doesn’t look any different from the other hens,” Bergin says. “She’s a valued member of our family as much as the cats and dogs are.”

such as custom made forceps, radiosurgery and lenses worn by the surgeon to magnify the surgical field. Following surgery, avian patients are hospitalized in one of a variety hospital wards each specializing in a different level of care, from general hospital to the intensive care unit.

15 CVM magazine

Singing the Praises of the Photography by Wendy Savage A few steps from course lectures in the South Theater is an 80-acre educational jewel that is meaningful to veterinary students and appreciative graduates of the NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine.

The Teaching Animal Unit, or TAU as it is most commonly called, is a unique attribute among North American veterinary programs in that NC State has the only college of veterinary medicine with an on-site, commercial teaching and working farm.

Representing the most modern of farm management practices, the TAU houses six major livestock groups— beef cattle, dairy cattle, horses, swine, poultry (chickens in spring and turkeys in the fall), and small ruminants (goats and sheep)—and operates as a small scale production farm to provide quality training for veterinary students.

The TAU and its animals provide the foundation for six core courses taught to all students in each semester of the first three years of the four-year DVM curriculum.

Alumni—most of whom do not go into farm animal practice—consistently rate the program’s didactic teaching opportunities and 155 annual hands-on, liveanimal laboratories as one of the best experiences the CVM offers.

I FEEL THE TAU IS THE NC STATE CVM’S GREATEST ASSET. We practiced medicine as if we were working for a future client whose only source of income was their dairy cattle, beef cattle, swine, or poultry operation. I was lucky to be offered a job to work nights and weekends at the TAU. This not only gave me invaluable experience with farm operations, but a new respect for how much work everyone puts in on a day to day basis. My current practice consists of 60% large animal and 40% small animal general practice.

—DR. JAMES MCCREA, CLASS OF 2011

16 Summer 2015

Teaching Animal Unit The mission of the Teaching Animal Unit: provide veterinary students with high-quality, relevant live-animal experiences and training focusing on modern management, husbandry, disease prevention, and treatment strategies for the major North Carolina agricultural animal groups.

MANY OF THE STUDENTS THAT GO THROUGH THE PROGRAM will go on to work in facets of the veterinary profession that have nothing to do with production animal medicine, but as our society continues to become more removed from the farm, it is crucial that we educate the general public about what is being done on farms and why. I believe that as animal health professionals we should be the ones leading the charge to educate consumers on where their food comes from. —LUKE MARTIN, CLASS OF 2016

17 CVM magazine

THE TAU IS A SAFE, CONSTRUCTIVE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT where the students are able to practice animal handling and routine medical procedures. I have learned how to feed and take care of a range of animal species, as well as be part of some of the management and veterinary decisions for them. The TAU is also a place of employment for me, as I’m one of the group of students from each DVM class hired to help with farm activity. There is no better view than stepping out of the milking parlor to a bright sunrise over a dairy pasture on a cool, crisp, and quiet morning.

——JESSICA SMITH, CLASS OF 2016

THE TAU HAS BEEN A GREAT RESOURCE FOR CVM STUDENTS. We are very fortunate to walk out the back door and work with all of the major livestock species. For students who do not have a farm animal background, the TAU is especially vital to their understanding of proper livestock production.

——PATRICK BRINSON, CLASS OF 2015

ONE OF THE GREATEST THINGS ABOUT TAU is that it provides the opportunity to students, who may have never stepped foot on a farm, to get connected to agriculture and food animals. Being able to work on a farm through school has kept my goals in clear site. I believe the TAU does more than teach us about food animals, it teaches us how to be bold, patient, and think practically, which will allow us to be better veterinarians in the future.

