Clemson University reached a new milestone in the construction of South Carolina’s first veterinary school. The Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) in Pendelton recently celebrated its’ continuing progress with a traditional beam signing ceremony on the site of the future animal health campus.

“The signing of this beam represents more than just the progress of a building–it symbolizes a historic step forward for Clemson University and the state of South Carolina,” Robert H. Jones, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at Clemson University, said in a news release.

 “The Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine will address a critical shortage of veterinarians and serve as a cornerstone for advancing animal and human health, strengthening our state’s economy and keeping top talent in South Carolina.”

The beam signing came 4 months after the 

 for the new complex of structures that will house future students and educators. Joining university officials for the beam signing were individuals with Turner Construction, LS3P and Flad architects, and Clemson leaders.

Steven Marks, BVSc, MS, MRCVS, DACVIM, founding dean of the the Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine, adds his signature to the orange steel beam.

Dozens of signatures are marking the orange beam that has been permanently placed at the top of Clemson University's CVM Hub, a facility that is designed to serve as the heart of the animal health campus. However, Steven Marks, BVSc, MS, MRCVS, DACVIM, founding dean of the Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine, noted the special significance of one of the beam’s signatures: Timothy R Boosinger, DVM, PhD, DACVP.

Boosinger, who died in January 2025, was co-chair of the Clemson CVM Steering Committee, helping to create the blueprint for the new school. In an interview with 

, Marks said Stacia Harris, EdD, director of marketing and communications for the CVM, arranged to have a sticker created with Boosinger’s digital signature. Marks then applied the sticker to the beam during the ceremonial signing event on March 21, 2025.

“That probably made the beam signing more special than a normal beam signing,” Marks said. “We wanted him to be a piece of the college. He was such a true gentleman [who] dedicated his whole career to veterinary medicine.”

Boosinger was a US Air Force veteran and veterinary pathologist who also served the animal health community as an academic leader for over 35 years at Auburn University in Alabama. As dean of Auburn’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Boosinger led the initiative that doubled the size of the college’s facilities with 325,000 square feet of new construction that included teaching hospitals. He and later served as the college’s provost and chief academic officer, as well as president of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges and a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education.

“Dr Boosinger was both an Auburn and Clemson Tiger…Adding a new college to the Clemson Family is a very proud moment for the CVM team, and we were honored to recognize his contributions,” Marks added in a news release.

Dean and provost emeritus Dr Timothy R Boosinger. Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. January 27, 2025. Accessed April 9, 2025. https://www.vetmed.auburn.edu/blog/cvm-news/dean-and-provost-emeritus-dr-tim-boosinger/

Harris S. Building a legacy: CVM Hub beam signing. News release. Clemson University. March 28, 2025. Accessed April 9, 2025. 

https://news.clemson.edu/building-a-legacy-cvm-hub-beam-signing/

Steven Marks, BVSc, MS, MRCVS, DACVIM, founding dean of the Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine, explained the significance of the traditional beam signing in a 

interview. “That beam signing is kind of a culmination. People don't realize [that] when you're building a building, there's so much that happens before the building actually rises. The beam signing .. is between the architects, the contractors, and then the university and the college itself. So everybody comes together. It was very, very special for us,” Marks said.

The CVM campus is a short drive from the university’s main campus in Clemson, South Carolina; across the road from the Clemson University Equine Center in Pendelton, and adjacent to the Clemson Experimental Forest. Marks noted that the design of the CVM campus buildings take their locations into account for the benefit of students and staff. “So there's a lot of glass, a lot of windows to look out, either onto the forest, or you can look across the street onto the current Equine Center. So it's a quite spectacular site,” Marks said. “Students will be able to take a walk in the woods, and will utilize outdoor space…It's quite beautiful.”

Seven structures will make up the veterinary campus and are in various stages of construction with some steel and exterior framing currently being erected. This includes the CVM Hub, which is expected to be fully enclosed by the end of summer 2025.

 The CVM Hub will contain classrooms, a library, food service, and social spaces for students to relax in, according to Marks.

According to Stacia Harris, EdD, director of marketing and communications for the CVM, April 2025 is a busy month for the campus. Plans have included the start of steel framing for the clinical teaching and research buildings, and site prep work has accelerated for the equine teaching and food animal buildings. Additionally, steel framing is scheduled to being in summer 2025 on the ambulatory building. Meanwhile, the campus’ utility building has its’ framing completed with roofing started and concrete block walls being installed.

The research building will contain offices for faculty and graduate students, and laboratories for work in advancing veterinary science

 while the clinical teaching building will primarily house laboratory and simulator spaces for coursework as well as a community clinic that will allow the public to access veterinary care.

