Auburn Veterinarian Summer 2016

Veterinarian

Summer/Fall 2016

Auburn is Kentucky’s Home Away from Home Dr. Bartlett Establishes Academic Scholarships Large Animal Standing CT Machine Like No Other

THIS IS THE FUTURE. THIS IS OPPORTUNITY. THIS IS KNOWLEDGE-SHARING. THIS IS EDUCATION. THIS IS DISCOVERY. THIS IS YOU. THIS IS HANDS-ON LEARNING. THIS IS MENTORSHIP.

The 2017 Annual Conference marks 110 years of veterinary CE programs at Auburn University.

Attendees will earn 20 hours of continuing education credit.

110th ANNUAL CONFERENCE. March 30-April 1, 2017

THIS IS AUBURN.

REUNIONS FOR THE FOLLOWING CLASSES: 1967, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2002, 2007, 2012

Some highlights will be a dental track, radiology lectures, pharmacy/ pharmacology courses and class reunions.

COURSE SCHEDULE AND REGISTRATION OPEN MID-JANUARY. REGISTER ONLINE AT WWW.VETMED.AUBURN.EDU/CE

Summer/Fall 2016

CONTENT From the Dean 05

Like Home

Around the CVM 19

Feels Like Home 06

Development 30

Class of 2016 11

Alumni Notes 33

Bailey Distinguished Alumni 13

In Memoriam 36

Bartlett Scholars Established 15

Apocrypha 37

Standing CT Machine

Bartlett Scholarship Program

EDITORIAL EDITOR

Janet L. McCoy

WRITER

Molly Lawrence ’16

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ross Heck

PHOTOGRAPHY Jeff Etheridge Melissa Humble FlipFlopFoto

ADVISORY BOARD ADMINISTRATION Dean Calvin Johnson

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS Dr. Daniel Givens

RESEARCH

Dr. Frank Bartol

CLINICAL SCIENCES Dr. Jamie Bellah

DEVELOPMENT Diana Turner Jan Chamblin

TEACHING HOSPITAL Dr. Douglas Allen

SOCIAL MEDIA

Find us on Facebook and Twitter at AuburnVetMed and on YouTube at College of Veterinary Medicine at Auburn University; and Instagram at au_vet_med

AUBURN VETERINARIAN (USPS 014-919) is published four times annually, Volume 35, at 105 Greene Hall, Auburn, AL 36849-5528.

Periodicals postage paid at Auburn, AL. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Auburn Veterinarian, Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, 105 Greene Hall, Auburn, AL 36849-5528.

SUBMISSIONS: Mail to Auburn Veterinarian, 105 Greene Hall, Auburn, AL 36849.

Copyright © Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be utilized or reproduced without prior written consent of the College of Veterinary Medicine.

From The Dean Student Success is Priority 1

The Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine is focused on preparing skilled veterinarians and leaders in animal health. As we seek to expand our role as a national resource in veterinary medical education, a preferred provider of veterinary medical care in the Southeast, and the home of a research enterprise that drives discovery and innovation, we will rely on the advantages offered by strategic partnerships and philanthropic support. I am extremely pleased to announce the recent establishment of a planned estate gift from Dr. Woody Bartlett (AU CVM Class of ’64), creating a major endowment for scholarships that will open doors for veterinary education to students who would have otherwise only dreamed of such an opportunity. The Woody Bartlett Scholars Program will support students with sustained interest in large animal medicine, surgery, and theriogenology but who may not have the financial means to pursue a doctor of veterinary medicine degree. During the first phase of implementation, 12 scholarships will be funded. When fully implemented, the endowment is anticipated to fund up to 48 scholarships. Each would pay full tuition for in-state and contract students (i.e., Kentucky students) and differential tuition scholarships for other non-resident students. Through this endowment, Dr. Bartlett has paved the way for an unparalleled educational opportunity, placing new graduates in a financial position to return to communities where their expertise is desperately needed.

These opportunities will be offered in perpetuity through the earnings of this major endowment. I’m also proud to congratulate the Bartlett Ranch as the 2016 recipient of the Zoetis-AQHA Best Remuda Award, recognizing superior breeding and training of working Quarter Horses at Dr. Bartlett’s ranches in Wyoming, Texas, and Alabama. I wish to thank Dr. Bartlett for representing Auburn so well in the Quarter Horse and beef cattle industries and for his generous strategic investment in the future of veterinary medical education at Auburn University.

The Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine is also proud of its 65-year relationship with the Commonwealth of Kentucky through the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB). Despite a significant budget shortfall this year, the Kentucky Council on Post-secondary Education (CPE), the SREB, and Auburn University, with the strong support from the KVMA and other advocates, have been able to negotiate full funding for all 38 Kentucky seats in the freshman classes entering in both 2016 and in 2017. Maintaining sufficient funding for all seats beyond 2017 will require an intensive and coordinated lobbying effort by Auburn’s veterinary alumni and other stakeholders in the Commonwealth. The 65-year celebration culminates at the 105th KVMA Annual Meeting & 43rd Mid-America Conference in Louisville on Friday, September 23, 2016 when Auburn sponsors the opening luncheon in recognition of its strong collaborative relationship with the KVMA. In this issue of the Auburn Veterinarian we highlight the events of the spring commencement ceremony, when we honored members of the Class of 1955 (the first class of Kentucky students to attend Auburn under the SREB agreement), three Wilford S. Bailey Distinguished Alumni, and 116 graduates from the Class of 2016. We also feature stories on the many accomplishments of our students, faculty and alumni, the continuous improvement of our facilities and programs, and the generous support of our donors who help Auburn aspire for, and achieve excellence in, all aspects of its mission.

Strategic partnerships with states, organizations, and individuals are crucial to the ongoing growth of the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. They perpetuate the college’s exceptional educational value and quality across all components of its academic mission. On behalf of the entire college, I thank our many shareholders for their loyal and generous support.

Calvin Johnson ‘86

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Drs. Abram Allen, Steele Mattingly and J.T. Vaughan speak to the Class of 2016.

Auburn Feels Like Home for Commonwealth Veterinary Students

By Tim Thornberry, Kentucky Farm Bureau

From a logistical standpoint, Auburn and Kentucky are far apart from each other and different in many ways. But for thousands of students who hail from the Bluegrass state, Auburn, in particularly the College of Veterinary Medicine, has been a home away from home for generations.

During the past 65 years, veterinary science students from Kentucky have had the opportunity to apply to the prestigious veterinary program at the in-state tuition rate thanks to a partnership between the Commonwealth and the college.

That agreement has become so prevalent, more than half of the current practicing veterinarians in Kentucky are Auburn graduates.

In recognition of that partnership, two Kentucky graduates, who were among the first 12-member class under the agreement, recently returned to campus to be recognized during graduation activities.

Dr. Abram G. Allen, Jr., who continues to practice veterinary medicine at Reidland Veterinary Clinic in Paducah, and Dr. Steele Mattingly, who focused on laboratory animal medicine at the University of Cincinnati, celebrated the occasion along

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with their classmate and Alabama native Dr. John Thomas Vaughan, the fifth dean of the college. These individuals represented the Class of 1955.

In 1949, Dr. Redding S. Sugg, the third dean of the college, helped found the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), and, through that board, this partnership began in 1951.

Twelve Kentuckians participated that first year.

Today, 38 students from Kentucky are accepted annually through the agreement.

Dr. Dan Givens, a Kentucky native who serves as associate dean of Academic Affairs at the college, said the Commonwealth’s students are an integral part of the overall program.

“This agreement is very important to these students as it is to the University. They have the opportunity to learn at the South’s first, and we think the best, College of Veterinary Medicine and for many, this partnership made the difference in whether they attended a vet school or not,” he said.

“Ultimately, those students will all contribute greatly to the industry as they finish their studies and go out into the world

of work either back home in Kentucky or throughout the country.”

Dr. Brandi Brunson, senior lecturer in the Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology, has the monumental task of chairing the committee which reviewed the Kentucky applicants for the incoming class. She said all the students are excellent and the selection is challenging.

“They have really good GPAs and a lot of experience in both the veterinary and animal realms with some really unique individuals,” she said. “Those students in Kentucky are heavily relying on the state to subsidize the difference in the in-state and out-of-state tuition so they have somewhere to go that is fairly affordable.”

Brunson also noted that, for students thinking about a career as a veterinarian, the sooner they begin to explore the career, even at the high school level, the better off the students are in their efforts to come to a school like Auburn.

“The applicant pools these days are so competitive grade-wise and experience-wise, I tell students anything they can do that sets them apart in their academic and extra-curricular activities is certainly a benefit for application processing,” she said.

Kylye Roberts and Tamara Compton are two current Kentucky students attending Auburn. Both said had it not been for the SREB agreement, vet school may have been out of the question.

“It is something I’ve always known about. If you’ve grown up in Kentucky and you want to be a vet, you already know you want to go to Auburn,” said Roberts. “Auburn definitely puts

emphasis on accepting the Kentucky students for the in-state seats.

There’s a lot less pressure and it’s like one big family. It’s almost like going to school back home.”

Compton, who did her undergraduate studies at the University of Kentucky, said without the in-state program at Auburn she definitely wouldn’t be there nor does she know what she would have done from a college and career standpoint.

“I have finished my second year here and it has been the easiest transition Dr. Steele Mattingly and his I could have imagined. It really is wife, Betty, Dr. J.T. Vaughan like a home away from home,” she and Dr. Abram Allen. said. “It’s easy to relate to people and you don’t feel like an outsider here.”

That Auburn connection remains with the students long after they graduate. Dr. David McClary, who works for Elanco Animal Health as a senior technical consultant in the company’s dairy business unit, said without the partnership, he doesn’t know how students, especially in today’s world, would get their education in veterinary medicine.

“I think Kentucky would really be hurting for veterinarians if the program wasn’t there to help those students,” he said.

“There is a tremendous debt of gratitude owed to the state and the support provided for veterinary medicine.”

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Kentucky Class of 2016 members with members of the Class of 1955.

McClary, from Scottsville, Kentucky, graduated from Western Kentucky University before coming to Auburn to get his veterinary degree in 1974.

After working in mixed animal practices, he came back to Auburn for a residency and served as an assistant professor there before going into industry-related work to conduct research.

Dr. Wade Northington is another Kentuckian who came to Auburn by way of the SREB partnership. His career included starting a large veterinary practice in West Kentucky, serving as a professor at Murray State University and director at the Breathitt Veterinary Center in Hopkinsville.

