It’s foxtail season!
A foxtail is a grass-like weed that blooms every spring and releases barbed seed heads. These barbs can work their way into any part of your dog’s body- including eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin.
The seed heads don’t break down in the body, so an embedded foxtail can lead to a serious infection. The barbs are designed to push the weed forward, so they can only travel one way. They travel deeper into the body and don’t come out on their own. If caught early they are relatively easy for your vet to remove, but if not removed can cause infection and sometimes death.
This poor girl came to us after having signs of nasal discharge, sneezing, pawing at the face.
We suspected a foxtail and we sedated her to look up her nose and we retrieved a foxtail deep in her left nostril!
Foxtails can be very dangerous, so pet owners please be mindful when taking your pups for a walk.
Blue’s story ❤️
Warning: GRAPHIC CONTENT
Kitty is a 2 year old sweet girl who is an indoor/outdoor cat.
One morning, her mom found her with an increased respiratory rate and effort. She was very concerned and took her to the emergency clinic. At the emergency clinic, they diagnosed her with a diaphragmatic hernia. She had sustained unknown trauma and her diaphragm had torn and her chest cavity had her spleen, liver, small intestines, stomach, and colon. She needed urgent surgery, but was unable to receive care from the emergency clinic.
Kitty’s mom reached out to us and we scheduled her to surgery the next day. With a team of 4, we were able to repair the torn diaphragm and replace her abdominal organs back to their normal anatomical location. We also spayed her at the same time. Her anesthesia was risky and difficult, but she pulled through and recovered well!
She was discharged back to her mom and we’re so happy that she was able to receive the care that she needed.
Good luck Kitty!
Jacqueline is a pre-veterinary student who came to volunteer with us during her summer break.
She was such a great asset to our team and we’re so happy we were able to show her the importance of accessible veterinary medicine.
She became a rockstar recovery volunteer and we would welcome her back with open arms any time!
If you’re interested in volunteering, please email us at [email protected].
Saphire’s story ❤️
Thank you SFAid for being such a valuable partner to us and our clients!
A Timelapse of our surgeries in Baja with the most adorable audience above ❤️
Dr. Tracy Huang performed a spay on a dog that had dystocia with the help of Dr. Julia Rau.
This two year old bully had gone into labor and the puppy was stuck in the vaginal canal. The puppy sadly did not make it and mom’s life was at risk. She was not going to make it overnight.
Our staff stayed late to help her as she was transported from the ER clinic. Mom recovered very well and we saved her life with the support of our amazing staff and our veterinary extern, Dr. Julia Rau.
Vets in Vans has a joint veterinary student externship program with Alameda Animal Shelter. Fourth year veterinary students can choose to have a 2-4 week externship rotating through Alameda Animal Shelter and Vets in Vans learning about shelter medicine, community outreach medicine, and field medicine.
If you’re a fourth year veterinary student interested in the externship program, we would love to host you!
Staff spotlight:
Hello! This is Dr. Lauren Park and I feel so blessed to be part of this team. My primary goal for starting Vets in Vans is to prevent shelter intake by providing accessible medicine to our communities. This is only possible because of our stellar team! I want to thank everyone for their support, including community members and our partner organizations. This dream wouldn’t be possible without you all ❤️.
Staff spotlight:
We love Dr. Tracy Huang ❤️
Dr. Huang is one of the Co-founders and veterinarians at Vets in Vans and she has extensive knowledge in community outreach and field medicine. Without her knowledge, drive, and experience, Vets in Vans wouldn’t be where it is today.
