Small Animal

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.

What Cats May Teach Us About Long COVID

Feline infectious peritonitis, or FIP, is a serious and historically fatal disease in cats caused by a coronavirus. It behaves in many ways like severe coronavirus infections in humans, causing widespread inflammation, T cell exhaustion and chronic immune dysfunction. Scientists at the University of California, Davis, have found that mesenchymal stromal cells, or MSC therapy, in combination with antiviral drugs, helped cats’ immune systems recover and reduced systemic inflammation.

Community Comes Together to Help Dog in Need

“Case of the Month” – June 2025

 

Woodie, a 1-year-old pit bull mix, is now pain free and seeing better thanks to community-based veterinary programs that came together to care for him. Born with a dermoid mass in the corner of his left eye, Woodie recently underwent surgery at the UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) to have the benign growth removed.

Abandoned Dog Hit by Car Recovers from Back Surgery

 

When Flynn, an approximately 1-year-old male neutered Great Pyrenees, arrived at the UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH), he had visible tire tracks across his back leg and abdomen. The City of Stockton Animal Services Center reported he was run over by a car and thrown into a ditch. Knowing Flynn needed specialty care, the Yolo County Spay and Neuter Group agreed to take him and immediately brought him to UC Davis.