Celebrating the Breakthroughs Shaping the Future of Canine Health. Meet the 2025 Canine Health Discovery Award Finalists.

01849: Filling the Gaps in the Canine Genome

The sequencing of the genome of man’s best friend in 2005 has provided an invaluable resource to the canine research community, and has reinforced the position of the dog as an important model organism to study human physiology and disease. Unlike the human and the rodent models (the mouse and the rat), very few dog […]

02164-MOU: Determining the Genetic Contribution to Boxer Corneal Ulcers

Spontaneous chronic corneal epithelial defects (SCCEDs) are chronic corneal ulcers that fail to undergo normal healing that are commonly observed in Boxers. The predilection for Boxers suggests that SCCEDs is inherited in this breed. Affected dogs develop spontaneous corneal ulcers that are often exceptionally painful and persist for weeks to months. Most dogs require surgical […]

0001428: Inheritance Patterns and Molecular Genetic Analysis of Doberman Pinschers and Boxer Dogs with Familial Dilated Cardiomyopathy

This study found that ventricular arrhythmias in Boxers are inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. Researchers found that asymptomatic Boxers have frequent ventricular premature complexes (VPCs), a specific type of irregular heartbeat that is a common form of ventricular arrhythmia. They determined that a two- to three-minute electrocardiogram (ECG) is a poorly sensitive indicator of […]

01782: Defining the Elements of Successful Cranial Cruciate Ligament Repair

In our study, we investigated four common CrCL-deficient stifle surgical stabilization techniques. We implemented the tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO), tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA), lateral femorotibial suture (LFTS) and TightRope (TR) techniques in our computer simulation model working closely with a veterinary orthopedic surgeon. Caudal cruciate ligament, lateral collateral ligament, and medial collateral ligament loads, […]

00591: In Vitro Effects of the Milk Thistle Extract Silibinin in Canine Tumor Cells

Many forms of canine cancer are currently incurable, and novel treatments are needed. The phytochemical silibinin, the bioactive constituent in the herb milk thistle, has been shown to induce growth arrest and apoptosis, inhibit angiogenesis, and decrease tumor cell invasion in various human tumor cells, and inhibit tumor growth in a variety of mouse models […]