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May 13, 2019

Helping Families Weather the Storm

Pat and Almira Dallas moved to Oriental, N.C., to live simply, be by the water and go sailing. Dogs have always been a big part of their lives, so when they moved from Winston-Salem in 1988, they made sure that life on the coast would include space for canine companions. Pat sold his custom fireplace… 

Apr 23, 2019

For Jack the Cat, Happiness at Last

Jack was cranky the February morning he was brought to the NC State Veterinary Hospital, but that was nothing new. When Kirstin Smith first saw Jack, he was cranky then, too. Smith, who moved to North Carolina in 2013 from New Jersey, found him in her home state. Smith, who ran a rodent rescue in New… 

Mar 19, 2019

Tears of Gratitude

Viki Bardossy and Tom Pillsbury are dedicated cat people. The license plate on Bardossy’s car identifies her as “Cat Woman.” They also have a preference for adopting rescue cats and for the snowshoe Siamese breed. They currently own two snowshoes: Diamond, a male they adopted 12 years ago and a 14-year-old female named Brielle, adopted… 

Jul 2, 2018

Extraordinary Help for Bear

Think and Do the Extraordinary is more than a motto — it’s what we do every day at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine. And it saves lives. Just ask Hannah Adams of Durham, the owner of Bear, a 6-year-old German shepherd mix. In January, Adams noticed a swelling between the left side of Bear’s… 

May 8, 2018

A New Way Forward for Ellen

When Kayla Wingard comes home from work, Ellen jumps up to greet her. “She’s sweet, like a little puppy,” said Wingard. But Ellen is decidedly not a puppy. She is a brown rat, one of two that Wingard adopted when she was working for the Discovery Place Science Museum in Charlotte. Ellen, along with her… 

Apr 18, 2018

Bearded Dragon Offers Insight Into Cancer Treatment

Sometimes reading the articles on the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine website pays off in unexpected ways. That’s what happened to the Weiher-Getty family of Durham, the owners of an especially laid-back 6-year-old bearded dragon named Citrus, also affectionately known as “Ditty.” Five years ago, 9-year-old Deanna Weiher-Getty was involved in an informal pet share program… 

Apr 10, 2018

Courageous Guinea Pig Fights Cancer

There’s no question who the alpha is in Neil Horman’s family. It’s Muffin, the family’s 5-year-old guinea pig who shares a pen with her adoptive sister, Bunny, and keeps her in line. Muffin also manages to let her humans know what she wants and where she wants it. When she reached a certain age, she… 

Apr 2, 2018

A New Treatment Approach for Jenna

Jenna is a friendly 9-year-old mixed breed dog who helps her owner, Paul Rosenberg, run a small business, in Chapel Hill. Every day, she’s with Rosenberg in their shop, playing a key role in maintaining good customer relations — through tail wags and enthusiasm. After more than eight years on the job, though, Jenna began… 

Mar 7, 2018

A Study in Gratitude

Everyone who meets Bella the Labrador retriever describes her as always sweet. Her owner, Valerie Maitre of Wilmington, would add another description: always hungry. So it was alarming two years ago when Bella’s appetite suddenly wasn’t as robust as it always had been. Her energy level waned; she just wasn’t herself. Then it got worse.… 

Feb 5, 2018

Cat on Ninth Life After Battling Nasal Tumor

Turbo's owner noticed he appeared to have a drooping eyelid. She took him to a local veterinarian assuming it was an eye infection, and an antibiotic was prescribed...