When Mollie Sue was brought to the Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital Emergency Unit, she was experiencing rapid breathing. Both her hind legs were swollen and she had fluid on her chest. Three weeks later, the four-month-old Labrador Retriever walked out of the hospital to the applause of dozens of the College of Veterinary Medicine clinicians, technicians and fourth-year students who worked together to treat Mollie. “Mollie’s care was a collaborate effort,” said fourth-year student Katie Willoughby who was the initial student to triage the puppy when she was first presented to the hospital. “Many people spent many hours with her over her days in the ICU. Mollie is a special dog, maybe the most perfect patient. Her love for people and her resilience touched the hearts of everyone who had the pleasure of being a part of her journey."

If Toad was a human being, he would be featured on one of those weight loss commercials. But Toad isn’t a human being. He’s a nine-year-old dachshund and like his human counterparts he also has an amazing weight loss story. Toad, whose real name is Oscar, came to Liz Wunsch’s household two years ago. At the time he weighed 34 pounds. “We knew when we got him, his weight was impacting his health,” said Wunsch, who is a veterinary technician in the Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital. Wunsch had experience with overweight companion animals through her work in Iowa State’s small animal Intensive Care Unit (ICU. She consulted with Dr. April Blong, clinical assistant professor. The plan included eliminating all human food from Toad’s diet and feeding him on a constant timeframe. Remember, Toad weighed 34 pounds when he came to his new home in August 2020. Less than a year later, Toad had dropped more than half his body weight and for the past 12 months has maintained a weight of 15 pounds. He’s a totally different dog.

Congratulations! You are about to become a new companion animal parent. Few things in life are as rewarding as adopting and caring for a dog or cat.

But before you take the plunge, here are a few things you should consider before bringing a cat or dog into your household.