M E D I C I N E

T U

V E T E R I N A R E D I C I N E

SPRING 2001

F R O M T H E D E A N

O u r R o l e i n A n i m a l H e a l t h C a r e D e l i v e r y

While veterinarians contribute in many diverse ways to our society, ours is primarily a clinical health science profession. We have the responsibility to maintain animal health by preventing disease, and by diagnosing and treating those animals that

become sick or injured. As a school, we have a multi-faceted and vital role in the animal health care delivery system.

Tufts maintains five hospitals and clinics for the purpose of delivering health care. The Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals and the Hospital for Large Animals on the Tufts Central New England Campus in North Grafton, Mass., have a combined patient caseload of over 25,000 annually. Tufts' Wildlife Clinic, now housed within the new S2.65M Bernice Barbour Wildlife Medicine Building on the Grafton campus, cares for an additional 1,400 sick and injured wildlife patients. The Tufts Ambulatory Clinic in Woodstock, Conn., serves over 1,500 clients. Most of those clients raise livestock utilized for food and fiber. Within the past two years we have responded to the high demand for accessible emergency care with the establish­ment of Tufts VETS (Veterinary Emergency Treatment Services) as a satellite small animal emer­gency clinic in Walpole, Mass.

MH^^^^^M Through these hospitals and clinics, Tufts provides state-of-the-art clinical ser­vices primarily operating as referral centers for secondary and tertiary levels of care. Our role is to be on the leading edge of diagnostic and therapeutic technol­ogy and expertise. In this way, we are able to offer assistance to over 400 private veterinary practices in Massachusetts and many more throughout New England. We are also best able to prepare 320 veterinary students and 45 clinical interns and residents for careers in clinical veterinary medicine ranging from primary care to 10 different areas of specialty care.

In addition to serving the animal-owning public and their primary care veteri-narians, these teaching facilities support our talented clinical faculty in their inves-

Jk tigations oi new diagnostic tools and novel treatment protocols and drugs that may benefit animal health. Often, disease conditions in animals closely resemble

those in people, so that our clinical research occasionally has the potential to positively impact human health care. Just in the past four years, we have developed new capabilities in diagnostic imaging (interventional helical CT and MRI), renal dialysis, and radiation therapy (linear acceler­ator). The advancement of veterinary medical practice depends on the generation of new ideas and applications of new technologies and pharmaceuticals by university-based clinical investigators.

The current demand for our specialty services — including oncology, surgery, emergency and critical care medicine and diagnostic imaging — is exceptionally high. As is the case in many human hospitals, it often takes weeks to be admitted for sophisticated diagnostic procedures or advanced therapies. We try very hard to treat our patients and clients with compassion as we edu­cate future veterinarians and specialists to enhance the care that currently exists in the veterinary health care delivery system.

Over the last few years we have expanded our clinical faculty and staff in an attempt to pro­vide excellent clinical service for as many patients as our facilities can handle. In fact, we have decided to expand the Foster Hospital by 4,500 sq. ft. and renovate 5,700 sq. ft. as soon as possible. The additional and redesigned space will include a new Emergency and Trauma Center for patients requiring immediate intervention and a separate Intensive Care Unit for patients requiring critical care management as they recover from surgery or illness. Newly redesigned areas will facili­tate improvements in patient admissions and client communication. Both the redesigned waiting room and the animal wards will have special sections devoted to cats, an improvement that responds to the concerns of many of Tufts' cat-owning clients.

We are actively raising the needed funds from private donors and will proceed once we achieve our goal of $3M. The design will streamline service delivery and improve the efficiency and utilization of our staff to better serve our clients and small animal patients while providing an optimal educational experience for our students. These improvements will help Tufts remain a leader in health care delivery and education.

T U F T S

VETERINARY MEDICINE

VOLUME2,N0.2 spring 2001

Executive Editor Dr. Philip C. Kosch, Dean School of Veterinary Medicine Editor Barbara Donato, Assistant Director Public Relations Managing Editor Margaret LeRoux Editorial Adviser Shelley Rodman, Director Veterinary Development and Alumni Relations Photographer Andy Cunningham Graphic Designer Linda Dagnello Writers Barbara Donato, Margaret LeRoux, Catherine Wolff Tufts Veterinary Medicine is funded in part by the Edward Hyde Cox Fund for Publications. It is published three times a year and distributed to key university personnel, veterinary students, veterinarians, alumni, friends and others.

We welcome your letters, story ideas and suggestions. Send correspondence to: Editor, Tufts Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, 200 Westboro Road, North Grafton, MA 01536 Telephone: (508) 839-7910 Web site: www.tufts.edu/vet

O n t h e c o v e r : Dr. Jay McDonnell, and Dr. Dominik Faissler, Assistant Professors of Neurology, and Dorothy Healey, owner of Kelsey, an eight-year-old Rottweiler. Dr. McDonnell performed brain surgery on Kelsey to remove a tumor that was causing seizures.

