OVC · 2015-01-29 · OVC Pet Trust Fund l Best Friends Newsletter Spring2012 Last year, your gifts...

8
OVC Pet Trust Fund l Best Friends Newsletter Spring2012 Last year, your gifts to Pet Trust provided more than $150,000 for graduate stipends and scholarships, creating learning and training opportunities for a new generation of clinical specialists and scientists. “It’s an investment in people that will benefit animals everywhere for years to come,” says Dr. Gordon Kirby, OVC’s associate dean of research and innovation. “The OVC is renowned for its graduate programs in the veterinary and biomedical sciences, and Pet Trust funding helps us attract some of the brightest minds from across Canada and around the world.” Your donations support qualified veterinarians from across Canada and around the world who come to OVC for advanced training in veterinary oncology, diagnostic imaging, neurology and ophthalmology, as well as those pursuing their PhD with an eye toward an academic career. Dr. Maude Touret, a graduate of the National Veterinary College of Toulouse in France, is in her third year of OVC’s Doctor of Veterinary Science (DVSc) degree program that combines applied clinical skills training with research in a unique residency program. Looking ahead to a career as a specialist in medical oncology, she came to Guelph after completing a MSc at the University of Montreal. “The OVC takes a team approach to cancer Investing in the future The OVC Pet Trust Fund is shaping the future of veterinary medicine by supporting graduate student positions at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC). OVC Pet T rust Fund | Best Friends Newsletter is published by the Ontario Veterinary College for OVC Pet Trust Fund donors and friends. Continued on Page 3 Inside this Issue: In order to find cures we need your help to fund cures . Give generously to OVC Pet Trust Fund. Help the pets we love live longer, healthier lives. OVC Pet Trust is grateful for your support. 2 For Pete’s Sake Supporting Pet Trust strengthens the bond between veterinarians and their clients. 4 A little help from our friends Volunteers the key to our success 5 Your donations at work Seeking a better way to treat feline eye disease 6 Six degrees of separation A golden thread connects nation of supporters 7 Puttin’ on the dog Gala events a smash success 8 Clinic profile Grimbsy Animal Hospital Your donations support advanced training for veterinarians like Drs. Maude Touret, left, and Fernanda Mantovani.

Transcript of OVC · 2015-01-29 · OVC Pet Trust Fund l Best Friends Newsletter Spring2012 Last year, your gifts...

Page 1: OVC · 2015-01-29 · OVC Pet Trust Fund l Best Friends Newsletter Spring2012 Last year, your gifts to Pet Trust provided more than $150,000 for graduate stipends and scholarships,

OV

C Pet Trust Fund l Best Friends Newsletter

Spring2012

Last year, your gifts to Pet Trust provided more than$150,000 for graduate stipends and scholarships,creating learning and training opportunities for anew generation of clinical specialists andscientists.

“It’s an investment in people that willbenefit animals everywhere for years to come,”says Dr. Gordon Kirby, OVC’s associate dean ofresearch and innovation. “The OVC is renownedfor its graduate programs in the veterinary andbiomedical sciences, and Pet Trust funding helpsus attract some of the brightest minds fromacross Canada and around the world.”

Your donations support qualifiedveterinarians from across Canada and around the

world who come to OVC for advanced trainingin veterinary oncology, diagnostic imaging,neurology and ophthalmology, as well as thosepursuing their PhD with an eye toward anacademic career.

Dr. Maude Touret, a graduate of theNational Veterinary College of Toulouse inFrance, is in her third year of OVC’s Doctor ofVeterinary Science (DVSc) degree program thatcombines applied clinical skills training withresearch in a unique residency program.Looking ahead to a career as a specialist inmedical oncology, she came to Guelph aftercompleting a MSc at the University of Montreal.

“The OVC takes a team approach to cancer

Investing in the futureThe OVC Pet Trust Fund is shaping the future of veterinary medicine bysupporting graduate student positions at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC).

OVC Pet Trust Fund | Best Friends Newsletter is published by the Ontario Veterinary College for OVC Pet Trust Fund donors and friends.

Continued on Page 3

Inside this Issue:

In order to find cures we

need your help to fund

cures. Give generously

to OVC Pet Trust Fund.

Help the pets we love

live longer, healthier lives.

OVC Pet Trust is grateful

for your support.

