The value of veterinary medicine

Davis is an ideal place for those with beloved pets or those who simply love animals. Some furry friends have even become local celebrities, such as Cheeto the orange tabby cat, who roams near UC Davis’ Department of Physics building. Cori, the black Labrador retriever, has become a regular attraction at Aggie sports events, including football and baseball, and even has her own Facebook page.

The animals in our lives are more than pets or livestock. They’re companions and family members. So, it is stressful when they need urgent medical attention. When that happens, we know we can turn to world-class care nearby at the UC Davis Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Now in its 75th year, the veterinary hospital is celebrating its place in our community and planning to expand services. Their services also include aiding wildlife, exotic animals, aquatic mammals, and fish. They are frequently doing research that is at the nexus of animal, human and environmental health.

Many of you know that, consistently, UC Davis is ranked first in the nation and first or second in the world for veterinary science. Our veterinary teams are often on the frontlines when wildfires, natural disasters, and other emergencies strike California. They are called to assist other states and countries, as well. For example, some of our veterinarians are at Montana’s Yellowstone River, monitoring the wildlife impacts of the bridge collapse there.

The University of California began veterinary research in the 1800s and helped launch the modern era of veterinary medical education in Davis with the opening of our School of Veterinary Medicine in 1948. The school started leading the field immediately, and over the decades has created breakthroughs in vaccines for livestock diseases, pioneered surgical techniques and launched the world’s first specialty veterinary training programs.

Celebrations for the 75th anniversary started in May and will continue through 2024, ending with a gala on June 29.

The added capacity and expanded services underway include a new emergency room and intensive care unit that opened in May. It nearly doubled the square footage of the former space. With a caseload of more than 50,000 patients each year, this facility will help us meet ever increasing needs for care.

Another area where we’ve seen increasing demand is for specialty veterinary surgeries, particularly in orthopedics. Later this summer, we’ll open the Center for Advanced Veterinary Surgery to accommodate more of these procedures.

The center is a 6,600-square-foot facility that provides life-saving orthopedic treatments for cats, dogs and other companion animals. It uses the latest advances in anesthesia, surgical instruments and cross-sectional imaging equipment to support innovative surgical procedures.

A key attribute of the expanded surgical center is the increased capacity to perform total hip replacements in dogs.

One of the top reasons that dogs are euthanized is due to hip disease and not being able to stand in their older years. Our veterinary hospital is one of few in the world that can perform this critical procedure. UC Davis is also on the cutting edge by using a 3D-printed titanium implant to perform the treatment.

With a lengthy waiting list for hip replacements, we now have a training fellowship for boarded veterinary surgeons to learn this procedure at the new surgery center. This will have impact across the field of animal care.

Overall, the new surgery center will provide much needed space to accommodate the demands of today and the future. Our current center is already on track to see 2,100 patients — up from an average of 1,750 patients per year from 2018 to 2020.

The new ER/ICU and surgical facilities are just the latest in a series of expansions occurring at the hospital. A new medical imaging center is also under construction and more projects are underway or in the pipeline. Donors have been incredibly important to these projects, and we appreciate their support.

Meanwhile, the university’s veterinary students continue to serve the Davis community in impactful ways. As I noted in a recent column, Davis Pet Advocacy and Wellness is a satellite of the Mercer Clinic, a non-profit run by UC Davis veterinary students, that provides free veterinary care to pets of the homeless in Davis. Their outreach happens throughout the year at the Daytime Homeless Respite Center at 5th and L streets and other locations. The Mercer Clinic’s Holiday Pet Baskets also provides toys, treats and even coats and sweaters for the unhoused and their cats and dogs each holiday season.

I ask you to join me in congratulating the School of Veterinary Medicine on its 75th anniversary. The people and animals of Davis are grateful for the school’s excellent care and innovations that benefit animal health around the world.

Gary May is the chancellor of UC Davis; his column is published monthly.

Not about point of view

John Clark’s letter to the Enterprise of June 29 opines that “No federal, state, county or city government can choose a side based on content. Doing so opens the door allowing any content based point of view to be expressed on public property.” And further, he states “The city government cannot support issues it chooses since their duty is to recognize all points of view without choosing sides.”

With all due respect, Mr. Clark, being female is not a point of view. Being black is not a point of view. Being LGBTQ+ is not a point of view. These are states of being, not points of view; but, more importantly, these are states of being that are under attack in as many ways as there are people who mistakenly think or believe that being female, black, LGBTQ+ or just being weird is a choice in the same way that one chooses what political party to join.

I’m proud that our elected city council also sees the difference and is willing to make any and all of these people feel welcome specifically because of who they are

Speak

President by granting them access to city property space to safely express their existence as part of the human spectrum.

Dave Hart Davis

Fourth of July flag-waving

It has been 247 years since that first Fourth of July. Our country is young, but our government is among the oldest.

So how are we doing? You often hear that we are the richest country on earth or in history.

Well, there are a number of countries with small populations that are richer per person. Some have a lot of oil, others are havens for gambling and tax evasion.

Measured at regular exchange rates the USA is still the richest nation per person with a population greater than ten million.

If we look at industrial democracies with the top ten largest economies we are number one, beating number two Australia by 26 percent.

Americans frequently complain but don't seem too anxious to leave. America has the lowest rate of immigration out of any high-income democracy. With the exception of Japan all the other rich democracies have immigration rates

The Hon. Joe Biden, The White House, Washington, D.C., 20500; 202-456-1111 (comments), 202-456-1414 (switchboard); email: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

U.S. Senate

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 331 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202-224-3841; email: https://www. feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/ e-mail-me

Sen. Alex Padilla, 112 Hart Senate Office more than four times as high.

Three times as many Canadians immigrate to the U.S. as Americans immigrate to Canada. Five times as many British immigrate to the U.S. as Americans immigrate to the United Kingdom.

We are told that the middle class is disappearing and that Americans live desperate lives from paycheck to paycheck. But the median household net wealth in 2019 was over 120 thousand dollars. Median means half have more, half have less.

In 2022 just less than two-thirds of all households owned their own homes.

That sounds fairly middle-class to me.

You often read that Americans work longer hours and have less vacation time. You rarely read that Americans spend less time commuting to and from work. We are using cars instead of public transportation. If you include all the time we save using cars to shop and our other transportation we probably more than make up for the longer work hours.

Our Founding Fathers didn't think the nation would even survive. But America did more than survive, it thrived. Happy Fourth.

Richard Bruce Davis

Building, Washington, D.C., 20510; 202224-3553; email: https://www.padilla. senate.gov/contact/contact-form/

House of Representatives

Rep. Mike Thompson, 268 Cannon Office

Building, Washington, D.C., 20515; 202225-3311. District office: 622 Main Street, Suite 106, Woodland, CA 95695; 530-753-5301; email: https:// https:// mikethompsonforms.house.gov/contact/

Governor Gov. Gavin Newsom, State Capitol, Suite 1173, Sacramento, CA 95814; 916-4452841; email: https://govapps.gov.ca.gov/ gov40mail/

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By Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Jerry Scott

Stephan Pastis

Charles M. Schulz

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