The Center for Unconventional Animals (Centro Animali Non Convenzionali – C.A.N.C.) belongs to the Department of Veterinary Sciences of the University of Turin and it is a clinical center offering rescue, treatment and rehabilitation to unconventional animals. The CANC is a sector of the Veterinary Teaching Hospital (Ospedale Veterinario Universitario – O.V.U.) responsible for the treatment of "unconventional pets" (small mammals such as rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, avian such as parrots, canaries, and reptiles). Furthermore, through the project "Salviamoli insieme" the center is in charge of the rescue and rehabilitation of all the wild animals rescued by veterinary public services, surveillance and rescue institutions, and citizens all over the territories of the Metropolitan City of Turin and the Province of Biella. The center cooperates with the Pathology sector of the Veterinary Sciences Department, that is in charge for all the anatomic and histopathologic examinations on samples collected intra-vitam and post-mortem.
The project is the result of the pluriannual experience of the CANC, that in the last few years established several cooperation on national territory, expanding its activity. Health surveillance on unconventional species is a key point of the One Health concept, in order to protect the health and wellbeing of animals and human beings living together.
At present, the research in progress belongs to four areas:

• Pain assessment in non-conventional animals: many problems arise when pain assessment is performed in unconventional animals, especially when considering prey species naturally hiding pain and discomfort. Therefore, the choice of the right anesthesia and analgesia is often arduous. The development of a composite pain scale designed on rabbit model is in progress.
• Antimicrobial resistance in wild avian species (birds of prey and synanthropic species): the main objective is the assessment of antimicrobial resistance of strains of potentially pathogenic bacteria isolated from fecal swabs collected at the time of hospitalization in wild birds. Furthermore, another aim is to investigate if the length of hospitalization and the administration of antimicrobial therapies have influence on the development of antimicrobial resistance in birds, as pointed out in other researches on domestic animals and human beings. Differences in antimicrobial resistance levels are also evaluated, considering species inhabiting different ecological niches with different anthropization degrees and considering the spread of resistance genes.
• European hedgehog: anatomic, histopathologic and microbiologic investigation on the European hedgehog. The objectives of the project are: i) to investigate death causes in order to improve in vivo drug administration and ii) to assess the role of the hedgehog as a reservoir of potentially infectious biological agents.
• Rescue and surveillance on Chiroptera: the aims of the project are to improve rescue and rehabilitation of sick or injured individuals and to enforce surveillance on death causes and infectious diseases of bats, in order to ensure a safe coexistence of bats and human beings.

• Ricerca Corrente - IZS Venezie: Decifrare la sierologia per comprendere l'eco-patologia dei lyssavirus nei chirotteri Europei

• Banchi P., Quaranta G., Ricci A., von Degerfeld M.M. - Reliability and construct validity of a composite pain scale for rabbit (CANCRS) in a clinical environment - PLos ONE 15(4),e0221377, 2020
• Mauthe von Degerfeld M., Chiappino L., Quaranta G., Capucchio M.T. - Necropsy as first diagnostic tool in bat pathology. IV Convegno Italiano Chirotteri - Padova, 17-19 ottobre 2019.
• Colombino E., Capella S., Casalinuovo F., Racco R., Pruiti F., Volante M., Di Marco Lo Presti V., Belluso E., Capucchio M.T. - Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma in a boar who lived in Calabria (Italy): wild animal as sentinel system of human health - Sci Total Environ. 2019 683:267-274.
• Dogliero, A., Quaranta, G., von Degerfeld, M.M. - Bilateral pentadactyly in an immature alpine swift (tachymarptis melba) - Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery 32(4), pp. 342-344, 2018
• Amato B., Di Marco Lo Presti V., Gerace E., Capucchio M.T., Vitale M., Zanghi P., Pacciarini M.L., Marianelli C., Boniotti M.B. - Molecular epidemiology of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex strains 1 isolated from livestock and wild animals in Italy suggests the need for a different eradication strategy for bovine tuberculosis - Transbound Emerg Dis. 2018 ;65(2):e416-e424.
• Dogliero, A., Rossi, G., Mauthe von Degerfeld, M., Quaranta, G., Rota, A. - Comparison of celioscopy and histological examinations to assess male gonadal health and functionality in adults and immature wild raptors - Theriogenology102, pp. 139-146, 2017
• Dogliero, A., von Degerfeld, M.M., Rota, A., Pregel, P., Quaranta, G. - Comparison of different methods of semen cryopreservation in Melopsittacus undulatus - Animal Reproduction Science. 185, pp. 53-65, 2017
• Dogliero, A., Rota, A., Lofiego, R., von Degerfeld, M.M., Quaranta, G. - Semen Collection and Spermatozoa Characteristics in the Kea Parrot (Nestor notabilis) - Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery. 31(1), pp. 24-28, 2017
• Dezzutto, D.; Barbero, R.; Canale, G.; Acutis, P.; Biolatti, C.; Dogliero, A.; Mauthe Degerfeld, M.; Francone, P.; Colzani, A.; Bergagna, S.; Gennero, M. - Detection of Leptospira spp. in Water Turtle (Trachemys scripta) Living in Ponds of Urban Parks - Veterinary Sciences 4 (4) pp 51-55, 2017
• Dogliero, A., Rota, A., von Degerfeld, M.M., Quaranta, G. - Use of computer-assisted semen analysis for evaluation of Rosy-faced lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis) semen collected in different periods of the year - Theriogenology 83 (1), pp. 103-106, 2015

• Laboratories of the Center of Unconventional Animals (CANC), Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin
• Laboratories of Animal Pathology Sector, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin.
• Laboratories of Infectious Diseases Sector, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin
• Laboratories of Parasitology Sector, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin

• Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale di Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d'Aosta, Centro di Referenza Nazionale per le Malattie degli Animali Selvatici (CeRMAS) IZS PLV ( Dr. Orusa e dr.ssa Robetto)
• Istituto Zooprofilattico delle Venezie, Centro di Referenza Nazionale per la Rabbia (dr.sse De Benedictis e Leopardi)
• Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e Emilia Romagna, laboratorio di virologia, Brescia (dr. Lelli e dr. Lavazza).
• Città Metropolitana di Torino
• Provincia di Biella
• CRAS di Bernezzo (Cuneo)
• Parco Faunistico dell'Abatino – Poggio San Lorenzo (Rieti)