 “That's where we'll teach anatomy, where we'll teach your surgical skills,” Marks said.

Meanwhile, the ambulatory service building will be home to a mobile hospital service being created to primarily care for farm animals, according to Marks. The service will provide fourth year students with clinical rotation experience on local farms.

 “Trucks will be deployed into the community with students and faculty,” Marks said.

A new equine teaching building will be located on the front pasture of the current Equine Center. “Horses will be able to just be trotted down into the teaching building, stay there just long enough for the lab to be taught, and then they'll be returned to the Equine Center,” Marks said.

The farm animal teaching building will be off-site, about a 5-minute drive away, on the university’s current dairy farm. “There will be dairy cattle that'll be moved from the herd into the laboratory teaching setting and then returned to the dairy herd,” Marks said.

The CVM was named for Harvey S. Peeler Jr, a senator in the South Carolina General Assembly and a graduate of Clemson University.

 “He is a dairy man at heart. His family is in a dairy industry. It just so happens that he moved throughout his career into a leadership role…He's been embedded in agriculture, and we know how important agriculture is to the state of South Carolina and how important it is to Clemson. It's quite the honor to have his name on our college,” Marks said.

Clemson plans to have the new CVM opening to its’ first students in fall 2026, pending approval from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education. Marks said the university is continuing to work through the process of earning accreditation and is currently on track to make its’ goals. The next step is a comprehensive visit from the AVMA Council on Education scheduled for June 2025.

The terraced CVM Hub building is designed to be the heart of the the Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine campus.

The ceremonial beam is hoisted into place atop the CVM Hub building.

The site of the future the Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine is shown under construction on April 7, 2025.

Harris S. Building a legacy: CVM Hub beam signing. News release. Clemson University. March 28, 2025. Accessed April 9, 2025. https://news.clemson.edu/building-a-legacy-cvm-hub-beam-signing/

Harris S. Building a legacy: March 2025 construction update. News release. Clemson University. March 17, 2025. Accessed April 9, 2025. 

https://news.clemson.edu/building-a-legacy-march-2025-construction-update/

Clemson breaks ground on Harvey S Peeler Jr College of Veterinary Medicine. News release. November 22, 2024. Accessed April 9, 2025. https://news.clemson.edu/clemson-breaks-ground-on-harvey-s-peeler-jr-college-of-veterinary-medicine/

Articles

The Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine recently celebrated with a beam signing ceremony

Clemson University's future veterinary school is making progress

As a veterinarian, I have dedicated my life to understanding and alleviating the pain of my patients. However, nothing could have prepared me for the moment I truly became one of them. It wasn’t by choice but by circumstance. In the blink of an eye, I found myself walking—or rather, struggling to walk—in their paws. I became a dachshund.

Earlier this year, many of you saw me at VMX in a scooter and using a cane, and many of you know how much I love to work out. I have been exercising since I was 20 years old and found great joy in the love of staying fit and finding my crew of fellow gym buddies over the years. But severely herniating L4-L5 in my spine brought me right down to the ground—like a dachshund. At first, I thought I was going to be OK. I had received 2 epidurals to manage the pain, but unfortunately, it didn’t help. At VMX, my incredible friends were there to support me and literally bring me up when I was down for the count. To those of you who were there, thank you!

Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, with his dogs.  

As you know, dachshunds, with their long backs and short legs, are notorious for their predisposition to intervertebral disc disease (IVDD). It’s a condition I’ve diagnosed, treated, and even wrote a book about—

Honey, Have You Squeezed the Dachshund? A Guide for Dachshund Owners Who Are Terrified of IVDD

. I’ve counseled pet owners countless times and watched their beloved companions yelp in pain, drag their hind limbs, and tremble with fear as they faced an uncertain road ahead. I’ve seen it in my own dachshunds. I also follow my own advice to clients about ramps. If you’ve been following me on social media, you’ve seen how many custom-built ramps are in my house; it’s like 

It wasn’t until I personally experienced the searing agony of nerve pain, the crushing weight of immobility, and the unrelenting frustration of ineffective treatments that I truly understood the depths of their suffering. Sleeping 30 minutes maximum a night was my average. And yet, I woke up, went to work, and put on my game face.

Pain is a thief; it robs you of movement, peace, and sleep. It consumes every moment, turning even the simplest tasks into insurmountable obstacles. It took me close to 30 minutes just to put 1 sock on. I, too, found myself trapped in this relentless cycle. What you also don’t know is that I had soft tissue surgery earlier this year as well—a postop recovery that I care never to remember. Additionally, I still had (and currently have) my herniated disk. Standing up was an exercise in courage. Walking was an act of defiance against the pain that threatened to pull me down. Every nerve in my spine seemed to scream with a fire I couldn’t extinguish.

