The Hill's Pet Health and Nutrition Center will be located in renovated space in the K-State College of Veterinary Medicine. Rendering by Clark Enersen Partners.

"The Veterinary Health Center is expanding in an important way," said Dr. Elizabeth Davis, head of the clinical sciences department and interim director for the Veterinary Health Center. "The College of Veterinary Medicine's partnership with Hill's Pet Nutrition has been in place since 2018, and in 2020, an important new part of the partnership will take shape. The Hill's Pet Health and Nutrition Center will open for patient care January 2021."

The new center will provide primary care and nutritional assessment to help maintain optimal pet health.

"An important long-term goal of the Veterinary Health Center Obesity Clinic, a vital service of the center, is to end pet obesity," Dr. Davis said. "We feel fortunate to have the opportunity to collaborate with Hill's in this impactful way. Hill's has provided an opportunity for the center to provide state-of-the-art primary care for small animal patients while training extraordinary graduates. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with Hill's Pet Nutrition in this important way."

Dr. Jolle Kirpensteijn, chief professional veterinary officer, Hill's Pet Nutrition U.S., said, "We are proud to partner with K-State on this vital work to advance our understanding of and service to companion animals for today and for tomorrow. Collaborations like these incorporating academic institutions and commercial organizations are vital, and we are excited about this work that integrates research, pet care and student engagement — a powerful and rich combination. Obesity is a pervasive disease in our pets and only together can we turn the tide."

Dr. Davis said that the new Hill's Pet Health and Nutrition Center will provide service for routine primary care patients, walk-in urgent patient needs and triage to appropriate services as needed — with close proximity to a variety of veterinary medical specialists who work in the Veterinary Health Center. Additional services include animal behavior with Fear-Free® pet care, young pet care for puppies and kittens, annual visits with preventative health care, senior pet care and nutrition for all ages.

Dr. Davis said Hill's Pet Nutrition involvement in the Hill's Pet Health and Nutrition Center will provide a home for nutrition consultation, a designated Hill's primary care intern and direct consultation with board-certified veterinary nutritionists.

Dr. Taryn Pestalozzi was recently appointed as the Hill's clinical nutrition and primary care intern and consults at least weekly with two American College of Veterinary Nutrition board-certified clinical nutritionists from Hill's Pet Nutrition, who are also adjunct faculty with the clinical sciences department at the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Davis said the goal is to ensure that each patient receives a customized nutrition plan to obtain optimal results.

This summer, Hill's Pet Nutrition hosted a summer internship for third-year K-State veterinary student Jana Gigliotti.

"My time as the Hill's U.S. professional veterinary affairs intern was such a valuable experience in many ways," Gigliotti said. "I was challenged, encouraged and welcomed with open arms into Hill's amazing workplace culture even though I was working remotely. My projects taught me how to better advocate and care for my future patients without me putting my hands on an animal."

Gigliotti said that not only were the projects and material clinically relevant, but organizing and giving presentations, independent thinking and getting a glimpse of the business side of veterinary medicine all contributed to her professional growth this summer.

"I can't thank my manager, Dr. Brandon Stapleton, and the entire Hill's team enough for what this internship has given me," Gigliotti said.

"We loved having Jana Gigliotti as our first summer intern within US Professional and Veterinary Affairs, and she was an outstanding addition to the Education team," said Dr. Stapleton, senior manager of education at Hill's. "She performed exceptionally and set a high standard for future interns."

Another aspect of the partnership includes the second annual Clinical Nutrition Symposium, offered for continuing education credit, to be 2-5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, via Hill's Pet Nutrition's "Hill's at Home CE" program. For more information and to register, visit https://hillsathomece.com/. This symposium features experts from the college and professionals from the industry who will be lecturing on small animal nutrition. It will also feature a special live interview with Jordy Nelson, a former K-State and NFL football player. This symposium will include complimentary registration to professionals in the field who are looking to learn more about educating and communicating with pet owners to have healthy animals.

The K-State College of Veterinary Medicine, established in 1905, is dedicated to scholarship through innovation and excellence in teaching, research, and service to promote animal and human health for the public good. The college is committed to creating an environment that is fulfilling and rewarding, being recognized for good communication, productive collaboration, mutual respect, diversity, integrity and honesty. To carry out this mission, the college's nationally recognized instructional and research programs provide the highest standards of professional education.

Students in the College of Veterinary Medicine voted for Drs. Zsolt Szladovits, Brad Njaa and Kenneth Harkin as recipients of the college's 2020 preclinical teaching awards.

"Drs. Szladovits, Njaa, and Harkin are all excellent and engaged teachers, completely immersed in their classrooms and who also spend a great deal of their personal time to provide additional instruction for our students," said Dr. James Roush, interim associate dean for academic programs and student affairs. "It is fitting that these dedicated instructors were recognized for their efforts with awards that are chosen by the students they instructed during the previous year."