He said, first and foremost, the agreement between Auburn and Kentucky opens the door for students to receive a worldclass veterinary medical education.

“If not subsidized by the Commonwealth of Kentucky, many highly qualified, motivated, deserving students would not be able to pursue veterinary medicine as a career option,” he said.

“Kentucky students comprise 30 percent of the Auburn College of Veterinary Medicine and are esteemed campus-wide for their leadership and excellence.”

Northington, who was recognized as one of the Distinguished Alumni during the 2016 graduation ceremonies, emphasized that Kentucky receives great value from this long-standing relationship, and all efforts should be taken to preserve, and expand, this “tremendous opportunity” for its students.

He also noted the efforts made by Kentucky Farm Bureau over the years in supporting the program to increase the number of students included in the agreement.

The class of 1955 honorees enjoyed several events during their visit to Auburn including being recognized at a UK-Auburn baseball game, a dinner where many stories of their days at Auburn were shared, and a tour of the veterinary medicine campus facilities.

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The celebration was capped by recognition during the graduation ceremony which included comments from both Kentucky’s Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles and Alabama’s Agriculture and Industries Commissioner John McMillan.

Mattingly, who worked for a time for Pitman-Moore, one of the companies that helped produce the first polio vaccinations, and nationally recognized for his achievements in improving the care of animals in biomedical research, said coming to Auburn for the first time was a pleasant experience.

“We were treated well, and there were nice people here with really no stumbling blocks to get over,” he said. “And Auburn still treats people that way.”

Allen said while things are so much different now than in the days when he attended, it was a pleasure to be back at the school. He offered a philosophical word of advice to this year’s graduates that comes from his book, Truity; The Essence of Truth.

“Truth cannot be possessed, it can only be shared. If we can share truth’s function objectively, we will never need to possess truth subjectively,” he said.

Vaughan, now Dean Emeritus, said he remembers being younger than most of those first Kentucky attendees, many of whom were war veterans. This led to the Kentuckians taking on a protective role in their relationship with Vaughan.

“I was figuratively adopted by the class of Kentucky students which established a relationship that has now gone on for 65 years,” he said. “It’s been a wonderful experience, accidental perhaps, but a fortunate accident.”

As Kentucky members of the class of 2020 join the Auburn family, they can remember those who have come before them who helped pave the way to a new Kentucky home by way of a partnership that looks to prevail for many generations to come.

Class of 1955 Alumni Reminisce About Veterinary Education T

he class of 1955 honorees from Kentucky enjoyed many

ferences but didn’t dwell on it because they understand that

events during their return to the Plains to recognize the

everything has to change in order to improve.”

importance of the partnership, but in many ways, the visit was

similar to ones that have happened in the past 65 years.

One significant difference is in the college’s equine program growth because of the Auburn-Kentucky partnership. “Be-

For Drs. Abram Allen and Steele Mattingly, the visit was a

cause of Kentucky’s strong equine industry, it pushes us to be

return home, at least to their veterinary medicine home. And

current and advanced in our equine medicine and surgery, and

much like other Kentucky veterinarians who return to the

we’re proud of that,” the dean said.

Plains, their love of Auburn veterinary medicine is strong. It is where life-long friendships were made, colleagues created

Listening to Drs. Allen and Mattingly tell their stories of how they

through hard work, and a comradery like no other was forged.

got to Auburn was insightful, not totally different from today’s

During their visit, the two, along with 1955 classmate Dr. J.T.

ories they made at Auburn, memories that could only be made

Vaughan, toured today’s veterinary medicine campus, which

at Auburn and by the common bond of veterinary medicine.

Kentucky veterinary students. The two reminisced about the mem-

was on Auburn’s main campus when they attended; saw the latest technological advances in the Wilford and Kate Bailey

For Dr. Allen, who had an interest in veterinary medicine from

Small Animal Teaching Hospital; toured the J.T. Vaughan Large

childhood, the start of the Auburn-Kentucky agreement is

Animal Teaching Hospital; cheered for both Auburn and Ken-

forged in his memory.

tucky at an SEC baseball game; attended a private dinner with veterinary medicine administrators; and were honored guests during commencement.

“I do remember there were four of us, and the governor (Lawrence Wetherby) heard each one of us and said he’d give us a yea or nay in 13 days,” Allen said. “Eleven days

For Dean Calvin Johnson, spending time with Allen and

from that day he signed the bill, and he advertised for

Mattingly was not all-together different from spending time

applicants and there were 37 applicants.”

with today’s Kentucky students. “It’s really interesting when you pull students in from a variety of backgrounds, maybe a variety of undergraduate programs, because they are all going to have a little different perspective on their knowledge. The state of Kentucky and Alabama are very similar states in so many ways, yet there are so many unique aspects. ”It was fun to hear how things changed over time but how many things have stayed the same,” he said. “Those things that stayed the same are what we’re trying to cultivate and nurture—that feeling when a Kentucky student comes to Auburn that they are not stepping too far outside their comfort zone, and they are supported here. When they leave, they want to come back.

“The change here is so dramatic for the class of ‘55; they were trained specifically on Auburn’s main campus. Everything they saw on Wire Road was new. They talked some about the dif-

Dr. Steele Mattingly’s wife, Betty, remembered the encouragement it took for Dr. Mattingly to apply for the new program. A student representative for Pitman-Moore while an undergraduate student at the University of Kentucky, he took a job with the company following graduation.

“He looked for roadblocks, I think, because he kept finding reasons why he shouldn’t do it (apply to vet school),” Betty Mattingly said. “It was a happy Saturday morning when Steele, who had gone to teach a vocational agricultural class, came home, I was sitting on the doorstep with the letter of acceptance to API. That was the beginning of our Auburn association.”

Dean Johnson said hearing the stories of the partnership, and honoring the legacy, are important for the college and alumni.

“It’s a contract we’ve enjoyed for 65 years, but it’s more than a contract,” he said. “It is about a strong, deep relationship.

“The fabric of this college contains the threads of our connection with Kentucky.” Those threads, started by the class of

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1955, are woven into each class since. So much so, that it’s hard to imagine an Auburn veterinary class without a strong Kentucky presence.

••• Allen, Jr., a member of the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine’s Class of 1955, loves Auburn so much that he created his own Auburn University fight song. When Dr. Allen and his fellow Auburn alumni sat together reminiscing during their recent visit, he was very eager to sing the song for his colleagues. The Auburn spirit resonated through his voice as he sang the words:

Auburn Fight Song Oh, it’s War Eagle, Oh War Eagle, Oh the Master of the Sky Flying Protection, Ere to Perfection, Oh, the Tigers, they Do or Die Oh, it’s War Eagle, Oh War Eagle, Oh, Let Me Hear that Cry War Eagle, War Eagle, Victory to the War Eagle, Fly, Fly Fly!

earned: The B.D.T. (Bullying Doctor Through) diploma.

Class of 1955 Kentucky Students Graduate

Kentucky Hometown

Abram G. Allen, Jr.

Kevil, Kentucky

Kermit R. Burdette

Renfro Valley, Kentucky

Harry Flotemersch

Bellevue, Kentucky

Robert P. Houk

Horse Cave, Kentucky

Thomas J. Howard

Louisville, Kentucky

Steele F. Mattingly

Trinity, Kentucky

Julian W. Maupin

Richmond, Kentucky

Wellington Moore, Jr.

Lexington, Kentucky

William T. Pumpelly

Cynthiana, Kentucky

William S. “Red” Rogers

Wickliffe, Kentucky

Thomas N. Snider

Shelbyville, Kentucky

William E. Wise

Ravenna, Kentucky

Wives, because the classes at that time were predominately male, were driving forces supporting their husbands’ education. Mrs. Mattingly proudly showed the diploma she

10 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Summer/Fall 2016

Dr. Steele and Betty Mattingly.

Class of 2016 Graduates, Partnership Honored The College of Veterinary Medicine awarded 116 professional DVM degrees during its 109th commencement May 3. In addition, 11 M.S. in Biomedical Science degrees were conferred, and seven candidates were awarded the Doctor of Philosophy in Biomedical Science.

The 116-member DVM class included 40 students from Alabama and 35 students from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The remaining 41 at-large students hail from 21 states, including Ohio, North Carolina, Nebraska, California, Georgia, Maryland, Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Pennsylvania and New York.

During the ceremony, eight students followed in their families’ footsteps in the veterinary medical profession, with their parent or grandparent hooding them.

This commencement ceremony was particularly significant, celebrating the 65th year of the Southern Regional Education Board agreement between the college and the Commonwealth of Kentucky. In honor of this milestone, special guests from both Alabama and Kentucky gave remarks.

“[The agreement] has resulted in a rich tradition of cooperation that continues today through our close ties with the Commonwealth of Kentucky and with West Virginia,” Dean Johnson said.

Thirty-five members of the class of 2016 are beneficiaries of the program, and to date, 1,638 students have graduated from Auburn University CVM under the SREB agreement.

Dr. Abram Allen and Dr. Steele Mattingly were recognized during the ceremony, both members of the class of 1955, the first class to graduate Kentucky students under the program. Dean Johnson thanked them on behalf of the college for their work “in establishing, sustaining and envisioning a bright future for Auburn’s partnership in veterinary education with the Commonwealth of Kentucky.”

Dr. Alice Mills, the president of the Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association, was present at the ceremony to represent all Kentucky veterinarians and their close ties with Auburn.

In recognition of the strong relationship that has been established between the states of Kentucky

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Dean Calvin Johnson with Agriculture Commissioners John McMillan of Alabama, left, and Ryan Quarles of Kentucky, right.

Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association president Dr. Alice Mills and Dr. T.C. Branch, president of the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association.

and Alabama, the Commissioners of Agriculture from both states spoke at the ceremony.

John McMillan, Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture, thanked all those at the ceremony who have helped sustain the cooperative relationship between Auburn and Kentucky and gave the class of 2016 his best wishes.

“Every sector of agriculture will be challenged with great things to accomplish and global issues,” McMillan said.

“You are all well prepared, and your education is going to be the key to a lot of these issues as we look towards the future.”

Dr. Abram Allen, Ryan Quarles and Dr. Steele Mattingly.

Ryan Quarles, Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture, also spoke at the ceremony and thanked Auburn faculty and staff “for being gracious hosts to [his] fellow Kentuckians and for 65 years of cooperation and fulfilling the needs of the bluegrass state.”

