A dog nursed back to health by Iowa State University’s veterinary college surprised graduates by walking across the commencement stage.
AMES, Iowa — The newest graduates of Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine got an unexpected reminder Saturday of why they chose their profession as one of their own patients made a surprise walk across the graduation stage.
Honey, a dog struck by a car on Christmas Eve in Des Moines, walked across the stage during the college’s commencement ceremony, drawing audible gasps and cheers from the crowd. For many of the new graduates, college staff and employees of the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center, the moment marked the end of a months-long journey they had been part of since December.
Honey’s owner, a homeless man in Des Moines, could not afford her care but did not want her euthanized. His friend drove Honey to Iowa State, where the owner surrendered her to get her the help she needed.
“She was hit by a car in Des Moines on Christmas Eve,” said Laura Bradner, who now fosters Honey. “She had fractures all over her skull. She had fractures in her sinus.”
The Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center team immediately began stabilizing Honey and addressing her injuries. Dan Grooms, the Dr. Stephen G. Juelsgaard Dean of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State, said the work went well beyond setting bones.
“Fixing fractures, fixing things that they could fix — the most important thing was also trying to understand and manage the brain trauma that had occurred as well,” Grooms said.
Honey received rehabilitation services five days a week at the medical center. Funding for her care came from Critter Crusaders of Cedar Rapids, a nonprofit that has raised $27,000 toward her treatment so far.
“We provide the funds and we help guide the care,” said Jan Erceg, founder and medical director of Critter Crusaders. “We work directly with the doctors on treatment plans.”
The students who are now graduates treated Honey throughout their final year of school, making her recovery personal for the class. Grooms said the experience offered them something textbooks cannot.
“I think it just gives them a kind of peek into what they can do and the impact that they can have in taking care of animals,” he said.
Bradner, who has watched Honey’s transformation up close, said the dog’s personality has proven as resilient as her body.
“She has the sweetest disposition. You can literally expect her to do anything, take her anywhere and she just goes with the flow,” Bradner said. “You can just see it in her eyes that she just loves life.”
Bradner said Honey is likely in the final weeks of her rehabilitation.