DIRECT REFERRAL PHONE NUMBER
To contact the VMTH regarding referrals:
530-752-4050 (direct referral line)
or
The VMTH now has several referral coordinators that you can reach directly, rather than using the main VMTH phone line. As valued referring veterinarians, you now have direct access to a team of dedicated client service representatives at the VMTH – rather than using the main telephone number that is used for the general public. We strongly recommend that you utilize these highly trained contacts to enable a faster and more efficient referral process. Our referral coordinators have intimate knowledge of their services and can facilitate your needs and also connect you with a veterinarian should you need consultation on a case.
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UC Davis Again Offers Popular Veterinary Business Learning Opportunity
Would you like to learn about running a veterinary practice from a course that is 100% recommended by previous participants? The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and UC Davis Graduate School of Management will once again offer the Foundations of Veterinary Business certificate program from May to August of 2022.
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UC Davis Equine Veterinary Program to Expand With Donation of Templeton Farms
The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine’s Center for Equine Health announces the expansion of its equine facilities to Templeton Farms on California’s Central Coast, thanks to the donation of the 52-acre property from dedicated equestrian Gina Bornino Miller.
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Dr. Carrie Finno Named a UC Davis Chancellor’s Fellow
Dr. Carrie Finno has been named to the new class of UC Davis Chancellor’s Fellows — faculty members who will carry the chancellor’s imprimatur for five years in recognition of their outstanding work in academia. Dr. Finno serves as associate professor in the school's Department of Population Health and Reproduction, as well as director of the Center for Equine Health.
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UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Launches $50M Program for Shelter Animals
This unique state-funded initiative was made possible in 2021 when California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed budget legislation that includes $45 million in one-time support for a statewide Animal Shelter Assistance Program, an augmentation to $5 million earmarked earlier that year. The initiative - administered by the Koret Shelter Medicine Program at the UC Davis Center for Companion Animal Health - will provide critical funding for shelters, perform onsite and virtual consultations, and offer expert-led training. The program represents a promise kept and emphasizes the governor’s commitment to help communities realize the state’s long-held policy that “no adoptable or treatable animal should be euthanized.”
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Saving Our Wildlife: When Raging Wildfires Engulf Our Forests, What Happens to the Animals?
California’s wildfires have been burning hotter and longer than in previous decades. By the end of 2021, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported more than 8,600 wildfires that consumed nearly 2.6 million acres and destroyed about 3,600 structures. The Lava Fire alone burned 41 square miles west of Mount Shasta in Siskiyou County. Cal Fire keeps records of acres burned, structures destroyed and loss of human life in each fire, but there are no records of how many animals die or are injured by wildfires. What happens to the animals displaced by these infernos?
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Dr. Grace VanHoy - Livestock Medicine and Surgery Service
Dr. Grace VanHoy joined the Livestock Medicine and Surgery Service as an assistant professor, effective March 1. Dr. VanHoy received a BS in Animal Science (2011) from the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and DVM (2015) from The Ohio State University (OSU). Dr. VanHoy then completed an internship (2015-2016) and residency (2016-2019) in Farm Animal Medicine & Surgery at OSU, as well as an MS in Comparative Veterinary Medicine (2019). In 2019, Dr. VanHoy became board certified with the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine-Large Animal, which she followed with a faculty position at OSU. Dr. VanHoy’s research is focused in the areas of food animal medicine and surgery as well as livestock parasitology.
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Dr. Allison Gagnon - Cardiology Service
Dr. Allison Gagnon joined the Cardiology Service as an assistant professor, effective January 3. Dr. Gagnon received her BS in Biology (2012) from Stanford University and her DVM (2016) from UC Davis. She then completed a rotating small animal internship (2017) at North Carolina State University. Upon completion of her internship, she spent three years (2017-2020) at Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine successfully completing a residency in cardiology and cardiac surgery. Prior to joining UC Davis, Dr. Gagnon was a lecturer of cardiology at Cornell University. She became board certified in cardiology by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine in 2021. Dr. Gagnon’s research is focused on cardiac electrophysiology.
