By the time Wednesday, a now 9-year-old female German Shepherd mix, was rescued by Steve Napolitano in 2021, she had already been placed in a kill shelter and rejected by two families, only to be diagnosed with cancer after finally finding happiness in a safe home.
After seeing multiple specialists about the oral malignant melanoma diagnosed in her right jaw, Wednesday ultimately landed at the Oncology Service at the UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in early 2025.
When Tommy Ma and Tiffany Pan adopted a 3-month-old Ragdoll kitten named Lychee in 2022, they expected joy, not heartbreak.
“Lychee was a dream come true,” Pan said. “Growing up, I’d never been allowed to have any large pets. Even cats are considered a large pet in my family.”
Just weeks after coming home, Lychee fell gravely ill. He began showing signs of feline infectious peritonitis, or FIP, a disease that was once fatal for cats.
Newborn puppies will often wrestle and roughhouse with each other. More often than not, it all results in good fun. But one such incident with 6-week-old Kailana indicated to her owners John Hartmire and spouse Christine Pobanz-Stelter that there could be something seriously wrong with their golden retriever.
Two years ago, Kidogo, a 13-year-old male Dachshund, was diagnosed with Cushing’s disease. Kidogo, whose name means “small” in Swahili, is the beloved pet and cherished member of the Balatti family. Despite his tiny stature, he has an enormous personality, and his family would do anything to help him.
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.
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.
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.”
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.
At 5 weeks of age, kitten Ginger started regurgitating his food because a stricture was closing his esophagus to less than 1mm. The esophagus of a healthy kitten his age should be open 8 mm. He underwent a series of ballooning procedures at the UC Davis veterinary hospital to open his esophagus.