Like my dachshund patients, I learned to adapt. I shuffled instead of walking. I used a scooter, just like they use a cart. I hesitated before taking the stairs. I feared sudden movements that might send electric jolts of pain radiating through my body. I cried during a cough or a sneeze. I experienced the frustration of treatments that didn’t provide relief and the heartbreak of feeling helpless in my own skin. I knew what it was to lose trust in my own body.

Now I know how my patients feel. I thought of them, curled up in their crates at night, whimpering in discomfort. I thought of the pet parents who sat beside them, stroking their fur, feeling powerless to ease their pain. I understood them in a way I never had before. The nights are the hardest—when the world is silent, you are left alone with the echoes of your suffering, and everyone is resting while your mind is as active as a marathon runner.

Finding the right pain protocol was a journey of trial and error. What worked for one patient did nothing for me, and what gave brief relief often came with intolerable adverse effects. I gained a newfound appreciation for the complexity of pain management, not only the science of it but also the deep, personal impact it has on every patient’s quality of life.

Dachshunds with IVDD face a similar battle. Whether it’s steroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, gabapentin, acupuncture, rehabilitation therapy, or laser, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. The patience required to navigate this process is exhausting. Yet my doctors never gave up on me, just as we would never give up on our patients. The willpower to keep trying when nothing seems to work is nothing short of heroic. I now recognize that our patients don’t just need treatment; they need our compassion, persistence, and unwavering belief that relief is possible. And to me, the best medicine I could receive is TLC. Being home with my dogs and my husband and being surrounded by friends, coworkers, and family who relentlessly checked in on me to make sure I was following the doctor’s orders meant more to me than anything.

As I write this, I am heading toward surgery. I’m nervous and scared but also excited to be the Adam Christman I want and need to be. Social media never showed how I truly felt as I didn’t think my platform was suitable for this, so this is the first time I’m sharing my journey. I know my profession would understand the synergy behind our personal battles and the battles our patients experience. They, too, need to be surrounded by TLC, their family, and loved ones.

Pain has a way of changing you; it deepens your empathy, sharpens your awareness, and shifts your perspective. As veterinarians, we pride ourselves on our medical knowledge, but true understanding comes from lived experience.

I now speak to my clients with a different kind of authority—not only as a veterinarian but also as someone who has felt the very pain their pets endure. I understand the urgency in their voices and the desperation in their eyes. I recognize the silent suffering of a pet who is too stoic to show how much they’re hurting. When I went down, I thought I was permanently down. Imagine what that is like for people and our pets. It was absolutely terrifying, but one thing is for certain: I have received my strength from my dogs and patients over the years. They still manage to wag their butt, purr next to you, and greet you at the door regardless of any physical ailment they may have. They have inspired me to be strong throughout my own personal journey.

To my fellow veterinarians, I urge you to see beyond the clinical signs and feel beyond the science. When a pet yelps in pain, know their suffering extends far beyond that moment. When a client worries about their dog’s future, recognize the deep, emotional toll of that fear. Walk in their paws—not only in theory but also in spirit. Pain is a universal language. And because of this journey, I now speak it fluently.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that suffering is not just a physical experience, it’s also emotional, mental, and deeply personal. My journey through pain and healing has made me a better veterinarian, a more empathetic healer, and a stronger advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves.

To my dachshunds out there: I see you. I feel you. I am you.

To my colleagues: Let us remember that we are not just treating conditions, but we are also treating souls. Let us be relentless in our pursuit of relief, patient in our understanding, and unwavering in our compassion. Use your intuition, for it is stronger than you know.

Because, in the end, we are not so different from the patients we serve. We are all walking—sometimes stumbling—on this journey together. And some of us, like me, are officially dachshunds. And to me, I think it’s 

I’m a dachshund. And I’m proud of it.

From the CVO: I'm officially my dogs

In this week's episode, Madonna Livingston, BVMS, MRCVS, shares her top tips on handling exotic pets, plus more about her recently published book

The Vet Blast Podcast presented by dvm360: 4 best practices on handling exotic pets

Madonna Livingston, BVMS, MRCVS, and our host Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, sat down to chat about all things exotic on this week's episode of The Vet Blast Podcast presented by 

 to talk about ways veterinary professionals can better handle exotic pets in their clinic, her new textbook, and how she self taught herself to be an exotics veterinarian when resources were limited. 