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Evaluation of Urinary Amino Acids Concentrations in Dogs Pre- and Post-Castration with Suspected Cystine Stones
Dr. Jodi Westropp is conducting a new trial that aims to determine what effect castration might have on the recurrence of cystine stones in dogs, by analyzing blood and urine amino acid pre- and post-castration.
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Evaluating a Nutritional Supplement for Dogs with Elbow Dysplasia
Dr. Marcellin-Little is recruiting dogs with elbow osteoarthritis for a clinical trial that seeks to find if a supplement containing undenaturated collagen II relieves the signs of lameness in dogs with osteoarthritis. Dogs between the ages of 1 and 6 years weighing between 44 and 88 pounds with elbow dysplasia may be eligible to join.
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Evaluation of a Product Designed to Aid in the Early Detection of Cancer
Healthy dogs 8 years and older are sought for a clinical trial evaluating an investigational drug designed to make cancer cells produce synthetic biomarkers, which could be more easily detected in a blood sample than natural cancer biomarkers and could lead to earlier detection and treatment of cancer. Pets in the trial will attend six study visits over the course of nine days.
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Evaluation of a Single Agent Chemotherapy for Canine Cancer
Mustargen, also known as mechlorethamine, is a highly effective drug for the treatment of cancers in dogs. This chemotherapy is often used in combination with other chemotherapy drugs. However, administration of Mustargen as a single agent in dogs with cancer has not been documented. Mustargen given along with other chemotherapy agents is associated with well-known side effects such as gastrointestinal upset and bone marrow suppression. Dr. Amandine Lejeune has a clinical trial evaluating the optimal dose and side effects of mustargen when given as a single agent.
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Assessing an Activity Monitor for Dogs with Immune-Mediated Polyarthritis
Dogs with immune-mediated polyarthritis can have a wide range of clinical signs ranging from decreased energy, limping, or inability to walk. Dr. Krystle Reagan is recruiting dogs for a clinical trial to determine if a commercial dog activity and health tracker can be used as a remote monitoring tool to aid in the recognition of disease remission, and secondarily to determine if the tracker can detect relapse of disease.
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Upcoming Continuing Education Events |
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The UC Davis Center for Continuing Professional Education is pleased to announce that some continuing education seminars are beginning to return to in-person events. Please check registration carefully for which events are in-person and which remain as webinars.
We look forward to welcoming you to these upcoming CE events:
Please contact us with any suggestions or questions you might have regarding our programs.
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Latest Research Achievements |
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How Dogs Led the Way to Human Clinical Trials
Each year, more than 6 million dogs in the US will be diagnosed with cancer. In fact, about half of all dogs over the age of 10 will eventually develop some form of cancer. This is always a stressful situation for the animals’ owners who must make complex and difficult decisions about how to treat their pet. Dr. Michael Kent understands the problem better than most. As the director of the world renowned Center for Companion Animal Health at UC Davis, Dr. Kent and his colleagues treat thousands of dogs, cats, horses, and other pets diagnosed with cancer and related diseases every year as part of the center’s unique comparative oncology program.
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UC Davis Farrier Earns Research Degree, Brings Advanced Knowledge to Clinical Cases
Shane Westman, farrier for the UC Davis veterinary hospital, has earned a Graduate Diploma in Equine Locomotor Research through London’s Royal Veterinary College. The knowledge that Westman gained through this program will provide UC Davis veterinary students, residents, faculty, and patients with access to advanced approaches to clinical care.
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Your Cat's DNA Could Help Vets Choose Better Medicine
In this TEDx talk, Chief Veterinary Medical Officer Dr. Joshua Stern shares his research on personalized medicine and how we might create drugs or prescribe drugs based on an individual pet's genes.
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Research Tackles Injury in Agility Dogs
Researchers from Washington State and UC Davis collaborated on a study to establish a correlation between risk factors and injury trends in agility dogs. The researchers specifically looked into ruptures of the cranial cruciate ligament. This is similar to the anterior cruciate ligament in humans, where common injuries take place during sports
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Paralyzed Dog Walks Again After Neurosurgery at UC Davis
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. After a weeklong hospitalization, River was discharged home. He slowly started to regain motor function in his hind end and can now stand on his own and walk with assistance. While River’s recovery is far from over, and months of rehabilitation remain, he has a good prognosis for recovery.
