Cub, a 2-year-old orange domestic longhair cat, was far too young to be acting so lethargic last May. He was sleeping more and was less active than the other cats in the household. His owner, Grace Jesensky, also noticed his breathing was abnormal, and his primary veterinarian suspected he had asthma.
The UC Davis veterinary hospital has launched a Neurosurgery Specialty Service aimed at adapting state-of-the-art surgical solutions to complex neurological conditions.
This new service offers state-of-the-art neurosurgical interventions and clinical trials, including:
After a congenital anomaly paralyzed him, Ghost was able to walk again after successful neurosurgery to decompress his spine, allowing his spinal cord to function properly again.
River, a 7-year-old border collie, collapsed and was paralyzed in his hind legs without warning. After being diagnosed by veterinary neurologists at UC Davis with a ruptured lumbar disc and hemorrhagic compression of his spinal cord, River underwent a neurosurgery to attempt to repair the injury.
Bubbles, a 10-year-old male boxer, was brought to the UC Davis veterinary hospital’s Emergency Room following an inability to maintain his coordination accompanied with weakness in his hind limbs. Critical care specialists in the ER referred him to the Neurology/Neurosurgery Service for further evaluation. Following examination and an MRI, a tumor on Bubbles’ spinal cord was discovered.
Wildlife Officer Paul Cardoza, a game warden with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), refers to his partner, K-9 Kilo, as his most trusted piece of equipment. The pair have been together for 11 years. So, when Kilo, a 13-year-old male German shepherd/Belgian Malinois mix, was having trouble walking and supporting himself on his hind limbs, Cardoza sought out the specialists at the UC Davis veterinary hospital.
Goldie, 14-year-old female spayed rat terrier, was living the good life on a horse farm with plenty of open land to run free. Her owner, Renee Johnson, describes her as full of vigor, rambunctious, and enthusiastic, with too much energy for city life in a small yard. Her duties as a barn dog kept her busy minding the 14 horses in her guard, not being afraid to bark orders when the horses were out of line or misbehaving. Unfortunately, that comfortableness around the horses got her in trouble, getting severely injured when one of them accidentally stepped on or kicked her.
Dog owner Rob Beasom and his wife were out of town when they received a frantic call from their dog sitter. Barley, their 3-year-old male French bulldog, severely hurt himself while jumping off the couch, rendering him paralyzed in his back legs. Beasom immediately made plans to return home and called Barley’s primary veterinarian. After Beasom described the situation, the veterinarian told him to take Barley to the UC Davis veterinary hospital.
Dr. Karen Vernau has been named the recipient of the 2019 Bustad Companion Animal Veterinarian of the Year Award by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA).
