Interdigital cysts are fairly common Poor Ares was in pain. The three-year-old Doberman Pinscher had sores between his toes on all four paws when he came to see Dr. Jason Pieper, a veterinary dermatologist at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Urbana. Ares had been licking at the bumpy sores and some of...
![[radiograph of a dog with a bullet in its shoulder]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/pc-forensics-stern-260x157.jpg)
Veterinary forensics is a growing field A forensic pathologist is a physician who specializes in determining the time, manner, and cause of death. Dr. Adam Stern, a board-certified pathologist at the University of Illinois Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, specializes in veterinary forensics. “In veterinary forensics, medical expertise is used to gather evidence applicable in civil and...
![[kim selting and hunter, radiation therapy]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/pc-selting-hunter-260x157.jpg)
Radiation makes cancer cells unable to reproduce In the fight against cancer, doctors for people and pets have a range of weapons in their arsenal. Alone or in conjunction with surgery and chemotherapy, radiation therapy is useful for its ability to specifically target tumors. Dr. Kim Selting is a board certified radiation oncologist at the...
![[Reddington with Jane Do]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/pc-weedon-reddington-260x157.jpg)
shelters often euthanize heartworm-positive dogs Reddington probably didn’t realize it, but he was in a bad spot. Not only was the dog living in an animal shelter, he had also tested positive for heartworm disease. In many cases, those two factors amount to a death sentence. But luckily for Reddington, he found an owner and...
![[microbiome dog illustration]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/pc-barko-microbiome-260x157.jpg)
‘Think of bacteria as our friends’ Dr. Patrick Barko has spent the past three years studying a rapidly evolving field that he believes will soon be at the forefront in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease for people and pets. “For most of modern medical history, bacteria were treated as enemy invaders that needed...
![[Blanding's turtle]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/pc-turtles-wel-260x157.jpg)
Turtles play a role in environmental health Last summer, two rising second-year veterinary students traded blue lab coats and lecture halls in Urbana for chest-high waders and wetlands in Lake County in northeast Illinois. Working as part of the Wildlife Epidemiology Lab at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine, Lauren Mumm and John...
![[Dr. Kimbery Selting with Spike]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/pc-chemo-selting-260x157.jpg)
Pet’s cancer may be managed vs. cured The word “chemotherapy” conjures up images of nauseous, balding, and debilitated patients. While supportive therapies are available to soften these side effects in human cancer patients, it’s true that medical doctors often treat cancer very aggressively, hoping to achieve complete remission of disease. For patients undergoing chemotherapy at...
Enjoy the Most-Read Columns from 2017 What topics did pet owners find most fascinating last year? We checked our website analytics, and discovered that fungal disease, behavioral issues, and cutting-edge treatments offered only at our college topped the list. Here’s a recap of our most-read columns. Blasted Blasto Blastomyces dermatitidis—the agent responsible for the systemic...
![[immunotherapy for itchy dog]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/pc-miller-immunotherapy-260x157.jpg)
Immunotherapy may be an effective treatment option Is something itching at your dog? If an allergy is to blame, it probably falls into one of three categories, according to Dr. Scott Miller, who recently completed an internship in small animal dermatology at the University of Illinois Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Urbana. The options are flea...
![[Sonny, a French bulldog, in the University of Illinois veterinary hospital]](https://vetmed.illinois.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/pc-late-feature-260x157.jpg)
Illinois first in U.S. to offer procedure Brachycephalic syndrome: it’s a medical term for a variety of anatomical problems that sometimes obstruct the airways in pugs, bulldogs, and other pets (even cats!) with flat faces. Brachycephalic syndrome is seen in brachycephalic dogs, which are dogs that have been bred for incredibly short noses. (The word...