2 For Pete’s SakeSupporting Pet Trust strengthens the bond between veterinarians and their clients.

4 A little help fromour friendsVolunteers the key to our success

5 Your donations at workSeeking a better way to treat feline eye disease

6 Six degrees of separationA golden thread connects nation of supporters

7 Puttin’ on the dogGala events a smash success

8 Clinic profileGrimbsy Animal Hospital

Your donations support advanced training for veterinarians likeDrs. Maude Touret, left, and Fernanda Mantovani.

Best Friends Newsletter Spring Edition 2012_Best Friends News 15/06/12 12:46 PM Page 1

Page 2: OVC · 2015-01-29 · OVC Pet Trust Fund l Best Friends Newsletter Spring2012 Last year, your gifts to Pet Trust provided more than $150,000 for graduate stipends and scholarships,

From the Board of Trustees: Dr. Mary DeCaire

Everyone has their own uniquestory that helps explain why theysupport the OVC Pet Trust Fund.

Dr. Mary DeCaire explains it withthree simple words: “For Pete’s sake.”

Although DeCaire has had manywonderful patients and clients in morethan 30 years of practice, Pete wasspecial. He was a miniature Schnauzerwho enjoyed a long and happy life withhis family despite dealing with chronichealth problems including diabetes,problems with his bladder and pancreas,kidney disease, and dental issues.

“He was high-maintenance butdearly loved,” said DeCaire, an OVC ’76graduate and the current chair of theOVC Pet Trust Fund board of trustees.“Pete had a good life but it was the careand commitment of his owners thatmade it possible.”

Inevitably, time ran out for Pete andDeCaire helped his family face the

heartbreaking decision to say goodbye.After his passing, she received apackage from Pete’s ‘mom,’ a Muskoka-area textile artist known for naming eachof her one–of-a-kind creations. Inaddition to a thank-you letter, the boxcontained a handmade scarf with a tagattached that read “For Pete’s sake.”

“That’s the essence of why we dowhat we do as veterinarians,” saidDeCaire, a partner at Centennial AnimalHospital and Gravenhurst VeterinaryServices. “Without that bond ofunconditional love between pets andtheir people, our profession as we’veknown it would not exist. And withoutthe OVC Pet Trust Fund, there would beno other major source of financialsupport in Canada for research thatbenefits the health of companionanimals like Pete.”

•The OVC Pet Trust Fund welcomed TomRyley to the board of trustees in 2011.

Making a difference, for Pete’s sake

2 Best Friends | Spring 2012

NEWS | Honouring the bond between pets and their people

A longtime supporter of Pet Trust, Ryley(pictured above) is a former executive vice-president of Suncor Energy, where he wasresponsible for Suncor's refining and marketingbusiness.

Following his retirement from Suncor in2008, he started Beacon Head Energy, a businessadvisory and investment management firmspecializing in alternate and renewable energy.He also sits on the boards of several public,private and charitable organizations.

Runs, walks, barbecues, fashion shows, memorial

donations — there have always been manyways to support the OVC Pet Trust Fund.

More and more people are choosing waysto give that reflect their particular interestsand circumstances.

Weddings, parties, anythingAmanda Giordano and Gianpiero

Bartella will celebrate their wedding onJune 23 — and share their love for animalsby making a donation to Pet Trust in lieu ofwedding favours for their guests.

“Gianpiero and I have been togetherfor about two and half years now, and fromthe first time we went out I knew he wasthe man I was going to spend the rest ofmy life with,” says Amanda. “Especially,after I saw the way he treated the other twomen in my life: my golden lab Ceaser andmy short-haired cat Oscar.”

For the wedding, Pet Trust issupplying gift cards that will be placed ateach place setting notifying guests of thedonation and thanking them for sharingtheir special day.

“We decided together to donate to theOVC Pet Trust Fund because our animalsare one of the most important things in ourlives, and if we can help other animals livelonger lives then we have something to beproud of. Our pets are the ones who loveus unconditionally, who wait for us at thedoor to come home and always know howto put a smile on our face.

We couldn't have chosen a moreperfect way to celebrate the most importantday of our lives.”Continued on Page 8

Sharing their love for each other and for their pets

For their wedding, Amanda Giordano andGianpiero Bartella made a donation to PetTrust in lieu of wedding favours for guests.

