Whether it be endowed chairs, grants, summer research scholars, new spaces, equipment, or clinical trials, philanthropy is paving the way for major breakthroughs in animal and human health.
Diamond, a 12-year-old pit bull terrier, receives ongoing cancer treatments at UC Davis thanks to support from Petco Love. Diamond was diagnosed with hemangiosarcoma, an aggressive cancer that formed a mast cell tumor in her right cheek with metastatic disease to her mandibular lymph nodes. She has undergone seven rounds of palliative radiation treatments to reduce the size of the tumor and improve her quality of life. The radiation treatments delay the tumor from becoming larger and more uncomfortable.
Lin Zucconi’s dedication to animals started at an early age. She loved her sister’s cat and had turtles of her own. Her dedication to them earned her the nickname in her neighborhood as the “turtle doctor.” When she went away to college at the University of California, Berkeley, she ensured the turtles had a home at the Oakland Zoo. As she moved into adulthood, she stayed dedicated to animals, especially cats.
The UC Davis veterinary hospital has opened the Meadowview Foundation Dentistry and Oral Surgery Center (video tour) as the new home of its Dentistry and Oral Surgery Service (DOSS). The new suite is nearly 150% larger than the service’s previous space, allows faculty, residents, and staff to maximize their expertise and interest, and makes patient care more personal and accessible.
About the UC Davis Fracture Program for Rescue Animals
The program provides surgical care for homeless cats and dogs from animal shelters and rescue groups. Fractures, which are often correctable, can be a barrier to adoption. Treating these animals offers them a healthy, happy life with a new family, while also providing learning opportunities for veterinary students and residents of the Orthopedic Surgery Service and the Community Surgery Service.
The Janice K. Hobbs UC Davis Veterinary Medical Center Southern California will take UC Davis’ capacity to serve companion animals to even greater heights and extend its world-class veterinary care.
Haidee Stade had a passion for animals—especially dogs. She helped many homeless animals by volunteering at her local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. While she passed away in 2014, her commitment to animals lives on through a legacy gift to the Center for Companion Animal Health (CCAH).
Lin Zucconi’s devotion to her three Abyssinian cats is well known throughout the CCAH. She drives more than 100 miles each way to and from her home in Truckee to ensure that Doc, Itsybelle and Pinky receive the best possible care at the UC Davis veterinary hospital.
Doc and Itsybelle contracted feline herpes virus in utero that resulted in significantly impaired vision. Doc also has early stage chronic renal failure, a common disease in older cats.
Harold “Hal” Parker was a proud member of the Class of 1952—the school’s inaugural graduating class of 42 students, nearly all World War II veterans. He was pivotal in building the foundation for excellence in veterinary medicine at UC Davis, starting with the groundbreaking ceremony for Haring Hall in 1948.
Dr. John Zimmerman, DVM ’62 can’t thank the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine enough for giving him the training to pursue a fulfilling career. After graduation, he worked in dairy production and equine medicine for two years in Los Angeles before establishing the Sonoma Marin Veterinary Service in Petaluma, California, where he has been practicing for 57 years.
“Veterinary medicine has been a great fit for me,” he said. “I like cattle and ended up coming back to my home town. It’s given me a wonderful life.”
