When tiny kitten Sunshine was brought to the Itsie Bitsie Rescue by a Good Samaritan, it was immediately clear to staff that she was not going to be a typical case. The rescue takes in approximately 750 kittens per year, mostly strays and transfers from shelters. These kittens are a highly vulnerable population and are the most likely to be euthanized at shelters. But maybe none as vulnerable as Sunshine.
“We could tell right away that she had pectus excavatum, but she was stable,” said Kristen Puff, director of operations at Itsie Bitsie Rescue.
Bella, a 4-year-old female pit bull terrier mix, was diagnosed with an infiltrative lipoma in her right shoulder area in early 2025. Owners Paul and Kristy Lewis took her to two surgeons to discuss removal of the lipoma, a benign tumor of fatty tissue. Infiltrative lipomas can invade into local structures including the surrounding muscles. On Bella, the tumor was infiltrating the muscle down to the humerus bone and was continuing to grow. This made complete surgical excision nearly impossible.
Otis, a 6-year-old pug, has not had the easiest road in life, but thanks to a devoted owner and a dedicated care team, his future seems brighter. Otis was rescued as a very young puppy by Jennifer Newman, an experienced pug owner.
Tuna Sandwich, an approximately 6-week-old female kitten, was brought to the FieldHaven Feline Center by a Good Samaritan after being found abandoned near a Subway restaurant (hence the name). FieldHaven has been a great community partner to UC Davis for more than a decade, presenting many primary care and specialty service patients, as well as clinical trials participants.
Hunter, a 9-year-old cocker spaniel, lives a great life with his owners Brian Boitano and Franc D’Ambrosio. But when D’Ambrosio noticed an abnormality while performing a routine anal sac expression, they took Hunter to their veterinarian who diagnosed apocrine gland anal sac adenocarcinoma (AGASACA). While AGASACA represents 17% of all perianal tumors in dogs, it only makes up 2% of all canine skin tumors.
Scout, a 7-month-old female miniature Dachshund, had a rough start to her life in Anchorage, Alaska, where she lives with her littermate brother Finn, and another miniature Dachshund, 2-year-old Leroy, along with her owners, Karen and Gene Richardson. By the age of 3 months, it was discovered that Scout was born with incorrect blood vessel connections leading to her liver.
Noodle, a 3-year-old male poodle mix, is the second patient ever to have percutaneous stone removal surgery, and the first without initial lithotripsy.