18 Summer 2015

—SARAH DUNNIGAN, CLASS OF 2016

THE ORIENTATION OF THE FARM, so close to the educational building, affords students the ability to work with food animal species almost from day one. I was able to treat cows, participate in dystocias of multiple species, and palpate many horses—all within walking distance of class. The TAU provides students with a complete scope of the husbandry and care of each species. The managers of each area do an amazing job planning farm operations around both best industry practices and student schedules to maximize student exposure to all aspects of the farm. TAU lends support to many courses throughout the curriculum, which allows the school to have such a well-rounded educational experience. Every school should strive to have such a facility. —DR. DOUGLAS RAY, CLASS OF 2009

19 CVM magazine

Accolades

Elected AAAS Fellow

Achievement Award, which is given to an early career individual, who has made David Dorman, a professor of significant contributions toxicology in the to toxicology.

Department of Molecular Founded in 1848, Biomedical Sciences, the AAAS is the world’s has been elected as a largest scientific society Fellow of the American with 261 affiliated Association for the societies and academies Advancement of Science of science serving 10 (AAAS), one of the million individuals. The world’s most important AAAS began awarding scientific societies and the distinction of Fellow publisher of the journal David Dorman is a Fellow of the American in 1874.

Science.

Association for the Advancement of

AAAS elevates Science. members to the rank of Fletcher Distinguished Professor Fellow for their efforts toward advancing Matthew Breen, a professor of science applications that are deemed genomics in the Department of Molecular scientifically or socially distinguished.

Biomedical Sciences, has been named the Dr. Dorman is being recognized for Oscar J. Fletcher Distinguished Professor distinguished contributions to the field in Comparative Oncology Genetics. of toxicology, particularly research A member of a team that decoded investigating the nasal and neurotoxicity the canine genome in 2005, Dr. Breen is of environmental chemicals. recognized internationally for his research Dorman’s research has addressed into molecular cytogenetics—the study contemporary issues concerned with of the structure and function of cells and environmental and occupational hazards chromosomes—and the comparative of exposure to a range of agents such as medicine application to canine and methanol, hydrogen sulfide, and Middle human cancers.

East sand dust. The toxicology professor Breen’s accomplishments include is an internationally recognized authority publishing in more than 160 peerin metal neurotoxicity, particularly for reviewed journals and having his research his studies on manganese. This work has receive more than 4,400 citations. helped guide federal authorities, such as His investigations are supported by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in formulating risk assessment decisions on permissible levels of manganese in the atmosphere. Most recently, he investigated olfaction and cognition in dogs, especially dogs used for the detection of improvised explosive devices.

Dorman has also made substantial contributions to the National Research Council/National Academy of Sciences and has served as a member of the National Toxicology Program Board Oscar J. Fletcher (left) and Matthew Breen at ceremony of Scientific Counselors. He is a announcing the Oscar J. Fletcher Distinguished Professor in recipient of the Society of Toxicology’s Comparative Oncology Genetics.

20 Summer 2015

government, corporate, and foundation sources and he is frequently requested to serve on important science panels and boards.

Approved by the North Carolina State Board of Trustees, the $1 million Oscar J. Fletcher Distinguished Professorship is made possible through a financial arrangement by which $666,000 provided by the R.B. Terry Charitable Foundation will be matched by $334,000 from the Distinguished Professor Endowment Trust Fund managed by the University of North Carolina General Administration.

The endowed professorship is named for Terry Foundation board member Oscar Fletcher, the second dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine who remains on the faculty of the Department of Population Health and Pathobiology. Fletcher was a friend of philanthropist Randall B. Terry, Jr. who served as chairman of the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Foundation.

Mr. Terry died in 2004.

NC State University Faculty Scholar

Faculty Scholar funds will support Sid Thakur’s research into antimicrobial resistance in bacterial pathogens.

Sid Thakur, an associate professor of molecular epidemiology in the Department of Population, Health and Pathobiology, is a recipient of the North Carolina State University’s University Faculty Scholars honor for 2014-15.

NC State Chancellor Randy Woodson announced the award which recognizes top early- and mid-career faculty members and is part of the university’s strategic

initiative to invest in and Beal Award for Distinguished retain top faculty.

