Walter Cronkite, a 12-year-old bulldog, is no stranger to advanced, long-term veterinary care.
In 2015, he first landed at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center with a partial tear in his ACL, one of the major ligaments in the knee. His owner, Michelle Webster, remembers the surgeon laying out their options, including the option to forgo surgery and instead see if physical rehabilitation could help him make a full recovery.
“He was so young, and I wanted to do for Walter what I would do for myself,” Webster says. “I would want to avoid surgery.”
The six rigorous months of physical rehabilitation Walter completed at the medical center worked.
“His results were amazing,” Webster says. “It was a long recovery, but he has continued to be healthy and athletic throughout his life because of his [rehabilitation] experience, and he avoided surgery.”
A collaborative approach
As Walter got older, he developed food allergies and was seeing his regular veterinarian without much progress until 2021. That’s when Webster brought him back to the Veterinary Medical Center, this time to seek guidance from a primary care veterinarian, who collaborated with allergists on Walter’s case. His eyes were bright pink and itchy, and he was groggy, and Webster was not able to get the care he needed at his regular clinic. When he came to the medical center, a collaborative team that included the primary care, nutrition and dermatology services worked with Webster to refine his diet and try medications that kept his allergies at bay. It’s the only place he has received care since.
“Being in a teaching hospital that has all of these specialties in one place is unparalleled,” Webster says.
Amy O’Brien, Walter’s primary care veterinarian and an associate professor of primary care in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, says forming partnerships to provide quality care goes beyond specialists.
“We really try to take a collaborative approach with the owners, taking into account what is working well with a family's pet and what isn’t,” O’Brien says.
The Veterinary Medical Center is also uniquely positioned to offer cutting-edge care through clinical trials and research studies conducted by faculty, students and residents. This research also shapes everyday care.
“Thanks to clinical research led by residents, we are always discovering new approaches to improve screening and monitoring,” O’Brien says. “Often, these new approaches make visits more cost-effective or less invasive.”
During one of his regular check-ups, a resident spotted a tumor in Walter’s mouth, which turned out to be benign. Webster says having so many eyes on each pet is one of the reasons she exclusively takes Walter to the Veterinary Medical Center.
“The doctors and residents have also seen so many different things, just from working in a teaching hospital that has all of these specialties in one place,” Webster says. “Especially if you have a pet that has some complicated issues, it’s the only place to go.”
Coordinated care
Patients at the Veterinary Medical Center get coordinated care over their lifetimes. Over the past 10 years, Walter has been treated by the Ophthalmology Service and had a routine dental cleaning that revealed a loose tooth that needed to be surgically extracted. Last year, Webster rushed Walter to the Emergency and Critical Care Service when he was having trouble standing and eating. He spent four days in the intensive care unit and was monitored by a team of specialists.
“We almost lost Walter several times, but they stabilized him enough over those four days that he could finally come home,” Webster says.
Walter’s journey at the Veterinary Medical Center has been long, and Michelle credits his many clinicians for why he’s been able to enjoy a long, happy life—he turns 13 in January.
