Increased interest in AniCura's Research Fund

The AniCura Research Fund, established in 2015 to support clinical research within veterinary medicine, continues to attract strong interest from veterinary professionals across Europe. The 2016 now concluded evaluation process received a record number of applications and the Fund subsequently awarded funding to eight research projects, an increase by 60% from last year. 

Scientific research provides the foundation for evidence based medicine, and several areas of veterinary medicine are still in need of research to provide better answers on how to alleviate and cure diseases. For this reason, qualitative clinical research continues to be of high interest to AniCura and its veterinary professionals.

All applications are reviewed by AniCura’s Scientific Council. The council was instituted in 2013 and is, in addition to overseeing the Research Fund, tasked with promoting evidence-based care, quality assurance and research strategy across AniCura. The AniCura Scientific Council comprises leading specialist veterinarians across multiple medical disciplines and countries.

– Clinical research is highly important to further the development within veterinary medicine and we are pleased to see continued high quality applications in increasing numbers. This year applications has been received from all across Europe, as AniCura continues to grow in new geographies, says Anna Tidholm, Chairman of AniCura’s Scientific Council, DVM, PhD, Associate Professor and Dipl ECVIM-CA (Cardiology).

– The AniCura Research Fund is yet another example on AniCura’s efforts to develop veterinary care of the future, but also an important reminder that veterinary groups can contribute to the overall veterinary industry. With more than 50 clinicians active within clinical research and more than a million companion animals visiting us every year, we have fantastic opportunities to further our understanding within evidence based medicine and continue to share this knowledge, says Peter Dahlberg, CEO AniCura.

Veterinary research projects awarded financial support from AniCura’s Research Fund in 2016 are:

• ”Influence of placement site on contamination of peripheral venous catheter in dogs undergoing dental surgery”, Ivana Calice, DVM, AniCura Tierklinik Hollabrunn, Austria. Study results aim to help veterinary clinicians to recognise and minimize possible risks of infection through the catheter during dental surgery.
   
• ”To determine the diagnostic value of different methods of pre-operative screening for cardiac disease in cats undergoing surgical procedures under general anaesthesia”, Mark Dirven, DVM, Resident ECVIM-CA (Cardiology), AniCura Diergeneeskundig Verwijscentrum Dordrecht, the Netherlands. Many cats have heart diseases without displaying symptoms, which may put the cat at risk when anaesthetized. The study compares the diagnostic value of physical examination combined with blood tests (less expensive) with echocardiography (best practice, but more expensive) to determine if these tests are useful in everyday veterinary practice.
   
• ”Accurate identification and occurrence of methicillin resistant staphylococci and Enterobacteriaceae producing extended-spectrum betalactamases in healthy dogs in Sweden”, Ulrika Grönlund, DVM, PhD, Associate Professor, AniCura Group, Sweden. Antibiotics are important drugs to defeat infectious diseases in dogs. However, bacteria have become more and more resistant to antibiotics and some diseases can today be very hard to treat. The project aims to improve the quality of bacterial analyses, thus providing better tools against the most problematic bacteria.
   
• ”Nutritional aspects of dilated cardiomyopathy in Cocker spaniels and Doberman pinschers”, Karin Kriström, DVM, AniCura Albano Djursjukhus, Sweden. DCM is a heart disease which is more common in Cocker Spaniels, Doberman Pinschers, Boxers, New Foundland Dogs, Irish Wolfhounds and Great Danes. Taurin levels may have an impact on recovery, and this study examines the connection between DCM and Taurin levels across several breeds.
   
• ”The role of sex hormones in idiopathic epilepsy in dogs”, Sofie van Meervenne, DVM, Dipl ECVN, AniCura Läckeby Djursjukhus, Sweden. Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders in veterinary medicine. In human medicine, the effects of sex hormones on seizures and epilepsy are well documented, but no information exists on the effect of sex hormones on the course of epilepsy in dogs. This study is aiming to examine the epidemiology of seizures in dogs with focus on sex status, to analyse sex hormones in blood samples of dogs with epilepsy and certain receptors in the brain of epileptic dogs. This can be used to develop hormonal strategies to improve seizure control.
   
• ”Probing postretinal function with visual evoked potentials (VEPs) in dogs”, Christina Obel, DVM, Anicura Albano Djursjukhus, Sweden. Visual impairment caused by diseases in the optic nerves or brain is difficult to evaluate and localize in dogs. An electrodiagnostic method called VEP is commonly used in human medicine, but is not common in the veterinary field. The project aims to evaluate VEP as a diagnostic method for dogs.
   
• “Selection criteria for the application of pneumatic versus laser lithotripsy in the treatment of canine and feline urinary stone disease”, Peter Pantke, DVM, MD, AniCura Tierärztliche Klinik für Kleintiere, Bielefeld, Germany. Over the last two decades, tremendous progress has been made in endoscopic treatment of human urinary stone disease. Small animal urological patients could benefit from such modern minimal invasive procedures in many ways. However, delicate size and structure of the canine and feline urinary tract has hampered medical progress in this field. This research project aims at setting up treatment protocols for lithotripsy of urinary stones in dogs and cats, hopefully leading to replacement of more open surgical procedures in favour of minimally invasive stone therapy.
   
• “Phenotypic classification of breed related myelopathies in Pugs”, Cecilia Rohdin, DVM, Dipl ECVN, AniCura Albano Djursjukhus, Sweden. Pugs are an increasingly popular breed in Sweden, and some pugs have a little understood neurological disorder called PMP. The study aims to clearer define PMP, assess the prevalence of the disorder and study both pathological and genetic indicators of PMP.

For more information, please contact
Anna Tidholm, Chairman of AniCura’s Scientific Council, +46 8 505 304 00
Peter Dahlberg, CEO AniCura, +46 730 505 050 

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