January 25, 2021
A team of researchers, led by Dr. Joyce Carnevale, clinical associate professor of veterinary clinical sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine, has received a $50,000 award from The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® (ASPCA®).
The two-year grant will allow Carnevale and her team to research an incremental care approach to managing acute canine vomiting. This is a common issue among dogs and it can be associated with a wide variety of causes. Treatment plans can vary from minimal outpatient supportive care to prolonged hospitalization and surgical intervention.
“There is little evidence-based information available to help veterinarians predict which patients will necessitate more aggressive in-hospital and/or surgical management,” Carnevale said. “Since more advanced care and hospitalization are costly, financial considerations play a factor in the owner’s decision regarding the extent of veterinary care they can provide.”
Carnevale’s project will devise a comprehensive incremental-care and evidence-based algorithm for dogs with acute vomiting to veterinarians. She says this should streamline the decision-making process while identifying risk factors associated with prolonged hospitalization and/or surgery.
The study will look at 200 dogs being treated at Iowa State’s Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital through the emergency service section. Currently the hospital annually sees approximately 400 dogs with those symptoms. The second phase of the study will look at an algorithm that will be applied to 100 enrolled patients.
“I believe once this study is completed it should help veterinarians create more streamlined diagnostic plans to provide efficient use of client’s health-care resources in dogs whose primary complaint is acute vomiting,” Carnevale said.
Other members of the research team are College of Veterinary Medicine faculty members Dr. Karin Allenspach, Dr. April Blong, Dr. Jonathan Mochel, Dr. Courtney Vengrin and Dr. Rebecca Walton.
The ASPCA is a national leader in animal rescue and protection, working tirelessly to put an end to animal abuse and neglect.
The ASPCA made its gift commitment through the Iowa State University Foundation. The foundation is a private, nonprofit organization committed to securing and managing gifts that benefit Iowa State University. The Forever True, For Iowa State campaign, with a historic goal to raise $1.5 billion, will help support Iowa State in becoming the premier land-grant university for the 21st century and beyond.
Contact:
Dr. Joyce Carnevale, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, joycec@iastate.edu, 515.294.4900
Dave Gieseke, College of Veterinary Medicine Communications, Iowa State University, dgieseke@iastate.edu, 515.294.4257