Photo by Andrew Cunningham Illustration by Beth Mellor, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine © 2001

A K,*4*£—

2 TUFTS VETERINARY MEDICINE Spring 2 001

I N B R I E F

F u l b r i g h t F e l l o w s P i o n e e r

N e w T e c h n o l o g y

Dr. Eric W. Overstrom, Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences

and Anatomy & Cellular Biol­ogy, has been awarded a Ful­bright Fellowship grant to lecture and conduct research this spring at the Royal Veteri­nary and Agricultural Univer­sity in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Overstrom is studying fun­damental mechanisms that reg­ulate early embryonic development in mammals, and the application of specialized embryo manipulation technolo­gies including transgenics and somatic cell nuclear transfer (cloning). In Copenhagen he is collaborating with Professor Poul Hyttel of the Department of Anatomy to detect expression of specific genes in embryos of domestic animals using fluores­cence in situ hybridization tech­niques. He will lecture to veterinary and graduate students on mammalian developmental biology, and the modification of gene expression in animals through the application of novel cloning methods.

In addition, Overstrom is currently hosting another Ful­bright scholar recipient, Dr.

Elena Ibanez, Assistant Profes­sor of Cell Biology from the Autonomus University of Barcelona, Spain. During her 12-month stay in Overstrom's Grafton, Mass., laboratory, Ibanez is studying cloning methods to apply to her ongo­ing research that investigates gene expression in laboratory animals and rare domestic breeds including the goat.

C l i n i c a l S t a f f E x p a n d s

DR.JORG MAYER recently joined Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine as clinical assistant professor in Exotics Medicine. Mayer brings significant expertise to this specialty position, including field research in New Guinea, working with wild and captive tree kangaroos; externships at the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, Rhode Island, and at the Exotic Ani­mal Clinic at Onderstepoort University in Pretoria, South Africa; and clinical rotations in both Gobabis, Namibia, and Heidelberg, Germany. He received his DVM degree in 1997 from the University of Budapest, and obtained his MS degree in Wild Animal Health from the Royal Veterinary College in London.

In July, Dr. Lillian Cornejo will be joining Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine as clinical assistant professor in Internal Medicine and head of the small animal Transfer Service in Tufts' Henry and Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals. Cornejo will lead and mentor new interns in a program that transfers patients receiving emergency services to other veteri­narians who will manage their ongoing care. Prior to coming to Tufts for her residency training, Cornejo received her DVM from Ohio State University in 1997, and interned at Michigan Veterinary Specialists in 1998. She completes her formal resi­dency training at Tufts in June.

D r . R o s s N a m e d O u t s t a n d i n g A l u m n u s

DR. JAMES N. ROSS, Distinguished Tufts Professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences, received a Distinguished Alum­nus Award at Ohio State University's 2000 Oath and Hooding

Ceremony last June. The award is presented to alumni who are well known for their accom­plishments and have made outstanding contri­butions to society. Ross received his DVM

degree from Ohio State in 1965 and his MS degree in veterinary physiology and pharma­cology in 1967. He has the distinction of being a charter diplomate in three colleges recognized by the American Veterinary Med­ical Association (AVMA): the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, the American College of Veterinary Cardiology, and the American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care. Ross is also past president of the American Association of Veterinary Clinicians and the Academy of Veterinary Cardiology.

sp\ 2QOI TUFTS VETERINARY MEDICINE

Dr. Dominik Faissler

B r a i n

S u r g e r y

Kelsey is a beautiful, energetic eight-year-old Rottweiler

"who's an important part of our family," says her owner Ken

Healey. Watching the dog romp in the Healey's spacious yard

(bordered by an invisible fence) in Medway, Mass., it's hard

to imagine how sick she was just a few months ago.

Last September Kelsey suffered a seizure while out play­

ing; about a month later, she had another one. Kelsey's vet­

erinarian, Dr. Jane Pittman, suspected that the cause was

epilepsy and prescribed treating it with phenobarbitol, a drug

used to treat and prevent seizures.

4 TUFTS VETERINARY MEDICINE Spring 2 001

THERE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE A

SEX DISPOSITION FOR BRAIN TUMORS.

SYMPTOMS MOST OFTEN ASSOCIATED

WITH BRAIN TUMORS ARK PERSONAL­

ITY CHANGES, SEIZURES, WEAKNESS

IN THE LIMBS, UNCOORDINATED

WALKING OR ABNORMAL KYF./FACIAL

SYMMETRY.

