College of Veterinary Medicine

Took our dog in for his broken leg. They made us feel dumb and questioned us like we broke his leg. I’ve also had friends who have experienced this as well. They also tried getting us to do a surgery that was more expensive, when they said it was less expensive, than another surgery option that was cheaper

Our 4 year old Persian cat Lou had surgery for cancer of the mouth /jaw (fibrosarcoma). After having the mass surgically removed (partial mandibulectomy) at SVS in Kirkland, he was referred to WSU Radiation Oncology for 18 rounds of radiation to his jaw (Sept - Oct 2017). Because we live in Seattle, Lou was admitted to WSU as an inpatient and received daily radiation treatments Monday thru Friday. During this time, our routine would involve me flying from Seattle to Pullman on Fridays to pick him up, flying him home to Seattle and returning him to WSU on Monday AM. This was our routine for 3 painful weeks. He received a temporary esophageal feeding tube at the time of his surgery to allow his surgical site to heal. During his inpatient stay at WSU, his feeding tube site became infected (MRSA). As expected, he was put into isolation. He developed fevers as a result of the infection however the attending WSU vet opted not to remove or replace the tube. Instead the colonized feeding tube was left in place and Lou was treated with many rounds of antibiotics all the while remaining in isolation. Before returning to Seattle on Friday afternoons, I would need to feed Lou via the tube prior to boarding the plane. This was a problem as I was not allowed to feed Lou in an exam room due to his infection nor could I feed him in the public lobby and the staff did not have time to feed him. One Friday, I was told I could sit outside the hospital in the cold rain to feed him; instead, I opted to feed him in the airport lobby. On the day of his 15th radiation treatment, the linear accelerator broke. Three days later, it was still not repaired so I opted to discharge Lou and forgo the last 3 radiation treatments. Once back in Seattle, his fever again spiked and he was admitted to a Seattle vet hospital in septic shock due to the feeding tube. The ICU vet immediately removed the colonized feeding tube because it was impossible to treat the infection as the source of the infection was the tube. Once the tube was out, he immediately improved and was discharged home 4 days later. Shortly thereafter he began to eat. Three months later, he had a repeat head CT scan that was negative for recurrence of cancer. Lou seemed to be happy, active and cancer free. We thought we were out of the woods. However, 6 months after his radiation treatment, Lou went into severe heart failure. An echocardiogram showed he had severe valve disease. Prior to radiation treatment, Lou never had a heart condition. In human medicine, valve damage and valve disease is a well known complication of radiation - bottom line, radiation can damage/destroy the heart valves. I am a medical provider in cardiology and treat/diagnose patients (humans) with heart conditions. I am convinced that the 15 rounds of radiation severely damaged Lou's heart valves. At age 4 years, he died of heart failure that was 13 months after his last radiation treatment. Following his death, I told the WSU Radiation Oncology team that I believe Lou traded cancer for heart disease. I requested studies and evidence that documented that radiation does not result in heart valve damage but my requests were unanswered. I have researched veterinary medicine journals but have found nothing published on the subject. My recommendation is that if your cat is referred for radiation, request a cardiology consult prior to starting treatment. LouLou RIP

Very please with the care my Flake has been receiving

We brought our very sick dog over to WSU for diagnosis andntreatment. Unfortunately our dog was beyond treatment. Ournexperience was made comfortable by the Vet Student (sorrynI can't recall name) and Dr. Ana. Dr. Ana was was professional,nkind and compassionate beyond expectation. I would highlynrecommend taking your companion to this Hospital.

Took my Colt in for colic late last night.. the team was great and very helpful.. Hope all goes well, I left feeling a bit better..