All Species Imaging Center Opens | | |
The Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital has opened the All Species Imaging Center. This central hub for all advanced diagnostic imaging is the realization of leadership vision and philanthropic endeavors over a decade in the making. Thanks to the generosity of many donors, the entire building and two of the new scanners were donor funded. The center’s four diagnostic imaging suites are dedicated to small animal computed tomography (CT), high field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for both small and large animals, positron emission tomography (PET)/CT for both small and large animals, and a dedicated large bore equine CT, which is revolutionizing how the hospital diagnoses and treats horses and other large animals.
| | School Celebrates Veterinary Medical Complex Expansion | | |
On September 18, the school celebrated securing funding for the next phase of our Veterinary Medical Complex expansion—in large part thanks to dedicated donors who have supported our bold vision with $110.5 million in gifts to date. This phase includes a new veterinary education pavilion, primary care hospital, equine hospital, veterinary cancer center, spay-neuter clinic, and a raptor educational experience. The September 18 events also launched a visionary campaign termed “Limitless,” which reflects the school's ambition to define a new era in veterinary health. The campaign is supporting raising state and federal funds for construction of additional phases of the Veterinary Medical Complex.
| | Disease BioPortal Launched to Help Farmers and Veterinarians Better Protect Animal Health | | |
A major update to an online platform designed to help veterinarians, producers, and diagnostic labs make faster, data-driven health and biosecurity decisions has been launched by the School of Veterinary Medicine. The Disease BioPortal makes it easier to track important livestock health issues, spot disease trends early, and make informed decisions to protect animals and operations. Developed by the Center for Animal Disease Modeling and Surveillance under the leadership of Dr. Beatriz Martínez-López, Disease BioPortal integrates diagnostic and field data from multiple sources and delivers interactive maps, dashboards, and predictive modeling in real time. The result: improved outbreak detection, reduced response times, and better farm management strategies.
| | Mastectomy Saves Valued Breeding Goat | | |
Morgan, a 5-year-old female Alpine goat, was approaching her fourth kidding when mastitis was discovered on her udder. The infection (generally caused by bacteria in the environment or trauma) was severe enough to cause Morgan’s pregnancy to become non-viable, losing all four of her kids. Her previous three pregnancies resulted in nine prized kids, so her ranch decided to seek specialty care with the Livestock Medicine and Surgery Service, where Dr. Meera Heller performed a mastectomy to remove Morgan’s infected udder.
| | New World Screwworm Webinar Set for November 19 | |
| |  | New World Screwworm (NWS) has been detected in Mexico near the U.S. southern border. The border remains closed to cattle, bison, and horse imports. All livestock producers should know the risks of the NWS, how to recognize signs of NWS infestations and how to prepare for its possible introduction into California. NWS refers to a species of fly similar in size and appearance to the common blow fly but has maggots that burrow (screw) into wounds with devastating consequences to livestock. Eradicated from the U.S. in the 1960s and later pushed as far south as Central America, NWS has recently migrated back north as of early October. Given the significant threat of NWS to the livestock industry, the University of California Cooperative Extension, in partnership with California Cattlemen’s Association and California Wool Growers Association, is holding a webinar on November 19 at 6 p.m. (PT) covering this returning threat to the U.S. livestock industry. All are welcome, but you must register by 1 p.m. on November 18.
| | Surgeons Remove Sialolith from Horse’s Cheek | | |
Joe Juice, a 19-year-old American Quarter Horse gelding, was fortunate to be in need of imaging at the same time the Diagnostic Imaging Service was testing new equipment before the opening of the All Species Imaging Center this past summer. A suspected sialolith was confirmed on the right side of his face following a scan in the hospital’s new large bore equine CT. Joe Juice was able to be scanned standing using only mild sedation. Equine Surgeons were then able to remove the sialolith with a standing surgery that also only required sedation instead of full anesthesia.
| | |
Equine Reproduction Specialists Urge
Late Gestation Ultrasound Exams
| | |
With foaling season right around the corner, specialists in the UC Davis Equine Reproduction Service are urging their clients to schedule ultrasounds late in their mares’ pregnancies. Once a mare is confirmed pregnant early in gestation, she is often rechecked shortly afterward to confirm embryo or fetal viability. “In many cases, no further examinations are performed until foaling,” said Dr. Catherine Renaudin, chief of the Equine Reproduction Service at the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH). “However, additional ultrasound examinations later in pregnancy are strongly recommended to improve pregnancy outcomes and reduce the risk of complications for both mare and foal.” A brief, non-invasive transrectal ultrasound can provide valuable information.
| | Equine West Nile Virus Detected in Several California Counties | | |
Recent cases of equine West Nile Virus (WNV) have been diagnosed recently in Yolo, Sacramento, Stanislaus, Contra Costa, and Santa Barbara Counties. WNV is a mosquito-borne virus first detected in the U.S. in 1999. Since then, the virus has spread throughout North America, infecting birds, humans, horses, and other animals. WNV may cause a wide range of clinical illness ranging from mild "flu-like" signs to encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) that may be fatal to both humans and horses. Read more valuable WNV information from CDFA.
| | West Coast Equine Reproduction Symposium Set for November | | |
UC Davis equine reproduction specialists will lead the West Coast Equine Reproduction Symposium VII in Buellton and Los Olivos, California (just north of Santa Barbara) on November 6-8, 2025. A 2-day symposium will take place on November 6-7 at the Santa Ynez Marriott Hotel in Buellton, and a 1-day wet lab will take place on November 8 at Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center in Los Olivos. While the wet lab is currently at capacity, names are being held for the wait list. Held every four years, the West Coast Equine Reproduction Symposium is a long-standing UC Davis tradition now in its seventh edition. This premier event brings together more than 25 internationally recognized experts to share the latest, evidence-based advances in equine reproduction, including problem-mare management, stallion care, assisted reproductive technologies, and foal health. The symposium and wet lab both offer the opportunity to earn C.E. credit. Register here
| | |
The Spring 2025 issue of the Horse Report is available. The award-winning newsletter from the UC Davis Center for Equine Health (CEH) is published quarterly with the most current information on a variety of equine health issues.
This latest issues contains articles on:
- Director's Message from Dr. Carrie Finno
- UC Davis Equine Reproduction Service & Veterinary Assisted Reproduction Laboratory
- Equine Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART)
- Equine In Vitro Embryo Production: Making Horses in a Lab
- A Bone to Pick: Measuring Key Skeletal Developmental Milestones In Utero To Predict Foaling Date
- 10 Things You Might Not Know About Assisted Equine Reproductive Techniques
- Pioneering Petri: The First ICSI Foal at UC Davis
Read them all and subscribe to the Horse Report to receive this news every quarter.
| | |
Read Additional News from the School of Veterinary Medicine
Discover Synergy, the School of Veterinary Medicine's biannual magazine highlighting the latest clinical advances, research updates, and other school news. The latest issue focuses on the critical role of fundamental research.
| | |
Reach the Large Animal Hospital:
530-752-0290 (clients)
530-752-4050 (referring veterinarians)
| | | | |
