Research

Dr. Heather Knych and her team at the Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory were recently awarded the 2025 Dechra Analgesia Prize from the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists. The team was recognized for their publication, “The impact of transdermal application site on pharmacokinetics and selected pharmacodynamics of buprenorphine in horses” in the journal Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia (VAA). 

The Reaching Across the Causeway (RAC) Awards program, now in its fourth year, is a joint funding initiative led by the Vice Dean for Research of the School of Medicine (SOM), the Associate Dean of Research at the Weill School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM), with contributions from the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the UC Davis Clinical and Translational Science Center.

Dr. Xiner Zhou has joined the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology as assistant professor of biostatistics effective July 1, 2026.

Red-tailed hawks can compensate for feather loss during molt by subtly changing their wing and tail movements, according to a new study by University of California, Davis, researchers in the College of Engineering and the Weill School of Veterinary Medicine. 

Augmented reality (AR) eyeglasses have the potential to improve outcomes in some complex canine veterinary surgeries, according to a new article in the American Journal of Veterinary Research (AJVR).

Disorders of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) have long been known as contributors to orofacial pain and dysfunction in a dog’s ability to maintain a good quality of life, including eating, drinking, vocalizing, and using their mouth for useful activities. Treatment of TMJ conditions—such as cancerous tumors, severe inflammatory diseases, and septic arthritis—have progressed significantly over the past decade with research and clinical breakthroughs by veterinarians dedicated to oral health.

Researchers at the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine, led by Dr. Carrie Finno and graduate student Briana Brown, have reported the genetic cause of a fatal neurologic disease, equine juvenile spinocerebellar ataxia (EJSCA), in American Quarter Horse foals. A genetic test is available through the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory (VGL).

A 2021 outbreak of leptospirosis that sickened more than 200 dogs in Los Angeles County reveals critical gaps in vaccination practices and raises broader concerns about the spread of the disease between animals and people, according to new research led by the University of California, Davis. 

The Center for Animal Locomotion and Innovation, or CALI, at the University of California, Davis, was flying high during its grand opening ceremony on Friday, May 8.  

A gate swings wide at the auction ring at the Yolo County Fairgrounds. A group of goats and sheep hesitate, then shuffle through. They move as a group; their bodies pressed against each other. Beneath it all is their ruminant instinct of wanting to return from where they came. Rancher Nathan Medlar, with NM Ranch in Auburn, has arranged these gates to accommodate that instinct.