Insulinomas are the most common tumours of the pancreas in dogs. This multi-institutional prospective study evaluates the effectiveness of the drug toceranib phosphate in the treatment of insulinomas in dogs. This is an observational multi-institutional prospective trial. Client preferences regarding control/treatment group allocation will be followed and enrolment will not be blinded or randomised.

Insulinomas in dogs are difficult to cure by surgery. We investigate which genes are crucial for survival of insulinoma cells, allowing us to design new treatments targeted at these genes. Insulinomas are the most common pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours in dogs and humans. Current treatment options are limited to surgery and palliative medical therapy. Survival is poor with a median of 4 [range 0-18] months and 14 [range 0-51] months for medically and surgically treated dogs, respectively. Hence, new, more precise treatments are needed to improve the clinical outcome for dogs and humans with malignant insulinomas.

Cancer remains a formidable challenge, affecting both our beloved companion animals and ourselves. The RVC Cancer Biobank takes centre stage as a crucial resource in the quest for biomedical advancements. By offering a standardised approach to biospecimen collection and archiving, our mission is to accelerate cancer research and drive the development of precision medicine. Through the power of linking cancer samples with comprehensive patient information, we can pave the way for more effective, targeted, and less toxic therapies.

Equine exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) is a syndrome involving painful, exercise induced episodes of muscle stiffness and acute myonecrosis which can result in renal failure and in severe cases, death.

We propose to better define genetic subtypes of canine lymphoma and characterising response to treatment of the different subtypes through a combination of more accurate phenotyping of lymphomas by integrating a) advanced image analysis b) genome sequencing, and c) total RNA sequencing (including micro-RNA sequencing).

This study will investigate the effect of cross-linking using photoactivated riboflavin on the bacterial population present on the corneas and conjunctiva of canine patients with infectious ulcerative keratitis.

This study will determine if PACK-CXL can reduce the bacterial load at the ulcer site in vivo regardless of the antimicrobial resistance pattern.

RVC researchers have launched an innovative new research project called the RVC ImmunoRegistry. This detailed investigation about autoimmune diseases in dogs involves collecting data in real time over one year after diagnosis to find out how affected dogs respond to treatment. The aspiration of this project is to provide data insights which can inform improvements to the treatment outcomes and quality of life for canine autoimmune patients.

The project involves an interactive survey, consisting of realistic dog health scenarios. The aim is to explore UK dog owners' decision-making around their dog's health.

This research trial (REGLUCAT) will assess the ability of a new feline prescription diabetic food to promote weight loss - and hopefully diabetic remission - in diabetic cats who are overweight to some degree.

This research aims to provide a new and effective form of treatment for overweight diabetic cats, using dietary change to promote diabetic remission.

Identifying treatments that can achieve diabetic remission will encourage many owners to pursue treatment and will greatly improve the quality of life for diabetic cats.

The RVC team is researching the deficits of amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (AMC) in tablet form, following more general concerns about substandard or falsified veterinary medicines being sold in some settings.

The aim is to detect types and frequency of deficits in the quality of veterinary oral formulations of AMC and identify regional trends including differences between countries or between geographical areas within the same country.

Lack of efficacy due to SF veterinary products may be life-threatening in the case of antimicrobials drugs or vaccines. Furthermore, SF antimicrobial products are likely to expose sick animals to sub therapeutic levels and contribute to treatment failure and antimicrobial resistance.

The ASAP Collaborative Research Network is a global consortium of researchers bringing together investigators across multiple disciplines, institutions, career stages, and geographies seeking to tackle key knowledge gaps in the basic mechanisms that contribute to Parkinson’s development and progression. The RVC team are working closely with geneticists, basic biologists, clinicians and pathologists at UCL, Oxford and Cambridge to identify and characterise new genes involved in progression – with the ultimate goal of finding ways to slow down or even halt the progression of Parkinson’s.

RESET is a randomised controlled trial in which participants are randomly allocated to one of three groups, including a baseline group so that different behavioural management techniques can be compared. Canine epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disease in dogs, estimated to affect 0.6-0.75% of the population, which represents approximately 60-70 000 dogs of the 10.1 million pet dogs in the UK population. 

This trial investigates how behavioural therapies can work alongside medication as a method to reduce seizure frequency and anxiety in drug-resistant canine epilepsy.

Bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD)  is a pestivirus infection of cattle. It causes a variety of clinical outcomes ranging from the inapparent (sub-clinical) to the more severe, including abortion, infertility, an immuno-suppression that underlies calf respiratory and enteric diseases, and most dramatically, the fatal mucosal disease.

The disease is maintained by a small population of animals that become persistently infected (PI) with the virus. These PI animals are the major reservoir of BVDV and arise after becoming infected whilst in the uterus during early pregnancy. Such infections remain throughout the pregnancy and, after birth, for the lifetime of the animal.

Researchers and clinicians at the RVC have devoted more than a decade of work to improving our understanding of epilepsy in dogs, as well as cats.  Ongoing RVC epilepsy research is improving the characterisation of this chronic disorder and its comorbidities, develops technology to aid its long-term management for vets and owners, and identifies fresh new ways to manage this age-old disorder.

A four year study of laminitis in ponies, measuring physical, metabolic and management data, identifying significant factors associated with laminitis such as basal serum insulin concentration, insulin concentration in response to the OST, basal plasma adiponectin concentration and the presence of divergent hoof growth rings on the feet, and making recommendations for treatment  based on this.

Kidneys filter the blood and produce urine and so problems with kidney function can result in a variety of health problems for a cat. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is the persistent loss of kidney function over a period of time. CKD is the most common kidney disease affecting cats as they get older. The RVC’s Geriatric Cat Clinic was established in 1992 with the aim of researching the common conditions of older cats and to help with the care and medical management of the cats that attend the clinic.