Quarles also mentioned that over half of Kentucky’s current practicing veterinarians are Auburn University CVM graduates.

During commencement, Dean Calvin Johnson presented the Wilford S. Bailey Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest honor of the CVM, to Rear Admiral Terri Clark, Dr. Edward F. Murray and Dr. Wade A. Northington.

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The commencement address was delivered by Dr. Mary Boudreaux, 29-year CVM faculty member who retired earlier this year. While at Auburn, Dr. Boudreaux served as the Faculty Athletics Representative since 2010 and was also the chair of the Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics. She served as the official representative of Auburn University in NCAA and SEC affairs.

Dr. Boudreaux spoke on teamwork and collaboration, highlighting her past in athletics. “Faculty members are like coaches. They give you the essential tools to compete with your teammates and to win…” said Dr. Boudreaux. “When you graduate, what the faculty provided is the foundation upon which you will build for the rest of your life.”

Eighteen graduate students were recognized for earning their master of science or doctor of philosophy degrees. Many of these students completed clinical residencies or internships in the past academic year and are employed elsewhere.

After the presentation and conferral of degrees, Dr. T.C. Branch, president of the Alabama Veterinary Medical Association, led the graduates in the veterinarian’s oath.

Dr. Thomas Poole, class of 2016 class president, ended the ceremony with closing remarks. “Continue your hardworking nature as you leave here, and you will be met with success,” Poole said.

Congratulations to the Auburn University CVM class of 2016, and War Eagle!

Bailey Distinguished Alumni Recognized for Career Achievements Three alumni who have distinguished themselves professionally were recognized during the college’s commencement ceremony May 3 as the 2016 Wilford S. Bailey Distinguished Alumni. The recipients of the award were Rear Admiral Terri Clark, Dr. Edward F. Murray Jr. and Dr. Wade A. Northington.

University President. A 1942 graduate of the college, Dr. Bailey was the first recipient of the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Following his death in 2000, it was named in Dr. Bailey’s memory.

The award is the highest honor given to alumni of the College of Veterinary Medicine to recognize accomplishments in veterinary medicine and outstanding contributions to his or her community and the advancement of animal and human health.

The awardees were recognized in different areas of eligibility for the awards: academia; private practice; and research and public policy.

The award honors the late Wilford S. Bailey, who held a 50-year continuous faculty appointment at Auburn, serving in positions ranging from instructor to

A commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, Dr. Clark was recently promoted to rear admiral, becoming only the second female veterinarian in the U.S. Public

Dr. Terri Clark

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Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps to achieve this senior officer rank. She earned the DVM in 1988 and became a diplomate of the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine in 1996.

Dr. Clark gave her thanks at the commencement ceremony and offered advice to the class of 2016.

“There will be challenges and unexpected twists and turns,” said Dr. Clark, “but please know that if you stay humble, follow your passions and approach your profession with kindness, thoughtfulness and compassion, it will be the most fantastic journey of your lives.”

Dr. Edward F. Murray Jr.

Dr. Murray ’73 and his wife, Sandra, built Coosa Valley Equine Center in 1987, dedicated to providing the most advanced medical and surgical equine veterinary services. While the three-person practice focuses on all areas of equine medicine, Dr. Murray concentrates his efforts on lameness and surgery.

Dr. Murray has mentored numerous pre-veterinary students and fourth-year Auburn veterinary students during their eight-week preceptorship. He continues to help train new graduates as they transition from student to competent veterinary practitioner.

Dr. Murray expressed his gratitude for the prestigious award and spoke on the importance of the profession of veterinary medicine to the class of 2016.

“You’re not just entering a state of being, you’re not just entering a position, not a job, not even a career. You’re entering a profession. Your profession,” Dr. Murray said. “Let this profession be your focus, your love, your passion, part of your identity, and it indeed can be part of your uniqueness … Auburn University CVM is truly

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unique, offering you a unique opportunity in life.”

Dr. Wade A.

Northington

A 1972 Auburn DVM graduate, Dr. Northington began his career practicing companion animal, food animal, and equine medicine. In 1999, he became a case coordinator at Murray State University’s Breathitt Veterinary Center in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and also began teaching pre-veterinary and veterinary technology students at Murray State University.

He became the director of the Breathitt Veterinary Center in 2004, a position he held until his retirement last year. He has been recognized as one of Kentucky’s most respected and passionate veterinary medical professionals.

“Make your career matter,” Dr. Worthington said to the class of 2016. “Use your time, talents, unique education and skillsets you have gained to advance the welfare of your communities, profession and your alma mater.”

Bartlett Scholars Program Established An estate gift by Dr. H. B. “Woody” Bartlett ’64 will establish the Bartlett Scholars Program at the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, providing scholarships for deserving veterinary professional and graduate students.

The Haywood Bellingrath Bartlett Educational Endowment will support in perpetuity the Bartlett Scholars Program to recruit and educate students with a demonstrated interest in large animal medicine, surgery and theriogenology. The endowment will be established at $10 million and will be expanded by up to four-fold as other components of the estate are settled.

“Auburn did a lot for me as far as helping me get ready for the type of career I wanted,” Dr. Bartlett said.

“And, I know there are a lot of young people coming along in the future who will want to do the kinds of things I’ve done with cattle and horses.

“I hope the scholarship fund will give them a chance to focus on their studies and prepare themselves to do their best as veterinarians.”

Deserving, highly motivated large-animal oriented students, both veterinary students as well as residents, will be provided scholarship support based on financial need and academic merit.

The first round of scholarships is expected to be awarded to three first-year students: two non-resident students and one Alabama student. The program will grow by three new scholarships each year, to total 12 academic scholarships in just four years. When fully implemented, up to 48 scholarships will be awarded each year. Full scholarships will be awarded to residents of Alabama or students enrolled from partner states, such as Kentucky, under the Southern Regional Education Board contract, which assists non-resident students from participating states where no public veterinary schools exist. Other non-resident students would receive scholarships for the differential between non-resident and in-state tuition for enrollment.

“Dr. Bartlett has created an opportunity for the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine to emerge as the nation’s leader in educating outstanding large

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Dr. Bartlett is dedicated to helping future veterinarians.

He provides hands-on educational opportunities for students at his Pike Road, Ala., ranch.

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animal clinicians and specialists who have a strong interest in the field but may lack the financial means to support their own education,” Dean Calvin Johnson said. “Dr. Bartlett’s transformational gift will directly address student debt load and place them in a financial position to succeed as practitioners in underserved rural regions of the country.”

“Obtaining a degree in veterinary medicine is a challenging and costly endeavor, particularly for students from rural or agricultural backgrounds, and costs continue to rise,” said Dr. Dan Givens, associate dean for Academic Affairs at the college. “The Bartlett Scholars Program will increase the number of meritbased scholarships awarded to our veterinary students and perpetuate Auburn’s reputation as a veterinary program that is accessible to the most talented students from a national pool.”

Scholarships will be awarded to first-year students and then re-awarded annually based on academic performance for the remainder of the student’s four years. A similar structure will be applied to residents pursuing specialty training in large animal disciplines.

Dr. Bartlett owns Bartlett Ranch, comprised of three properties located in Alabama, Texas and Wyoming, totaling nearly 90,000 acres. His original Flying “B” Ranch in Pike Road, just outside Montgomery, was established in 1954 and remains the headquarters of his tri-state operation.

His commitment to Auburn and the veterinary medicine profession is evident: the Bartlett Lameness Arena on the college’s campus, as well as the Elmore Bellingrath Bartlett Raptor Hospital, honoring the memory of his mother, reflect Dr. Bartlett’s dedication to the college, to veterinary education, and to his family’s Alabama heritage. Dr. Bartlett is a diamondlevel member of the college’s Centennial Club and

“Auburn did a lot for me as far as helping me get ready for the type of career I wanted. And, I know there are a lot of young people coming along in the future who will want to do the kinds of things I’ve done with cattle and horses. I hope the scholarship fund will give them a chance to focus on their studies and prepare themselves to do their best as veterinarians.”

— Dr. Woody Bartlett '64

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Dean Calvin Johnson, Kelcie Theis '15, Dr. Bartlett and Coach Pat Dye.

a 2012 recipient of the college’s Wilford S. Bailey Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest honor the college bestows on an alumnus.

And, for more than 20 years, veterinary students have learned from Dr. Bartlett about equine medicine and surgery through field experiences on his ranch.

“Dr. Bartlett’s transformational gift will directly address student debt load and place them in a financial position to succeed as practitioners in underserved rural regions of the country.”

— Dean Calvin Johnson

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AROUND THE CVM

Drs. Lindsey Boone and Robert Cole prepare a horse for a scan in Auburn’s Standing CT machine.

Standing CT Machine Assisting in Diagnosis of Complex Diseases The addition of a standing CT machine, one of a handful in the U.S., is allowing college veterinarians to more accurately diagnose and treat complex diseases in the necks and skulls of equine patients.

For radiology and equine faculty, this advanced diagnostic tool has already proven to be a significant difference in diagnosing and treating complicated diseases found in a horse’s neck and skull.

“The horse’s head is an extremely complex anatomical structure,” said Dr. Lindsey Boone, assistant professor of equine surgery. “A radiograph is a 2D picture of what is going on in the head.

“The CT adds to our diagnostic capabilities of knowing what’s going on in the sinuses or what’s going on with a tooth root,” she said. “Those are the two most common scenarios.”

Dr. Robert Cole, an assistant professor of radiology, said the concept behind standing CT was to “allow us to do cross-sectional imaging of the horse’s head without having to go through anesthesia. That is the real benefit.

“Without a CT machine, you are left with two options: make a diagnosis with radiographs, which can be challenging depending on the disease progress, or put the animal under general anesthesia (for a typical CT), which means inserting IV catheters, withholding feed and postponing things for 24 hours. And while the risk is low, there is always some risk involved. If we can avoid that, all the better.”

While the standing CT is limited to cross-sectional images of the skull and upper part of cervical spine, “we have a fairly high case load of referral surgeries

Summer/Fall 2016 – AUBURN VETERINARIAN

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AROUND THE CVM

Dr. Robert Cole ensures the horse’s head is correctly positioned.

for sinus diseases, and this gives us a way to image those and have a lot more information from base line radiographs.”

Dr. Boone said the new technology is to be incorporated into the college’s teaching mission, as senior-level students on clinical rotation have the advantage of seeing first-hand how the machine will assist radiology and equine faculty better diagnose problems.