When I went to vet school, there was virtually nothing on exotics. I think I got 2 hours in 5 years. When I first qualified from Glasgow vet school, there was no certificate, there was no pathway for specialization. So I'm self-taught. I bought all the species-specific textbooks. I sat in on a Friday night quite happily reading my Douglas Mader, medicine, surgery, Vet textbook, and did as much extra courses, extra studying that I could do.

Once I'd been qualified, a few years [later] a certificate became available, but it was in England, and I am a homebody. I, by that point, developed clients, a client base, because the clients would come to me and I would say, 'Look, I've maybe never seen this species before. This condition, you've got 2 options: I can try to refer you somewhere, or I can do research into it.' And where I worked wasn't initially, wasn't a particularly affluent area. So for a lot of owners, referral was out [of] the realms of their reach financially. So they would say to me, 'Madonna, could you try.' So I did, and then I built up the reputation doing that way and but I didn't. So I didn't want to move to England. I was settled in my homebody. I had my support network. I asked if I could sit [in] the exams. They told me no, because...understandably, they wanted the money from the tuition. I get it. Then, [by] the time a certificate became available in Scotland, I was already lecturing.

Do you think that in your years of experience, has the interest of exotics for the vet students, has it gone up? Stayed the same, decreased like, what does that look like in your area?

: It's definitely gone up. Definitely gone up.

: I think so too, why do you think that is?

Podcasts

On this week's episode of The Vet Blast Podcast presented by dvm360, Adam Christman, DVM, MBA, and Madonna Livingstone, BVMS, MRCVS, discuss how to handle exotic pets, plus how the human-animal bond is not species-specific

4 best practices on handling exotic pets

Aaron Shaw, OTR/L, CHT, CSCS, discusses what “off-field” practices can help veterinary professionals prepare for the challenges inside the clinic 

Coping with stress in veterinary practice using an athlete's mentality

In this interview, Aaron Shaw, OTR/L, CHT, CSCS, host of the podcast 

, offers strategies that veterinary professionals can use to cope with the stress that the veterinary medicine profession may bring. As Shaw explains, key strategies will involve exercise, nutrition, and sleep.

Below is a partial interview transcript, lightly edited for clarity:

The best way to cope with the daily stressors of vet medicine is to be prepared and in order to be prepared, that has to happen before going into the office, before going into the clinic. And my analogy that I always think of is that of an athlete, and athletes, when they go to game day, or when they go to perform, they are capable of a really high level of performance. You know, physical performance, emotional performance, and focus.

But that doesn't happen just because they walked onto the field that day. It happened from what they did off-field. It's what they did in practice. And I think that with providers in the vet team, what really is key is taking the time outside of the office to prepare for the challenges that are inside the office, to build that resilience.

And the key ways to do that really come down to exercise, nutrition, sleep. We need those 3, just to kind of leave it at those 3 for now, like those 3 have an absolute physiological impact on a person's ability to make decisions—the, you know, cognitive clarity to make decisions, to make challenging decisions, to have the physical stamina to engage in the very physical career of vet medicine, and sleep.

Sleep really enables us to recover from the wear and tear of, you know, the previous day, both the physical challenges and the emotional challenges, and only when all of these things come together, can a provider, can somebody on the team, show up and be resilient to the stresses that are inevitable in practice.

Videos

Elanco recently announced a research agreement to treat chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cats and investigate approaches to prolong lifespan in pets. The collaboration will be between Elanco and WEDterinary LLC, a recently formed research engine aimed at developing innovative solutions to pet health care.

In the first phase of the project, the focus will be on the several high-potential programs using targeted gene therapy to treat CKD in felines. Researchers will also explore new avenues to extend the healthy lifespan of pets. According to Elanco, the shift toward younger generations of pet owners, along with the increased time spent with pets during the COVID-19 pandemic, has led to rising expectations of care and a willingness to invest in protecting pet health.

In a news release by Elanco, William (Bill) F. Doyle, MBA, executive chairman of Novocure, and cofounder of WEDterinary LLC, expressed his enthusiasm about the new collaboration. “I believe combining Elanco’s expertise with the latest platforms and capabilities under development for human health can create opportunities to revolutionize pet care,” he said.

“Elanco is excited to partner with WEDterinary to pioneer new spaces in animal health using new technologies like gene therapy and AI,” Ellen de Brabander, PhD, executive vice president of R&D and Regulatory Affairs at Elanco Animal Health, added.

 “We believe Bill’s experience with Novocure and his history of bringing transformational, non-traditional innovation approaches to the market can unlock emerging innovation opportunities. Ultimately, the partnership increases our research capacity to refill our innovation pipeline and drive a consistent flow of high impact innovation to improve the lives of pets and their families.”