Best Friends Newsletter Spring Edition 2012_Best Friends News 15/06/12 12:46 PM Page 2

Page 3: OVC · 2015-01-29 · OVC Pet Trust Fund l Best Friends Newsletter Spring2012 Last year, your gifts to Pet Trust provided more than $150,000 for graduate stipends and scholarships,

News | Investing in health care

Creating new opportunities for young veterinarians

3 Best Friends | Spring 2012

skin as well as the lining of the lungs anddigestive tract, mouth, eyelids and nose.Mast cell tumours are one of the mostcommon types of cancer in dogs.

“I’m looking at how expression ofcertain proteins differs among dogs withthe disease and how these markerscorrelate with their prognosis,” saidThompson, who graduated from OVC in2003 and returned to Guelph in 2007 fora DVSc in pathology, then transferred toa PhD program. While working on herPhD, she has continued as a part-timepractitioner at the Animal Hospital ofHigh Park in Toronto.

Supported by the Art RouseMemorial Scholarship in Veterinary andComparative Cancer Studies, Thompsonworks with tissue samples from theUniversity of Guelph Institute forComparative Cancer Investigation (ICCI)tumour bank — which is also funded byPet Trust.

In addition to contributing tounderstanding the mechanisms of cancer,her research has produced an addedbenefit: two new lines of “immortal”mast cells that can grow and replicateindefinitely in the laboratory and bepreserved for study by other scientists foryears to come. The cells were developedin the laboratory of Dr. Brenda Coomber,co-director of the ICCI.

“These cells are very hard to grow inthe laboratory. There are less than 10mast cell lines in the world and they’renot readily available,” said Thompson,whose work earned her the 2011 MerialResearch Award for GraduateVeterinarians.

“In the lab there are a number ofthings we can do to study tumours andunderstand how they grow, test how theyrespond in the presence of certain drugs,and begin developing new therapies. Butwe need cell lines to do it,” saidThompson.

“I would not have been able to doany of this if not for Pet Trust.”

care that includes medical, surgical andradiation oncologists plus specialists inother services such as diagnostic imaging— all working together to come up with aplan that’s best for each patient,” saysTouret, who now has permanent residencystatus and plans to remain in Canada.

Touret’s research project focuses onanalyzing the DNA and RNA of bacteria inthe gastrointestinal tract of dogs undergoingchemotherapy to understand why somesuffer side effects such as diarrhea andothers don’t.

“While diarrhea isn’t a big problem formost of our patients, canine lymphoma is agood model for some types of leukemia andlymphoma in humans. We hope what welearn here can be applied to help people,especially children with leukemia whooften become seriously ill with diarrhea asa result of chemotherapy.”

The Pet Trust Fund also supports one-year internships at OVC. That’s whatbrought Dr. Fernanda Mantovani to Guelphfrom Brazil as the Spinone OncologyIntern. When she completes her internshipthis summer, she will remain at OVC and

begin a DVSc/residency in medicaloncology.

A graduate of the Sao Paolo StateUniversity, Mantovani spent her seniorclinical year at the University of Wisconsinfollowed by a rotating internship at theUniversity of Missouri. It was in Missourithat she decided to pursue specialty trainingin oncology.

“The OVC has a great reputation andthe specialty internship in oncology hasallowed me to work with and learn from awonderful group of people,” saysMantovani. “OVC has a full range ofspecialists under one roof — which is veryhelpful for patients, for clients, and for mytraining.”

These are opportunities that simplywould not exist without support from thePet Trust Fund, says Dr. JenniferThompson, a PhD student in the OVC’sDepartment of Pathobiology.

Thompson’s research focuses on caninemast cell tumours — in particular,determining the expression of proteins thatare often impaired in animal and humancancers.

Mast cells are a special type ofimmune system cell found primarily in the

Cover story continued

Support from Pet Trust helped Dr. Jennifer Thompson complete her PhD andmake a valuable contribution to cancer research.

Best Friends Newsletter Spring Edition 2012_Best Friends News 15/06/12 12:46 PM Page 3

Page 4: OVC · 2015-01-29 · OVC Pet Trust Fund l Best Friends Newsletter Spring2012 Last year, your gifts to Pet Trust provided more than $150,000 for graduate stipends and scholarships,

In the Community | Focus on Friends

4 Best Friends | Spring 2012

Volunteers the key to our success

Over the years, the OVC Pet TrustFund has celebrated manysuccesses thanks to the hard workof our passionate community ofvolunteers and supporters.