MENINGIOMAS MAY BE QUITE LARGE

BEFORE THEY CAUSE SYMPTOMS.

TREATMENT FOR CANINE MENIN­

GIOMA DEPENDS ON FACTORS INCLUDING: TYPE, LOCATION, AND SIZE AS WELL AS THE ANIMAL'S AGE AND GENERAL HEALTH.

Kelsey seemed to be doing all right until late one night in February when she suffered a cluster of five seizures within an hour and a half.

Ken was out of town; his wife Dorothy telephoned Pittman, who advised her to take the dog to Tufts VETS, Tufts' emergency clinic in nearby Walpole, Mass. The follow­ing day after Kelsey was stabilized, Dorothy brought her to the Foster Hospital for Small Animals in Grafton, Mass., where Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) revealed a large tumor compressing the dog's brain and caus­ing the seizures.

The tumor was "about the size of a bot­tle cap," says Dr. John (Jay) McDonnell, Assistant Professor of Neurology, who later performed surgery to remove it.

McDonnell and Dr. Dominik Faissler are two neurologists who joined the Tufts faculty within the past year. The addition of their expertise and the enhanced diagnostic capabilities of the hospital's MRI and com­puterized tomography (CT) scanner and radiotherapy unit puts Tufts at the forefront in treating animals with brain injuries and brain tumors.

Currently the neurologists see about two patients with brain tumors every week.

"We hope to be pioneers soon in novel treatments for brain tumors," McDonnell says.

McDonnell has a Master's degree in neuroanatomy as well as board certification in neurology; he did his residency training here at Tufts and received his veterinary degree from the University of Missouri.

"The vast majority of brain tumors are benign," explains McDonnell, "but are bio­logically devastating. Because the brain is confined by the skull, when a tumor invades the tissue the brain is compromised."

Brain tumors in dogs can cause a variety of symptoms from sleepiness to rage, and behaviors like compulsive circling.

"Animals with brain tumors look like they have a headache," McDonnell notes, "they don't want to play, they shy away from contact."

Brain tumors are relatively rare—occur­ring in only about 14 of 100,000 dogs; in cats the frequency is even lower, brain tumors affect three to five out of 100,000 felines.

The best way to diagnose a brain tumor is through imaging, either CT scan or MRI. Kelsey's tumor was imaged by the mobile MRI unit that is on site at Tufts' Grafton campus three days a week.

"A few years ago, before we had access to our own MRI unit we wouldn't have been able to be so confident in our diagnoses," McDonnell says.

After consulting with the Healeys, McDonnell surgically removed the tumor from Kelsey's brain; the procedure took two and a half hours.

The operation was delicate; part of the

dog's skull had to be removed in order to access the tumor. Kelsey's tumor, a menin­gioma, was attached to the meninges, the fibrous tissue that covers her brain. The tumor was behind her eye, requiring special care to prevent loss of vision. After he identified the margins of the tumor and found the blood vessel that fed it, the neu­rologist clipped the vessel and removed the tumor.

Kelsey was in the hospital's intensive care unit for 48 hours after surgery, although she was up, walking around, looking for something to eat within six hours.

By the time she was ready to go home two days after surgery, Kelsey had been in contact with practically the entire staff of the hospital, including the intensive care unit and emergency room, radiologists, anesthe­siologists, pathologists and technicians.

"It's a cooperative effort; we couldn't be successful unless it was," notes McDonnell.

Kelsey's prognosis is pretty good. McDonnell estimates that with additional radiation or chemotherapy to eradicate any microscopic remains of the tumor, the dog may well live another three to four years. Without radiation, the life expectancy is less optimistic—about a year. Because brain tumors typically show rapid growth, how­ever, the median survival time once symp­toms are recognized is only six weeks unless the tumor is surgically removed.

By the time Kelsey returned for her first post-operative check-up two weeks after her surgery she was acting like her old self; a few days later she was even "pretty frisky," reports Dorothy Healey. "She hasn't lost her personality. We feel like we have our dog back."

Dr. McDonnell examines a

patient's x-rays.

spring 2001 TUFTS VETERINARY MEDICINE 5

* * A U

B e y o n d W h a t ' s E x p e c t e

S t u d e n t V o l u n t e e r s

C o n n e c t H u m a n a n d

he volunteer efforts of Tufts' first-year veterinary students

are adding a chapter to a lifelong love story of an elderly

Grafton woman and her horses.

6 TUFTS VETERINARY MEDICINE Spring 2 00I

Millicent Stott, 72, thought she would have to put down the horses when her heart condition weakened her so that she couldn't haul the hay bales and water buckets to the stalls in her backyard.

