On Saturday, April 21^st, an assortment of cats and dogs, large and small, along with their human families (and even some fur siblings!) gathered together for an emotional reunion and celebration to honor these amazing pets who, against all odds, have come back to health thanks to the doctors and staff here at CUVS.

There was sweet Belle, a Shih Poo, in her beautiful pink dress who overcame a malignant mass with a combination of surgery and medical oncology; Kiana, a malamute, who was severely injured when she was hit by a car last August and required 5 surgeries but is now doing great!; Rocky, a super cool, 9-year-old Boxer who was diagnosed with a bleeding problem due to an auto-immune disease but made a full recovery; Lucy, a young kitty, (and a boy!), who had a progressive inability to open his mouth due to a deformity and had surgery to correct the problem; And Calvin, an almost 10-year-old, 100-pound, German Shepherd who had been paralyzed and couldn’t walk and is today walking and trotting on all 4 legs right alongside his 3 small human siblings!

In total, 36 pets were nominated by their specialists for overcoming extremely challenging odds this past year. Patients came from most departments - critical care, emergency, surgery, internal medicine, oncology, dermatology, oral surgery and sports medicine and rehabilitation. During the celebration, each specialist shared the pet’s story and then presented them with a Courageous Companions medal and red CUVS bandana. Marshall Boprey of Boprey Photography was also on hand to take pet and family portraits of this special day.

“It’s not often that we get to see your pets when they are healthy,” said Dr. Oliver Morgan, one of CUVS’ board-certified surgeons who also acted as the emcee for the afternoon, “so this is really a wonderful occasion.”  These pets’ bravery and perseverance, along with the support and love they receive from their families, all serves as an emotional reminder to our staff here at CUVS as to why we do what we do every day. These amazing courageous companions of 2018 will always hold a special place in our hearts. Click here to read some of these success stories!