Small Animal

This article first appeared in the June 2026 issue of Southern California VMA's Pulse magazine

Since 2024, certain telemedicine appointments have been available at UC Davis and other veterinary clinics throughout California. This has allowed both specialists and general practitioners to reach underserved areas of the state or areas where specialty care may be scarce.

“I instantly knew that we had to help however we could,” said Hodson.

Reed, a heavy equipment operator at the Potrero Hills Landfill in Solano County, and his co-workers couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw a dog—since named Fig—crawl out of a trash load that had just been dumped in the landfill.

A 2021 outbreak of leptospirosis that sickened more than 200 dogs in Los Angeles County reveals critical gaps in vaccination practices and raises broader concerns about the spread of the disease between animals and people, according to new research led by the University of California, Davis. 

“He wasn’t doing normal dog stuff,” said Keri Sheldon about her experience in 2021 with Andy, her golden retriever/poodle mix puppy. “We noticed he was always guarded with other dogs and not playing normally. It gave us concern – he was not acting like a normal puppy.”

So, when he started whimpering after a mishap while playing, Sheldon and her partner Keith Fenech took the goldendoodle to their primary veterinarian.

“The vet took x-rays and diagnosed Andy with hip dysplasia,” Sheldon said. “I was quite upset to hear that.”

Ty, a police K-9 seriously injured in the line of duty, is expected to make a full recovery thanks to rapid emergency response and advanced surgical care at the UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine.

The 8-year-old police dog with the Solano County Sheriff’s Office was stabbed multiple times on Tuesday, April 7 while apprehending a suspect after a vehicular pursuit that ended at Interstate 80 just east of Travis Boulevard in Fairfield.

Spooner was an active 2-year-old Australian shepherd/poodle mix when owners Judith and Brad noticed problems with his claws in 2022. His veterinarian suspected he had symmetric lupoid onychodystrophy (SLO), a painful, immune-mediated disease that causes brittleness of the claws with abnormal growth and ultimately loss of the claw.

The top-ranked UC Davis Weill School of Veterinary Medicine may be known for its specialty care, but they also offer primary care for your animals. The Primary Care Service at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, or VMTH, provides treatment to make sure that your canine or feline friend receives the routine care they need.

Bella, a 4-year-old female pit bull terrier mix, was diagnosed with an infiltrative lipoma in her right shoulder area in early 2025. Owners Paul and Kristy Lewis took her to two surgeons to discuss removal of the lipoma, a benign tumor of fatty tissue. Infiltrative lipomas can invade into local structures including the surrounding muscles. On Bella, the tumor was infiltrating the muscle down to the humerus bone and was continuing to grow. This made complete surgical excision nearly impossible.

Both surgeons suggested limb amputation.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have uncovered new details about how a once-deadly coronavirus disease in cats spreads through the immune system. The findings may help scientists better understand long COVID and other long-lasting inflammatory illnesses in people.

UC Davis’ unique integration of human and animal health expertise has given a fluffy, friendly kitten a chance at survival — and opened the door to ideas that could someday help human patients.

When Erin Cooper noticed her Maine Coon kitten Viggo had an oversized head, she never imagined it meant something serious. But an MRI revealed feline hydrocephalus: a buildup of fluid inside the brain that is often fatal.