JANUARY 2025 VOLUME 34, NO.1
A PUBLICATION BY THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT OF VETERINARY SCIENCE, MAXWELL H. GLUCK EQUINE RESEARCH CENTER FUNDED BY:
EQUUS / STANDARDBRED STATION, INC. M&J INSURANCE
R E S E A R C H S P OT L I G H T
IN THIS ISSUE NATIONAL, 2-4 Biosecurity planning for equestrian events
Veterinary pathology residency at UKVDL “You do what for a living?”
RNA vaccines: Can they protect from equine herpesvirus infection and its complications?
In casual conversation, it can be hard to explain what I do day to day as a second-year veterinary anatomic pathology resident at the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. When people ask, I tell them, “I am a veterinarian who does work behind the scenes at a veterinary diagnostic laboratory.”
INTERNATIONAL, 5-6 Fourth Quarter 2024 international report on equine infectious diseases
That means I use my knowledge from both my exhaustive reading and collaboration with senior pathologists to determine how and why an animal dies. Necropsy (an animal autopsy) is an important tool which functions to give owners closure, and which can allow veterinarians and clients to make informed decisions regarding herd health.
Whole genome sequencing of Thoroughbred horses: A tool for surveillance and management
T H A N K YO U SPONSORS
Since coming to Kentucky a year and a half ago as a veterinarian fresh out of veterinary college, I have learned so much. I have studied pathology texts, journal articles, thousands of images of classic diseases, written hundreds of descriptions and gained a particularly indepth understanding of equine pathology. Although training at the UKVDL is designed to educate us in all domestic animal species, pathology residents here can’t help but benefit from the equine-focused veterinary expertise and caseload that comes with being in such close proximity to the equine industry in Kentucky. At the end of residency, we will step into the field as fully-fledged anatomic pathologists, and at least two things are certain; our coworkers will come to us to consult on equine cases, and our time at the UKVDL will have prepared us to be excellent well-rounded diagnosticians. CONTACT: Madison Conway, DVM Second year resident, Anatomic Pathology University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Lexington, KY Madison.Conway@uky.edu
The UKVDL is one of the leading diagnostic pathology institutions in the United States, especially for diseases related to horses. As a first-year anatomic pathology resident who just graduated from veterinary college this past spring and started my veterinary pathology career in July, the UKVDL has already provided me with so many interesting and eye-opening cases. Our job as residents is to study animal diseases with our outstanding pathologists and apply that knowledge and training to real cases. We prepare both biopsy and postmortem examination reports for clients, which we review with pathologists. I always feel so happy and honored to read the histology slides from these cases and figure out an answer for our clients. This also helps our veterinary clients to find the best treatment for their patients. In addition to diagnostic services, residents are also responsible for teaching pathology to students currently in veterinary college, as well as participating in educational activities with outside institutions, doing research projects and presenting at national conferences. A strength of the UKVDL is the much larger number of equine cases compared to any other diagnostic laboratory in the country. This allows us to conduct more research to benefit our equine veterinarians and horse owners. I have enjoyed working with people in the different departments within the lab (like Virology, Bacteriology, Molecular Biology, Clinical Pathology and Toxicology) and learning about all the different diagnostic tools we have at our disposal. The challenge for me right now is how to absorb all the knowledge required to be a veterinary pathologist and write an accurate and clear report for our clients. Being a veterinary pathologist has always been my dream; I will keep learning and honing my skills at the UKVDL, just like Plato said, “Success is the result of perseverance to the very end.” CONTACT: Danyue Kang, DVM First year resident, Anatomic Pathology University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Lexington, KY Danyue.Kang@uky.edu
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