From organizing fundraisers torepresenting Pet Trust at tradeshows and other events, they’rebuilding grassroots support anddemonstrating that there are many,many ways to give.

“Pet Trust appeals to mebecause it is dedicated to improvinghealth care for people’s animalcompanions,” said Janice O’Born,chairman of The Printing House(TPH) Charitable Office and ownerof the Yorkville, Ont.-based AxiSpa.

Dedicated to promotingphilanthropy among the staff atTPH, the Charitable Office supportsa number of Canadian charities,particularly those that benefitwomen and children, in a variety ofways. Its payroll participation

program supports charities by matchingemployee contributions dollar-for-dollar.Funds usually go to one environmental oranimal-related cause and, one children’s.

The OVC Pet Trust Fund was selected asa charity of choice in 2011, and recentlyO’Born presented a cheque for $21,023 onbehalf of TPH and its employees in support ofPet Trust research.

A lifelong animal lover, O’Born becameinvolved with Pet Trust in 2010 when she co-hosted an awareness-raising dinner with PetTrust board of trustees member Roly Watt.Building upon the success of that event,O’Born played a crucial role as chair of theorganizing committee for the Pet Trust Gala inOctober that raised more than $240,000 (net).

“For me, the most rewarding thing wasbuilding friends for Pet Trust, increasingawareness and receiving inspiration fromsome of the people affiliated with the OntarioVeterinary College such as Dr. ElizabethStone, Dr. Paul Woods and Dr. Sarah Boston.”

Pet Trust also plays an important role in

fostering opportunities for veterinary studentsand strengthening relationships betweenveterinary caregivers, clients and their pets,said Adam Little, a student volunteer who justcompleted his third year of the four-yearDVM program at the OVC.

“I believe that the exposure Pet Trustbrings to veterinary medicine and thecontributions made by veterinary research arevital,” said Little.

In addition to helping out at eventsraising awareness of Pet Trust among hisfellow students, Little is the project managerdeveloping a new pet-oriented mobileapplication for smartphones.

“The app itself will be geared towardschildren and educate them about veterinarymedicine through interacting with their ownpersonal virtual pet.”

Janice O'Born, top left, has played a keyrole in raising awareness about Pet Trustin the Toronto area. Right, OVC studentAdam Little helps out at the Pet Trustbooth at the 2012 Ontario VeterinaryMedical Association conference.

Best Friends Newsletter Spring Edition 2012_Best Friends News 15/06/12 12:46 PM Page 4

Page 5: OVC · 2015-01-29 · OVC Pet Trust Fund l Best Friends Newsletter Spring2012 Last year, your gifts to Pet Trust provided more than $150,000 for graduate stipends and scholarships,

Your donations at work | Investing in discovery

5 Best Friends | Spring 2012

Focusing on the right medications for cats

OVC scientists are working to increaseunderstanding of a common eye disease in catsand assess the safety of drugs that may be usedto treat it.

The study is led by Dr. Chantale Pinard, afaculty member in OVC’s Department ofClinical Studies, and supported by a $46,841grant from Pet Trust. The scientists areexamining the role of a particular enzyme inuveitis and the effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) often used totreat the condition in other species.

Uveitis — an inflammatory condition thataffects the middle layer or coloured part of theeye — is one of the more common eye diseasesknown to affect cats.

Over the past decade, one in four catspresented to the OVC Health Sciences Centrehave had the disease which if left uncheckedcan lead to chronic pain, glaucoma andblindness, said Pinard, a board-certifiedophthalmologist.

“It is an important disease that is quiteprevalent in the general cat population. But itcan be caused by a number of things so it canbe difficult to diagnose and treat correctly,”said Pinard.

The research team includes Drs. KimberlyHsu (an OVC graduate student) and facultymembers Ron Johnson (a pharmacologist),pathologist Jeff Caswell and radiologistStephanie Nykamp. Pinard will also be

working with Dr. Dana Allen, an expert on theeffects of medications on organs such as theliver and kidneys who retired recently fromOVC.

They’ll be studying COX-2, an enzymelinked to inflammatory eye conditions in dogsbut whose role in feline eye diseases is unclear.NSAIDS act by inhibiting COX enzymes;however, NSAIDS administered orally canharm the kidneys, liver and gastrointestinaltract. This is particularly true in cats becausetheir livers cannot metabolize NSAIDS.

