The UC Davis veterinary hospital’s Community Surgery Service is once again accepting small animal patients from the community, as opposed to its shelter-only policy of the past two years.
Thanks to corporate and private donations, the nation’s largest veterinary house officer (residents, interns, fellows) program at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine just got even larger. The advanced training programs for veterinarians range from one year (fellowships and internships) to two-four years (residencies). Following completion of residency programs, veterinarians are able to sit for rigorous testing procedures to seek board certification in a specialty area of veterinary medicine (internal medicine, surgery, dermatology, cardiology, etc.).
More than six months after being severely burned in California’s North Complex Fire, a cat treated at the UC Davis veterinary hospital has finally fully recovered and found his forever home. In the fall of 2020, thousands of animals were affected by the fire, and Jam, an approximately 2-year-old male cat, suffered some of the most horrific injuries of any of them.
Floyd was a ball fanatic with the heart of a retriever. The muscular black and white Boston terrier would play fetch for hours with Ananda and Chuck Nettnins before collapsing in his water trough to cool off.
A few months after his death in April 2016 from hemangiosarcoma, a cancer of the vascular endothelium or the blood vessel walls, the Nettnins discovered a secret stash of more than 20 balls hidden under their couch.
Louie, an 8-year-old male Boston terrier, was diagnosed with Cushing’s disease by his primary veterinarian. Cushing’s disease causes a dog’s adrenal glands to produce too much cortisol, a chemical that controls many aspects of a dog’s body, including its weight, its ability to fight infections, maintain blood sugar levels, and many other vital functions. In Louie, the Cushing’s disease was caused by a tumor in his right adrenal gland. His primary veterinarians referred Louie to the Soft Tissue Surgery Service at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital for surgical removal of his right adrenal gland.
Starlit Sky, 7-year-old female golden retriever, has not had it easy over the past three years since an initial injury to her front left carpus (wrist). Suspected of slipping on a tile floor, she hyperextended the carpal joint which caused her paw to collapse under her leg. The injury was so severe that one veterinarian suggested amputation. Several failed surgeries and a similar injury to her right leg for overcompensation left Starlit Sky in a constant state of pain – wearing braces and enduring rigorous rehabilitation activities, none of which seemed to ultimately solve the problems. Determined to not have this be her fate in life, Starlit Sky’s owner Patricia Chiara took their physical therapist’s advice and brought her to the UC Davis veterinary hospital for an evaluation.
Thanks to a university-wide collaboration between veterinarians, physicians, researchers, and biomedical engineers, a groundbreaking clinical trial has been approved in human medicine to treat spina bifida with stem cells.
The UC Davis veterinary hospital has continued to achieve the highest level of veterinary excellence following evaluation by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA).
As a bird dog, Josie is one of the best. The 9-year-old chocolate lab goes everywhere with her owner and is a popular guest at the Cordelia Duck Club, tucked away in the Suisun Marsh. She is very social, extremely good at her sport and would really be missed if she weren’t around.