Dr. Szladovits was presented with the 2020 Boehringer Ingelheim Teaching Excellence in the First Year Award in recognition of outstanding instruction of first-year veterinary students. This is his fourth time receiving this award, having previously been honored in 2007, 2011 and 2016. He received a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1998. He has previously received teaching awards at his alma mater at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Budapest, Hungary, where he taught anatomy before joining Kansas State University. Dr. Szladovits is a clinical assistant professor in the anatomy and physiology department.

"I truly appreciate the hard work of the class of 2023 during their anatomy course, not to mention the incredible distraction that COVID situation has caused, and I am very glad that I still had the opportunity to facilitate this key learning process," Dr. Szladovits said. "I am very thankful for receiving this prestigious award and wish continued success for the entire class for the remainder of their course."

Dr. Njaa was named recipient of the 2020 Bayer-Elanco Teaching Excellence Award, which is presented in recognition of outstanding instruction of second-year veterinary students. He received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1991 and master's in veterinary anatomic pathology, both from Western College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. He is a diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Pathologists and currently holds the position of professor in the diagnostic medicine and pathobiology department.

"Wow! I was completely shocked by this recognition and honor — thank you!" Dr. Njaa said. "Classical instruction dramatically changed because of sudden restrictions in early 2020, and I am grateful the class of 2022 did an excellent job adapting, excelling and advancing. I look forward to consulting on cases or discussing life with these students during their senior year and following graduation."

Dr. Harkin was chosen as recipient of the 2020 Teaching Excellence in the Third Year Award sponsored by Zoetis. This is the third time he has received this teaching award, previously honored in 2012 and 2016. Dr. Harkin earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1989 from Iowa State University and completed a residency at Michigan State University. He currently instructs fourth-year veterinary students in their clinical rotations through the Internal Medicine service and presents didactic lectures to third-year veterinary students in hepatology, neurology and clinical hematology.

"I'm honored to receive the award," Dr. Harkin said. "In the never-ending quest to deliver more enlightening content to students with high expectations, it's encouraging to have one's efforts recognized."

Dr. Mary Post with her husband Daniel and daughter Eily.

With the help of staff and alumni, steps have been taken to establish the Veterinary Parent’s Excellence Fund.

Dr. James Roush, interim associate dean for academic programs and student affairs, was approached by class of 2020 graduate Dr. Mary Post to start an initiative for fellow student parents. Post experienced the challenges of raising a family while studying to become a veterinarian firsthand and wanted to start an initiative to help others feel more supported within the college. She said she could not have navigated the challenges of student life without the support of her teachers, fellow students and other student parents.

"Having a family in veterinary school can make it harder to build connections with your classmates and comes with unique challenges for both school and family life," Dr. Post said. "As soon as I signed my first contract for work, I reached back to the school to see how I could support forming a group to help connect student parents across all classes together so new generations of students could have the same support I did."

Dr. Roush said that when Post came to him, he thought back to his own days as a student. The Auxiliary to the AVMA was a dominant organization that helped support families within the college during the 1990s, but according to Dr. Roush, the college chapter eventually died out without his noticing until Post brought up the idea of starting a support fund.

"At the time when the profession was majority male, I remembered the women’s auxiliary being a big deal within the college," Dr. Roush said. "As times have changed, the college somewhat lapsed on support for spouses and parents, hence why Mary very generously found the need to establish this program immediately following her graduation."

The Veterinary Parent’s Excellence Fund was established in September 2020, and Drs. Roush and Post have high hopes for the fund and its future. Dr. Roush said there have already been meetings to discuss the growth of the fund and its uses within the student parent community.

"While for now it isn’t large enough to do more than allow some small events and encourage that community," Dr. Post said, "I hope that someday it will be successful enough that it can provide scholarships to help offset the extra costs that student parents incur so that their small families get the best start as they prepare to aid their communities as public health servants and trusted family vets."

For those who might be interested in contributing to the fund, visit giving.ksufoundation.org/campaigns/17477/donations/new.

A fourth-year veterinary medicine student performs surgery on a stray animal in Kansas State University's Shelter Medicine Mobile Surgery Unit. The unit, which visits shelters and animal welfare organizations in a two-hour radius of Manhattan, recently performed its 25,000th spay/neuter procedure.

Fourth-year veterinary medicine student Gemma Isermann, Rossville, performed the surgery while the unit was on location at Friends of Felines TNR, in Wichita.

Five years and five months since first hitting the road on its maiden trip May 9, 2015, the K-State Mobile Surgery Unit has been used to help dozens of animal shelters and community organizations save on veterinary care costs and has drawn attention to the plight of homeless animals.