One way around the problem is to limit theamount of medication absorbed throughout thebody by applying NSAIDS topically in theform of eye drops.

“In dogs and people, we’ve found thattopical NSAIDS are an effective way to treatuveitis without significant side effects,” saidPinard, who cautioned that some studies haveshown repeated use of NSAIDS may producecorneal lesions and increased intraocularpressure, one of the warning signs forglaucoma.

“There are no veterinary-approvedNSAIDS for cats and dogs, and we don’t knowenough about how their systems absorbmedication to predict how much can be usedwithout damaging side effects or whether theycan be used safely in combination with otherdrugs. We’re hoping this study will answersome of those questions.”

Projects funded in fall 2011• Dr. Olaf Berke ($3,000)

Time series analysis of feline retroviral infections

• Dr. Shauna Blois ($10,000)

Serum and urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin concentrations in dogs with sepsis and dogs with neoplasia

• Dr. Brigitte Brisson ($24,000)

Can silver-coated urinary catheters reduce the rate of bacteriuria and acquired catheter-associated urinary tract infections in clinical canine patients at the OVC-HSC?

• Dr. Alice Defarges ($22,733)

Standardization of brochoalveolar lavage suction techniques to optimize diagnostic yield of canine lower airway supplies

• Dr. David Eshar ($1,072)

Comparison of Azostix reagent test strips with standard automated biochemical analyzer for blood urea nitrogen/urea in ferrets

• Dr. Anthony Mutsaers ($13,081)

Quantification of circulating growth factor/cytokine profiles to aid dose optimization of receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors toceranib and masitinib in canine cancer patients

• Dr. Tony Ogg ($39,972)

Hemostasis in cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy at diagnosis and following therapy with anti-platelet drugs

• Dr. Tony Ogg ($22,388)

Pharmacology of the oral acting factor Xa inhibitor rivaroxaban in normal dogs and cats – pilot studies

• Dr. Glen Pyle ($30,000)

A molecular investigation of dilated cardiomyopathy in Doberman pinschers

• Dr. Dale Smith ($21,025)

Assessment of seriological tests to detect avian bornavirus infection

• Dr. Scott Weese ($16,350)

Preliminary evaluation of fecal bacteriotherapy (stool transplantation) for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

• Dr. Darren Wood ($5,285)

Role of the protein C pathway in pathogenesis of dogs with inflammatory bowel disease

• Dr. Geoffrey Wood ($15,628)

Investigation of prognostic markers in canine mammary tumours using tissue microarrays

Equipment Funds:• Dr. Ron Johnson ($25,000)

Fluorescent microplate reader for the OVC High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) facility.

Dr. Chantale Pinard is looking for asafe and effective treatment for acommon feline eye disease.

Best Friends Newsletter Spring Edition 2012_Best Friends News 15/06/12 12:46 PM Page 5

Page 6: OVC · 2015-01-29 · OVC Pet Trust Fund l Best Friends Newsletter Spring2012 Last year, your gifts to Pet Trust provided more than $150,000 for graduate stipends and scholarships,

In the Community | Six Degrees of Separation

Cancer touches us all. It does notdiscriminate between the precious pets orpeople in our lives. It has knocked on allour doors, and we have answered. Thanksto the support of people like you and theresearchers at OVC, we are finding moreand better ways to deal with and treatcancer, and together, we are helping tobuild Canada's first comprehensiveAnimal Cancer Centre.

Seventeen years ago, Blues came intoour home and hearts, and our lives werechanged forever. Who knew, that all theseyears later, a very special friend, LindaSowerby, owner of Tri-Mark CanineServices in Mississauga, would befighting her own battle with Brenna herbeloved Corgi, and that that would evolveinto a very special Photo Day that raised$576 for the Smiling Blue Skies® CancerFund.

An amazing golden thread weaves somany amazing people and pets together.There is Judy and her two goldenretrievers. Judy, a true champion ofSmiling Blue Skies, just celebrated fiveyears of being cancer-free.

There is Tracy in Nova Scotia, whose“Pink Army” ribbons have found theirway into Linda's home, my home, and allthe way to Deb, in British Columbia, whoalong with her three goldens hascompleted her own chemotherapytreatments, right along with Tracy! OnMay 6, Deb and her dog, Bailiff,participated in Calgary's Smiling BlueSkies Walk to End Canine Cancer.

