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On Sep 28. from 9am-6pm, a seminar on rabies diagnostics and control will be held at the FGI "Federal Center for Animal Health", Vladimir, Russia. Veterinary specialists from 10 regional laboratories, responsible for rabies diagnostic work will participate in discussion of current problems of rabies control and diagnostics. Results of inter-laboratory qualification test will also be discussed.

Posters, devoted to the WRD2010 will be distributed among participants and they will distribute them in their regions (first of all in veterinary clinics, pharmacies and labs). Also Posters will be distributed in Vladimir region. An article on rabies will be published in the regional newspaper. For more information please contact Artem Metlin.

Planning a World Rabies Day Event? Want to see it featured? Tell us more about it by entering your information on our 2010 Events page. For more information about World Rabies Day 2010 event planning, please contact us.

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September 1, 2010
September marks the seventh annual National Preparedness Month. This year's event focuses on encouraging Americans to work together to take concrete actions toward emergency preparedness in their homes, businesses, and communities.

The Ready Campaign is a year-round public service advertising campaign of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Produced in partnership with the Citizens Corps and the Ad Council, it aims to educate and empower Americans to prepare for, and respond to, natural disasters, potential terrorist attacks, and other emergencies.

An NPM Coalition composed of public and private sector organizations works to promote a culture of preparedness across the country. As an NPM Coalition member, the AVMA is committed to sharing preparedness information with its members and the public.

The AVMA maintains a Disaster Preparedness page at www.avma.org/disaster/default.asp that includes detailed disaster-planning resources for small and large animals.

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September marks the start of the wheat planting season in Pakistan where floods covering land half the size of Italy have wiped out much of the country's household wheat seed stocks. FAO calls for donors to focus attentions on making sure those poor farmers in a position to plant wheat are given the means to do so, or millions will face hunger.

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In the last three weeks, 100 items, 1 events and 5 profiles have been added or updated in the directory.

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Great Danes stretch more than a meter from paw to shoulder and can easily weigh more than 90 kilograms. A Chihuahua fits snugly inside a purse. Domestic dog breeds are more varied in body size and shape—not to mention coat color and fur length—than any other land-based mammal. Yet, according to a new study, a mere two to six regions in doggy DNA account for most of this diversity.

Over the past few years, researchers have linked a number of canine traits—from size to coiffure—to specific mutations in dog DNA. This new line of research was made possible by the completion of the Dog Genome Project in 2005 by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) in Bethesda, Maryland. But researchers lacked a large-scale analysis of these traits across a wide variety of breeds. As a result, they didn't know whether traits were governed by a large number of genetic regions, each contributing a small effect, or by a few regions with large effects.

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Taking one type of cell and transforming it into another type is now possible. Cells taken from the thymus have been transformed into skin cells -- a discovery that may have important ramifications for the field of organ regeneration.

The findings, published on the 19th of August in Nature, show that these stem cells change their genetic make-up according to their environment to contribute to the long-term functioning of the skin, even producing hair for up to a year after implantation. In collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, UK, the Swiss research team with European colleagues isolated thymic epithelial cells (TECs)-taken from the thymus of a rat-and integrated them into the rat's skin cells with surprising results.

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Food safety is back in the news with reports of Salmonella in eggs.
Eggs contaminated with salmonella have made big headlines over the last week with a huge recall affecting consumers nationwide.

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A North Carolina State University researcher has helped to locate and identify a gene responsible for a fatal neurodegenerative disease that affects American Staffordshire terriers.

This same gene may be responsible for a similar rare, fatal disease in humans. Its discovery will lead to improved screening and diagnosis of the disease in dogs and is the first step in working toward a cure for both canines and humans.

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The European Equine Health & Nutrition Association will organize the 5th European Equine Health and Nutrition Congress (EEHNC).

The 5th anniversary of the EEHNC will be celebrated with internationally recognized specialists in nutrition, exercise physiology and veterinary sciences who will discuss topics related to "Feeding the muscles".

One day will be dedicated to the relationship between feed and muscle performance in healthy horses (Friday). The second day of the program will focus on feeding the horse with muscle problems (Saturday).

The Congress will be organized in Waregem (Belgium). Separate from the congress programme practical workshops will be organized on Friday (April 15, 2011).

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The 6th International Colloquium on Working Equids

29th November- 2nd December 2010 (optional field visit 3rd December)
India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, India

As the Colloquium is less than four months away, please register now if you haven’t already done so. Don’t miss the opportunity to take advantage of the special extended early-bird registration – one week left!

The 2010 International Colloquium on Working Equids will be a unique gathering where keynote speakers from the worlds of international development, social science, human health and education will interact with animal scientists, veterinarians, project managers and field workers from the world of working horses, donkeys and mules. The interdisciplinary approach is set to deliver a ground-breaking and thought-provoking conference that will use the theme of ‘Learning from Others’ to explore new approaches to benefit working animals and their owners in the developing world.