Story of the Week: Jolly and a Lonely Bouquet

Jolly is a 7-year-old male Harlequin Great Dane who came to the VCA in June with increased weakness and instability in his hindquarters. He was recently seen by VCA-VRA neurologist Dr. Steinberg who performed a physical exam and an MRI. Jolly was diagnosed with Wobbler’s Disease, which involves compression of the spinal cord in the neck vertebrae, which causes the instability and weakness Jolly is experiencing. Fortunately, this disease is treatable with medicine and surgery options available on a case-by-case basis. He hopes to start Prednisone soon and looks forward to enjoying the rest of the summer. Jolly’s hobbies include going boating, swimming, hanging out at the beach, and playing with his two brothers (another Great Dane and an English lab).

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Patient of The Week: Tucker Weintraub

Tucker  Weintraub or “Why Bones are Bad”

He got into the garbage almost two weeks before we met him. It was not intentional (on his owner’s part, anyway).  The garbage bag was sitting next to the front door; closed and ready to be taken outside. Tucker, an extremely sweet, fluffy, grey yorkiepoo very quietly nosed his way into the bag and ate his delectable find, including the chicken bones that would cause him so much trouble.

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Patient of the Week: Miracle Maggie

Every month Maggie is with us, is a gift. A Yorkshire Terrier, born the runt of her litter in April 2009, Maggie has faced numerous medical challenges since birth. The first clue for us, was her inability to rid herself of internal parasites, at a very young age, after repetitive treatments. 

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What Do Veterinary Technicians Do?

Just like a human hospital, vet’s offices need more than just doctors to keep things running smoothly. That’s why at VCA-VRA, we hire only the best veterinary technicians! While our veterinarians handle prescribing medicine and deciding on treatment, vet techs help do a lot of the heavy lifting when a sick pet comes to our animal hospital.

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Patient of the Week: Lily Johnson

Lily Johnson was referred to the VRA emergency department on January 25th after being attacked by a larger dog on a walk. The owner was able to pick her up, however, the offending dog jumped up and snatched her away from the owner. A neighbor was fortunately able to help get the owner and Lily back to their house safely. Lily was taken to a nearby veterinarian and was stabilized with pain medicine, antibiotics and fluid support. Chest x-rays were taken and revealed multiple rib fractures and pneumothorax (free air in the chest). Lily was referred to us for further aggressive care and possible surgery.

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