Dr. Cole said the machine allows surgeons to understand “exactly what is going on before the surgery takes place. Typically, on a lot of cases, a horse may present “Being aware of extreme diagnostic modalities or with a nasal discharge,” he said. those that can benefit our ability to know exactly what is going on is really important from a student “We’d start with radiographs traditionally and we might perspective,” she said. “Seeing a horse with skull radiosee fluid in the sinus but we couldn’t tell why it was graphs and then seeing that horse get a CT, they will there or the origin. The surgeon would go in and have a much better understanding of the anatomy of a explore that sinus, not knowing exactly what they were horse head and sinus and have a better understanding getting into. of the disease processes.”

“With the standing CT, in the same amount of time or less time, we can have that cross-sectional imaging and say ‘here is exactly the boundary of this disease process and here is what the likely diagnosis would be.’

The surgeon now knows exactly how to plan and know what they are up against.”

20 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Summer/Fall 2016

AROUND THE CVM

AKC and Theriogenology Foundation Visit the CVM American Kennel Club officials, as well as those with the Theriogenology Foundation, recently visited the college to learn about Auburn’s internationally acclaimed reproduction program.

A videography team from the AKC toured the college and interviewed faculty and students about the college’s small animal theriogenology program and its strength in educating future veterinarians, developing working and detection dogs and assisting clients in reproduction health with their companion animals.

The college has an international reputation with seven faculty who are diplomates of the American College of Theriogenologists and 12 who are engaged in research in reproductive sciences, endocrinology or theriogenology.

The Theriogenology Service in the Bailey Small Animal Teaching Hospital is a crucial partner in the success of the college’s Canine Performance Sciences program, where breeding and testing ensures the best possible detector dogs are being produced.

CPS produces the industry-standard VaporWake™

explosive detector dog, marketed through AMK9, LLC. Since the program’s inception, the service has assisted with 17 litter deliveries (94 live puppies), 29 natural breedings, 11 artificial insemination procedures, and 18 trans-cervical inseminations.

This past academic year, more than half of fourthyear students completed the Equine/Small Animal Theriogenology elective rotation, and graduates have performed above the national average for six consecutive years in the Reproductive System content category of the North American Veterinary Licensing Exam (NAVLE).

The college is the exclusive home for the online course Reproductive Science and Health (VBMS 3903), developed in partnership with Current Conceptions, Inc., and based on the acclaimed textbook by Dr. P.L. Senger, Pathways to Pregnancy and Parturition. Dr. Senger is also an Affiliate Professor at the AU CVM. College faculty have provided seminars for breeders, trainers and veterinary professionals.

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South African Boerboel Delivers 19 Puppies with Theriogenology Service Assistance A four-year-old South African Boerboel and her delivery

Bailee and her pups with Drs. Carla Barstow and Aime Johnson, veterinary technician Maureen Henderson, and resident Dr. Dana Connell.

Auburn is one of four veterinary medical programs in the

of 19 puppies at the college this spring brought national

U.S., and the only one in the South, to receive funding to

attention to Auburn and its small animal theriogenology

establish the AKC Residency in Theriogenology, which

program.

enhances Auburn’s national reputation in theriogenology,

A multidisciplinary team of faculty veterinarians at the

or reproductive medicine, in both large and small animal

Wilford and Kate Bailey Small Animal Teaching Hospital

medicine. Auburn has been twice funded by the AKC and

helped Bailee deliver 19 puppies April 28 via caesarean.

the Theriogenology Foundation for a resident position.

While not a record according to Guinness World Records,

Jerry Turner said he chose to use the services of Auburn’s

(the largest litter is 24 puppies), it is believed to be the

program because of its reputation. “We originally

largest delivered at the college.

started about a year ago bringing the dogs for a proges-

The teaching hospital’s Theriogenology Service

terone test to find the fertile window to breed,” said

provided medical assistance and care for Bailee

Turner, who has 10 dogs in his kennel.

throughout her pregnancy, including a transcervical

“With Bailee, we started with the transcervical insemi-

insemination, pregnancy care and delivery.

nation, and when radiographs showed Bailey was to have

Dr. Aime Johnson, an associate professor and theriogen-

a large littler, we opted for a C-section,” he added.

ologist who worked with Bailee and her owners, Jerry and

“They were all just super, great to work with, very knowl-

Angie Turner of Dothan, recommended a caesarean birth

edgeable and a blessing to our kennel,” Turner said,

following a radiograph which determined a larger-than-

adding that he has sold the breed to owners across the

normal litter.

U.S. and Puerto Rico.

“The radiograph showed 14 to 15 puppies, so we decided

Not a well-known breed

on a C-section because a natural birth for that size litter

in Alabama, the South

would be a long delivery for the mother,” she said.

African Boerboel is an

The birth was an “all-hands-on-deck” situation in the

impressive dog, and

surgery suite, ready to handle the large litter. Dr. Michael

is recognized as being

Tillson, a professor of surgery at the college, led a

intelligent, reliable and

three-member surgical team, and Dr. Jacob Johnson,

obedient with a strong

a professor of anesthesia, was part of a three-person

watchdog instinct. “The

team including an anesthesia technician and senior-level

most common thing

veterinary student. In addition, 12 third- and fourth-year

we hear from our customers is that the Boerboel is the

veterinary students were on hand and assisted in caring

best dog we’ve ever owned, and we have several return

for the puppies once they were born.

customers,” Turner said.

All of the puppies and mom are thriving with the Turners,

“We have been blessed to be able to own some of the

who own Hidden Creek Boerboels. They decided to use

top Boerboels in North America, and we’ve been very

the service, established in 2014 in part by the American

pleased with the Theriogenology Service at Auburn,”

Kennel Club and the Theriogenology Foundation, to

Turner said. “With the wonderful dogs we have been able

impregnate Bailee and follow her pregnancy.

to acquire and produce, we feel quite fortunate.”

22 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Summer/Fall 2016

AROUND THE CVM

Front Row L to R: Dr. Jennifer Koziol, Theriogenology resident, Kaidy Richardson, Shaina Wheatley, Jackson Trescott, and Dr. Julie Gard, advisor. Back Row L to R: Grady Cofield, Wesley Snell, and Joshua Tyler.

Palpation Team Places First in National Competition The palpation team brought home first place honors at the Student American Veterinary Medical Association’s (SAVMA) Bovine Palpation Competition during the 2016 Student Symposium, held this spring at Iowa State University.

“I’m just incredibly proud of them. They’ve worked extremely hard this past year, and their achievement is a great culmination of all their work,” said Dr. Julie Gard, a professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences and the team’s advisor.

The team was one of 20 who competed in the competition.

Since 2000, Auburn’s teams have placed first in 10 symposia, the most of any veterinary program.

The 2016 palpation team includes: Grady Cofield, Cadiz, Ky.; Wesley Snell, Skipperville, Ala.; Jackson Trescott, Fort Myers, Fla.; Shaina Wheatley, Hawesville, Ky.; Kaidy Richardson, Monticello, Ky.; and Joshua Tyler, Adairville, Ky. The competition was conducted in three sessions over three days. The first round was a two-hour written exam about palpation, the second covered practical exams in reproductive tracts, ultrasound and a timed artificial insemination (AI), and the final round was a live cow palpation. Twelve teams advanced to the second round, and eight competed in the final round.

Auburn’s winning team was assembled more than a year ago and has practiced continuously, both as a group and individually.

“When we were first told we made the team, we started slowly, meeting about once every other week. As things ramped up, we met once a week, and palpated for at least two hours each time,” said Wesley Snell, a member of the team who competed in the timed AI portion of the competition. “Over the summer, we worked on cattle farms where we could practice palpation. It was a lot of work.”

To be a member of Auburn’s team, students are required to take an elective course during their second year, “Advanced Large Animal Reproduction,” taught by Dr. Gard; be a member of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners (AABP); and have the top scores on a written exam.

All of the team members are in their third academic year of veterinary education.

“Auburn is known for its theriogenology program. We’ve had legendary vets like Dr. Robert Walker, the late Dr. Bob Carson, and Dr. Dwight Wolfe. It’s great that we’re a part of and carrying on that tradition. It’s an awesome feeling,” said Grady Cofield, who competed in the live cow palpation.

Dr. Gard thanked Dr. Gatz Riddell, professor emeritus who began the winning tradition in 1998. The first palpation competition and team were instituted in 1996.

The national competition was sponsored by the Society for Theriogenologists.

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AROUND THE CVM

Fighting disease

Project ALIAS gives Auburn researchers new tools

By Zack Padgett Auburn researchers are looking at diseases that affect animals and people in a new way because of the university’s state-of-the-art Project ALIAS. ALIAS, or the Auburn Laboratory for Imaging Animal Systems, is an interdisciplinary research resource for life scientists seeking to apply state-of-the-art optical imaging tools to understand and develop treatments for progressive diseases such as cancer. Housed in the College of Veterinary Medicine, Project ALIAS is directed by Peter Panizzi, an associate professor in the Harrison School of Pharmacy who also holds an

24 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Summer/Fall 2016

adjunct appointment in the CVM. Researchers and their students from across Auburn University use the ALIAS lab for their research.

ALIAS provides researchers with a powerful new window into the world of disease and, by consequence, new perspectives on how to develop cures. “What I am particularly interested in, and what everyone around here is getting more interested in, is the ability to use tools available through Project ALIAS to track disease progression over time,” Panizzi said.

To better understand disease progression, ALIAS provides several different, non-invasive imaging

AROUND THE CVM

Dr. Peter Panizzi

technologies that can be used to monitor changes in the tissues of living animals at cellular and molecular levels, in real time. This means that the progression of disease can be tracked and measured, and effects of new therapeutic strategies designed to treat diseases and disorders can be evaluated efficiently and effectively. ALIAS technologies advance the ability of investigators to study the biology of disease states in living systems, while reducing potential for experimental error and minimizing the number of animals required to conduct important, life-saving research.

Complementary technologies available in ALIAS, including multispectral imaging and laser microdissection, allow investigators to pursue more detailed studies in excised tissues and cells.

One of the latest additions to ALIAS is Multi-Spectral Optoacoustic Tomography or MSOT. Installed last year, the MSOT device is currently one of only seven in North America and is a hybrid technology providing both structural and functional information deep within the animal being imaged. MSOT technology is being used at Auburn by cancer researchers to find better ways to detect primary and metastatic tumors, to assess tumor burden and to develop new treatment strategies.

