Introducing the 2023-2024 Interns & Residents
Three departments at the Texas A&M School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) provide outstanding internship and residency opportunities for veterinary graduates who wish to extend their academic instruction and experience. Residents and interns are exposed to numerous specialties and work side-by-side with experts in their fields.
The Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) is excited to introduce the 2023-2024 interns and residents.
Small Animal Teaching Hospital: Updates on Canine Respiratory Illness FAQ — June 13, 2023
The Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) has recently diagnosed several cases of a severe, contagious respiratory disease in dogs. In response to some of the questions faculty have received regarding this outbreak, the VMTH has compiled the following information to assist owners in protecting their dogs.
Are we aware if the illness is viral in nature or bacterial?
The Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) has not been able to test all of the dogs who have been affected. In some of the affected dogs our veterinarians and students have seen, the dogs have had samples tested through the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory (TVMDL) and these results were negative. Of the approximately 25 dogs with shared contact whose samples were tested by an outside company, approximately 80% of these dogs tested positive for Mycoplasma cynos. No patients have tested positive for influenza so far in these cases, but this does not exclude the possibility of other dogs having a concurrent viral cause. Please note the patients that had shared contact did not have that shared contact in our hospital.
The VMTH understands that some of the outbreaks in other parts of the country have involved influenza and remains open minded about dogs who may have traveled from other parts of the state or country for their specific cause.
All of the affected dogs seen in the VMTH had been vaccinated for Bordetella and Influenza; they also were previously healthy dogs who developed a rapid onset of illness. The range in severity has been from mild to severe.
Based on the cases you’ve seen, what details can you share about how this infection has spread?
At this point in time, all of the affected patients have been presented to us after contact with other dogs at boarding facilities, doggie daycare, or with a neighbor dog. Currently, the VMTH has not experienced any patients who were affected after a visit to our hospital that we are aware of; however, we will continue to monitor this very closely.
To protect the patients seen at our hospital and the surrounding community, the VMTH has increased the screening of patients presented to the hospital. Historically, and at present, all dogs suspected of having a contagious respiratory illness are handled with precautions and are placed in isolation as soon as possible during admission. Our staff members have performed diagnostics on all affected patients in a different order and/or location to protect the rest of our patient population.
Are there other resources available for owners?
The School of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences’ Pet Talk series for last week focuses on the respiratory disease. This series, which addresses important pet-related topics and timely issues, shares information that owners should be aware of regarding this outbreak. It has been shared with the media. This article, to which you can refer your clients, can be found here.
Are you seeing any response to antibiotics or is it suspected viral?
The patients hospitalized at the VMTH have been severely affected and treated with antibiotics directed both at Mycoplasma and other secondary bacterial infections. The VMTH has not detected a viral cause in these patients, but we would treat a known viral case with supportive care and antibiotics for secondary bacterial infections if present.
Most patients seen at the VMTH have recovered with supportive care. There is concern that severely affected dogs may have lasting damage to their lungs, requiring further care and diagnostics, but the expectation is that most dogs should make a complete recovery, as has been the case in the VMTH’s past experiences with contagious respiratory illness.
Do you have any advice for quarantine guidelines?
The VMTH recommends that dogs with respiratory signs be maintained in isolation. All precautions that clinics or facilities have historically taken to protect against contagious respiratory disease complex (“kennel cough”) in dogs apply just as much now as in the past. The importance of these actions is greater now since dogs are experiencing a more severe illness, so our responsibility in the profession to protect dogs from this has never been greater.
Clinical signs consistent with respiratory infection in dogs include:
- Fever
- Coughing
- Nasal snuffling
- Nasal discharge
- Ocular discharge
- Sneezing
Any advice for decontamination guidelines?
The VMTH recommends you use antimicrobial cleaning agents and follow the instructions on the package pertaining to use and contact time. The University of Florida Maddie Shelter Medicine Program has excellent information and resources, which can be found here.
Do you have respiratory treatment guidelines?