Stott called on Dr. Laura Carmel, V95, clinical instructor in Clinical Sciences, for help. Carmel had treated one of Stott's horses who foundered last year after an attack of colic.

"She loves her horses and was in such distress because she couldn't handle the chores by herself," Carmel says. "I recently had to put down a horse whose owner couldn't care for him anymore and I saw how it affected the quality of his life. He lost his best friend."

Determined to help Stott avoid that same fate, Carmel told her clinical skills classes about her and asked for volunteers.

"I sent around a schedule and it came back filled," she says.

Since last winter, almost 100 students have helped with Stott's two Arabians. Between classes and on weekends, they make the trek to her home in South Grafton where they clean out the stalls in the backyard stable and haul water for Mr. Magoo and his companion Jartra.

One student, Laura Unkauf, has faith­fully helped out every week. For some, it's

a learning experience; others are horse lovers "who appreciate the opportunity to spend some quality time with a horse," notes Carmel.

David Levine, who's a horse owner himself, notes that the chores are "stress relieving."

" As a vet student, I work with horses in the hospital setting but the basics of cleaning and feeding are things that I per­sonally miss," he says.

Adds another student, Ginger Browne Johnson, "It is important for me personally to show respect for my elders— something I think we're losing as a society— and vol­unteering to help with Mr. Magoo and Jartra has given me an opportunity to do that. Mostly, I'm thankful that through Dr. Carmel's and Millicent's ingenuity and the support of our class, we've been able to save the lives of two beautiful horses."

Wendy Haumaier, another student volunteer, points out the important lessons the students have learned as they work with the horses.

"All veterinary students begin their careers with one thing in common—our love of animals and our desire to increase their quality of life by keeping them healthy," she says. "But the human factor is far removed. Dr. Carmel has brought into

focus that human connection and how important it is to always listen to our clients to really understand their needs, and how that relates to the lives and needs of their animals."

"Understanding the role an animal plays in a person's life and what we, as vet­erinarians, can do to validate that relation­ship should always be a priority in our relationship with our human/animal clients. Ms. Stott is teaching us just that," Haumaier concludes.

The students' efforts are much appre­ciated and a comfort to the woman who has made horses the focal point of her entire adult life.

"In my day I was quite a rider," Stott says, "On a Sunday a whole group of us would ride out to Hopkinton, down to the Douglas State Forest and over to Purga­tory Chasm."

As she recalls past rides, Stott is nuz­zled by Mr. McGoo. "He's my baby, I've had him since he was born 21 years ago.

"At first he and Jartra were shy of the students, but now they're used to them and come right over when they arrive," she adds.

"I'm just an old maid who loves her horses," she jokes. "They've been my life."

Thanks to the vet students from Tufts, they'll continue to be.

A n i m a l N e e d s

Some of the Veterinary students who care for Millicent Stott's horses are, from L to R: Audra Piskiel, Jennifer "Kippy" York, David Levine, Donna Bucciarelli, Wendy Haumaier, Ginger Brown Johnson, Trade Cantemessa, Amy Trow, Jeremy Bither, and Meg Golden.

Right: Millicent Stott enjoys a moment with Jartra.

spring 2001 TUFTS VETERINARY MEDICINE 7

B R A T

N e w W i l d l i f e M e d

The crowd cheered as a recovered red-tailed hawk was released back into the wild at the April 23 dedi­

cation of the new Bernice Barbour Wildlife Medicine Building. Approxi­mately 400 faculty, staff, students and guests attending the celebration enjoyed music and food while listening to Tufts President John DiBiaggio, Veterinai School Dean Philip Kosch, U.S. Repre­sentative James McGovern (D-Mass.), and others honor the Bernice Barbour Foundation, thank dozens of other phil­anthropists, and discuss what the new $2.65 facility means to Tufts and to the New England region.

The University's new 11,000-square-foot facility triples the space available for treating New England wildlife, investigat­ing global environmental issues and teach­ing veterinary students. Guests at the dedication toured exam and surgery rooms and specialized recovery wards, while stu­dents and volunteers described the advan­tages of the new building. These include space tailor-made for large carnivores, a filtered pool for aquatic species, and a humidity- and temperature-controlled

Top left: Dr. Flo Tseng examines a screech owl.

Left: L-R: Veterinary Overseer Dr. John Flagg, Georgia Flagg and Deb Brady, V01, recipient of the Flagg Scholarship, tour the new facility. The Flaggs' gift named the Flagg Wildlife Diagnostic Laboratory in the Barbour Building.

room for amphibians and reptiles. In the lobby, library and hallways, guests learned about Tufts' international veterinary efforts from photos of faculty and stu­dents doing fieldwork with elephants, giraffes and primates.