MSOT allows researchers to look at tumors and tissues associated with disease in small animals, such as mice, and construct dynamic, quantitative 3-D models of such disease states.

“In ALIAS, you can go in there and get a picture of a tumor. You can go back each day and measure changes in the size of that tumor,” said Dr. Frank “Skip” Bartol,

professor and associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Veterinary Medicine. “You can follow real events in gene expression, or other biochemical aspects, of what is happening in the tissue of interest or the tumor of interest.”

Other exciting Auburn projects utilizing MSOT include the development of new agents that would allow for the specific detection of certain dangerous pathogens in the body and understanding host-pathogen response as it happens for the first time. Auburn researchers are finding new ways to implement this cutting-edge technology bringing them to the leading edge of this pre-clinical imaging field.

The interdisciplinary nature of work performed in the ALIAS facility made its home in the College of Veterinary Medicine a natural fit. Animal care and veterinary expertise, essential to the operation of ALIAS, is provided by the Division of Laboratory Animal Health. All work involving animals at Auburn University is conducted only after review and approval by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) as required by the federal Animal Welfare Act. With demand increasing and new applications for ALIAS technologies being developed, the laboratory will soon undergo significant expansion and renovation, slated for completion in fall of 2016. The lab is open to all faculty and graduate student researchers interested in optical imaging of living systems.

For more information, visit www.vetmed.auburn.edu/ research/alias.

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AROUND THE CVM

Meet New Faculty Join the college in welcoming two new faculty members to the Department of Pathobiology, Dr. Lindsay Starkey and Dr. Emily Graff.

Dr. Emily C. Graff

Dr. Lindsay A. Starkey

Dr. Graff joined the college as an assistant professor, having recently earned her Ph.D. in Dr. Robert Judd’s laboratory.

Dr. Starkey joined the faculty as an assistant professor in the Department of Pathobiology and her work at Auburn involves the teaching of parasitology to first and fourth-year veterinary students, varied research projects, diagnostic parasitology and parasite

She received her DVM from Texas A&M University, followed by a small animal internship and a residency in clinical pathology at Auburn University.

Dr. Graff was awarded the Charles and Sharron Capen Fellowship in Veterinary Pathology supported by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists and Society for Toxicologic Pathology Coalition and is a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists. She is also an active member of the Boshell Diabetes and Metabolic Disease Research Program.

Her primary research involves investigation of the relationship between adipose tissue and the immune system, and focuses on cats as an intermediate model of human obesity and disease. Additional research interests include investigation of the physiologic role of the HCA2 receptor in both adipose tissue and immune cells.

consultation, and outreach.

She completed her DVM and Ph.D. in veterinary biomedical sciences at Oklahoma State University where her graduate research focused on several Ehrlichia spp. of dogs.

She is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Microbiology, Parasitology sub-specialty, completing her residency training through the National Center for Veterinary Parasitology at Oklahoma State University.

Dr. Starkey’s research interests include vector-borne infections, primarily those transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes, and food-borne parasitic diseases.

Dr. Ellen Behrend Earns National Honor Dr. Ellen Behrend has been named one of the 15 most influential veterinarians of 2016 by the website veterinarianedu.org.

The individuals were chosen based upon the veterinarian’s work, research or career trajectory, those currently teaching or affiliated with a school of veterinary medicine or those who have made noteworthy contributions to the advancement of veterinary medicine.

After earning the VMD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1988, Dr. Behrend completed an internship at Michigan State University and a residency at Colorado State University, from which she received a master’s degree in 1994. Her focus of study and research has been in canine and feline endocrinology, most specifically Cushing’s disease.

26 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Summer/Fall 2016

In 2001, she received a Ph.D. from Auburn, where she is currently the Joezy Griffin Professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences and an Auburn University alumni professor.

She has authored or co-authored approximately 70 abstracts, 65 journal articles and 35 book chapters as well as served as section editor for five textbook editions. Dr. Behrend is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Small Animal Internal Medicine) and is a member of the College’s Board of Regents.

Her awards include the Daniels Award for Excellence in Small Animal Endocrinology, the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, the NIH Clinical Investigator Award, and she has twice been awarded the Pfizer/Zoetis Distinguished Teacher Award. She is also a consultant in endocrinology for the Veterinary Information Network.

AROUND THE CVM

Longtime Employees Retire Veteran faculty and staff have retired in recent months, including Dr. Mary K. Boudreaux, Dr.

Dr. Elizabeth G. “Betsy” Welles Dr. Welles, who

Barbara Kemppainen, Dr. Elizabeth G. “Betsy”

joined the faculty

Welles, Dr. Richard C. Weiss, Kaye Storey and

at the CVM in 1990,

Debbie Allgood.

taught clinical

We wish them well and thank them for their

pathology in didactic

valuable contributions to the college.

format to secondand third-year

Dr. Mary K. Boudreaux

veterinary students

Dr. Boudreaux, who

and in clinical format

joined the college

to fourth-year

in 1986, taught in

veterinary students, interns and residents.

the Department

She was director of the Auburn University

of Pathobiology and was director of the Hemostasis Laboratory. Her research centered on evaluating the role of platelets in disease pathogenesis and identification and characterization of congenital platelet disorders, and she was recognized as an international leader in the field.

Dr. Boudreaux served the college and university with distinction, serving since 2010 on the

College of Veterinary Medicine Clinical Pathology Laboratory and is board certified by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists.

Dr. Welles has been the recipient of the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Student Government Association’s Outstanding Faculty Member in the College of Veterinary Medicine, and the Pfizer Distinguished Veterinary Teacher Award in 2011.

Dr. Richard C. Weiss

Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics. She served

Dr. Weiss joined the college faculty in 1985

as the official representative of Auburn University

as a joint appointee in the Department of

in NCAA and SEC affairs.

Pathobiology and the Scott-Ritchey Research

She is a member of the American Veterinary

Center where he established a research program

Medical Association, the American Society for

in feline virus disease.

Veterinary Clinical Pathology, and Phi Zeta, the

He has more than 50 publications in the area of

Honor Society of Veterinary Medicine. She has

feline virology and immunology and is recognized

been the recipient of several awards, including the

nationally for his expertise in studying feline infec-

Beecham Award for Research Excellence, the LSU

tious peritonitis. More recently, Dr. Weiss focused

Distinguished Alumnus Award, the Pfizer Award

on diagnostic pathology and teaching responsi-

for Research Excellence, the Jack Mara Scientific

bilities in the Department of Pathobiology. He

Achievement Award, the Pamela Wells Sheffield

was named to Who’s Who in Veterinary Medicine

Award, and the Dean’s Award for Excellence

and is noted for helping develop a vaccine against

in Teaching.

feline leukemia virus.

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AROUND THE CVM

Dr. Barbara Kemppainen

Debbie Allgood

Dr. Kemppainen, a professor of

Mrs. Allgood served

Pharmacology and Toxicology,

Auburn for more than

joined the college in 1988, team

31 years and was

teaching veterinary toxicology

a resource to both

and veterinary elective courses

students and faculty

in wildlife toxicology; and

in the Department of

comparative and alternative medicine.

Anatomy, Physiology

Her post-doctoral training at the U.S. Department

and Pharmacology.

of Agriculture involved studying in vitro skin

As an administration

penetration and metabolism of fungal toxins.

support associate,

Dr. Kemppainen received her Ph.D. from the

she had direct impact on more than 3,000

University of Georgia.

veterinary students who were enrolled in APP

Her research program, in collaboration with

classes held in Greene Hall, helping them, faculty

Dennis Shannon of the Department of Agronomy

and staff.

and Soils, investigates the effects of culture condi-

Kaye Storey

tions on the production of medical compounds by medicinal plant. This work was funded by

Mrs. Storey came

Food Animal Health and Disease Research, U.S.

to the college’s

Department of Agriculture, U.S. Army Medical

Academic Affairs

Research Command, the Mellon Foundation, and

Office in 1999 from

by the Alabama Agricultural Land Grant Alliance.

main campus, and through her work as admissions advisor, saw more than 1,600 veterinary students earn DVM degrees.

She served as coordinator of admissions and student services, where she played a pivotal role through the process of admissions in assisting students who had a dream to be a veterinarian.

Throughout the competitive admissions process, Mrs. Storey touched the lives of each Auburn veterinary student.

Tell Us About You! The College of Veterinary Medicine wants to learn about your career achievements. Email Janet McCoy at janet.mccoy@auburn.edu; be sure to put Alumni Notes in the subject line.

28 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Summer/Fall 2016

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International Descriptive Veterinary Pathology Course Held on Campus The 25th annual international Descriptive Veterinary Pathology Course was recently held at the College of Veterinary Medicine, with participants from as far as South Africa participating in active learning exercises and taking mock gross and histopathology exams.

“Having an Auburn faculty member as director of this internationally recognized conference enhances the visibility and prestige of the Auburn CVM in the world veterinary community, particularly the pathology community,” Dr. Koehler said.

The conference, part of the Charles Louis Davis and Samuel Wesley Thompson DVM Foundation, had attendees from many countries ranging from fourthyear veterinary students to experienced working pathologists. Instructors Paul Stromberg (emeritus, The Ohio State University), Jey Koehler (Auburn University), Erin Ball (Joint Pathology Center) and Chuck Halsey (AU CVM 2007, Pfizer) led the conference, lectures and mock exams.

“The opportunity to host attendees from all over the country and from other countries gives us a chance to show off the outstanding new teaching and clinical facilities that we are so fortunate to have,” Dr. Koehler said. “Many attendees told me that their perception of Auburn was greatly enhanced after having a chance to spend time here.”

The course, which helps trainees learn new pathology descriptive techniques, improve current techniques and prepare for the certifying exam, focuses on helping anatomic pathology trainees develop and refine their descriptive style for gross and microscopic lesions in a variety of major organs in numerous animal species, said Dr. Jey Koehler, assistant professor in the Department of Pathobiology.

The course also offers introduction to the interpretation and description of electron micrographs, immunohistochemical stains and cytology.

Written and oral descriptive techniques, lectures on interpretation and description of electron micrographs and immunohistochemical preparations, the correlation of gross and microscopic lesions, and correlation of cytology and histopathology specimens were all topics of discussion at this year’s conference.

“We have so much to be proud of with regard to facilities, but also for the amazing financial and personnel support for the conference from Dean Johnson, Pathobiology department head Dr. (Russ) Cattley, and events coordinator Kris Street and her student helpers Megan Hesson (AUCVM 2018) and Rachel Burt (AUCVM 2018),” Dr. Koehler said.

