Case of the Month

Bentley, an approximately 6-year-old male Maltese mix, was brought to the UC Davis veterinary hospital by the Underdog Animal Rescue after they saved him from a potentially non-adoptive situation (and facing euthanasia) at a county shelter. While at the shelter, Bentley was diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes by the county’s veterinarian. His foster mom reported he was able to see shadows and get around the house reasonably well, but would occasionally bump into things if the furniture was moved or things were out of place. She also believed him to be deaf, as he has never responded to his name or any type of noise. To improve Bentley’s quality of life and to give him the best chance for adoption, she decided to bring him to the ophthalmology specialists at UC Davis.

Niya, 15-year-old female Keeshond, was battling urinary tract infections and incontinence, and her medication was decreasing her appetite, so her primary veterinarian in Maryland thought that help from a specialist was warranted. Around that time, Niya’s owners, Debora and Chris Luther, were planning a trip to California to see family. The Luthers were very familiar with the UC Davis veterinary hospital—Debora graduated from UC Davis in 1977, and Chris grew up in Davis with his mother Linda having worked at the university for many years—so they decided to bring Niya with them to California and have her examined by specialists at UC Davis.

John, an 11-year-old American Quarter Horse gelding, and his owner/rider Doug Parker worked for years to qualify for the World Series of Team Roping in Las Vegas. Just before that became a reality in 2016, however, John was stricken with botulism, a toxic poisoning that had already killed one of his stablemates. Mr. Parker, who knew the World Series was now out of the question, raced to the UC Davis veterinary hospital to save John’s life.

When Chance, a 12-year-old male golden retriever, was diagnosed with cancer a year ago, his owner Lauren Patterson knew she had to do everything she could to save him, for he had saved her a decade before when the same happened. 

Arrow, a 2-year-old male Dachshund mix, was playing in his family’s back yard when his owners, Deborah and George Smith, heard a crying yelp. Upon investigating, they found him standing still in the yard with a 3-inch twig protruding from his right eye socket. They immediately brought him to the nearest veterinary emergency room where veterinarians sedated him, and told the Smiths they needed to bring Arrow to the ophthalmology specialists at the UC Davis veterinary hospital if there was any chance of saving his eye.

Makana, a 7-year-old female yellow Labrador retriever, was diagnosed with bilateral adrenal tumors so her owners brought her to the UC Davis veterinary hospital. Working together with the Internal Medicine Service, who were managing Makana’s case, surgeons with the Soft Tissue Surgery Service developed a plan to address her complicated condition. Surgeons at UC Davis are pioneering laparoscopic procedures for small animals, and have extensive experience in dealing with adrenal tumors.

Stormie, a 4-year-old female Siamese cat, has had a history of heartworm disease since she was adopted at 1 year of age. She and her owner live in Los Angeles, but were visiting family in the Bay Area when she developed pelvic limb lameness. Fearing she had fallen off something or down a staircase, Stormie’s owner brought her to a local veterinary emergency room in Berkeley, where she informed them of the history of heartworm disease. After ultrasound showed a suspected heartworm in the arterial system, and a heartworm antigen test resulted in a strong positive, Stormie’s owner was advised to bring her to specialists at the UC Davis veterinary hospital.

Pickles, a 5-month-old male potbellied pig, was brought to the UC Davis veterinary hospital after he started coughing up blood and vomiting. He was diagnosed with an acute hemothorax (blood in the thoracic cavity) causing severe anemia and was extremely unstable. Treatment for suspected rodenticide intoxication was initiated immediately by the Livestock Medicine and Surgery Service.

Jackson, a 12-year-old male border collie, developed a crusting lesion under his eye and started losing hair in the area. The scaling condition spread down his muzzle so his owners took him to their veterinarian. A skin scraping showed a possible mite infestation, and both a pet anti-parasite medication and antibiotics were administered to Jackson. After that treatment did not clear up his condition, Jackson’s owners took him to another veterinarian; however despite that veterinarian’s best efforts, Jackson was still suffering from his skin condition. 

Brave, a newborn male foal, was born five weeks premature and immediately brought to the UC Davis veterinary hospital with his dam, Ally, who was also experiencing a life threatening condition with uterine artery bleeding. Upon arrival, the colt was lethargic with diarrhea and mild colic. They were received by the Equine Internal Medicine and Equine Medical Emergency, Critical Care and Neonatology Services. A large team, led by a neonatal specialist, was quickly assembled to care for the pair. An initial physical exam in the Lucy Whittier Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) found signs consistent with a premature foal, pneumonia, and sepsis. Brave's long journey out of the NICU was just beginning.