We Heal: Veterinary Patient Success Stories
June 15, 2026
Discover inspiring patient stories from the LSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital, where expert teams collaborate across specialties to save and improve the lives of animals—from dogs and cats to goats and chickens. Through advanced medicine, innovative treatments, and compassionate care, LSU Vet Med clinicians help patients like Emmy, Zatanna, Margot, Wizard, and many others heal and return home to their families.
Dr. Brittany Hodgkiss with Emmy
Emmy
Emmy, the terrier–Labrador mix, was diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma in 2023. The news was devastating for her owner DeAnna Charett, a disabled veteran on a fixed income who feared she might not be able to afford lifesaving treatment for her best friend. Emmy had helped DeAnna cope with PTSD and other health challenges over the years. Hope came through a Petco Love–Blue Buffalo grant, which covered nearly half the cost of Emmy’s first round of chemotherapy at LSU Vet Med. Emmy responded well, entering remission and regaining her playful spirit—before the cancer returned in 2025. Thanks to a second round of treatment and the dedicated care of LSU Vet Med’s Oncology Service, including Dr. Brittany Hodgkiss, Emmy is once again in remission and thriving. For DeAnna, the grant and the care team meant priceless extra time with the dog who never gave up on her. Together, Petco Love, Blue Buffalo, and LSU Vet Med are helping give pets like Emmy—and the people who love them—more time, comfort, and hope.
Zatanna and members of her LSU Vet Med medical care team.
Zatanna
Zatanna, a Great Dane, arrived to our ER unable to stand or walk due to weakness in all four limbs. She was diagnosed with both cervical disc disease and an inflammatory condition affecting her brain and spinal cord. Her case became critical when she developed aspiration pneumonia, requiring ventilator support. A collaborative team across multiple specialties— neurology, emergency and critical care, internal medicine, anesthesia, cardiology, and integrative medicine—worked quickly to get Zatanna the care she needed. The presence of multi-drug-resistant E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa made treatment especially challenging. Immunosuppressive therapy was carefully timed and initiated alongside antibiotics to balance infection control with prevention of neurologic decline.
Despite a guarded prognosis, Zatanna, her devoted owners, and her team never gave up. After two weeks, she was able to go home—and today, she is walking again and continuing treatment for her inflammatory disease, with hopes of tapering her off.
Margot
Margot
Margot the cat was suffering from a progressive cough. After testing, she was diagnosed with asthma and began oral steroids before moving on to inhaled steroids. Over time, Margot’s asthma became controlled, and she was on inhaled medications about every other day. Collaborating with Integrative Medicine, her owner, who is a small animal internal medicine resident, Dr. Enjolie Levengood, became interested in combining new approaches to further reduce Margot’s asthma symptoms. So, Drs. Kielyn Scott and Lorrie Hale Mitchell in Integrative Medicine began acupuncture treatment on Margot, choosing points to support her lungs and immune system.
With these combined approaches, Margot went from coughing multiple times a day to coughing only a few times a year now—allowing her relief as a patient and to serve as a teaching model for students. We call that a winning team!
Wizard
Wizard with Shania, his owner
Wizard the dog was diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma when his owner, Shania Worfel found lumps on his neck. Her regular veterinarian referred her to LSU Vet Med's Oncology service. After discussing options, she chose a 25-week CHOP treatment protocol, an effective multi-drug treatment for canine lymphoma. Thanks to a Petco Love/Blue Buffalo grant covering 75% of the cost, Shania was able to pursue care she says would not have been possible otherwise. Wizard is now undergoing a second round of treatment and is dealing with it like a champ, according to his owner, Shania.