"This new facility enables our fac­ulty, students, and staff to deliver state-of-the-art health care for injured and sick individual wildlife, and to foster col­laborative interdisciplinary research," Kosch said. He added that Tufts was the first in the country to require veterinary students to study wildlife medicine and to integrate international studies into its core curriculum.

"The connection between humans, all animal species, and the environment is clearly fundamental at many levels - from food production to delicate, complex ecosystem relationships involving every­thing from biodiversity conservation to controlling diseases such as West Nile Virus, Lyme Disease and rabies," Kosch added. "Veterinarians know this inter-connectedness better than anyone and are in an ideal position to contribute to both animal and public health through research

leading to recommendations that will affect public policy and behavior."

In praising Tufts, McGovern said: "Thanks to the efforts of Tufts Veterinary School over the past two decades, Massa­chusetts and our neighboring states have seen an increase in Bald Eagles soaring overhead, more loons gracing our water­ways and rare red-bellied turtles swim­ming in them. This school has played a leadership role in keeping Cape Cod

Trustees of the Bernice Barbour Foundation: L- R, Kristina Samples, Judith Little, Gregory Little, Frank Lloyd, Eve Lloyd Thompson (Veterinary Overseer)

8 TUFTS VETERINARY MEDICINE Spring 2 001

i c i n e B u i l d i n g D e d i c a t e d

The crowd waits in anticipation of the release of a red-tailed hawk.

rabies-free for seven years and nursed our Boston Gardens swans back to health. I'm proud to represent the Massachusetts district with such a world-class institution in its backyard."

Dr. Mark Pokras, director of the Wildlife Clinic and associ­ate professor of wildlife medicine, acknowledged the community of people who have made Tufts' efforts successful.

These include former Dean Frank Loew and Dr. Charles Sedgwick, who established Tufts' Wildlife Clinic; generous friends like Edith Overly, Mary Moore and Helen Sizer, who have provided significant endowments; and others like Judy Cook, Nancy Ober, J'42, and Susan Yurkus, who have con­tributed their time, talent and philanthropy for years. Pokras also acknowledged support from state, federal and private wildlife organizations, as well an extensive network of wildlife rehabilitators. Last but not least, Pokras expressed thanks to stu­dents, whose academic excellence and dedication to treating wildlife serve as an ongoing inspiration.

Frank Lloyd, president of the Bernice Barbour Foundation, noted that Bernice Barbour devoted her thought, energy and resources toward making the lives of animals happier and healthier. "This is a perfect tribute to Bernice," he said.

The new Barbour Building is home to one of the Veterinary School's academic departments - the Department of Environ­mental and Population Health - which includes the Center for Conservation Medicine, the Wildlife Clinic, the International Veterinary Medicine Program, the Center for Animals and Pub­lic Policy and the Ambulatory Clinic in Woodstock, Conn.

Historically, one of the more visible programs has been the Wildlife Clinic, which opened in 1983 and was designated by

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services as the official Northeast center for the care of endangered species. Since then, the clinic has treated more than 18,000 sick and injured animals from New Eng­land and neighboring states.

"The new facility allows us to take the program to the next level," Pokras said. "The first set of patients in our new facility included a red-tailed hawk with detached retinas, a spotted turtle with shell damage, a lynx from Maine with leg fractures and a coy­ote from Boston with multiple fractures." With the 'baby season' just starting, Pokras said he expects the number of patients will increase significantly during the next few months.

C o m m e m o r a t i v e " S n o w y O w l "

P o s t e r A v a i l a b l e

Order your own poster of a snowy owl taking flight and help support Tufts' wildlife medicine program.

Created by Mark Wilson - Boston Globe photographer and wildlife enthusiast - the full-color poster measures 18 inches by 24 inches and costs just $25.00. Donors of $100 or more will receive a signed poster.

Please make your check payable to the Trustees of Tufts University, include a note requesting the poster, and send to: Development Office, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, 200 Westboro Road, North Grafton, MA 01536.

winter 2001 TUFTS VETERINARY MEDICINE

R E A C H I N G O U T

S c i e n c e C a p t i v a t e s

K i d s i n G a p

TEENAGERS IN CENTRAL MASSACHUSETTS

AND BOSTON ARE FINDING OUT THAT

SCIENCE CAN BE CAPTIVATING AND EVEN

"COOL" IN A NOVEL, HANDS-ON PROGRAM

ESTABLISHED FIVE YEARS AGO BY STUDENTS AT

T U F T S S C H O O L OF VETERINARY M E D I C I N E .

Gap Junction students learn anatomy from

the inside out.

At the same time, veteri­nary student volunteers are developing their communica­tion skills as they translate complex scientific concepts and terminology into lan­guage that middle school stu­dents can understand.

