From Meaningful Moments to a Lasting Legacy

Training for this: UF VETS’ Brandi Phillips, Karl Froling & Deana Blackburn aided in the manatee rescue from a Brevard County storm drain in early 2026.

While the two techniques are still being researched and refined, early returns are promising for safer, more targeted care.

Two years ago, UF Vet Med partnered with Vivacity Perfusion to launch its open heart surgery program for dogs, a groundbreaking partnership which paved the way for the nation’s first canine perfusion training fellowship program.

The UF marine animal rescue team found a dead bottlenose dolphin in Dixie County in March. The recovery of the young male was significant as an unexpected infection was identified, the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV), marking the first cetacean found with the virus in the U.S. and only the second known case in the world.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is jeopardizing the progress made over decades to control overpopulation of dogs and cats through high-volume spay-neuter surgeries, a team of UF researchers concluded in a new study. The UF College of Veterinary Medicine is responding and doing its part to combat the disturbing trend.

Luke, a 12-year-old, liver-colored English springer spaniel, developed a rare case of canine botulism that had him in critical condition. The UF Small Animal Hospital treated Luke in its ICU and got the adventurous dog back to his normal self, creating a lasting bond in the process.

A 7-year-old Labrador retriever named Leo was the first canine in the Sunshine State to have a total ankle replacement surgery and one of only a handful around the globe to undergo the procedure.

Whether the new deadly bacteria is a recently introduced organism or has been present but not recognized is unknown. A team of researchers at UF discover a new species of bacteria.

Why are some countries less affected by COVID-19 than the U.S.? Rhoel Dinglasan, a professor of infectious diseases with the UF College of Veterinary Medicine, leads a team looking for answers in Africa.

Researchers at UF are studying the development of a new eyedrop they hope will be able to prevent or treat a condition known as equine recurrent uveitis, or moon blindness, the most common cause of blindness in horses. ERU is an immune-mediated disease characterized by spontaneously recurrent episodes of intraocular inflammation, with an estimated prevalence of 1-2% of horses in the United States.

Metritis is an inflammatory uterine disease found in about 20% of dairy cows after parturition. Studies at UF have found a distinct link between uterine disease and the uterine microbiome, metabolome and the immune system in dairy cows, which may aid in prevention and treatment. Dr. Klibs Galvão is using unique, integrative approaches to investigate better ways of understanding the bovine uterine microbiome and its impacts on uterine health.

The UF Veterinary Hospital at World Equestrian Center/Ocala, a premier equestrian venue, opened for business in May 2022. In the new 40,000-square-foot hospital facility, UF veterinarians offer world-class veterinary care and advanced diagnostics and treatment for horses, dogs and cats. Although the facility does offer treatments for companion animals, this episode focuses on the equine hospital and what the veterinarians there offer horse patients, specifically how they work to enhance and optimize performance in the elite equine athlete.

The veterinary forensic sciences team at the University of Florida provides a cross-disciplinary approach to the pursuit of justice in cases involving animal abuse. Key programs — implemented collaboratively with animal shelters, law enforcement and attorneys — are heightening awareness of animal abuse issues and providing veterinary forensic science services, including forensic autopsies, to participating agencies.

Florida has many invasive species, with Burmese pythons being one of the best known. However, while impacts of these reptiles are often framed in terms of threats they pose to the environment or other species due to habitat encroachment, the risks of diseases associated with emerging pathogens they carry are worthy of further study.

Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) affects millions of Americans, and current treatment options are ineffective for many patients. Patients with this syndrome suffer from chronic pain that severely affects quality of life. Dr. Aaron Mickle, an assistant professor of physiological sciences, incorporates multiple techniques at the system and cellular level to answer questions related to mechanisms of bladder sensory function and pain.