The VMTH recommends as a resources to look into the Antimicrobial use Guidelines for Treatment of Respiratory Tract Disease in Dogs and Cats: Antimicrobial Guidelines Working Group of the International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases.
Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital
Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
4457 TAMU | College Station, TX 77843-4457
Small Animal Teaching Hospital | 979.845.2351
Small Animal Teaching Hospital: Possible Canine Respiratory Illness Spreading in Texas Counties — May 30, 2023
The Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) has recently diagnosed several cases of a severe, contagious respiratory disease in dogs.
This outbreak appears to be primarily affecting young dogs (1-2 years of age) who have become suddenly ill with a fever and cough. Our faculty have reported that several of the dogs cough up blood, which has required hospitalization and oxygen.
Because the disease is not following normal patterns and is apparently highly contagious, the VMTH is trying to identify dogs that may have been exposed to this disease prior to them arriving at the hospital. We ask that owners whose pets are exhibiting any of the consistent clinical signs associated with canine respiratory disease notify clinicians and our front desk staff of these symptoms when scheduling or confirming an appointment and before entering the hospital.
Clinical signs consistent with respiratory infection in dogs include:
- Fever
- Coughing
- Nasal snuffling
- Nasal discharge
- Ocular discharge
- Sneezing
Advanced notification will allow us to separate possibly contagious dogs from the other patients in the hospital.
This respiratory disease appears to be highly contagious and easily spread through direct contact, coughing and sneezing, and contaminated surfaces.
If you suspect your dog has been exposed to a respiratory infection, we recommend immediate isolation from other animals and that you notify your veterinarian. If your dog exhibits any signs of breathing difficulties, go to your vet or emergency clinic as soon as possible. While on the way, call to let them know the signs before arriving so additional precautions can be taken.
If your dog will be meeting other dogs or staying in overnight or day care kennels, the VMTH strongly recommends that you discuss with your vet what preventative vaccines are best for your pet.
As always, we thank you for your continued patience and understanding.
Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital
Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
4457 TAMU | College Station, TX 77843-4457
Small Animal Teaching Hospital | 979.845.2351
Large Animal Teaching Hospital: Equine Field Service After-Hours Emergency Care — May 26, 2023
Dear valued clients,
If you utilize the Texas A&M Large Animal Teaching Hospital’s (LATH) Equine Field Service team, we would like to inform you of an important change in how we are handling requests for after-hours emergency service calls away from our hospital.
If your animal develops an urgent need for after-hours care, one of the on-call doctors from our Field Service team can be reached for consultation by calling the LATH front desk (979.845.3541), as usual. Over the telephone, the doctor can assess your animal’s situation and discuss various options for care.
If immediate emergency treatment is indicated, we have transitioned to a “haul-in” system for equine emergencies; you will need to transport your animal to the Large Animal Teaching Hospital for after-hours treatment by our Emergency/Critical Care Service team. Overall, this will improve efficiency for after-hours emergencies and provide access to our specialized instrumentation and monitoring, otherwise unavailable at your location.
In light of this change, it will be vital for you to develop a transportation plan ahead of time so that you are prepared in an emergency. Our equine care team realizes that disease conditions or injuries can occur that prevent the transport of an animal needing urgent care. An emergency service call will be performed if this happens.
As always, we thank you for your continued patience and understanding.
Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital
Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
4457 TAMU | College Station, TX 77843-4457
Large Animal Teaching Hospital | 979.845.3541
Large Animal Teaching Hospital: New Flooring Project Completed — May 18, 2022
Dear valued clients and referring veterinarians,
We are pleased to announce that the Texas A&M Large Animal Teaching Hospital Flooring Project has come to an end. We will be transitioning back to our workspace beginning today, May 18, and anticipate being back at full operational capacity early Thursday morning, May 19.
We greatly appreciate your patience as you’ve navigated the challenges that this project may have created. We are excited to once again be available for all of your veterinary care needs and are excited for the opportunity to showcase our new flooring at your next visit with us.