The two groups are mak­ing connections in a program aptly named Gap Junction for

the biological term signifying the connection that allows two cells to communicate.

Gap Junction began with students from the Paraclete Center in South Boston, and soon expanded to Burncoat Middle School in Worcester, Mass. Over the years, several other Massachusetts schools joined the program, including

10 TUFTS VETERINARY MEDICINE spring 200/

J u n c t i o n

the Floral Street Elementary School in Shrewsbury and Nipmuc Middle School in Upton. Gap Junction has now reached more than 400 Bay State students through the work of 150 Tufts students from the schools of Medicine, Veterinary Medicine, and Sackler Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, who have volunteered as teachers and coordinators.

In Grafton, third-year veterinary students Cary Hughes and Geoff Jarbeau co-directed Gap Junction for the past year. This spring, sec­ond-year students Bethany Smyers, Rebecca Marcus, and Jennifer Kim took over the program in Worcester County, while Julie Onton assumed primary responsibility for the program with the Paraclete Center.

Tufts students created Gap Junction activities to teach science by involving kids in laboratories not typically available at their schools.

"We use x-rays, speci­mens from pathology labs, stethoscopes and PowerPoint presentations to captivate them," explains Dr. Mary Rose Paradis, faculty advisor to the program.

Sessions begin with a brief lecture followed by a

hands-on lab exercise and a question and answer session.

"While we're talking to the kids we'll often discover they've made their own con­nections or discoveries," says Hughes.

"It's exciting to see them have a 'click' moment when it all comes together," adds Jar-beau.

Burncoat Middle School students have had a lot of those exciting moments over the years, according to science teacher Harriet Goff.

"My students come away with so much that I can't give them," she says. "The Tufts students do an excellent job of translating concepts, making connections that eighth-graders can understand."

The Tufts students are also exceptional role models, Goff adds. "They see these cool young people, many of them young women, who are excited about science and it gives them a whole different perspective."

Tufts Veterinary School provides assistance with pre­sentation set-up, classroom, and laboratory space, and the Pathology and Radiology Departments provide teaching radiographs and hands-on anatomy specimens.

The Tufts' farm also

Viewing x-rays stimulates a classroom discussion

introduces participants to car­ing for farm animals. Visits to the lamb shed and horse barn at Tufts' Grafton campus offer city kids exposure to animals they've never seen up close before.

Last summer, Gap Junc­tion student volunteers worked with teenagers at the Germaine Lawrence School (GLS), a residential treatment center for emotionally and behaviorally troubled female adolescents in Arlington, Mass.

In collaboration with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Ani­mals (MSPCA), the program also instructed students in the basics of horse care, handling, and management. Participants then volunteered at the Nevins Farm and Equine Shelter, in Methuen, Mass.

Another goal of Gap Junction is to increase collabo­rations among communities in Massachusetts and other

regions to expand informal science education. After an article about the program appeared in Veterinary Eco­nomics, Tufts received requests for information from Califor­nia, New York and Nebraska.

Tufts students presented a session on the program at the annual student chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association meeting in the spring. They have also created a Gap Junction web site— www.tufts.edu/vet/contined/ gap.html—that includes its teaching handbook and pic­tures of sessions.

Gap Junction has been funded by the Massachusetts Campus Compact (MACC) for the past four years, though support from MACC ends with the current year. Tufts stu­dents, with assistance from the school's Development Depart­ment, are investigating new funding sources for this valu­able program.

spring 2001 TUFTS VETERINARY MEDICINE 11

T Y •MHHBHHHi

V a c c i n e P r o g r a m K e e p s C a p e

R a b i e s - f r e e

I t's prized by millions as a tourist attraction, but Cape Cod also has a public health distinction.

Visitors to the Cape, residents, and their pets can enjoy its beaches, campgrounds and hiking trails with­out fear of rabies.

Thanks to the efforts of researchers at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, the Cape is virtually the only area on the Eastern seaboard that is free from rabies. Since 1993, a successful program of vacci­nating raccoons in targeted areas on and adjacent to the Cape has prevented the disease from reaching the popular vacation area.

Dr. Steve Rowell,V83, and Dr. Alison Robbins, V92, lead the vaccination pro­gram that is supported by the Common­wealth of Massachusetts through the Department of Public Health. Focusing on the animal's habitats with bait contain­ing the vaccine, the program also suc­ceeded in practically eradicating rabies from towns on the edge of the Cape. In the past three years since this phase of the program started, only two new cases of rabies have been reported within the vac­cinated areas of Plymouth, Wareham and Carver, and no cases have been reported on the Cape.

