State veterinarian unites agencies against bird flu

By Linda Breazeale
MSU Ag Communications
PEARL, Miss. -- The Mississippi Board of Animal Health will not be alone in the battle to protect the state’s poultry industry from bird flu this winter.
“Now is the time to make sure our response plans are in place to minimize bird losses and economic damage when migratory birds return from infected nesting grounds,” said Dr. Jim Watson, state veterinarian with the Mississippi Board of Animal Health.
Watson recently invited university poultry experts, agriculture officials and representatives of Mississippi poultry companies to a meeting at the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine Poultry Diagnostic Laboratory in Pearl to address concerns.
“Of the 21 states with highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks from last December through June, some of them handled their responses without external forces coming in from the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” Watson said. “If Mississippi has an outbreak, we must be prepared to handle the response ourselves because USDA may be deployed to other states experiencing outbreaks.” read more....

Health Officials: Rabies Case Came From Bat

News from the MS Department of Health: testing confirms the rabies case is a bat variant. Please remember to vaccinate your animals and always use caution around unknown animals and wildlife.
Posted by Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine on Friday, August 21, 2015

Mississippi State vet students help military dogs

STARKVILLE, Miss.—When the retired war hero arrives for his physical rehabilitation session at the Mississippi State’s College of Veterinary Medicine, he typically draws an audience as he enjoys some welcoming treats.
Dog treats, that is.
A large, handsome German shepherd, Maci served as a military working dog for almost six years, including three tours in Afghanistan and one in Oman with his handler, U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Karl Stefanowicz. During active service, he was credited with multiple explosive finds.
Maci now resides at Columbus Air Force Base...read more...

MSU students volunteer for mission in Haiti

By Katie Timmerman
MSU College of Veterinary Medicine
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- While most people choose to spend their vacations relaxing, a number of Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine students and faculty chose to do volunteer work in Haiti.
Dr. Skip Jack, a professor at MSU-CVM, traveled to Haiti with veterinary students Rachel Mayfield, Megen Cummings, Taylor King and Jessica Wilson as part of Christian Veterinary Missions.  read more...

Dr. Mark Lawrence on AVMA.org

Look who is featured on the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)'s website for his biomedical research! Way to go, Dr. Mark Lawrence! #onehealth #vetmed #WeRingTrue
Posted by Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine on Tuesday, July 7, 2015

MSU-CVM Pioneers Equine Surgical Method

Thank you, Dr. Robin Fontenot and Dr. Caroline Betbeze, for finding ways to ease surgical stress for horses. Horse...
Posted by Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine on Monday, July 6, 2015

Summer Heat Can be Dangerous for Pets

Thank you, Dr. Brittany Thames and Dr. Andrew Mackin for the reminders on how to keep pets safe and out of the heat this summer! It's HOT out there! Is your pet well hydrated?#WeRingTrue #vetmed #petsafety
Posted by Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine on Wednesday, June 24, 2015