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DEVELOPMENT

Raptor Center Shows Off Donated Vehicle at Bird Release The Southeastern Raptor Center showed off a recently donated SUV for its rehabilitation division with the release of five rehabilitated birds back into the wild.

A red-tailed hawk, two barred owls, one great horned owl and a Mississippi kite were released near the 2016 Ford Explorer, donated by the Auburn Alumni Association to show its support for the center and its mission of rehabilitation, education and conservation.

“We learned about the need for a new vehicle for the Southeastern Raptor Center, and our board generously agreed to allocate some funds for that,” VanValkenburg said. “Our partnership with the raptor center has been strong throughout the program, so we really appreciate that support and wanted to do something in return.”

Dr. Seth Oster, an avian veterinarian and director of the center’s rehabilitation program, invited Auburn Alumni Association staff to attend a private release of the five birds of prey as a thank you and to show off the new vehicle.

The gift by the Auburn Alumni Association and its Board of Directors was much-needed, because transportation to and from the Bailey Small Animal Teaching “We do a lot of driving transporting birds, and we want Hospital, as well as to release locations, ensures the animals are properly cared for. The center’s rehabilitation to ensure their safety and health, and this new vehicle will help us do that,” Dr. Oster said. vehicle had seen better days, and staff often relied on their personal vehicles to transport animals.

The center takes in about 400 injured birds a year, and this year looks to be a record year.

Gretchen VanValkenburg, vice president for Alumni Affairs and executive director of the Auburn Alumni Association, said the donation was part of the association’s mission.

30 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Summer/Fall 2016

DEVELOPMENT

KVMA Supports Carson Fund for Excellence The Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association recently made a donation to The Dr. Robert L. Carson Endowed Fund for Excellence in Food Animal Practice. Dr. Clenon Turner ’76, representing the KVMA, made the gift presentation to Dean Calvin Johnson. The endowment was established by friends of Dr. Carson, who died in 2015, to ensure the

programs he held dear—food animal medicine, surgery and Theriogenology—will endure along with his memory. For more information on how you can support the Carson Endowed Fund for Excellence, or other programs to benefit the college, contact the CVM Development Office at 334/844-1446.

Nominations for Alumni Advisory Council Sought The College of Veterinary Medicine is seeking two new members to add to its Alumni Advisory Council, a vital leadership team for the college.

Dean Calvin Johnson meets with the council during the fall and spring and receives insight for college programs, planning, and development.

Alumni are invited to self-nominate or nominate an Auburn veterinary graduate for a four-year term to the council. Elections will take place at the fall council meeting with the newly elected member(s) assuming council membership at the spring 2017 meeting.

Prospective members must provide a current curriculum vitae which includes evidence of their support for Auburn University and the College of Veterinary Medicine. In addition, letters of support written by at least two CVM alumni must be included.

The nominations committee will present recommendations to the full council for election. The dean will notify those selected.

The 15-member council serve four-year, staggered terms. Non-voting honorary and ex-officio members also serve on the council, as well as honorary members at the discretion of the dean.

All material should be sent to: Mrs. Diana Turner, 104 Greene Hall, Auburn, AL 36849-5517.

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WHY IS A GIFT ANNUITY A SMART WAY TO GIVE?

DEVELOPMENT

Because it allows alumni like Dr. Chuck Otto, a 1951 graduate, a chance to show his gratitude to Auburn University and provide for his loved ones.

Have you ever wondered if a charitable gift annuity was right or you? Not only does it provide income for your life, a portion of which is tax free, but it will also fund future scholarships. We encourage you to learn more about this option. Just one example to consider – a donor sets up a $25,000 charitable gift annuity funded with cash – benefits listed below:

CH A R ITA BL E DE DUCT ION

$11,549

A N N UA L PAYOU T

$1,600 Fixed

TA X-F R E E PORT ION

$1,281.60 **for 10.5 years

OR DI NA RY I NCOM E

$318.40

**After 10.5 years the entire annuity payment will become taxed at ordinary income rates. Payment schedule is annual; annuity rate is from ACGA2012 table.

Learn more about how the Auburn University Office of Gift Planning can help you support Auburn while also meeting your philanthropic and financial goals.

334 -844 -7375 | PL ANNE DG IVING@AUBUR N.E DU | W W W. AUBUR N.E DU/PL ANNE DG IVING

GIVING DAY 11.29.16

MARK YOUR CALENDAR. CHOOSE YOUR PROJECT. GIVE. Auburn University’s Tiger Giving Day is set for Nov. 29, 2016.

Following Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Tiger Giving Day is the university’s version of Giving Tuesday, a global day dedicated to giving back.

The College of Veterinary Medicine, with all three projects topping their goal in the inaugural Tiger Giving Day, will have projects to advance our mission.

32 AUBURN VETERINARIAN – Summer/Fall 2016

Watch for our announcements online and via Auburn Veterinarian!

ALUMNI NOTES

Bartlett Ranch Named Zoetis-AQHA Best Remuda Bartlett Ranch, owned and operated by Dr. H.B. “Woody” Bartlett, has been named the recipient of the 2016 Zoetis-AQHA Best Remuda Award by the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) and corporate partner, Zoetis.

This award honors the contributions ranch horses have made to the heritage of the American Quarter Horse and recognizes outstanding ranches for their efforts in raising American Quarter Horses, an important tool of their trade.

All of the two-year-old remuda horses are started during an annual colt-starting clinic each year at the Wyoming ranch. The renowned clinic, held for the past 20 years, is taught by “Cody” Bill Smith, threetime world champion Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association saddle bronc rider. At the ranch, all foals are halter broken at weaning. Care is taken to ensure gentleness with the foals. The foals are handled on a regular basis for the next year-and-a-half until they come to the clinic.

Handle Bar Doc, 1983 National Cutting Horse Association world champion and NCHA Hall of Fame member; Preferred Pay, a son of the famous racehorse Dash For Cash; and Watch Two Eyed Buck, an AQHA Superior calf roping, Superior heading, Superior heeling and Open Performance Champion. Dr. Bartlett recently added Very Special Playgun, a son of Playgun out of the mare Very Special Peppy, to his stallion roster.

Many of the Bartlett Ranch remuda horses also have found success outside of the ranch. A few of these American Quarter Horses include Reys Desire, What’s Your Handle, Raps Red River, Hav U Herd My Handle, Silky Rap and Aproach With Caution who have accolades in events ranging from rodeo to cutting to halter.

The award will be formally presented to the Bartlett Ranch during the 2016 Working Ranch Cowboy’s Association World Championship Ranch Rodeo held November 10-13 in Amarillo. Bartlett Ranch will also be recognized during the 2017 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Convention February 1-3 in Nashville.

Bartlett Ranch is an AQHA legacy breeder, and the ranch’s top resident stallions over the years include

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ALUMNI NOTES

Virtual Run to Support RUN LIKE A CHAMPION Champion Scholarship Fund MEMORIAL 5K RUN/WALK

Classmates andonfriends of23, the2016 late Dr. Emily Champion ’08 will hold a 5K run walk, Please join us October 5k run/walk to remember for a Like Run a Champion, on Sunday, Oct. 23.

Emily K. Champion, DVM,

The memorial 5K2008 run/walk will be virtual, meaning that you can run in your own Class of AUCVM city anytime Oct. 22 orK.23.

A location at the College of Veterinary Medicine is being  Proceeds benefit the Emily Champion memorial endowment at the AUCVM planned. 

Race can be completed:

Proceeds willAL–help establish  Auburn, AUCVM campusthe Emily K. Champion memorial endowment at the  Virtually– can be run anywhere on College of Veterinary Medicine.

October 22-23  Check out information our Facebook page more For more on for how you can be a part, check out the Facebook page: Run information: Run Like A Champion Like A Champion Memorial 5K Virtual Run/Walk. Contact Dr. Cathy Davis at Memorial 5k Virtual Run/Walk www.facebook.com/runlikeachampion5k cathy.davis.dvm@gmail.com. 

Register soon to secure your race bib and

finisher medal!

Registration can be found Register at: www.getmeregistered.com, then search 124599 or at Getmeregistered.com: Run Like a Champion. https://secure.getmeregistered.com/get_inf ormation.php?event_id=122153

“You’ve always had the power , my dear. You just had to learn it for yourself.” - Glenda A u b u r n U n i v e r s i t y C o l l e g e o f Ve t e r i n a r y M e d i c i n e E q u i n e R e p r o d u c t i o n C e n t e r

A N E Q U I N E E D U C AT I O N E V E N T

Horse Course and Foal Auction Saturday, November 12, 2016

9:30-10:30 a.m. Registration (Bailey Lobby) 10:30-11:10 a.m. Wounds: Splattered, Smothered, and Covered

Dr. Lindsey Boone

11:10-11:45 a.m. Choosing the Right Stallion for Your Mare

Dr. Aime Johnson

11:45-Noon Zoetis 12:00-1:00 p.m. Lunch (provided) 12:30 p.m. Tour of Large Animal Facilities (optional) 1:00-1:45 p.m. Special Needs of the Senior Horse

Dr. Anne Wooldridge

1:45-2:30 p.m. Understanding the Lameness Examination

Dr. Lindsey Boone

3:30 p.m. Foal/Horse Auction 9:30 a.m.– 4:00 p.m. Silent Auction

All proceeds from the horse sale and event benefit the Auburn University student Society for Theriogenology Club, and Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine Equine Service.

Horse auction/adoption will be held in the Bartlett Lameness Arena and will add evening entertainment with an auctioneer and some very nice foal prospects. All bidders need to obtain a bidding number prior to the sale. Telephone bids will be accepted if pre-arranged.

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The cost is $15 per person to attend the educational event and includes lunch.

Attend the auction for free.

Please register at www.vetmed.auburn.edu/ce Contact: Dr. Aime Johnson at 334-844-4490 or akj0001@auburn.edu Sponsored by Zoetis

ALUMNI NOTES

Lydia Staggs promoted to Senior Veterinarian for Dolphin Discovery Lydia Staggs ’04 was additional facilities. Dr. Staggs will oversee the veterinary promoted recently to care at the four Jamaican locations along with Gulf senior veterinarian after World and future American marine mammal facilities Dolphin Discovery’s that Dolphin Discovery opens in the coming years. acquisition of Gulf World.