Preventing the spread of rabies is an important public health issue; when the

disease first appeared in Massachusetts in 1992 it galvanized public health officials into action.

"We knew a vaccine had been devel­oped and that other states were successful in using it to prevent the spread of rabies," says Rowell. In fact, the state of Texas eradicated rabies in coyotes in a massive vaccination effort in the mid-1990s.

Eight years ago, a dedicated corps of volunteers began distributing bait contain­ing vaccine along roadsides and trails twice a year, in April and October. A heli­copter donated by the Massachusetts State Police has been used to air drop the vac­cine into remote areas. With the Cape Cod Canal as a barrier, the vaccine distrib­ution initially covered an eight-mile area beyond the Canal. Volunteers also distrib­uted the vaccine for two miles on the western side of the Canal. Today, all distri­bution of the vaccine takes place on the mainland.

The vaccine is contained in plas­tic sachets wrapped in small, rec­tangular blocks of fish meal. When raccoons bite into the fish meal bait, their teeth break the sachet and the vaccine is released into their mouths. "We've tried different methods of

distributing bait containing vac­cine and found that targeting habitat areas has been the most

successful," explains Rowell.

Occasionally dogs or cats have eaten the bait. It's not harmful to them; in fact, the vaccine most likely acts as a booster to their rabies shots.

As part of the program, raccoons in the vaccinated areas are trapped, anes­thetized, tested for rabies and later released back into the wild. Test results show a range of 30 percent to 80 percent of them have been vaccinated. Results of the rabies vaccination program have been published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

A Rabies Advisory Group including scientists, public health officials and wildlife management personnel is working with the USDA to eradicate rabies on a regional basis.

"Our goal is to eradicate rabies in the Northeast," says Rowell. "When we began this project it was just a dream, now it's a real possibility."

12 TUFTS VETERINARY MEDICINE Spring 2001

s i n g t h e P a i n

C L A S S N O T E S

L o s i n g a P e t

osing a pet can be one of the most difficult times in an owner's life. Aware of this, Tufts offers a Pet Loss Support Line to help owners through the grieving process.

"Pets are members of our families," notes Dr. Steve Rowell, director of the Foster Hospital for Small Animals. "When we lose them it leaves a big hole in our lives."

The Pet Loss Support Line, (508) 839-7966, operates Monday through Fri­day from 6-9 p.m. and is staffed by Tufts veterinary student volunteers.

By talking with a volunteer about the loss of a beloved friend, pet owners can work through their grief and associated feelings. At times when needed, the staff at the Pet Loss Support Line may recommend further counseling.

The Pet Loss Support Line is supported primarily by private donations, and contributions are tax deductible as provided by law. Donations, which can be made as a memorial for a deceased pet, should be directed to the Trustees of Tufts Uni­versity with the notation that they are for the Pet Loss Support Line.

The pain of losing a beloved pet can be eased for some owners by knowing that their animal can help educate future veterinarians. Through the Client Dona­tion Program, the body of a pet that has received medical care at Tufts can be donated to the veterinary school for teaching purposes.

"It's a way of letting your pet live on," Rowell notes, "by teaching veterinarians who can use the knowledge they gain to treat other sick or injured animals." Because Tufts no longer uses animals bred specifically for educational use, the school relies on client donations of deceased pets to make animals available for teaching.

"There's no substitute for an animal in teaching anatomy," Rowell explains. "Veterinarians need hands-on experience so they know the look and feel the intri­cacies of what animal anatomy entails."

By donating their pets' remains, owners can find comfort in supporting a humane approach to providing this important aspect of veterinary training. In addition, pet owners who choose to donate the remains of their pet are not charged for euthanasia or other related costs.

C o m m e n c e m e n t

This year's commence­

ment for the Veterinary

School's Class of 2001

will be on Sunday, May 20, at

2:00 p.m., on the Grafton, Mass.,

campus.

The keynote speaker will be Dr.

Judith Vaitukaitis, director of the

National Center for Research

Resources (NCRR) for the National

Institutes of Health in Bethesda,

Maryland. Dr. Vaitukaitis earned a

BS from Tufts University and an

MD from Boston University. She has

served on numerous editorial boards

of scientific journals and on advisory

boards and committees for scholarly

societies, foundations, universities

and federal agencies. In 1998, she

was elected to the Tufts Board of

Trustees as an Alumni Trustee.

spring 2001 TUFTS VETERINARY MEDICINE 13

T U F T S T O M O R R O W

H o s p i t a l E x p a n s i o n

P l a n n e d

WITH LEAD GIFTS PROVIDING

MOMENTUM, PLANS ARE

UNDERWAY FOR A MAJOR

EXPANSION OF THE FOSTER

HOSPITAL FOR SMALL

ANIMALS.