From May 19-26, we ask that you please continue to call ahead for an appointment or referral and to speak with a Senior Clinician prior to beginning any travel to our hospital. This will help ensure that all services have smoothly and fully transitioned back to normal operations as we begin working on the new surfaces.
As always, we thank you for your continued patience and understanding.
Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital
Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
4457 TAMU | College Station, TX 77843-4457
Large Animal Teaching Hospital | 979.845.3541
Large Animal Teaching Hospital: New Flooring Project Beginning Phase II
— April 11, 2022
Dear valued clients and referring veterinarians,
On April 12, the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital will begin phase II of our Large Animal Teaching Hospital new flooring project. This is the last phase of this project and is anticipated to take four weeks to complete, with a completion date of around May 10.
Phase II of this project will continue to impact all hospital services. During this time, we will continue to provide our expertise in tertiary veterinary care and maintain the integrity of our clinical service and teaching missions; however, there will be a significant impact on our day-to-day operations as we modify our facilities.
We will have a significantly limited surgical caseload. If you have a case
that requires specialty surgery, please contact us well in advance.
Our doctors will work with you and/or your referring veterinarian
to help provide the very best solution for your beloved animal(s).
In addition, ICU will be impacted during this phase, patients will be triaged accordingly, and we will be limited in the number of stalls available for overnight procedures.
Other changes you can anticipate during Phase II include:
- Food Animal Services will be fully operational.
- Equine Field Service & Community Practice will have the ability to see some outpatient, wellness, routine rechecks, and preventative care appointments in a limited capacity.
- Equine Sports Medicine & Imaging will be able to see patients through their service for advanced imaging and lameness evaluations.
- Equine Theriogenology will still accept mares and stallions for breeding management.
- Equine Internal Medicine will have the capacity to see some cases but asks that clients please call in advance.
- Ophthalmology Services will remain closed to new patients.
Throughout the project, we will work to be extra vigilant with communications.
We ask that you contact us well in advance to ensure that
we can accommodate your needs and discuss alternative options.
Please call and speak with a senior faculty member as your needs
arise for referring a patient or before you begin traveling
to our hospital, as capacity will be assessed on a daily basis.
We understand that this project may create inconveniences, but it is vital in maintaining the integrity of our infection prevention program and our American Veterinary Medical Association Teaching Hospital Accreditation. More importantly, the project will ensure that your animal continues to travel safely throughout our hospital.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital
Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
4457 TAMU | College Station, TX 77843-4457
Large Animal Teaching Hospital | 979.845.3541
Large Animal Teaching Hospital: New Flooring Project Extension Required for Phase I — March 24, 2022
Dear valued clients and referring veterinarians,
As you know, we in the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital have been working on the installation of new flooring in our Large Animal Teaching Hospital that will allow us to maintain the integrity of our infection prevention program and ensure that your animal continues to travel safely throughout our hospital.
While we originally anticipated that Phase I of the project would be completed by March 28, a delay has required us to extend Phase I through Friday, April 8.
As a result, protocols put in place during Phase I of the project will continue to remain in place. Those include:
- All equine services will see and treat only urgent and emergent medical or surgical cases;
- The in-hospital Food Animal Medicine and Surgery Services will be completely closed;
- The Food Animal Field Service will maintain its normal operating procedures; and
- The Equine Theriogenology Service will still accept mare and stallions for breeding management but with limited stalls available for overnight procedures.
We anticipate transitioning to Phase II protocols beginning Monday, April 11, and we will continue to provide additional updates as the project continues.
In the meantime, we ask that you please continue to call and speak with a senior faculty member as your needs arise for referring a patient or before you begin traveling to our hospital, as hospital capacity will have to be assessed on a daily basis.
Thank you for your continued patience and understanding.
Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital
Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
4457 TAMU | College Station, TX 77843-4457
Large Animal Teaching Hospital | 979.845.3541
Large Animal Teaching Hospital: New Flooring Project Phase II — March 17, 2022
Dear valued clients and referring veterinarians,
On March 28, the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital will begin phase II of our Large Animal Teaching Hospital new flooring project. This is the last phase of this project and is anticipated to take three weeks to complete, with a completion date of April 15.
Phase II of this project will continue to impact all hospital services. During this time, we will continue to provide our expertise in tertiary veterinary care and maintain the integrity of our clinical service and teaching missions; however, there will be a significant impact on our day-to-day operations as we modify our facilities.
We will have a significantly limited surgical caseload. If you have a case
that requires specialty surgery, please contact us well in advance.
Our doctors will work with you and/or your referring veterinarian
to help provide the very best solution for your beloved animal(s).
In addition, ICU will be impacted during this phase, patients will be triaged accordingly, and we will be limited in the number of stalls available for overnight procedures.
Other changes you can anticipate during Phase II include:
- Food Animal Services will be fully operational.
- Equine Field Service & Community Practice will have the ability to see some outpatient, wellness, routine rechecks, and preventative care appointments in a limited capacity.
- Equine Sports Medicine & Imaging will be able to see patients through their service for advanced imaging and lameness evaluations.
- Equine Theriogenology will still accept mares and stallions for breeding management.
- Equine Internal Medicine will have the capacity to see some cases but asks that clients please call in advance.
- Ophthalmology Services will remain closed to new patients.
Throughout the project, we will work to be extra vigilant with communications.
We ask that you contact us well in advance to ensure that
we can accommodate your needs and discuss alternative options.
Please call and speak with a senior faculty member as your needs
arise for referring a patient or before you begin traveling
to our hospital, as capacity will be assessed on a daily basis.
We understand that this project may create inconveniences, but it is vital in maintaining the integrity of our infection prevention program and our American Veterinary Medical Association Teaching Hospital Accreditation. More importantly, the project will ensure that your animal continues to travel safely throughout our hospital.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital
Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
4457 TAMU | College Station, TX 77843-4457
Large Animal Teaching Hospital | 979.845.3541
Large Animal Teaching Hospital: New Flooring Project Phase I — Feb. 24, 2022
Dear valued clients and referring veterinarians,
On March 7, the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital will begin our long-awaited and much-needed Large Animal Teaching Hospital new flooring project. This four- to six-week project will impact all hospital services and, as such, will have a significant impact on our day-to-day operations as we modify our facilities. We anticipate the project will be completed by April 15. During this time, we will continue to provide our expertise in tertiary veterinary care and maintain the integrity of our clinical service and teaching missions; however, we wanted to share changes that you can anticipate while we complete this project:
- All equine services will see and treat only urgent and emergent medical or surgical cases; we will not be able to provide many of our outpatient, wellness, routine, and preventative appointments.
- The in-hospital Food Animal Medicine and Surgery Services will be completely closed during the first phase of the new flooring project, as we will not have the capability to treat, house, or care for in-hospital patients. We anticipate that phase will last 3 weeks, or from March 7-28.
- The Food Animal Field Service will maintain its normal operating procedures.
- The Equine Theriogenology Service will still accept mare and stallions for breeding management. Because we will be limited in the number of stalls available for overnight procedures, we request that you contact us in advance to assure that we can accommodate your request and to discuss alternative options.
Throughout the project, we will work to be extra vigilant with communications. We ask that you please call and speak with a senior faculty member as your needs arise for referring a patient or before you begin traveling to our hospital, as hospital capacity will have to be assessed on a daily basis.
We understand that this project may create inconveniences for you, but it is vital in maintaining the integrity of our infection prevention program and our American Veterinary Medical Association Teaching Hospital Accreditation. More importantly, the project will ensure that your animal continues to travel safely throughout our hospital.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital
Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences
4457 TAMU | College Station, TX 77843-4457
Large Animal Teaching Hospital | 979.845.3541
