BOOM!! The Spirit of '02, Texas A&M's cannon, roared
to life signaling the start of the Paws to the Pavement BTHO Cancer
3k/5k run and dog walk. Excitement filled the air as dogs and
humans lit off on their paths. Well, almost everyone got
started. The unexpected cannon fire startled more than a few
of our furry friends. They responded with a chorus of barks,
howls, and whimpers. Have you ever seen a Great Dane
cower? I have now. The biggest dog at the event stood
in between his owner's legs, shivering uncontrollably, and looking
to his owner for help. On the other hand, a tiny Yorkie was
trying to pick a fight with Vonn the pit bull. (More on Vonn
later.) Oh the conundrums of the animal kingdom.
The event marked the opening of the state-of-the-art Diagnostic
Imaging & Cancer Treatment Center at Texas A&M's Veterinary
Teaching Hospital. Combined with Texas A&M's other
assets, our hospitals will have unparalleled diagnostic imaging
capabilities. The new center features a 3 Tesla MRI unit, a
40 slice CT machine, and a Tomotherapy unit. What does all
that mean? Only the top of the line human hospitals use 3
Tesla MRI machines for diagnostic purposes. A 40 slice CT
machine images a patient in a fraction of the time with 10x the
imaging power of the 4 slice machine that had been in use.
The Tomotherapy unit treats disease processes that were previous
untreatable or too dangerous. I have long said in these blogs
that Texas A&M's veterinary hospitals can do things no one else
can do. This center raises that bar significantly
higher.
The center doesn't just mean that Fluffy and Rufus can have
better treatment. The advancements will soon lead to
breakthroughs in human treatments as well. One such example
is the correlation between dog brain tumors and pediatric brain
tumors. As we figure out how to better treat man's best
friend's brain cancer, we can almost instantaneously treat man's
children. These are big league advancements with big league
stakes. Don't let anyone tell you veterinary medicine is only
about treating animals.
Back to the event. Of course the usual dignitaries were there as
well. Not only did the regal Reveille VIII attend the
ribbon cutting, but the retired Reveille VII came to check out the
new facility as well. All told, there were about 250 dogs and
300 humans, including countless cancer survivors. Several of
the Texas A&M Board of Regents members and President R. Bowen
Loftin also attended. (If you don't know President Loftin, he
is the classy, bow tie wearing gentleman that is leading Texas
A&M through many changes including our impending move to the
SEC Athletic Conference.) Even with all of that brass, one
special attendee stood out. His name is Vonn.
Vonn and his mother were discovered a couple of weeks ago by a
concerned citizen. Both pit bulls were severely injured and
burned with evidence of abuse. The good Samaritan took the
dogs to a local veterinary clinic. The attending veterinarian
soon realized that Vonn's injuries were too severe to treat
alone. So Texas A&M's Small Animal Hospital was enlisted
to help Vonn. Vonn has been making a fast and amazing
recovery. Vonn was doing so well, that he was allowed to
attend and participate in the BTHO cancer walk. Vonn knew he
was the star as he trotted around and met all the other
participants and received lots of love from the humans, except for
that one Yorkie.
Vonn's name, literally meaning Viking warrior, is a perfect fit
for this cute little rascal. Adding to the appropriateness,
Texas A&M football's own Vonn Miller is now tearing through his
rookie year in the NFL. As we say in Aggieland, if it happens
twice, it's tradition. Well, looks like Vonn now enters the
ranks of Aggie folklore. I feel the new Imaging Center will
produce some of their own stories in the very near
future.
Thanks and Gig'em,
Joe