Staggs cares for a variety of animals, from small finches to Staggs’ promotion comes 500-pound sea lions and dolphins. She has been involved after working for more with the care of the only collection of rough-toothed than a decade in veterinary dolphins in the western hemisphere and has spent time practice with Gulf World establishing baseline data for this unique species.

Marine Park in Panama “I am very proud that I can provide a quality of health Dr. Lydia Staggs City Beach, Florida. for the animals under my care that I know they would Dolphin Discovery is an international company now not receive in the wild,” Dr. Staggs said. This unique located in nine countries across the world, from Rome, position allows her to also care for animals that strand Italy, to its headquarters in Cancun, Mexico. through the non-profit organization, Gulf World Gulf World is the largest marine rehabilitation center Marine Institute. in the panhandle of Florida. Much of Dr. Staggs’ time Dr. Staggs also continues a one-day-a-week practice is spent performing the necessary procedures to bring with her mentor, Dr. Forest Townsend, a ’76 Auburn sick and injured sea turtles, dolphins and small whales CVM alum at Bayside Hospital for Animals in Fort back to health. Her unique career choice has provided Walton Beach, Florida. She has been working with Dr. many unusual rewarding opportunities, including Townsend for 12 years, starting with her post-graduate the rescue of dolphins from hotel swimming pools internship. At Bayside, she is able to maintain surgery after Hurricane Katrina and de-oiling hundreds of sea skills on a weekly basis. turtles during the BP oil spill.

The acquisition of Gulf World by Dolphin Discovery comes with the opportunity for Staggs to work with new,

Dr. Steverson named presidentelect of Florida VMA Dr. Alex “Steve” Steverson ’87 recently was named the new president-elect of the Florida Veterinary Medical Association (FVMA). Dr. Steverson operates Bradfordville Animal Hospital in Tallahassee, Florida, and has served the community there since 1991.

After graduating from Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Steverson worked at several Florida veterinary hospitals, including Largo Animal Emergency Hospital in Largo, Allied Veterinary

Emergency Hospital in Tallahassee, Central Animal Hospital in St. Petersburg and Northwood Animal Hospital in Tallahassee.

As president-elect of the FVMA, Dr. Steverson will serve on the executive board and board of governors and will assume the office of president once the current president’s term is completed.

Dr. Steve Steverson

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IN MEMORIAM ’48 Dr. John Greely Moore Jr., 93, of Huntsville, died April 10. Dr. Moore attended Auburn University as an undergraduate and went on to attend the CVM. In 1943, he was drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II. Returning home in 1956, he opened Loop Veterinary Hospital in Mobile, where he practiced large and small animal medicine for more than 50 years. Dr. Moore was the past president of the Alabama Academy of Veterinary Practice. He is survived by his wife, two children, two sisters, two grandchildren and five great-grandchildren ‘50 Dr. William R. Miller, 91, of Arlington, Ala., died June 2.

His association with Auburn University School of Veterinary Medicine, obtaining his degree after World War II, later a master’s degree, and serving on the faculty, was a source of deep pride and one that provided his family a firm foundation in its love of Auburn. He is survived by his wife, two children, four grandchildren and a great-granddaughter. ’50 Dr. B.T. Simms Jr., 92, of Pontotoc, Miss., died June 9.

Dr. Simms moved to Auburn in 1937 and graduated from Auburn High School in 1941. He served stateside in the U.S. Army and then in the Merchant Marines. After graduating from Auburn, he taught at Oklahoma State for two years.

He then moved to Pontotoc, where he lived for 74 years.

Dr. Simms had a veterinary practice for 14 years and then worked as an Inspector in Charge for the USDA until he retired. Dr. Simms engaged in many community service and philanthropic activities. In 2006, the Senior Center building in Pontotoc was named the B.T. Simms Jr. Community Center in his honor. He is survived by his wife, brother, two children, three granddaughters and two great-granddaughters. ’52 Dr. Claude E. Barton, 87, of Nashville, died May 14.

After graduating from Auburn, Dr. Barton served in the U.S. Air Force until 1955, including a year in Germany during the Korean War, and served in the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard until 1988. The majority of his career in veterinary medicine was dedicated to the eradication of Brucellosis from domestic livestock. He is survived by his wife, three daughters, four grandchildren, two greatgrandchildren, brother and several nieces and nephews. ’54 Dr. Luther T. Albert, 92, of Madison, Wis., died March 8.

He served as an assistant professor and directed the animal care unit of the medical center at the University of WisconsinMadison School of Medicine and Public Health prior to his retirement. Dr. Albert was a member of the Wisconsin VMA and was named Veterinarian of the Year in 1960. He is survived by his daughter, three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

‘61 Dr. Charles Becker, 80, of Birmingham, died April 27.

During his time at Auburn, he was a member of ODK, Alpha Psi, Alpha Tau Omega and was a Purina Scholar. Dr. Becker moved to Birmingham in 1965 and opened Becker Animal Clinic, where he practiced veterinary medicine for 47 years.

He was a partner and founding member of the Alabama Pet Cemetery in Brompton, Ala. and helped organize the Emergency Animal Clinic in Birmingham. He is survived by his wife, sister, two children and two grandchildren. ’68 Dr. Charles Payton, 72, of Birmingham, died April 27.

After graduating from Auburn CVM, Dr. Payton and his wife moved to Oneonta, where he purchased the Animal

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Hospital from Dr. Ned Prickett. The mixed practice grew to a five-veterinarian practice, serving Blount and surrounding counties. Dr. Payton retired in 2005. From 1997-2006, he served on the Alabama State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. In 1998, he received the El Toro Award for Excellence in Food Animal Medicine. He also received the Wilford S. Bailey Distinguished Alumni Award in 2008. Dr. Payton is survived by his wife, two children, three grandchildren, sister and brother. ’68 Dr. Benjamin H. Rawls, Jr., 74, died July 7. A prominent Daytona veterinarian where he practiced for 45 years, Dr. Rawls was loved by his clients and respected by his colleagues, never turning a client away who could not pay.

He was the first in the area to offer small-incision cataract surgery, improving the sight of more than 3,000 animals. An excellent diagnostician and surgeon, he was a pioneer in performing complicated facial reconstruction on Shar-Peis.

He earned degrees from Daytona Beach Junior College (AA ‘62), the University of Florida (BS ‘64), and Auburn University (DVM ‘68). Throughout his educational career he was honored for his leadership and scholarship. Active in community affairs, Dr. Rawls was a long-time member of the Volusia County Animal Control Board, President of the Volusia County Veterinary Medical Association, and member of Rotary International. He treated K-9s for the local police department. Dr. Rawls is survived by one son and two brothers.

‘75 Lt. Colonel William “Bill” Charles Weiland, 69, of Juniper, Fla., died May 10. Bill joined the Army at the age of 20 and left after four years to enter the Auburn CVM, where he graduated in the top five of his class. He traveled around the world while serving his country in the Air Force, and retired as a Lt. Colonel after 26 years of dedicated service as an Air Force Veterinarian and a Public Health Officer. He is survived by his mother, wife, three sons, two grandchildren, sister, brother and several nieces and nephews. ’77 Dr. Jerry Allen McMillan, 64, of Gallatin, Tenn., died July 22. Dr. McMillan devoted his life to his family, his community, and his profession. As a devoted veterinarian and pillar in the community, Jerry's vast reach of influence helped guide many in their darkest hours as well as their moments of great triumphs. Outside of his veterinary practice, Dr. McMillan loved spending time with his family and working on his farm. Dr. McMillan practiced veterinary medicine for 39 years. In 2006, he was honored as Practitioner of the Year by the Tennessee Board of Veterinary Examiners for excellence in his field. He is survived by his wife, mother, four children, six grandchildren and three siblings.

Lewis J. Angarano, 71, of Auburn, died, June 8. A member of the college’s Centennial Club with his wife, Dr. Donna Angarano, Lew was a salesman at heart with a phenomenal memory for names and faces. He earned a BA degree in Business Administration from Hawthorne College, Antrim, N.H., and following graduation, served four years in the United States Air Force. He led a successful career in both insurance and data processing as an account executive for EDS. He was an esteemed award winner in the “Inner Circle” top sales group. Contributions may be made to the Lewis and Donna Angarano Scholarship Fund at Auburn University.

apocrypha

By Dr. Tom Vaughan ‘55 Dean Emeritus

Methuselah’s Memoirs continued Then, in 1958, Dean Sugg died, and Dean Greene assumed his responsibilities. The first thing he did was to bring in my next mentor, Dr. Fred Schell from a high-profile equine practice in Franklin, Tennessee as department head, and arranged for me to go to the University of Pennsylvania for a nontraditional three-month residency under Drs. Charles Raker and Jacque Jenny, two of the ranking equine surgeons of the day. I left my wife of two years and our one-year-old son to spend the summer with my mother in Tuskegee (Ethel was back in school at the time), while I caught the train to Philadelphia. I lived in a second-story dormitory at the original large animal clinic (before New Bolton Center) in an un-air conditioned room over the manure pit (for ambience), cooked on a two-eye hot plate, and milked a Guernsey that was a patient in the clinic. I was on duty around the clock seven days a week for three months, scrubbed in on most of the surgeries, dressed legs, tended patients in the barns, and absorbed everything I could. One of the interns from Colorado had a complete set of Dr. Jim Farquharson’s lecture notes that Dr. Bob Adams used for much of the source material for his subsequent book on the lameness of horses. I was exposed to some of the most respected equine practitioners from Baltimore to New York. Moreover, the same people were to be the founding fathers, ten years later, of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. I kept two books of prodigious notes and acquired an entire new set of skills which were to serve me the rest of my career. Dr. Raker and I still continued to correspond until his death in February, 2014, 56 years later.

Upon my return to Auburn, Dr. Schell and I became a team, which among other things, was the beginning of this horse course. He was also an ardent advocate of the new American Association of Equine Practitioners of which I became a member the first year I could afford to attend in 1961 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Other significant events in 1958: Dr. Don Walker was recruited for beef cattle practice (which was very big in Alabama at the time). Dr. Agee Wiggins, a standout large animal professor, returned from Kansas State, and I was assigned teaching responsibility for general surgery and special surgery (which included diagnostic large animal

radiology). My ambulatory duties were shared, leaving more time for hospital cases. Not too long after, other familiar names were added: Dr. John Winkler in dairy cattle, Dr. Jay Humburg in equine clinics, and Dr. Robert Hudson as Dr. Walker’s teammate. All of a sudden we had a full house. In 1960, we moved into the new, state-of-the-art McAdory Hall Large Animal Clinic. In fact, a young John Saidla, student in the clinic, and I moved the old clinic to the new one over the Christmas holidays in, what else? A stock body-truck.

