IDEXX Canada is giving Ontario Veterinary College $1.5
million to establish a research chair to study bonding between pets and their
owners.
IDEXX
Laboratories Inc. is a multinational corporation that produces diagnostic and
information technology-based products and services for the veterinary industry.
“This is an important and innovative area of scholarship,”
said University of Guelph president Franco Vaccarino.
“It merges two distinct, yet intertwined, subjects that are
foremost in the minds of animal owners – the bond with their pets and the
availability of the new and emerging information.
“The superb work of the OVC in epidemiology, primary health
care, and innovative teaching, makes it an ideal home for this forward-looking
chair.”
Peter Mosney, director and country manager for IDEXX Canada,
said “the new chair at OVC is a milestone in our continued efforts to
advance the standard of care within the veterinary profession and solve complex
medical problems in today’s fast-paced, information-rich environment.”
The chairholder will create and teach new ways to recognize
and reinforce the importance of animals in their owners’ lives. Experiential
learning opportunities for student veterinarians will focus on technology to
support bond-centred care.
It's another example of how pets are moving to the fore, leaving livestock and poultry farming in decline at OVC and most North
American veterinary colleges.