Elanco also announced that John P. (JP) Bilbrey, Kathy Turner, and Craig Wallace will not seek reelection to the Board of Directors when their terms end at the 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Additionally, due to his research agreement with Elanco, Doyle has resigned from the Board. According to Elanco, Doyle will continue advising Elanco on animal health innovations related to the research areas the agreement is focusing on.

“I’m grateful to my fellow Board members and Elanco leadership for the robust engagement these last years as we navigated Elanco’s standup, integration and the creation of a global, independent animal health leader that I’m confident is well positioned for long-term sustained growth,” Bilbrey said in the release.

“With the late-stage pipeline delivered, the strategy streamlined and commercialization well underway, now is the right time for me to retire.”

Paul Herendeen, MBA has been recommended by the Corporate Governance Committee to replace Bilbrey as chair of the finance, strategy, and oversight committee. In 2020, Herendeen joined the board of Elanco as an investor representative with experience in finance and the animal health and pharma industries. Among the new addition’s the company’s Board is also Stacey Ma, PhD. Ma is currently the head of pharmaceutical development and manufacturing at Gilead Sciences, a biotechnology research company.

Elanco announces changes to board of directors; signs research agreement to explore novel therapies for chronic kidney disease and life extension in pets. News release. Elanco Animal Health Incorporated. March 17, 2025. Accessed April 9, 2025. 

https://www.elanco.com/en-us/insights/elanco-announces-changes-to-board-of-directors-signs-research-agreement

The first phase of the project will focus on targeted gene therapy to treat chronic kidney disease in felines

Elanco enters research agreement to address CKD in cats and explore lifespan extension in pets

When it comes to patients, clients can never know what their pet can help themselves to, especially when it is dropped on the floor or left on the counter, causing a potentially toxic situation. However, there are scenarios not entirely the pet’s fault that could also be dangerous, such as accidentally giving the wrong medication or ingesting food that is fine for humans but toxic to pets.

For some pet owners, the first thought when realizing the possible toxic situation their pet is now in is to induce vomiting, but Pet Poison Helpline experts are recommending calling a professional before trying anything at home.

"Many pets are motivated by food, especially dogs, so when something is dropped or left on the floor, they assume it is edible" explained Renee Schmid, DVM, DABT, DABVT, a senior veterinary toxicologist and director of veterinary medicine at Pet Poison Helpline. "We've had many pet owners who call us because they've dropped or given their pet the wrong medication. Dogs are also curious by nature, and explore new things with their mouths, often leading to unfortunate ingestions. If your pet does have an accidental poisoning, you may cause more harm by inducing vomiting on your own."

Pet Poison Helpline shared a recent case where the pet owner accidentally gave her dog her human cancer medication and once she realized her mistake, she had her dog drink a ‘dangerous’ amount of hydrogen peroxide to induce vomiting. While the pill was retrieved, the dog had continued to vomit and not eat and the hydrogen peroxide did significant damage to the dog's gastrointestinal system. Luckily, the pet was treated with medication and returned to full health. 

According to the release, in certain situations, dogs are the only animal that may be able to have a vomiting attempted at home with hydrogen peroxide because if given to other species, like cats and birds, it can be fatal. Even in the case of dogs, negative effects can occur so veterinary professionals need to make sure their clients know to never attempt to induce vomiting without consulting a veterinary professional or Pet Poison Helpline.

In a Pet Poison Helpline case from Pennsylvania, an owner called after his Sheltie ate some raisins before his owner could stop him. Grapes, raisins, and currants are toxic to dogs, and even the smallest amount of these foods ingested can cause severe, acute kidney failure.

"Fortunately, the owner called Pet Poison Helpline before trying to induce vomiting at home,” Schmid said. "We were able to walk him through the process of administering the correct amount of hydrogen peroxide, and he was able to safely retrieve the raisins before they caused any harm."

Hydrogen peroxide is a legitimate treatment that can be lifesaving for pets, but it is always more ideal for induced vomiting to be done by a veterinary professional. Each installment of Pet Poison Helpline's 

 features a case where the pet featured makes a full recovery from the poisoning. 

If Your Pet Eats Something Toxic, Hold the Hydrogen Peroxide. News release. Pet Poison Helpline. April 9, 2025. Accessed April 9, 2025. 

https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/news-releases/if-your-pet-eats-something-toxic-hold-the-hydrogen-peroxide-302423659.html

Pet Poison Helpline’s latest installment of Toxin Tails encourages clients to contact veterinary professionals before attempting to induce vomiting 