Who knew that a Smiling Blue Skiestip jar would lead to a brand new walk,helmed by Bernadette Beirnes, owner ofPaws to Claws near Bradford, Ont. at thebeautiful Scanlon Creek Conservation

Area, that raised $14,000; or that KellyManis, owner of Kelly’s Dog Walkingand Pet Sitting, would be planning awalk in Toronto for the fall of 2012, as isCynthia Reid on Vancouver Island.

Smiling Blue Skies is evolving inways that we could not have dreamedpossible even a few years ago. Thanks tothe special dedication of people likeOVC Pet Trust’s managing directorKaren Scott and the University ofGuelph’s web project co-ordinatorGraham Price, we have speciallydesigned websites and on-line sponsorsheets that allow us to invite walkersfrom coast-to-coast to participate inSmiling Blue Skies walks.

The 2012 Smiling Blues Walk inCalgary, under the leadership of MaryShillabeer and Leanne Tucker, raised anastounding $35,000, an increase of$5,000 over last years event - thanks inlarge part to our online presence.

Did you know that “It’s always aclean run with Smiling Blue Skies?!”The Academy of Vancouver Island Dogs(AVID) has planned its biggest raffleever for June’s BC and Yukon RegionalAgility Championships. For the very firsttime, competitors in the AgilityAssociation of Canada’s nationalchampionships, being hosted onVancouver Island in August, can sponsoreach other’s dogs. Imagine if 600participants sponsored one run each for$10!

Most important of all, Smiling BlueSkies continues to offer 24/7 support toanyone whose life has been touched bycancer. It doesn’t matter where you live.Smiling Blue Skies will try to help youin any way we can.

Golden thread weaves amazing stories of caring

6 Best Friends | Spring 2012

Long live blue skies, where hope is a kite, and dreams really do come true. We are allin this together. Hope . . . one word sure says it all. Here's to a world without cancer!

Linda Sowerby and Brenna organized a photo day to support Pet Trust.

Best Friends Newsletter Spring Edition 2012_Best Friends News 15/06/12 12:46 PM Page 6

Page 7: OVC · 2015-01-29 · OVC Pet Trust Fund l Best Friends Newsletter Spring2012 Last year, your gifts to Pet Trust provided more than $150,000 for graduate stipends and scholarships,

Friends of the OVC Pet TrustFund opened their hearts andwallets in a big way at two fallfundraisers held in Toronto.

The OVC Pet Trust Gala: AWalk in the Park raised over$240,000 in support of the OVCAnimal Cancer Centre, while thePawsGala fashion event hasprovided $10,000 toward ascholarship for OVC studentswho excel in providingemergency and critical care.

“We’re absolutely delightedand tremendously thankful forthe generosity of everyoneinvolved,” said Karen Scott, PetTrust managing director. “Thecancer centre initiative hascertainly struck a chord with thepublic. Their support is making areal difference in the lives of ouranimal friends and will helpadvance cancer treatment andresearch for years to come.”

About 370 people attendedthe gala, held Oct. 13 at theGranite Club in Toronto. Overthe past few years, the OVC PetTrust Fund has raised more than$11 million for the cancer centreproject. Watch for the grandopening in the fall of 2012.

The PawsGala held Oct. 27in the Distillery District wasorganized by Paws for the Cause,a not-for-profit group that raisesmoney for dog-related causes.

“I can’t say enough aboutour hard-working volunteers andthe generosity of all our donors,”Scott said. “It’s a testament towhat caring people canaccomplish when they worktogether to help the pets we lovelive longer, healthier lives.”

Gala events a big success for Pet Trust

7 Best Friends | Spring 2012

In the Community | Friend-raising

Photography by Bronwyn Coombs and Tom Sandler

Best Friends Newsletter Spring Edition 2012_Best Friends News 15/06/12 12:46 PM Page 7

Page 8: OVC · 2015-01-29 · OVC Pet Trust Fund l Best Friends Newsletter Spring2012 Last year, your gifts to Pet Trust provided more than $150,000 for graduate stipends and scholarships,

Strengthening the animal-human bondGrimsby Animal Hospital

Best Friends of Pet Trust is published by the OntarioVeterinary College for the interest of Pet Trustdonors and friends. Articles do not necessarilyreflect the views of the OVC Pet Trust board oftrustees. Reproduction of material from thisnewsletter is welcomed. Credit should be given toBest Friends of Pet Trust.

