Kevin, a 3-year-old male domestic longhair cat, required a CT scan to determine the extent of his maxillofacial injuries. Like with all cases in the Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service (DOSS) that need this imaging, Kevin was wheeled to the cone-beam CT machine by registered veterinary technicians (RVTs) Monica Calder and Megan Loscar. While this sounds like an easy enough task, it’s actually quite labor intensive due to the vastness of the UC Davis veterinary hospital.
Initiatives in 3D printing are currently being utilized at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, where the work is complemented by the university’s Department of Biomedical Engineering expertise. The unique combination of disciplines provides opportunities to advance health that few other universities in the world are able to pursue.
Two UC Davis oral surgeons are now Founding Fellows of the American Veterinary Dental College (AVDC) in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS). Drs. Frank Verstraete and Boaz Arzi, of the UC Davis veterinary hospital’s Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service (DOSS), were recognized at the 2018 Veterinary Dental Forum.
Arai, a 5-year-old female pit bull terrier, loves to chew on balls. Her owners describe her as a “100 percent ball dog.” So when she had a ball in her mouth for a few hours, they didn’t think much was out of the ordinary. When Arai wouldn’t drop the ball when it was time to eat, however, they knew something was wrong.
Kabang, a shepherd mix dog, was brought to UC Davis from the Philippines in October 2012 for surgery to repair massive facial wounds caused when her snout was torn from her face after being hit by a motorcycle.
Loca, a 4-month-old female Staffordshire bull terrier, was bitten by another dog so severely that her right zygomatic arch (cheekbone) and mandible (jawbone) were fractured, and her temporomandibular joint (TMJ) suffered extensive damage. In addition, there were multiple puncture wounds on her face and neck.
Hank, a 10-year-old male Australian cattle dog, lives with his family in a rural area in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. After roaming the property recently, he returned home bleeding profusely from the mouth, and it appeared his tongue was missing. Hank was taken to a local animal hospital where veterinarians were able to stop the bleeding and manage his shocked condition. Due to the severe nature of his wound, he was transferred to the UC Davis veterinary hospital.
Harvey, a brindle-colored male boxer, came to us through the Marley’s Mutts Dog Rescue. In short, they save lost, neglected and abandoned dogs and find them loving homes. And sometimes, you can add “abused” to that list of adjectives. Harvey was one of those dogs.
