Small Animal

Thanks to Cancer Treatment Grant, UC Davis Patient Receives Vital Follow-Up Care

 

Snickerdoodle, a 5-year-old chocolate English Labrador retriever, was diagnosed by her primary veterinarian with a mammary carcinoma following a litter in 2024. She underwent surgery with that veterinarian for mammary mass removal and a spay procedure. The histopathology report noted that the tumor was malignant, but there were no signs of metastasis at that time.

She was referred to the Medical Oncology Service at the UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) for further evaluation and potential follow-up treatment.

New Small Animal Positions Enhance Specialty Care

The Small Animal Hospital (SAH) at the UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) recently added new clinical positions to assist with its growing caseload and to add to its House Officer Training Program, which offers specialty advanced training for veterinarians through internships, residencies, and fellowships.

Oncology Resident Wins National Research Award

 

Dr. Jaeyoung Kim, a third-year medical oncology resident, won the Robert S. Brodey Memorial Award at the 2025 Veterinary Cancer Society (VCS) Annual Conference held recently in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The award recognizes an outstanding oral research presentation. At the conference, Dr. Kim presented her original research “High-Grade, Stage 1 Mast Cell Tumors: Outcome and Prognostic Factors in 63 Dogs Treated With Local Therapy and Adjuvant Chemotherapy.”

Members of Dentistry Team Win National Awards

 

The Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service recently attended the Veterinary Dental Forum (VDF), the annual meeting of the American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC). Two members of the service received awards in recognition of their dedication to the advancement of veterinary dentistry.

University of Pretoria Confers Honorary Doctorate on Veterinary Dentistry Pioneer and Alumnus, Frank Verstraete

Professor Emeritus Frank Verstraete has set the benchmark for innovation and best practice in veterinary science, establishing standards that are now applied worldwide. An alumnus of the University of Pretoria (UP), he is recognized as a scholar whose research, clinical work and teaching laid the foundations for procedures that continue to guide the treatment of animals across species.

For this, the University of Pretoria conferred him with an honorary doctorate in Veterinary Science during the Faculty of Veterinary Science graduation ceremony on September 5, 2025.

New Cancer Drug Could Help Cats and People

Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco and the University of California, Davis have completed the first clinical trial of a new cancer drug in pet cats, offering hope for a disease that has long been nearly impossible to treat. The study found 35 percent of the cats with squamous cell carcinoma who received treatment had their disease controlled with minimal side effects. The drug will likely be effective for humans with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The study was published today in Cancer Cell.

Radiation Therapy Shrinks Dog’s Brain Tumor, Extending Life by Years

Scramble, a Jack Russel terrier, was diagnosed with a brain tumor, most likely a meningioma, and treated at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. He received a course of stereotactic radiotherapy which shrank the tumor and has helped him maintain a high quality of life for more than three years.