The shelter medicine team consists of clinical sciences faculty members Drs. Brad Crauer and Cody Dressler, who are accompanied on each trip by three fourth-year veterinary students and a veterinary nurse, Kelsey Decker, who work together to spay and neuter unowned pets at an area shelter. Students spend two weeks on the mobile unit rotation, providing surgery and veterinary care at no cost to participating shelters.

The Mobile Surgery Unit has spent approximately 1,450 days and over 190,000 miles on the road over the last five years to reach the milestone of 25,000 surgeries. For each trip, students packed and loaded daily supplies in the 32-foot trailer, which sports the university's Powercat logo and wordmark, plus the slogan "Future Vets Helping Future Pets." The students use the up to two hours in travel time to reach participating shelters for classes and lectures to improve their knowledge of shelter medicine, procedures and the unique aspects of working with unowned animals.

Once the unit arrives at the shelter, the students perform surgeries under the guidance of Drs. Crauer and Dressler, and Decker, who is a licensed veterinary nurse. They also tour the facilities and have consultations with shelter managers before returning home, only to start again the next day.

The Mobile Surgery Unit has regularly visited 26 animal-welfare organizations within a two-hour radius of Manhattan over the past five years. The experience exposes students to each shelters' unique processes and challenges, Crauer said. The shelters are in Clay Center, Emporia, Junction City, Lawrence, Louisburg, Manhattan, Ottawa, Salina and Topeka. The unit also travels to a shelter in Beatrice, Nebraska.

"By the end of the rotation, we hope the students have gained a greater knowledge and appreciation for shelter medicine and use that to make a difference in the communities they become a part of after graduation," Dr. Crauer said.

Students are not the only beneficiaries. Veterinary care, especially spays and neuters, make up a large portion of a shelter's operating expense. Since the students perform surgery at no cost, shelters are saving between $50-$175 per animal, a significant savings when considering the number of animals the shelters serve, Dr. Crauer said. Shelters also have the advantage of regular professional consultations from Dr. Crauer and the team.

The K-State Shelter Medicine Mobile Surgery is supported by private gifts and a grant from PetSmart Charities.

Thin cows have a higher maintenance requirement in cold weather than those in moderate condition.

“Thin cows have a higher maintenance requirement in the winter than cows in adequate condition because they have to work harder to stay warm,” said Dr. Bob Weaber, beef cattle specialist and podcast contributor.

To assess the herd, veterinarian Dr. Bob Larson suggests ranchers periodically check them and even take pictures of the herd to help monitor changes over time.

“In any group, I expect some variation in the condition, but ideally I want almost all the cows to be in a moderate body condition,” Dr. Larson said. “And if they are, then I know that I am managing the group pretty well.”

Dr. Larson said if cattle ranchers notice that there are thin cows in the herd, they may need to evaluate the situation further to see if there is a pattern tied to their age or access to feed.

“The number of cows in the herd will creep up if, for example, they are getting pushed out of the feed bunk and not getting the protein supplementation they need,” Dr. Larson said.

The experts agree that two feet of bunk space per head is a minimum amount of space needed.

“If you only allocate a foot and a half on a single-sided feed bunk, the big cows will push out the thinner, smaller cows that really need the feed,” Dr. Weaber said. He prefers to place the feed bunk in the middle of the pasture so cattle can access the feed from both sides.

Dr. Larson added that the amount of bunk space needed will depend on the type of feed provided and how quickly the cattle consume it.

“Big cubes fed on the ground will allow the cattle to have easy access because you can spread it out, but there is more feed waste and sanitation issues that come with that strategy,” veterinarian Brad White said.

Once producers determine why some of the cows are thin, they may need to make culling decisions or form a plan to add condition back on the cows, according to Dr. Weaber.

“Identify the commonalities of the problem animals and that will determine the best management strategies to fix it, as well as knowledge for the future,” Dr. Weaber said.

White suggested producers look at ways to segregate the thin cows.

“Grouping the thin cows together can be a powerful tool in giving them the extra feed they need ahead of calving season,” Dr. White said. The challenge, he added, may lie in where they are located and the ease of separating them for feeding.

Dr. Larson said it is important to consider where the cow is in the pregnancy when coming up with the supplementation plan.

“Right now, spring calving cows are midway through their pregnancies and the calves are not pulling that much nutrient demand from them, but as they get closer to calving that demand goes up significantly,” Dr. Larson said.

He added: “The cow’s maintenance cost is the lowest it is going to be right now and that makes it a good time to put some weight on her rather than waiting to do it later.”

Dr. Weaber advised producers to calculate the days to calving when figuring out the gain needed.

Dr. White gave an example: “If I have 100 days, I could target the cows to gain two pounds per day. That will give them about 200 pounds of gain.”

The bottom line, White said, is to “do the math for your herd and then figure out if it is just a couple individuals that need to gain weight or the entire group, because that answer will drastically change the decision you make and what options are available.”

To hear more of the discussion about managing thin cows, listen in to the Cattle Chat podcast online.