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Back in the running
The future of artificial limbs may very well evolve out of a partnership between the fields of veterinary medicine and engineering. Case in point: a 5-year-old German shepherd mix named Cassidy who will soon be the first large animal to benefit from a new prosthetic procedure being perfected at North Carolina State University's College of Veterinary Medicine. Cassidy lost a portion of his right hind leg several years ago, and the technique being used by veterinarian Denis Marcellin-Little and engineer Ola Harrysson should have him running on all fours in just a few months. The technique could have huge implications for humans as well, particularly injured veterans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. For more information, contact Tracey Peake at 919-515-6142 or tracey_peake@ncsu.edu.

Overstaying their welcome
A study conducted at the University of California-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine reveals that bacteria that causes Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne illness in the United States, can linger in mice long after a full round of antibiotic treatment is completed. While the bacterial remnants that stick around are not a sign of chronic disease, the discovery does set the stage for further investigation into potential treatments for persistent Lyme disease infections, according to study leader Stephen Barthold, director of the school's Center for Comparative Medicine. For more information, contact Lynn Narlesky at 530-752-5257 or lnarlesky@ucdavis.edu.

Barking to a new beat
General is one lucky dog. Actually, you could say he is one of only two lucky dogs. The German shepherd puppy is only the second dog with cardiac disease in the United States to receive an internal defibrillator, a life-saving therapy for many people with heart disease who are at risk of dangerously fast and potentially lethal heart rates. General received his defibrillator at the Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine, thanks to the talented efforts of a team coordinated by veterinarian Romain Pariaut, assistant professor of veterinary cardiology. General is now home in Missouri with his owners and is doing fine. For more information, contact Ginger Guttner at 225-578-9922 or gguttner@vetmed.lsu.edu.

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Bringing doctors together
Infected animals, susceptible human hosts and an environment that enables the transmission of disease constitute a powerful troika that threatens public health across the globe. That's why the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Medical Association have joined forces to better understand the health issues created when humans, animals and the environment converge. Dubbed "One Health," the bringing together of veterinary and medical doctors is leading to ground-breaking recommendations and actions that will benefit all living things. The Executive Summary of the AVMA One Health Initiative Task Force, which appears in the July 15, 2008 edition of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, helps define "One Health" and highlights the need to expand the concept across all health professions. For more information, contact David Kirkpatrick at 847-285-6782.

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A sampling of interesting upcoming events and pet-related campaigns ...

2nd Annual CVC Central Symposium - One Medicine: One Health, Aug. 25, 2008: From Salmonella, to MRSA and bird flu, national and regional experts will gather at the Kansas City Convention Center to explore the relationship between animal and human health, and the critical importance of medical and veterinary doctors working together to protect the health of all species. For more information, and to register, go to http://www.kclifesciences.org/events/events.php.

World Rabies Day, Sept. 28, 2008: Communities across the globe - from Atlanta, Ga., to the Democratic Republic of the Congo - will celebrate the second annual World Rabies Day, an event supported by the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Alliance for Rabies Control, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Organisation for Animal Health, to name a few. The event will increase knowledge of the disease and raise awareness that rabies, while responsible for killing about 55,000 people each year, is preventable. For more information, go to www.worldrabiesday.org, or contact David Kirkpatrick at (847) 285-6782.