Summer 2021

LVMC CLIENT NEWSLETTER
Issue Date: 
Summer 2021

Teaching Hospitals Benefit More Than Students

Dr. Stephanie West

What a difference a few months makes! Since the prior edition of our Compassionate Clients eNews last spring, we are delighted to have you accompanying your animals on their visits to the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center again. There are so many facets to our teaching hospital team, which you can read about here, but please trust me when I say we all missed the wonderful owners who care year-around for the animals we feel so privileged to treat.

To that end, the next couple stories highlight the bonds that often form in the work we do. I hope you also enjoy reading about a handful of surgical care case that illustrate the life-changing and life-saving work in our Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital. And don’t forget our healthful hint about keeping your pets cool no matter how hot things get this summer.

Establishing a Relationship

Baker horse standing in pasture

Karen Baker distinctly remembers the first time she called the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center about one of her horses. So does Dr. Beatrice Sponseller, clinical associate professor. That call, and subsequent house call, were the start of a long-term relationship between Baker and Iowa State University. It has also led to several significant gifts from Baker to the Equine Field Services unit.

Forever Grateful

Aspen laying in grass

A simple gesture continues to touch Mary Taylor years later. Taylor had brought her dog, Aspen, to the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center for cancer treatments. After one treatment the Des Moines resident knew it was time to make an end-of-life decision for Aspen. But it was what happened afterwards that continues to have an impact on Taylor’s life. “The students on the case sent me a condolence card and gave $100 in Aspen’s name to the Companion Animal Fund,” Taylor said. “I thought that was just the sweetest thing anyone had ever done.” In response Taylor started her own contributions to the Companion Animal Fund.

Successful Surgeries

Dr. Morgan Murphy prepping for surgery

A series of recent patients at the Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital were beyond the normal daily adventures the veterinarians and students experience. “These type of patients push me as a clinician to be much better at my job,” said Dr. Morgan Murphy, an anesthesiologist who worked on three distinct cases. Learn more about Luke, Bella and Ella and their roads to recovery.

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