Scientists at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) who work in veterinary medicine
are dedicated to keeping animals, including pets and farm animals, healthy.
And they have found that when it comes to research, there is strength in numbers.
They know this because of the efforts of one FDA scientist to bridge a communications gap
between federal and state veterinary laboratories in critical situations involving animal food or drugs.
The Veterinary Laboratory Response Network (Vet-LRN) was started in 2011 by Renate Reimschuessel, VMD, Ph.D, a research biologist at FDA.
In 2013, the name was changed to the Veterinary Laboratory Investigation and Response Network
(Vet-LIRN), to reflect the many investigations the network undertakes in response to concerns reported by animal owners.
Thanks in large part to her efforts, FDA now works in partnership with 34 state and university veterinary laboratories
across the country.
For example, the network has been actively investigating the illnesses in dogs and some cats associated
with consumption of jerky pet treats. Member laboratories have been testing both the treats
and the affected animals in a collaborative effort to find the elusive source of these illnesses.
Lisa Murphy, B.S., VMD, DABT, assistant professor of toxicology
at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine, and her lab staff have been
a part of the Vet-LIRN community since its inaugural meeting in March 2011.
“Having this great working relationship with the Vet-LIRN program office has put us in a better position to assist veterinarians, pet owners,
and producers when there is a concern that an animal may have been harmed by a food product,” says Murphy.
“Vet-LIRN proficiency tests allow our technical staff to constantly compare our techniques with other laboratories,
and to refine and improve our ability to detect potentially harmful substances in animal foods and tissues.”
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