Horses

Bella, a 16-year-old American Quarter Horse mare, has historically suffered from chronic hind limb issues. She was previously diagnosed with bilateral osteoarthritis of the lower tarsal joints (hock), but intra-articular medication had failed to significantly improve her lameness on the right hind. Bella had been ridden by two small children for the past three years and is an integral part of their family. Due to the severity of this lameness, however, she could no longer be ridden. Committed to improving Bella’s condition, her family brought her to the UC Davis veterinary hospital.

Peppy, a 21-year-old Quarter Horse gelding, was exhibiting difficulty urinating and also had blood in his urine. His owner, Dr. Peter Bernstein, had Peppy examined by his primary care veterinarian, who identified two stones in his bladder. Based on the diagnosis, they decided it was best to refer Peppy to the equine experts at the UC Davis veterinary hospital for treatment.

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.

At the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine on Saturday, 137 students received their Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine degrees. In a barn a few hours away, a 19-year-old Thoroughbred horse unknowingly became a doctor also. “Dr. Teddy” received an honorary degree from UC Davis for being a “Master Equine Educator” for the students, having helped them learn equine health at more than two dozen appointments and a lengthy stay at the school’s teaching hospital over the past year.  

At midnight on a warm summer evening in the barns at the UC Davis veterinary hospital, a first in equine medicine at UC Davis occurred. As Dr. Bruce Christensen, chief of the hospital’s Equine Reproduction Service, watched on, a mare gave birth to the first foal ever born at UC Davis by in-vitro fertilization. Through intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), an in-vitro process of impregnating a mare was successful at the renowned veterinary school. This story’s origins, however, go back almost a quarter of a century.

UC Davis Helps World Champion Horse Return to Competition