Forever Grateful
Susan Walker, a devoted dog rescue volunteer, is forever grateful to the UC Veterinary Medical Center, San Diego for saving the life of her beloved English Setter Ella, who she adopted seven years ago.
On April 14, 2023, Walker went to a friend’s house and was gone for only an hour and half. Upon returning, she was shocked to find that Ella had ingested a bottle of ibuprofen and began having kidney failure.
Walker rushed Ella to an emergency clinic for treatment. The veterinary team recognized the severity of Ella’s condition and recommended that she undergo dialysis. Walker, a resident of Cypress, was fortunately within driving distance of the UC Veterinary Medical Center, San Diego—one of the only places in the country that could successfully treat Ella. Canine dialysis was developed at UC Davis and expanded as a treatment specialty to the center.
Walker immediately contacted the San Diego center and began her 100-mile drive at 9 pm. She encountered freeway construction that reduced six lanes to one, causing significant traffic delays.
When Walker arrived at the San Diego center, it was after midnight. Waiting there was the care team led by pioneering nephrologist Dr. Larry Cowgill, and Dr. Cesar Mayorga, who served as the primary provider. They administered emergency hemoperfusion, cleared the toxins and saved Ella.
As it turned out, Ella’s brush with kidney failure wasn’t her only emergency visit to the center. Later in her life, she contracted pancreatitis, and was given Panoquell infusions, which saved her life a second time.
Grateful for the school’s lifesaving actions, Walker recently made a donation to help launch the new Janice K. Hobbs UC Davis Veterinary Medical Center Southern California by providing equipment and compassionate care funds for clients who need financial assistance paying for their pets’ treatment.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you to Dr. Cowgill and the veterinary team who saved Ella’s life and took such good care of her while she was in the hospital,” Walker said. “Your dedication and kindness to Ella and me are appreciated beyond what my words can express.”