DECEMBER 2022

Introductory Message



From the Large Animal Clinic Director

Hi everyone. As 2022 comes to a close, we take time to pause and reflect on everything we’ve accomplished over the past year.

 

The All Species Imaging Center is on everyone’s mind. I want to thank everyone on the incredible job of adapting to an ever-changing landscape of construction and infrastructure upgrades in preparation for this clinical expansion. As the new year begins, we will be able to see ASIC take shape, with walls expected to go up in the near future.

 

In small animal, the opening of the renovated and expanded ER and ICU will be coming in January, providing much needed space for around-the-clock management of our most critical patients. Emergency care in small animal increased as much as 65% during the pandemic and more than 160% in the past decade, so this expansion is vital to our continued success in compassionate emergency service.

 

Other small animal construction projects over the next year will include new and/or expanded spaces for Cardiology, Nutrition, Behavior, Dentistry, and Orthopedic Surgery.  

 

In the Large Animal Clinic, the opening of new mare/foal treatment space prepared us for the upcoming foaling and breeding season. Early 2023 will see the completion of the new equine anesthesia induction/recovery stalls and the equine performance pavilion, which will further support our growing Equine Surgery, Lameness, and Integrated Sports Medicine Services. In future years, we look forward to improved livestock facilities as well.

 

As great as these improvements will be, they would be wasted without the talented clinicians and staff who will use them daily to advance patient care while training the next generation of veterinarians and veterinary specialists. It’s a privilege to work with our various teams daily to provide top notch veterinary care.

 

I want to extend sincere gratitude from the entire leadership team to those of you who will be helping to keep the VMTH open 24/7 during the upcoming holidays. Your dedication to keeping emergency care available is greatly appreciated by everyone within the VMTH and especially by the families in our community who rely on us to be there for them when most needed.

 

I wish you and your families a very happy holiday season and am excited for what the new year will bring us.

 

--Bret McNabb

One Health in Action with Cancer Clinical Trial

Tyson, an English mastiff/pit bull mix, is helping bring attention to the science of comparative oncology, which is creating a unique partnership between UC Davis veterinary and human medicine oncology programs. Tyson took part in Dr. Rob Rebhun’s clinical trial involving amplified concentrations of the protein interleukin-15 (IL-15), which showed that IL-15 can stimulate immune system defenses against some cancers in dogs. Initially, Tyson was given only a few months to live. Now more than a year after the trial, Tyson can hardly contain his zest for life. He recently starred in a YouTube video, as well as being featured on CBS13 and ABC10. Congratulations, Dr. Rebhun and everyone in the Oncology Services, for this amazing accomplishment.

Hospital / VMC Updates

Faculty Update:

  • Dr. Liz Stelow (with contributions from Dr. Tony Buffington and others) recently completed editing the Clinical Handbook of Feline Behavior Medicine. The textbook provides a complete, easy-to-use reference to practical information on identifying, diagnosing, and treating behavior problems in cats. Designed to offer streamlined access to concrete guidance for managing feline behavior, the book offers diagnostic plans organized by clinical sign. Normal behavior is thoroughly described, to provide a better understanding of the abnormal, with the heart of the book devoted to advice for identifying, diagnosing, and treating specific behavior problems. The book describes the diagnostic process and covers treatment options for each problem. A companion website offers client education handouts to enhance compliance and video clips depicting presenting complaints.
  • Congratulations to Dr. Mathieu Spriet on the 2022 Clinical Excellence Award, a recognition of his clinical success in diagnostic imaging. Dr. Spriet embodies the principles of clinical academic medicine and has contributed to the advancement of clinical care, teaching, and science in the VMTH. He has expanded the field of equine diagnostic imaging by developing and implementing positron emission tomography (PET) in both anesthetized and standing horses. This leap in ability to pinpoint areas of injury and inflammation has not been seen since the development of CT and MRI in the late 1990s. His creativity and perseverance in equipping the VMTH with PET and partnership with Santa Anita Park will help to halt the cycle of catastrophic racetrack injuries by detecting them earlier and monitoring their healing. To date, more than 500 racehorses at Santa Anita have benefited from the new technology.
Recognitions

NOMINATE YOUR COLLEAGUES TODAY

Recognize the hard work
your team performs every day.

Please utilize the PerfectForm icon link available on every VMTH desktop (or through VIPER>VMTH>Forms>VPETT) to nominate your colleagues for recognition of an outstanding example of one of our five Cultural Pillars: Realize Our Vision, Value People, Pursue Excellence, One Team, Trusted Dialogue.


The Cultural Pillars Committee is pleased to announce the recipients of the VPETT Recognition Award for the month of December.

December Recipient:


Domonique Fortner, a technician in the Anesthesia Service, was recognized for exemplifying our cultural beliefs of One Team and Trusted Dialogue, which contributed to the key results of Excellence in Patient Care and Student Teaching.

“Domonique maintains a great attitude and professionalism despite how busy or stressful the workday can get. She is always helping out students and her coworkers and looking for ways to improve overall patient care. We appreciate her hard work and are so grateful to have her as a part of the team.”

 

Thank you, Domonique, for your hard work and dedication to the VMTH.

 

In addition, Krystal Scott and Jody Deal also received awards for recognizing the hard work of others.

Key Cultural Pillar


“One Team"

Teamwork is always on display throughout the VMTH, and none more so than on Oskie’s colic case. Oskie, a 20-year-old gelding, was experiencing chronic colic episodes that needed further intervention from the Large Animal Clinic. He underwent a series of examinations with several departments, which began with a thorough work-up by of the Equine Emergency Surgery Service. Radiology specialists with the Diagnostic Imaging Service detected no enteroliths or sand in his system on x-rays, so he was referred for an abdominal ultrasound with the Large Animal Ultrasound Service. There, Dr. Betsy Vaughan observed a long segment of severely distended and fluid-filled small intestine that had poor motility. This appearance was highly suggestive of a small intestinal obstruction, though the cause of the obstruction could not be seen, so Dr. Vaughan recommended surgery to find the cause. Faculty member Dr. Julie Dechant and resident Dr. Stefanie Arndt performed an exploratory celiotomy and found a mass growth blocking Oskie’s small intestine and removed a 4-foot section of the intestinal tract. The appearance of the mass was consistent with cancer, but there was no visual evidence of it spreading to the adjacent intestine or lymph nodes. A biopsy of the mass by the Anatomic Pathology Service confirmed it to be a jejunal adenocarcinoma, a rarely found cancer in horses. With large margins surrounding the tumor removed and no metastasis observed in his system, Oskie appeared free of the cancer following surgery. Oskie has now made a full recovery. 

Wellness Tip of the Month


Florence Soares-Dabalos, MS, LMFT, the VMTH’s client support and wellness professional, offers a brief tip on managing stress through the current crisis. Please see full website of services that Florence offers, including a section on House Officer Wellness.

  • The final factor in our resiliency series is optimism. Optimism is about focusing on the positive, knowing when something negative happens, it is not permanent or personal. But what happens when you get stuck in the negative? This 10-min TED talk, from UC Davis Psychology Professor Alison Ledgerwood, explains why humans focus on the negative and how to get unstuck from it so we can focus more on the positive, thereby building optimism at the VMTH. You can also learn more about her research on negativity and positivity biases here.