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Explore the sections below to learn about our noteworthy news in The Thinking Pets Program:

In the news

Cats and dogs get dementia. Here’s how to spot signs and support pets.

“This is typically a chronic slowly progressive disease, with lots we can do,” Gruen said. “There is no reason why a pet with cognitive dysfunction can’t enjoy a good quality of life for some years.”

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New NC State Veterinary Medicine Project Aims to Unlock Mysteries of Dog Pain

“Deep down, pet owners know it. Veterinarians do, too. There’s the bulldog who seems tougher than other breeds and the pug who’s a little more squeamish than others. There’s the golden retriever who is as happy-go-lucky as only golden retrievers can be, even when in pain.

What’s unknown is if there is actual science behind the perceptions.”

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Canine OA Injectable Gets Green Light

“As our understanding of canine pain expands, Librela provides a unique monthly treatment to control OA pain in dogs…helping to improve their comfort, mobility, and overall well-being,” Dr. Lascelles says.”

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New Initiative: NC State Answering Demand for a Feline Health Center

“We really are thinking critically about what cats need for the entire experience. What are cat needs for entering into the clinic and the hospital? What are cat needs for hospitalization and exam rooms? Every single piece, we’re really trying to take the cat-eye view of it.”

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NC State Plays Pivotal Role in Revolutionary Feline Osteoarthritis Treatment

“NC State College of Veterinary Medicine researchers Dr. Margaret Gruen and Dr. Duncan Lascelles played a key role in the first treatment for osteoarthritis pain in cats approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration.”

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How to Keep Your Aging Adventure Dog Active: A Veterinarian Weighs In

“Good owners all want to protect their aging dogs from getting overstressed or injured. But Gruen pointed out, that it’s just as important not to restrict their activity too much. Exercise is key to a healthy lifestyle and helps extend a dog’s life, just as it does with humans.”

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AAHA’s Updated Pain Management Guidelines: A Paradigm Shift in Managing Pain

“This marks the first update of the guidelines since 2015 and there have been some big changes.”

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Quantifying Cognitive Decline in Dogs Could Help Humans with Alzheimer’s Disease

“Researchers have found that a suite of complimentary tests can quantify changes in dogs suspected of suffering from cognitive decline.”

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Survey: Barriers, Not Demographics, Affect Willingness to Pursue Veterinary Care

“A survey of dog owners from across the U.S. shows that when it comes to seeking veterinary care for dogs, barriers to access – including a lack of trust – have more effect on the decision-making process than differences in race, gender or socioeconomic status.”

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New Tool Helps Diagnose Feline Degenerative Joint Disease

“Nearly all cats have identifiable signs of degenerative joint disease (DJD), yet it often goes undiagnosed.”

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Study Sets Baseline for Sleep Patterns in Healthy Adult Dogs

“‘The study was necessary because research on dogs and sleep has outpaced our basic knowledge about what a ‘normal’ sleep/wake cycle looks like,’ says Dr. Margaret Gruen.”

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Helping Humans Understand Their Dogs

“‘What’s going on inside my dog’s head?’ In truth, you have probably heard the question more often than you can count or remember.”

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Service Dog Cognition: NIH-Funded Partnership with the Duke Canine Cognition Center

CVM Service Dog Research Awarded $1.5 Million NIH Grant

“Dr. Margaret Gruen is the recipient of a $1.5 million National Institutes of Health grant for a five-year study into the traits that make certain puppies excellent candidates to become service and companion dogs.”

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Which Pups Will Make the Grade as a Service Dog?

“What makes a successful service dog — and can it be predicted in a puppy as young as Yonder? At stake is a lot of money and a lot of dogs.”

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Duke Puppy Kindergarten Admits Seven New Students

“In the first program of its kind, the Duke Canine Cognition Center will welcome to campus seven puppies from Canine Companions for Independence, the leading assistance dog non-profit in the U.S.”

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cvm news

NC State Announces 2022-2023 University Faculty Scholars

“Each year, approximately twenty tenured or tenure-track faculty scholars are identified to receive this honor.  Faculty members selected as University Faculty Scholars carry the title for the duration of their faculty appointment at NC State and receive an increase to their base salary.”

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NC State’s Olby Wins 2023 AVMA Career Achievement in Canine Research Award

“The Council recognized that not only does your research positively impact the health and welfare of dogs, but it also has the potential to contribute to the library of knowledge gathered in support of improving the health of other species, including people.”

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October News and Updates: Our Expertise is Showing

“The beauty of this is that we can validate hands-on observations coming in from people via questionnaires,” she says. “We are finding great synergy between our groups.”

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College of Veterinary Medicine Bestows Honors, Celebrates Award Winners

“The NC State College of Veterinary Medicine community gathered Thursday for festivities to honor faculty and staff members, including those who have won awards throughout the academic year, and to bestow the college’s own awards.”

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NC State Announces 2021-22 Goodnight Early Career Innovators

“NC State announced its 2021-22 class of Goodnight Early Career Innovators today. This program recognizes and rewards promising NC State early-career faculty whose scholarship is in STEM or STEM education. The 25 faculty selected will receive $22,000 ­for each of the next three years to support their scholarship and research endeavors.”

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Lascelles Named DuBose Distinguished Professor

“Duncan Lascelles, professor of translational pain research and management, has been named to the Dr. J. McNeely and Lynne K. DuBose Distinguished Professorship in Musculoskeletal Health.”

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Interested in these articles? You can click the highlighted text to learn more about the work of Dr. Margaret Gruen, as well as her collaborations with Dr. Duncan Lascelles and Dr. Natasha Olby! You can also learn more about our work with the Duke Canine Cognition Center.