AU animal hospital handles special cases—large and small

A three-month-old zebra named Evidence has been grabbing recent headlines as the mane (pun intended) attraction at the J.T. Vaughan Large Animal Teaching Hospital.

But when it comes to the list of exotic animals that have been treated at the Auburn University facility, he may have go to the back of the line behind bison, reindeer, llamas, lions and tigers.

The 225-pound zebra was brought into the AU animal hospital Tuesday night after being rescued along a stretch of Interstate 75 in Georgia where he suffered extensive lacerations and soft tissue injuries.

However, in the recent past the J.T. Vaughan Large Animal Teaching Hospital has treated another notable equine patient.

Tina, the world’s tallest horse, measuring 80 inches tall at the withers according to the Guinness Book of World Records, was brought to Auburn from Tennessee for treatment for problems with lameness.

Although Tina, a four year-old Shire, would later die, when it came to selecting a site for the corrective surgery she needed on her legs, the J.T. Vaughan Large Animal Hospital, was the choice.
And for good reason.

“The group of faculty here are all specialized in different areas like surgery, medicine and critical care,” said Dr. Hui-Chu Lin, equine section chief at the J.T. Vaughan Large Animal Teaching Hospital.

The hospital also has some of the most state-of-the-art radiology equipment that is used to diagnose or rule out the extent of injury to an animal.

“This is just like a human hospital except it’s for animals,” Lin said.

The hospital staff also works closely with the Birmingham and Montgomery Zoos when the more exotic breeds occasionally make their way through the facility.

Despite being scraped up and dehydrated, Evidence (a name given to him by the police officers that helped round him up), should be OK in a couple of weeks.

In the more than 18 years she’s worked at the J.T. Vaughan Large Animal Hospital, one might think that Lin would have seen and knows everything about animals, but she offers a different take on that.

“You learn something new every day,” Lin said. “It’s always interesting to see what the next unique case that will come through the door.”