Philanthropy

Dog on Brink of Paralyzation Walks After Neurosurgery at UC Davis

“Case of the Month” – November 2025

 

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. 

Hope for the Future: Winston’s Golden Promise

If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went.” – Will Rogers

“My reason for doing this is simple. I want to give hope – hope for the families of dogs who hear the words that no one ever wants to hear about their canine companion – that their dog has cancer.” 

Thanks to Cancer Treatment Grant, UC Davis Patient Receives Vital Follow-Up Care

 

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.

First Scholarship Awarded in New Veterinary Scholarship Program

The following news was released September 30, 2025 by the Westie Foundation of America

Support for promising veterinarians in training has never been more important than today. The Westie Foundation of America, Inc. (WFA), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the health and well-being of the West Highland White Terrier breed announced today the first scholarship award of The Westie Foundation of America/Thomas and Roxanne Austin Veterinary Scholarship program.

$110.5M in Gifts Fuel UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Expansion

The University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine today announced plans to launch a new phase of its veterinary medical complex — made possible by philanthropic gifts totaling $110.5 million to date. The expansion will help address the critical veterinary workforce shortage, expand patient care and support cutting-edge research in cancer, translational medicine and other key areas of biomedical science.

Limitless: A Vision for Transformational Impact

The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine recently launched the next phase of our Veterinary Medical Complex (VMC) expansion—in large part thanks to dedicated donors who have supported our bold vision with $110.5 million in gifts to date. This visionary campaign, termed "Limitless," reflects the school's ambition to define a new era in veterinary health.

UC Davis Opens All Species Imaging Center

The UC Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital opened the All Species Imaging Center, a central hub for all advanced diagnostic imaging including small animal computed tomography (CT), high field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for both small and large animals, positron emission tomography (PET)/CT for both small and large animals, and a dedicated large bore equine CT.

One Foundation’s Mission Translates to Impact

Feline Infectious Peritonitis, also known as FIP, is one of the deadliest diseases in cats. Tragically, it affects kittens the most, and is often fatal if untreated. Cats may carry the feline coronavirus without issue, but in some, a mutation causes it to develop into FIP, which can turn fatal.