Kroc

While aiding in the pursuit and capture of a suspect, Kroc, a Greenville County Sheriff’s K-9 deputy, was severely injured when stabbed through his chest and abdomen. In need of immediate medical attention, Kroc was rushed to Upstate Veterinary Specialists by his partner, Officer Tim Fuller, and other members of the Sheriff's department. He underwent two-and-half hours of emergency surgery to control bleeding, repair tears to his lung, liver, diaphragm, and rib, and to remove his gall bladder. With his handler continuously by his side, Kroc made a remarkable recovery over the next few days and was discharged from the hospital. In the next few months, we look forward to working with Kroc to return him to the line of duty. He already thinks he is ready to go back to work, but his body needs a little more time to heal! All of us at UVS are extremely proud of Kroc for how he handled this whole ordeal. We were delighted to hear that he received an award for valor from the Sheriff's department. We are also very proud of all the dogs and officers of the K-9 Unit and would like to say thanks to them for all the work they do for all of us every day here in Greenville. For more on this success story and an interview featurng Kroc's experience at UVS, click here.

Mikey

In April of this year, I came to UVS as an emergency because I was unable to urinate on my own. Tiny crystals were blocking my urethra, making it impossible for me to relieve myself. In order to fix the problem, I had to have PU surgery. (The doctor calls this a Perineal Urethrosotomy.) Before my surgery, I was in a lot of pain and strained whenever I tried to urinate. Now I feel so much better and have no trouble going to the bathroom like I should. I'm drinking more water and eating more too. Now that my stitches are out, and I no longer have to wear a cone around my head, I'm back to ruling the house. Thank you for making my life a lot better! – “Mikey” Coleman

Belle

Belle had been running in the field with her companions when she suddenly started limping on her right hind leg. Unfortunately, she had torn her cranial cruciate ligament.  This is a relatively common injury in dogs and in people. In humans, it is often referred to as an ACL injury. Using a recently developed surgery technique called tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO), we were able to correct the abnormality that caused her cruciate ligament to tear. As in many cases, just as Belle was recovering from surgery on her right knee, she tore the same ligament in her left knee. She had surgery on her left knee in January, and although it has been a long winter for Belle and her family, she is now back to running in the fields again with her playmates.

James

James, a 2-year old, domestic short hair, presented to UVS as an emergency due to severe urinary obstruction. With further evaluation by our specialists and the use of ultrasound, digital radiography, and sophisticated lab diagnostics, it was discovered that James was in acute renal failure as well as having an increased heart and respiratory rate, inability to maintain his body temperature, fluid in his chest cavity, poor responsiveness, and pupils that were fixed and dilated. With all that was going on with James, his prognosis looked poor, but his owners elected to give him a chance to recover. James was aggressively treated with fluids, antibiotics, steroids, and a plasma transfusion. Later in the day, James' sight started to return, and he looked remarkably better. Three days later, he was able to return home. Recently we saw James for a follow-up appointment, and he looked great. He is definitely a miracle kitty!

Guiness

Guiness is a 4-year old, Pomeranian that presented to UVS with a painful abdomen. After performing an abdominal ultrasound on Guiness, it was discovered that he had gall bladder disease and his gall bladder had ruptured. He had also developed peritonitis that was secondary to his gall bladder rupturing. Guiness was taken to surgery to remove his gall bladder and recovered well after a few days of hospitalization. As with many patients at UVS, Guiness benefited from having specialists from both Internal Medicine and Surgery to care for him.

Sable

Sable is an 8-year old, Lab mix that presented to the UVS Oncology Department with a grade II mast cell tumor on her right flank area. Her referring veterinarian had already removed the tumor surgically. Here at UVS, we performed a CT scan and developed a radiation plan for her continued treatment. She began radiation therapy and stayed with us at UVS for over three weeks while her owners were away. Sable is one of the very few patients that has stayed the entire length of radiation treatment. We all fell in love with her! Sable received definitive treatment, which means she is currently cancer free!! Everyone at UVS looks forward to seeing Sable during her follow-up appointments.

Toby

Toby, an 8-year old, Labrador Retriever, came to UVS in February 2005 as one of our first Oncology patients. She presented to us with Stage III B-cell lymphoma. The very next day, Toby started chemotherapy treatments that continued for six months. She did great throughout the entire chemotherapy protocol, and even better, she continues to be in complete remission today. Every six months, Toby comes in for a follow-up appointment to be sure she is still in remission. She is truly one of our favorite patients here at UVS!