When UC Davis veterinary student Jessica Hodson heard her boyfriend Ryan Reed say that he and his colleagues found an injured dog at work, she sprang into action to help the pup, which was taken to a shelter.
“I instantly knew that we had to help however we could,” said Hodson.
Reed, a heavy equipment operator at the Potrero Hills Landfill in Solano County, and his co-workers couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw a dog—since named Fig—crawl out of a trash load that had just been dumped in the landfill.
UC Davis veterinary orthopedic surgeon Dr. Denis Marcellin-Little has been named the recipient of the 2026 Alan Ruggles Educator Award given by AO North America (AO NA). Presented recently at the annual OneAO event in Tampa, the award was one of several Educator Awards, honoring outstanding educators for their extraordinary contributions to medical education.
“He wasn’t doing normal dog stuff,” said Keri Sheldon about her experience in 2021 with Andy, her golden retriever/poodle mix puppy. “We noticed he was always guarded with other dogs and not playing normally. It gave us concern – he was not acting like a normal puppy.”
So, when he started whimpering after a mishap while playing, Sheldon and her partner Keith Fenech took the goldendoodle to their primary veterinarian.
“The vet took x-rays and diagnosed Andy with hip dysplasia,” Sheldon said. “I was quite upset to hear that.”
The UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) is pleased to announce that orthopedic surgeon Dr. Po-Yen Chou has achieved Fellow status in Joint Replacement Surgery (JRS) with the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS).
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ming Lu has joined the faculty at the UC Davis William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) as an assistant professor. Dr. Lu’s clinical duties will be with the VMTH’s Orthopedic Surgery Service as well as the hospital’s Advanced Veterinary Surgery Center.
Dr. Amy Kapatkin, professor of orthopedic surgery, was awarded the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) Founders’ Award for Career Achievement at the 2024 ACVS Surgery Summit. The award recognizes the service of an ACVS Diplomate distinguished by contributions to the development of surgical techniques and methodology and disseminating knowledge to colleagues, residents, and students.
The UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital has expanded its Orthopedic Surgery Service to open the Advanced Veterinary Surgery Center. Modeled after human health inpatient/outpatient facilities, the center provides advanced surgical capabilities for animals suffering from injuries or disorders of the bones and joints, while increasing case volume and training capacity.
Atlas, a 2-year-old male cheetoh cat (Bengal/ocicat cross), is a fearless daredevil who likes to get into mischief, always wanting to climb to the highest heights he can reach in the house. Unfortunately, those activities caught up with him last May when he became acutely lame after jumping down from an elevated structure at home. X-rays showed a displaced fracture of the right femoral head that would require surgery.
The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the new Advanced Veterinary Surgery Center. This state-of-the-art facility is set to fully open in April 2024, providing top-notch veterinary surgical care to more companion animals and breaking new ground on surgical innovation. With three operating rooms, a radiology suite, and other advanced features, we aim to reduce wait times for surgeries, train more veterinary students, residents, and fellows, and foster collaborative research opportunities across UC Davis.
