Dr. Lynne Nelson

The Fromherz family now has hope their dog Spike will live a longer and healthier life after he received a rare heart procedure at WSU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

Thousands of animals come through the doors of WSU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital every year, but it is rare when one of those animals is a 400-plus-pound grizzly bear.

Dr. Nelson is the lead cardiologist at WSU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital. She is also passionate about wildlife and works closely with zoos and animal refuge programs to assess the heart health of animals like bears and great apes.

As the lead cardiologist at WSU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Dr. Lynne Nelson recently visited the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest in Cle Elum to perform cardiac exams on three newer residents.

WSU is one of seven colleges of veterinary medicine to participate in this study.

After giving a test to third-year DVM students in her small animal medicine class, associate professor Lynne Nelson made a startling discovery.