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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 4, 1999)
■ie Battalion Aggielife Page 3 • Thursday, March 4, 1999 ;ood tiutj because g med. issue tli ‘ last foni at this disrupti: organize lome P; : s of ha; lashligbi irsingth i or sup vant to: t anydias rastic thdrav s or he; > whid o deahv; aonent not sunt Bror iCUSSitlj] store f at thes ynote letorici orge \fe id BillC: n round ishipbe bilities: I leader: ITHE TRUTH ABOUT CATS AND DOCS linic offers renowned treatment ^ or animals both large and small e at Red ise it ■enient d forpaf rra said ituencf ,t the pal I science ' the gai arking h Story by Amy Daugherty Photos by Mike Fuentes L ions, tigers and bears, oh my! Well maybe not bears, but Texas A&M’s College of Veterinary Medicine has, on oc casion, had the rare opportunity to treat lions and tigers in the Large Animal Clinic. The A&M vet school houses the Small Animal Clinic, which treats a range of animals from dogs and cats to the more exot ic — including birds, reptiles, mice and hamsters. Dr. Kenita Rogers, a clinic employee specializing in internal medicine and oncology, said the Small Animal Clinic has two primary divisions. A community-practice area is a division which has a large local clientele. “It (the community-practice area) closely mimics a local practice,” Rogers said. Rogers said the remainder of the hospital is primarily for re ferral cases. “The rest of the hospital is set up around patients who are referred to see someone who works with a special type of med icine,” Rogers said. “Most cases are referred from surrounding states like Louisiana or Arkansas.” Rogers said the patients are initially examined by a senior veterinary student who then tells the animal’s story to a clini cian. She said the animal is examined by the clinician, and to gether the student and the clinician try to make a decision as to what treatment is best for the animal. Rogers said that, ulti mately, the faculty member gets the last decision. The clinic houses several facilities including dermatology, cardiology, neurology and has behavior specialists on hand. Surgeries are performed at the clinic, such as orthopedic, soft tissue and eye surgery. The clinic also has an intensive care unit that is monitored 24 hours a day. Rogers said the unit takes care of the animals in the most crit ical conditions. “The sickest of the sick come in here (ICU),” Rogers said. Glenda Reed, a client of the clinic, said she has brought her dog. Jinx, an 11-year-old white boxer, to the clinic on several occasions. “He (Jinx) had a lung tumor removed last week and is here to get his stitches out,” Reed said. “It (the clinic) is not my pri mary vet, but I’ve been referred for speciality stuff. Jinx has seen ophthalmologists, heart doctors and neurologists here.” She said she takes her dog to the clinic because the clinicians are more accustomed to handling the larger surgeries and pro cedures than her regular veterinarian. “I get referred when there’s something bigger than they can handle,” Reed said. “They’ve come through for me on several occasions.” Along with the typical small animals, the clinic sees some cases that are not so typical. Patti Matejka, one of the clinic’s registered veterinary technicians, said the clinic, which has ul trasound facilities, recently had a lion come in for an ultrasound and Caesarean section. “She’s (the lion) bred and she’s due to have her kittens but hasn’t yet, so they’re going to ultrasound her,” Matejka said. “They’re going to see if they’re alive. They will rush a C-section if they’re alive, but won’t rush if they’re dead.” Clients come from all over to Texas A&M’s Small Animal Clinic, sometimes for a routine checkup and other times to give their beloved pets a chance at life, because of the respect the clinic has garnered. Reed said her experience with the clinic has been nothing short of miraculous. “They did a miracle when they saved my dog,” Reed said. “I’ll forever be grateful.” I ■m;; A I J if licaWS' a n Fiistarj ler. To** 1 *''! MM-' - Counter clockwise from top right: Dr. Jerram (left) and Dr. Herron dis cuss an orthopedic exam as fourth year veterinary students look on. • Dr. Julie Ducotoe preps Cricket, a fox terrier, for a sonogram. Cricket suf fers from a liver problem. • Ducotoe holds Cricket during a sonogram. ■Brian Finnigan kisses his 5-year-old pug soon after learning his pet is suffering from a tumor. • Phillip Schwarzlose, a fourth year veterinary student, performs routine den tistry. ■Susan Richards, receptionist at the Small Animal Clinic, checks in Faye Raye, a yellow labrador retriever.
