Around late 2018, Dr. Jackie Jaloszynski and Sid Bragg had a problem: Their bichon frise dogs had serious health concerns, one with diabetes and cholesterol issues and the other with a heart murmur, and their local vet on North Carolina’s Crystal Coast couldn’t treat them. The married couple was referred to the NC State Veterinary Hospital, where their pup Winston was prescribed a glucose monitoring system and his sibling Lukus later received treatment for a ventricular tachycardia, a serious heart arrhythmia. Lukus’ treatment led them to make a profound connection with cardiology residen ..read more

Before Nitro the Cary Police dog messed up his knee, his nose was the body part getting all the attention. For years, the golden retriever-yellow Labrador mix used the black nub on his sweet face to track missing children and adults and to locate hidden explosives and firearms for the town of more than 175,000 residents just west of the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine in Raleigh. A misstep on a stormy December night likely led to the torn knee ligament that has sidelined Nitro, first for surgery and recovery and now for rehabilitation at NC State.  Fortunately for Nitro ..read more

ELF the DONKEY First pneumonia. Then C. diff., diarrhea and an autoimmune reaction. Elf the donkey survived a potentially deadly cascade of crises because of the problem-solving and compassionate care of the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine’s equine team. Elf’s owner knew NC State was the only chance Elf had to survive. “What we can do is try our hardest, and that’s what we did,” our professionals told her. go.ncsu.edu/elfthedonkey BRANDI the CHIHUAHUA In 2010, NC State College of Veterinary Medicine cardiologist Terri DeFrancesco pulled 18 worms from the heart of a tiny ..read more

CYSTITIS REMEDY How low-dose radiation therapy provides jaw-dropping success A study of whether low-dose radiation therapy could relieve symptoms of Feline Idiopathic Cystitis was so successful that clinicians almost immediately began offering the treatment to cats at the NC State Veterinary Hospital. Dr. Allison Kendall and Dr. Michael Nolan say every cat in the study showed improvement, with most never having another episode of cystitis. Archer Seaman, pictured, was the first cat treated in 2021, and he’s been a happy and healthy boy for two years. go.ncsu.edu/ficstudy DEMENTIA How slow ..read more

IN THE SPOTLIGHT BACKED BY THE PACK. When Kacie the calico cat started showing concerning symptoms, her owner and local vet – both NC State alumnae – knew they could trust the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine with her life-saving treatment. “These are my people. This experience embodies for me the good things that happen at State,” her owner says.  go.ncsu.edu/kacie-bilyeu Class of 2027 team building at orientation OUR CLASS OF 2027. Whether students fresh from undergraduate degrees, professionals pivoting to new careers, lifelong North Carolina residents, newcomers to th ..read more

The car accident is a blur. But what the Sikich family knows for sure is that their 1-year-old Great Dane, Bentley, somehow wiggled out of their crashed car on I-95 in Johnston County and was found a distance outside the vehicle by state troopers that afternoon. He managed that with a broken back and internal bleeding from the accident’s impact, a feat that still astounds his family three months after the May 15 collision.  In the hectic hours following the accident, Bentley was transferred from an animal control facility to two other veterinary hospitals before landing at NC State V ..read more

Dr. Natasha Olby, the Dr. Kady M. Gjessing and Rahna M. Davidson Distinguished Chair in Gerontology at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine, is the 2023 winner of the AVMA Career Achievement in Canine Research Award. Olby, also a professor of veterinary neurology and neurosurgery, has authored or co-authored more than 200 scientific papers, most recently sharing her research into neuro-aging and neurodegenerative diseases in dogs. “I am really honored to get this award,” says Olby, who has been working in veterinary medicine for three decades. “It’s really unexpected and wonderful ..read more

Kona, a peppy boxer with a big personality, was a ray of light for second-year vet student Meg Mulder when times got tough. He could be mischievous but would sit patiently while Mulder performed mock physical exams on him, practicing what she’d learned working as a veterinary assistant. But in January 2022, as Mulder was preparing to attend the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine, 7-year-old Kona was diagnosed with late-stage lymphoma. He died the next month. Now, Mulder is excited to be working this summer in a research lab on a potential vaccine treatment for canine lymphoma that co ..read more

Looking for Symptoms of Dangerous Brain Bleeding Cases in Dogs Christian Woelfel, Christopher Mariani, Michael Nolan, Erin Keenihan, Sophia Topulos, Peter Early, Karen Muñana, Sarah Musulin, Natasha Olby Pituitary apoplexy is a clinical syndrome in humans that can occur when there’s a blockage in blood flow or bleeding in the pituitary gland, located at the base of the brain. Although pituitary apoplexy has been studied thoroughly in human medicine, there has not been a lot of research in dogs or other companion animals. A team of College of Veterinary Medicine researchers from both our Depart ..read more

At the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine, we offer the best education to the next generation of healers, expand the limits of medicine with our research and provide excellent care to our patients. This edition of The Oath magazine focuses on our equine and feline patients. Find stories about the major impact the college has on North Carolina’s $2 billion equine industry, providing emergency medical care, training the veterinarians who serve the state and offering access to cutting-edge equipment, including a new standing CT. The machine is a complete game-changer for equine care, al ..read more