"We're almost halfway to our goal of $3 million," notes Phil Kosch, dean of Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine. "This is the highest priority project in the school because it impacts nearly all of our small animal patients, their owners, all of our students, our interns, residents and faculty clini­cians, and most of our hospital technicians."

The additional and redesigned space will include a new Emergency and Trauma Center for animals requiring immediate intervention and a separate Intensive Care Unit for patients requiring close observation and active case management as they recover from surgery or illness

"The expert training we provide our students and the new diagnostic and treatment approaches developed by our faculty have made Tufts Vet­erinary School known as a leader in emergency and criti­cal care," notes Dr. Steve Rowell, hospital director. "The expansion will enable us to stay on the leading edge as we take these programs into the future."

The intensive care unit is fully equipped to stabilize and maintain animals with cata­strophic injuries and critical illnesses.

"But, at approximately 650 square feet in size, our current facility is far too small to address the burgeoning

caseload and future needs of this critical service," Rowell adds.

More than half the inpa­tients at Tufts come for emer­gency service. The Foster Hospital for Small Animals was built in 1985 to accom­modate an annual patient cen­sus of 12,000. After adding the Harrington Oncology Unit, the hospital now manages a total of 22,000 cases per year.

Included in the expansion will be new facilities where faculty, staff, and students can confer about animal care, as well as space to hold private conferences with animal own­ers. It will also feature a sepa­rate ward for cats.

Redesigned space in the admissions and waiting area will also include a special sec­tion devoted to cats, an approach that responds to the concerns of many of Tufts' cat-owning clients and friends.

The expansion will increase the size of the Foster Hospital for Small Animals by 4,500 sq.ft. and will renovate 5,700 of existing space. Re­designed space will also improve the admissions process and management of medical records.

"The expansion will improve the way we practice medicine," Rowell says. "As director of the hospital, I'm very excited about the possibilities."

14 TUFTS VETERINARY MEDICINE Spring 2001

G e n e r o u s G i f t E n d o w s

S c h o o l P u b l i c a t i o n s

Edward Hyde Cox was a man of many

interests, but the two that will be carried on by

Tufts Veterinary School are his concern for the

welfare of animals and his love for the wri t ten

word. Funded through his estate, T h e Edward

Hyde Cox Fund for Publications will support

Tufts Veterinary Medicine and similar publica­

tions. A graduate of Harvard College, Cox was

a close friend of Robert Frost, co-edit ing two

volumes of work by the famous poet.

A resident of Manchester , Mass. , wi th ties

to Gloucester, he was president and later curator

of the Cape A n n Historical Association. Cox's

interests were varied, and included literature,

antiques, art, music, gardening, wildlife, and

animal welfare. Th is generous gift will help

ensure high quality publications for our readers.

H o w t o r p a r h u s

Main hospital switchboard and after-hours emergencies (508) 839-5395

Henry & Lois Foster Hospital for Small Animals appointment desk (508) 839-5395

Hospital for Large Animals appointment desk (508) 839-5395

Wildlife Clinic (508)839-7918

Directions to Tufts (508) 839-5395, ext. 84650

Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine administration (508) 839-5302

Veterinary Student Admissions Office (508) 839-7920

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE TUFTS TOMORROW CAMPAIGN, PLEASE CONTACT:

Shelley Rodman, director of Veterinary Development and Alumni Relations (508) 839-7907 or e-mail: shelley.rodman@tufts.edu

Martha Clark, associate director of Veterinary Development (508) 839-7908 or e-mail: martha.clark@tufts.edu

Cristin Merck, director of the Tufts Veterinary Fund and Alumni Relations (508) 839-7902 or e-mail: cristin.merck@tufts.edu

Veterinary Alumni Relations (508) 839-7902

Tufts Veterinary Fund (508) 839-7909

Veterinary Development (508) 839-7905

Tufts Pet Loss Support Hotline (508) 839-7966

spring 2001 TUFTS VETERINARY MEDICINE 15

P H O T O F I N I S H

R o a d t o t h e f u t u r e

L-R: Mass.Governor Paul Cellucci accepts a Tufts Veterinary School sweatshirt from Dean Philip Kosch. The governor was on hand to deliver nearly $1 million to the town of Grafton, Mass., to construct an access road to the new Tufts Science Park.

T U F T S

T U F T S V E T E R I N A R Y M E D I C I N E Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine

200 Westboro Road North Grafton, Massachusetts 01536 www.tufts.edu/vet

Nonprofit Org. U.S. Postage

P A I D No. Grafton, MA

Permit No. 9

S A V E T H E DATE! ! Open House September 8 , 2 0 0 1

Produced by the Tufts University Public Relations Department