Continuing education courses were engaged in dead earnest, and in short order, we became the referral center south of Lexington and Baltimore and east of College Station, Texas.

It was a heady time.

A quick cafeteria of materials and methods used in equine practice in the mid-twentieth century: • Sedation: Mg-So4 and chloral hydrate, (“Mag-chloral relaxant”). No tranquilizers until • 1958, then promazine HCL. Editorially, there was more reliance on horsemanship and use of psychology, particularly to quell bad manners. Perhaps more skillful application of physical restraint, and certainly less reliance on chemical restraint.

• Anesthesia: a combination of general and local. General anesthesia was induced with 7% chloral hydrate or Equithesin (Army anesthetic), a combination of chloral and pentobarbital, administered carefully I.V. to avoid the jugular phlebitis caused by leakage or accidental injection perivascularly. By 1958, premedication with promazine HCL made for smoother induction. For longer duration procedures, chloral was alternated with P.S.S. by dual-drip.

Lighter plane of general anesthesia was possible with simultaneous local infiltration of the surgical site (or nerve blocks) with procaine HCL or other local anesthetic.

• Gas anesthesia: was introduced slowly in the early sixties, first with a German machine, the Foregger, adapted from human use. Thanks to Dr. Al Gabel from Ohio State University, it was pointed out that all the apertures, ducts, and fittings for the Foregger were of a diameter sized for humans and patently unsuited for an animal the size of a horse. We were inducing hypoxia along with anesthesia.

This was quickly remedied with new equipment fitted to the horse. Fortunately, most of our patients were young, physically fit athletes which could tolerate some abuse. However, the revelation made for some comic recollections.

• Antiseptics: surgical packs were autoclaved, but great reliance continued to be placed on • Listerian era antisepsis, using a variety of antiseptics including phenol (carbolic acid-the first), benzylconium

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apocrypha chloride, alcohol, sodium hypochlorite (Dakin’s Solution), bichloride of mercury, and iodine, to name but a few. It was common practice to use cold sterilization solutions (Bard-Parker was popular) to sterilize instruments for reuse quickly without the time-consuming autoclave preparation.

The greatest use was in the field on ambulatory calls where a bucket of Roccal Solution (benzylconium chloride) was always handy for hands and instruments. All of this preceded the advent of disposable sterile packs.

• • Antimicrobials: Penicillin, in production by 1943, and streptomycin by 1944, were the only antibiotics in use by the end of World War II, but the sulfonamides had been introduced earlier before the war, based on the activity that sufanilamide (and its precursor prontosil) had demonstrated against streprococci in mice. Therefore, the use of the sulfa drugs (sultanilamide, sulfathiazole, sulfadiazine, sulfasoxisole, etc. ) was in wide usage in both human and veterinary medicine in the mid-fifties.

The standard preventative for coccidiosis in baby chicks was sulfamethazine in the drinking water, which made broiler production possible in the Southeast. Shortly, the tetracyclines were developed and became very popular for treating infections in large animals. Ever the mother of innovations, particularly in the unstructured environment of ambulatory practice on the farm, large animal veterinarians apropriated tetracyclines intended for oral use, • diluted in sterile water for intravenous use for serious infections. Providentially, if diluted enough and given slowly, adverse reactions were uncommon. Also, animal owners were not as litigious as they became toward the end of the century.

and astringent bandages were frequent choices. For chronic, uninfected inflammation, counterirritants included liniments, paints (e.g. phenol, iodine, and glycerine), and blisters (paint or paste) such as red iodide of mercury.

These were used independently or in conjunction with thermocautery (firing) for splints, spavins, curbs, and occasionally “popped ankles,” knees, shins, and bowed tendons.

These procedures were always followed by periods of rest, scrupulous attention to the feet, and any other contributing factors. Internal, injectable irritants were used in special cases such as stifled horses and mules when put back to work in the spring. The acute upward fixation of the patella would be treated by multiple subcutaneous injections around the patella ligaments. This was the treatment of choice for stifled tobacco mules in the summer, and always a challenge for the veterinarian. One favorite prescription was iodine in almond oil. Adverse reactions were rare to nonexistent. A personal favorite routine for foot abscesses was to thoroughly debride the wound and all infected tissue followed by a long foot soak in bichloride of mercury solution, then a thorough swabbing with Lugol’s solution, packing with BIPP (bismuth subnitrate and iodoform paste), covered with oakum and pine tar, and a croker sack bandage.

As a side note, during World War I, battlefield fractures were packed with iodoform and bismuth subnitrate under the cast, and saved a lot of legs from amputation.

I daresay there are many mutant strains of bacteria that develop resistance to the old mainstay inorganic disinfectants such as iodine, phenol, and iodoform. I wouldn’t know how to practice without them.

• Anthelmintics and insectacides: mid-century, the standard anthelmintic was phenothiazine, soon joined by piperazine. • Fluid therapy: circa the mid-century provokes a lot of head Bots were treated with gelatin capsules of carbon tetrashaking. Despite many of the medical advances during the chloride or carbon disulfide, administered by balling gun, war, fluid therapy was still in the dark ages. Sterile saline or if you were dexterous enough by hand. Copper sulfate and 5% dextrose in 500cc brownglass (Baxter) bottles with and nicotine (CuNic) was still a popular drench for sheep, latex I.V. tubes was it. If a patient got 1000cc he was doing and not too long before that, oil of chenopodium could good. Fluid and electrolyte therapy underwent a sea still be found on the shelf. DDT, lindane, toxaphene, and change in large animal medicine in the last half of the 20th malathion were widely used insectacides, and environcentury, and I’ll leave it at that. mental constraints were as yet unknown.

• Nutrition: on a related subject, it is my firm belief that the • Topical medication: ran a wide range of uses for treatment feed companies and associated enterprises have gone of wound infections and for acute and chronic inflammaoverboard on this modern-day mania with prescription tions (particularly of the feet and legs). For open wounds, feeds, electrolytes, stomach ulcer medications, and examples included sulfonamide powders, astringents assorted supplements for every age, use, and condition (ZnSo4, CuSo4 and alum), boric acid, iodine, and insect under the sun that treats the horse like a companion animal repellant compounds (such as benzene) since screwworms and a far cry from livestock. Next thing you know, they’ll be were a problem. For acute inflammations of the lower legs, living in the house with us like cats and dogs. O.k., so you various fomentations, soaks, poultices, ice, antiphlogistine, discount all that talk as coming from an old coot who’s out

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apocrypha of touch with the modern age. Maybe so. But, when I grew up in a feed store, Purina had one horse feed, Omolene, made of cracked corn, crushed oats, a little cottonseed meal, and molasses. We called it “sweet feed,” and it was a specialty item. All that working mules and horses that pulled a plow or a wagon six days a week saw in their manger at the end of the day was a dozen or so ears of corn (in the husk). We’re not talking about shelled corn; this was ear corn in the shuck. There may have been some fodder or hay in the rack, a trough full of water, and if lucky, a salt block. This routine broke the sod and planted the wheat and corn on the prairies clear to the Pacific Ocean, built the levees on the Mississippi, snaked the logs from virgin forests from Maine and the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico, and not just incidentally provided transportation for a nation until after World War I. On another canvas, the steppes of Asia, vast grasslands where wild horses roamed in great herds and provided the nomads with the means that became their might gave rise to the Huns (Attila, the Hun) that appeared in history in the 3rd century B.C. and by the 4th century A.D. had swept westward across Asia to invade Europe, pushing the visigoths and ostrogroths before then, and precipitating the great waves of migrations that destroyed the Roman Empire and changed the face of Europe. Their military superiority was due to their small, fast horses which depended for their sustenance on the wild grasses and forage they found on their way.

On a more recent note, in the November 2013 issue of Equus, quoting Drs. Hilary Clayton and Jerry Black, both high-profile equine authorities, the sharp contrast is noted between the feed room of today and the one from forty years (1973) ago in noneother than the indomitable Secretariat’s barn at a time when the Jockey Club which governs Thoroughbred racing considered “hay, oats, and water” as the standard ration and took a strong hand against performanceenhancing drugs, etc. which continues to this day.

• Fractures and luxations: depended primarily on coaptation stabilization rather than internal fixation.

Examples are the Schroeder-Thomas splint, the Roberts Jones bandage, the Mason splint, plaster of Paris cast, and yucca board. Otherwise, box stall confinement plus or minus banked bedding, and use of slings in conjunction with splints or casts. Open joint surgery was being done by 1958, but arthroscopic procedures didn’t come along until the late seventies and eighties. Internal fixation and compression plating were ushered in during the sixties and seventies after they were introduced from the Swiss.

• Diagnostic imaging: radiography was limited to the use of the old Picker machines appropriated from military surplus after World War II. These were serviceable units still in wide use throughout the fifties. Endoscopy was used primarily for laryngoscopy and less commonly for urethral and cystoscopic procedures. Ultrasonography did not exist.

• Internal medication: via stomach tube was standard operational procedure for treatment of gastrointestinal problems. Drenching by oral dose syringe and bolus or capsule by balling gun were alternatives. Gastroscopy and laparoscopy had to wait until the 1970s.

• NSAIDs: butazolidin began to be used by the end of the fifties, along with steroids. Other joint medications were limited to treatment of infections.

• Intestinal resections and anastomosis were still done by hand. So, in a nutshell, this hasty review of what equine practice was like three generations ago may give you a greater appreciation for some of the advantages you take for granted today, and I thank you for indulging me in this trip down memory lane.

Of course, special diets may be required by nursing foals and the old horses turned out to pasture, but the rank and file would need less dental care if they used their teeth to grind their grain and grass rather than having it processed for them.

With our modern-day, pampered horses that we think must have prescription feed and supplements, electrolytes in their drinking water, and “purple pills” to prevent stomach ulcers, have we presided in the last 55 years over the devolution of a hardy species that nature had devoted 55 million years to evolve? Or, are we the easy marks of a high-pressure marketing campaign that has already thoroughly anthropomorphized dogs and cats into surrogate children living in our homes and sleeping in our beds? I know I’m treading on shaky ground and probably offend half the veterinary population, but I offer it you, free of charge, this food for thought. We do the species no favor by turning the horse into a companion animal rather than livestock. End of sermon.

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