UC Davis Large Animal Hospital

10/29/2026

Banks, our NICU patient, was featured on KCRA’s “California Tonight.”

A foal born three weeks premature is now thriving at home after overcoming life-threatening complications and a 29-day stay in UC Davis Veterinary Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit. FULL STORY ⬇️

10/28/2026

Banks spent a month in our NICU. You can help save premature foals by supporting the NICU's crowdfunding campaign...

Banks, an American Quarter Horse foal, was born 3 weeks premature. Thankfully, his primary veterinarian was onsite to assist with the red bag delivery and made an immediate referral to UC Davis. Banks arrived at the veterinary hospital within five hours of his birth and was treated in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for a month. Now 6 months old, Banks is an active c**t running laps in his corral as if nothing out of the ordinary ever happened. In a few years, his owner plans to prepare Banks for a career in barrel racing. There are big shoes to fill in his lineage, including The Goodbye Lane, Dash Ta Fame, and Rocket Wrangler.

Read more about Banks: www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news/premature-foal-spends-month-uc-davis-nicu

And help support the NICU through UC Davis crowdfunding campaign: www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/crowdfund/EquineNICU

Image description: A brown foal stands in profile on a gravel driveway. It has a broad white blaze extending down its face, white markings on the lower legs, and upright ears. Image shows Banks arriving home from the hospital at one month old.

10/25/2026

Our NICU's crowdfunding campaign is almost at its goal. Please help us get them over the top...

Did you know that a baby llama is called a cria? Along with foals (baby horses and donkeys), we also care for crias in our large animal Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). During October, you can help support the NICU's crowdfunding campaign to provide additional support and equipment to treat newborns.

Consider helping the NICU: www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/crowdfund/EquineNICU

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Image description: Fluffy white cria stands in front of its mother in field of tall green grass

10/24/2026

We wrap up Veterinary Technician Week with a group of guys who are an integral part of the Large Animal Hospital - our barn crew. These guys are at work long before dawn feeding the horses, cleaning the stalls, and keeping the flowers blooming! Rain or shine, Ricardo, Marco, Alfred, Santos, and Carlos (among others) are hard at work behind the scenes ensuring a clean and safe environment for our patients. Thank you!

Image description: Five men stand aside each other with arms on each others' shoulders; a large barn facility behind them

10/24/2026

UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus Dr. John Madigan has released a new book, Awakening at Birth: What the Newborn Foal Revealed About Birth, Consciousness, and Neurodevelopment. With a foreword by renowned animal behaviorist Temple Grandin, PhD, Awakening at Birth tells a medical mystery story that extends well beyond veterinary medicine: a veterinarian investigating newborn foals discovers biological signals that may change how we understand the transition to consciousness at birth, with potential implications for infant care and neurodevelopment. Awakening at Birth is available on Amazon.

Image description: Male veterinarian wearing blue jeans and a blue button-up shirt sits with a standing brown foal in a hospital stall; the foal approaches him gently; on the left side of the image is the cover of a book entitled "Awakening At Birth" with image of a chestnut-colored foal with white patch on head lying in pasture

10/23/2026

We continue our celebration of Veterinary Technician Week with a spotlight of large animal ICU supervisor Raffi Miranda...

***This article first appeared in the Fall 2026 issue of Synergy magazine***Throughout his academic career, Raffi Miranda was always a non-traditional student, studying part-time while in community college and completing an Animal Science degree at UC Davis. So, it’s not out of the ordinary for hi...

10/23/2026

Happy Veterinary Technician Week! Our team members are at the center of the Large Animal Hospital’s mission, bringing together medicine, teamwork, and empathy in ways that elevate patient care. Across the board, they care about every patient as if it were their own. They are a key part of our advancement of veterinary medicine. Thank you for everything you do!

Image descriptions:
Photo 1: two female veterinary technicians pose and smile for a photo; they both wear pink scrubs and matching gray caps
Photo 2: a smiling male veterinary technician sports a horseshoe mustache; he wears a black polo shirt and gray cap; behind him are several silver shovels hanging on a wall
Photo 3: two blonde female veterinary technicians smile for photo with arms around each other; one wears blue scrub pants and a black sweatshirt; the other wears a blueish-gray jacket with a teal scrub top underneath

10/22/2026

Happy Veterinary Technician Week! Meet a few of our incredible large animal techs: Allison Autrey, Jessica Behar, and Guillermo Garibay. Our technicians' days can be long, their cases difficult, and many of their contributions happen quietly behind the scenes. However, make no mistake - they are a vital component to our ability to provide the best veterinary care. Thank you for all you do!

Image description: Three smiling veterinary technicians in a hospital barn. A woman on the left wears blue scrub pants and a gray hoodie; she holds a small dark-colored piglet. A woman in the middle wears blue scrub pants and a white UC Davis hoodie. A man on the right wears blue scubs and is also holding a small dark-colored piglet.

10/21/2026

We’re continuing our celebration of Veterinary Technician Week by spotlighting Gabe Gil...

***This article first appeared in the Fall 2026 issue of Synergy magazine***As early as he can remember, Gabe Gil has been around horses and had a passion for them. As a small child in Mexico, he…

10/21/2026

Happy Veterinary Technician Week! Meet a few of our amazing large animal techs: Jenna Scherer, Jessica Behar, Stacey Percival, and Abigail Jensen with Red the horse. Thank you for your expertise, your hard work, and the care you provide to the thousands of large animals we treat every year.

Image description: Four smiling female veterinary technicians stand aside a chestnut-colored horse with a small white patch on its head. One of the technicians holds the horse's rein; another hold its halter. A light brown barn with auburn trim is behind them.