Volunteer Service As a Faculty Scholar, Dr. Gigi Davidson, Director of Thakur will receive $10,000 Clinical Pharmacy Services, in donated funds for each is the recipient of the U.S. of the next five years. The Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention’s funds will be used, in part, highest honor, the Beal Award for to support his research into Distinguished Volunteer Service. the complex chain of events The award is given once every that lead to the development five years and is presented at the of antimicrobial resistance USP Convention Membership Dean Paul Lunn (far left) Jane Lewis Seaks Distinguished Professor Dr. Bruce in bacterial pathogens that Keene, benefactor Terry G. Seaks, and Professor Emeritus Dr. Clarke Atkins, Meeting. Davidson was chosen for previous Seaks Professor. affect the health of both her contributions in developing animals and humans. compounding standards for disease, and clinical trial design. He has Faculty members eligible for the award human and veterinary patients during a served as the principal investigator or coinclude assistant professors who have critical period in public health. She is the investigator in numerous studies funded been reappointed for a second term, fifth person to receive the Beal Award and by foundation, industry, and federal associate professors, and full professors awards while maintaining a heavy rotation the first woman and the first veterinary within the first three years of appointment. pharmacist to be honored. schedule in the Veterinary Hospital’s Nominees are evaluated based on Davidson served as chair of the USP Cardiology Service. He also serves as an evidence of their significant achievements Compounding Expert Committee and adjunct professor in the Duke Department in scholarship, teaching and/or service played a major leadership role in USP’s of Pediatrics. appropriate to their rank and discipline. response to public health crises involving The Jane Lewis Seaks distinguished Thakur also heads the Emerging, contaminated compounded preparations. professorship was established in 2008 by Infectious and Zoonotic Diseases During her tenure, Davidson was engaged Dr. Terry G. Seaks—a Professor Emeritus research core in the NC State Center for in multiple expert committees, advisory of Economics and member of the North Comparative Medicine and Translational panels and industry forums and oversaw Carolina Veterinary Medical Foundation Research. The core, which integrates basic the development of an excess of Board of Directors—to honor and clinical research, involves initiatives 30 new compounded preparation Jane Lewis Seaks, his wife of of more than 45 collaborating scientists monographs.

38 years, and in recognition from three different NC State colleges and Davidson, who represents of the care their family pets researchers from the University of North the USP on the 14-member U.S. received at the Veterinary Carolina and Duke University. Core focus Food and Drug Administration Hospital. areas include molecular pathogenesis, Pharmacy Compounding The $1 million endowed antibiotic resistance, microbial diversity, Advisory Committee, professorship is made pathogen detection, therapeutics spearheaded the development possible through a financial and vaccines, and the effects of the of the “USP on Compounding: arrangement in which a environment on infectious disease.

A Guide for the Compounding Beal Distinguished Award donation of appreciated Practitioner.” recipient Gigi Davidson. securities by Terry and At a special ceremony during Jane Seaks is matched by Seaks Professor for Companion the USP Convention Meeting, Davidson an unrestricted gift from the R.B. Terry Animal Medicine received a crystal sculpture representing Charitable Foundation and the University Bruce Keene, a professor of cardiology USP’s spirit of voluntarism, an honorary of North Carolina General Administration in the Department of Clinical Sciences, lifetime membership to the USP through its Distinguished Professor has been named the Jane Lewis Seaks Convention, and a $10,000 cash award Endowment Trust Fund.

Distinguished Professor for Companion which Davidson has directed be donated Keene is the second recipient of this Animal Medicine. to the veterinary pharmacy residency distinguished professorship following Dr. Keene is a pioneer in interventional program at the College of Veterinary cardiology, metabolic treatment of cardiac colleague Clarke Atkins.

Medicine.

21 CVM magazine

Friends

For the Love of Animals

R

By Lisa Coston Hall

andolph Reid and Betty Minton

A couple of years after Buck’s diagnosis, Randolph

share a love of animals—

began chatting even more regularly with CVM

especially dogs. So when a

volunteers during visits there with another dog, Molly,

beloved retriever was diagnosed

who was undergoing hip treatment. That experience

with cancer and given a few

inspired him to become a volunteer greeter himself.

months to live, the couple wanted

He enjoys aiding clients who have brought their

to ensure he would receive the

animals to CVM from across the region or out of

best possible healthcare.

state: “I see what this place means to people. Animals

They found that care, and much more, at the

NC State College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM). Their

are part of their families.”