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Collaborative Care Leads to Successful Surgery Behind Rabbit’s Eye
Clinicians with the Companion Exotic Animal Medicine and Surgery Service performed an innovative zygomatic arch resection (removing part of the cheek bone) and marsupialization (accessing the abscess and stitching a part of the abscess wall to the skin to be able to flush and remove pus from the abscess) on an 8-year-old female Flemish giant rabbit. This invasive surgery removes part of the bone structure that surrounds and protects the eye in order to approach the abscess and allow it to heal over time from the inside out.
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Emergency Exploratory Surgery Helps Determine Cause of Disease and Saves Kitten
Miso, a 1-month-old kitten, was brought to the ER where he was cared for by Dr. Jamie Burkitt. X-rays showed a potential hernia of his diaphragm thought to be allowing his abdominal organs to fill up the chest and make breathing and eating difficult. Miso’s care was transferred to the Soft Tissue Surgery Service for exploratory surgery into his abdomen to investigate his diaphragm and repair it if necessary.
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Surgery and Follow-Up Chemotherapy Saves Dog with Unusual Tumor
Neva, a 1-year-old female golden retriever, was diagnosed with an unusual mast cell tumor on her lip and referred to the Oncology Service at the UC Davis veterinary hospital. A series of tests were performed to stage the tumor and determine the best course of action. Multiple imaging procedures and diagnostic tests at UC Davis showed no evidence that the tumor had spread to other parts of her body, so surgical resection was chosen as the appropriate course of action to treat Neva’s lip.
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Suspected Bear Attack Leads to Dog’s Long Recovery
Seek, a 6-year-old female mastiff, was let out in the early morning on her family’s large property in the Sierra Nevada foothills. A few hours later, she and her brother were found bloodied, with Seek taking the brunt of the injuries – a severely broken leg and facial/oral wounds. A bear attack was suspected.
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Cardiac Emergency Leads to Cross Country Journey to UC Davis
Being faced with a life-or-death situation with their animals, many pet owners will go above and beyond to save them. This certainly was the case for Jason LeGrand and his husband Eric Burkholder of Auburn, Alabama, where the former California couple recently moved for Burkholder’s career as a physics professor at Auburn University. When Zeus, their energetic 7-year-old male Shih Tzu/Schnauzer mix, became immediately lethargic and ill with bouts of vomiting and diarrhea, their primary veterinarian diagnosed him with a third-degree atrioventricular block, a conduction system disease of the heart. The veterinarian prepared LeGrand and Burkholder for the worst and informed them they would need to find a cardiologist who could implant a pacemaker in Zeus to save him.
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Philanthropic Fund Helps Cat and Owner Through Cancer Treatments
Kitty Perry, an 11-year-old domestic shorthair cat, was healthy her entire life, so it was concerning when her owner Rachael noticed a fast-growing lump on her side. Rachael took her to their primary veterinarian who diagnosed Kitty Perry with a sarcoma – most likely an injection site sarcoma that could’ve been due to an injection she received months or years ago. Noting the aggressiveness of this type of cancer, her veterinarian referred her to the Oncology Service at the UC Davis veterinary hospital.
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Honor Your Patients and Make a Difference |
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The Center of Companion Animal Health and the Center for Equine Health are grateful to the veterinary clinics for their donations to the Companion Animal Memorial Fund and the Equine Tribute and Memorial Fund. Participating veterinary clinics and practitioners honor their patients and clients who have recently lost an animal. Each year, hundreds of clinics contribute through memorial gifts for clinical health research to improve treatment for diseases affecting their clients’ animals. If you’d like to learn how to become a participant, call our Office of Advancement at 530-752-7024. Thank you.
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Is your clinic looking to hire? Our 4th year students and recent graduates would love to hear from you. We have resources on our Career, Leadership and Wellness Center website to will help you post jobs and connect with us about advancing your clinic. Please discover the website’s job board. Center Director Janel Lang can help you navigate it. Contact her at jalang@ucdavis.edu or 530-752-5130.
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