OVC Pet Trust Fund

c/o Alumni HouseUniversity of GuelphGuelph, ON N1G 2W1519-824-4120 ext. 54695 Fax: 519-822-2670Email: [email protected]: Barry Gunn

OVC Pet Trust Board of Trustees

Dr. Mary DeCaire (Chair), Susan Bell, Dr. Chip Coombs, Kim Lang, Heather Lowe (Vice-Chair),Dr. John Reeve-Newson,Maggie Renwick, Tom Ryley,Marie Sawford, Dr. Elizabeth Stone,Dr. Nancy Tarzwell, Roland Browning Watt Ex-officio: Dr. Gordon Kirby, Karen ScottHonorary: Roger Warren

Pet Trust Forum thanks donors This year’s program featured Dr.

Bernie Pukay, an award-winningveterinarian, television producer andnewspaper columnist, who discussed“From Bambi to the Bond: The Impact ofthe Human-Animal Bond on the Body,Mind and Soul.”

About 100 special guests attendedthe Pet Trust Forum held at the OntarioVeterinary College on April 21.

The annual event is a thank-you todonors who have supported the OVC PetTrust Fund over the years.

Nitro, a six-year-old German shepherdand five-year veteran of the Guelph PoliceService’s canine unit made an appearancewith handler Cst. Neil Moulton. Theprogram also included talks by OVC

professors including “Pet Food 101” with AdronieVerbrugghe, who holds the Royal Canin EndowedChair in Canine and Feline Clinical Nutrition at OVC.

July 7 Dog Days of Summer

Learn how to teach your old (or new) dog somenew tricks and support Pet Trust at the Dog Days ofSummer Fun Day to be held July 7 at McCann DogTrainers in Flamborough, ON.

Demonstrations, information sessions,obedience and training tips, face-painting, andmore. Fun for the whole family — including yourwell-behaved dog. For more information, contactMarie Sawford at [email protected].

Proceeds go to the OVC Animal Cancer Centre.The event goes Saturday, July 7, 10 a.m. to 4

p.m. rain or shine. For directions, visitmccanndogs.com.

Supporting the OVC Pet Trust Fund helps the veterinarians atthe Grimsby Animal Hospital achieve their goals as theylive by their mission statement every day:

To work together as a team to provide outstanding, up todate compassionate care for our patients. We support the

human-animal bond and strive to strengthen it.

“The OVC Pet Trust Fund supports our mission andhelps us provide optimal health care to pets by fundinglearning and research at the Ontario Veterinary College(OVC). New diagnostics and treatments developed atOVC help advance the veterinary profession and assistprimary care clinicians in being able to offer top medicalchoices to patients and their owners.

OVC Pet Trust FundBest Friends Newsletter

OVC Pet Trust Fund | Staying in touch

EVENTS

“All four veterinarians at theGrimsby Animal Hospital areOVC graduates, and so weappreciate the support that PetTrust provides for the training ofnew veterinarians. Studies fundedby Pet Trust are deepeningsociety’s understanding of thehuman-animal bond — andsupporting the values reflected inthe mission statement and goals atour practice.

“It is our hope that theadvances made in veterinarymedicine through Pet Trust's workwill ensure pets in the future willlive even longer and healthierlives.

“By contributing to excitingand worthwhile Pet Trustinitiatives such as the OVC AnimalCancer Centre, we’re not onlyinvesting in the profession but alsostrengthening the relationship withour clients and educating themabout ongoing research that willimprove the quality of life for allcompanion animals in the future.”

Bequests and planned givingContinued on Page 8

One of the greatest feelings isknowing that your gift will live on andkeep on giving to help and benefit thehealth and well being of our belovedcompanion animals.

A planned gift is a charitabledonation that can be arranged during yourlifetime to benefit the health and wellbeing of pets in the future. It may bemade in the form of a will bequest, a giftof life insurance, or a gift annuity. Wewould be happy to speak with you todiscuss the various options available.

For more information, contact:Karen ScottManaging Director Pet Trust1-519-824-4120 ext: 54370

Best Friends Newsletter Spring Edition 2012_Best Friends News 15/06/12 12:46 PM Page 8