A willingness “to do anything, even cleaning

experiences there led the retired Clayton couple to

up the dog walk area,” he joked, helped lead to his

make a generous bequest that will benefit the college.

service as chair of the North Carolina Veterinary

“You’ve got to plan,” Randolph said. “That’s what Chancellor (Randy) Woodson is working on, building

pirate in every sense of the word—except when it

the foundation

comes to the NC State vet school,” said Randolph, a

for the future. It’s

proud 1973 East Carolina graduate.

important to support

Through Randolph’s board role, the couple

the university today,

grew more knowledgeable about, and appreciative

but you have to think

of, CVM’s cutting-edge research and innovative

15, 20, 25 years down

education. Randolph speaks enthusiastically, for

the road, too.”

example, about the college’s linear accelerator—a

The couple’s

Randolph Reid and Betty Minton and a few friends.

Medical Foundation that supports CVM. “I’m an ECU

sort of ultra-sophisticated X-ray machine that can

relationship with

revolutionize cancer treatment. The ripple effects of

CVM began over

such technology include an increased ability to attract

the 1997 New Year’s

top faculty, he said, and private giving is important to

Eve holiday, when

boost that level of effort.

their 12-year-old flat

In 2012 the couple used appreciated stock to

coat retriever, Buck,

establish the Molly and Felix Team Work Research

grew ill. Still working

Fund—an endowment named in memory of Molly

as an executive in the homebuilding industry at the

and a third dog who was a CVM patient—to provide

time, Randolph had recently become friends with

grants for CVM clinicians engaged in collaborative

CVM oncologist Dr. Sylvester Price while building him

work across departments and even colleges.

a house. Buck soon became a CVM cancer patient.

They are excited about studies happening at

Excellent care helped him beat the odds and enjoy a

CVM in fields including translational regenerative

good quality of life for nearly three more years.

medicine, one of NC State’s interdisciplinary focus

“That’s really what it’s about—helping animals is

areas. “There’s important research going on here that

also helping people,” Randolph said. “When Buck

can impact human health, as well,” said Betty, who

got sick, I was overseeing 120 employees and we

is an alumna of NC State’s College of Humanities and

built 400 houses a year. But I worried about him. The

Social Sciences (CHASS) and of Meredith College.

vet school staff was great and really took a load of anxiety off us.”

“They do so many wonderful things here (at

“We feel like you work hard all your life. You want some of your money to make a real difference,” Randolph said. “It’s hard for me to imagine what

CVM),” Betty said. “They’ve been so good to our

veterinary medicine might be like in 30 years, but we

dogs; they’re so compassionate.” The couple views

hope to contribute so that this college can maintain

the college—which U.S. News & World Report

its position as a world leader.”

has ranked third in the nation among colleges of

22 Summer 2015

veterinary medicine—as a jewel in NC State’s crown

Lisa Coston Hall is with the NC State Office of

and an invaluable regional resource.

Development Communications and Donor Relations.

LEAVE A LASTING LEGACY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. A bequest is a unique way to have a lasting impact on the people and organizations that mean the most to you while retaining control of your assets during your lifetime. The North Carolina Veterinary Medical Foundation can be named a beneficiary of your will, trust, retirement plan or financial accounts. Your bequest may be made in several ways: a dollar amount, a percentage of your estate, or a specific asset.

To learn more about the benefits of making a charitable bequest, call the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Foundation today at 919-513-6660 or visit:

www.cvm.ncsu.edu/ncvmf

NC State University College of Veterinary Medicine PO Box 8401 Raleigh, NC 27695

NONPROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE

PAID RALEIGH, N.C.

919.513.6660 www.cvm.ncsu.edu

PERMIT NO. 2353

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