Critter Tales

Recently Campus Veterinary Clinic lost one of it’s most beloved patients “Q” Harper. In his seven years of life, Q endeared himself not only to his owner Ken, but all of the doctors and staff here at the clinic. His hearty bark would often herald his arrival to the clinic and we all learnt to love it.

Hiking was a passion both Ken and Q shared. Together they logged in many miles on The Pacific Crest Trail, Desolation Basin, South Warner and John Muir Wilderness areas to name a few. Snake, bears and all manner of weather never dimished Q’s love of the trail.

Junior, another Bernese Mountain dog that Ken fostered and then adopted in late 2009 soon became fast friends with Q. No one would guess that the energetic and sprightly dog was 10 years old. He happily followed along with the rest of the clan on hikes all over Northern California.

Sadly, Q was diagnosed with a type of cancer called histiocytic sarcoma earlier this year. He passed away on the 9th of March with his owner by his side. He will be remembered fondly by all of us here at Campus Vet.

If you or someone you know has lost a pet there are resources to help deal with the process. Berkeley East Bay Humane has a Pet Loss Support Group that meets regularly. Additionally, UC Davis and others provide a number of grief hot lines.

Kitty comeback

If you are a client you may have spied a fluffy orange cat haunting our hallways. His name is Soldier and this four year old tabby first came to us in a much sadder incarnation.

A couple of years ago Berkeley Animal Control asked Dr Yen to treat a cat with a serious wound on his side. Our clinic sees shelter animals quite often for medical issues.  As B.A.C. had described, the wound was indeed serious. Soldier’s injuries showed signs of infection and he’d had them for some time. Additionally, he was found to be FIV positive (learn about FIV here).

The future was looking bleak for the shelter kitty Read the rest of this entry »

Penelope arrived as a broken, homeless, little kitten of just 8 weeks of age brought to us by the City of Berkeley Animal Control. Not only was her pelvis fractured, her right leg was very badly broken. Our only guess is she was struck by a car. Even in her terrible condition she was sweet and loving. She immediately won the heart of the entire staff here at Campus Veterinary Clinic not only due to her sweetness, but her incredible desire to live. Penelope needed surgery on her broken leg and had no loving owner. This surgery was far beyond the abilities of the City of Berkeley to pay for. We decided to help her and the wonderful people of the Berkeley Shelter left her in our care.

The date of Penelope’s accident will never be known and it was clear that when she was brought to us it was not a recent occurrence. Not only was her leg broken, but it had begun to die. The injuries were life threatening. The infection had progressed well beyond the point where antibiotics could cure. It was decided that the only choice was to remove the gangrenous leg. It was a decision made easier by Penelope’s obvious desire to be rid of her right rear leg. Like a fox caught in a leg hold trap she started trying to remove it herself. We quickly prepared for surgery. On December 24th, 2003 Penelope’s right rear leg was amputated. Her life as a tripod began.

While the loss of leg may seem tragic, please remember that Penelope still has three good ones. She seems unaware of the loss that many find so disturbing. In fact the hardest part of her ordeal was the 6 weeks of cage rest she had to undergo after her surgery due to her broken pelvis. She wanted to romp as any normal kitten would, but she needed to heal first.

Penelope now lives with Dr Yen with 2 other cats and 3 dogs that she can torture.