Iowa State Staff, Students Help Save Critically Injured Puppy

On Christmas Eve 2025, a 5-month-old puppy named Honey was hit by a car in Des Moines, Iowa. She arrived at Iowa State University’s Hixson-Lied Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care Service that evening suffering from severe injuries including multiple facial, orbital, ocular, skull, and mandible fractures that were causing bleeding into her brain. 

The initial prognosis wasn’t optimistic. 

“I didn’t think she’d ever recover from her injuries, but I knew if she didn’t die in the first 24 hours, maybe she could make it,” says Dr. Kamila Correa, the emergency and critical care resident on duty that Christmas Eve night. 

Complicating matters was that Honey’s owner was experiencing homelessness. 

“He begged me to save her, so I had to try,” Correa says. 

Over the next 100 days, Correa and hundreds of College of Veterinary Medicine faculty, staff, and fourth-year veterinary students stepped up to make Honey’s recovery a reality. The units involved in Honey’s care include orthopedic surgery, anesthesia, canine rehabilitation, internal medicine, ophthalmology, and emergency and critical care services. 

Because of the nature and cost of the care needed for Honey’s recovery, her owner surrendered the puppy to Critter Crusaders of Cedar Rapids, who immediately began a very successful fundraising campaign. The organization continues to update Honey’s former owner on her recovery. “We’ve seen a lot a trauma in the 18 years of Critter Crusaders, and I did not have a lot of expectations that Honey would live,” says Jan Erceg, co-founder of Critter Crusaders. 

Honey survived those initial 24 hours, but she wasn’t out of the woods by any stretch of the imagination. She was unresponsive for several days after her initial surgeries. With Correa by her side, slowly, but surely, she began to improve. 

Honey received traumatic brain injury treatments — medications to prevent increased intracranial pressure as well as anti-seizure medicine. Because she was unable to stand and walk independently, she required a urinary catheter, IV fluids, and tube feeding. She also had to wear a muzzle to stabilize her jaw fractures.

Less than two months after her injury, Honey was a completely different puppy. The muzzle came off. She was able to take medications and water on her own. The fractures across her skull, sinuses, and orbits stabilized. And her energy levels increased dramatically — from sleeping almost every minute of every day to racing zoomies around the yard. 

During her recovery, Honey was fostered by the German Shepherd Dog Rescue in Ames. Her foster parents, Laura (’10, ’13) and Matt (’08) Bradner, are no strangers to being fosters. “Honey was our 38th foster, five of which we ended up adopting,” Laura says. “We foster because of our passion for animals. Fostering is not easy and definitely not glamorous at times but knowing we’re making the difference for that one dog makes it all worth it.”

After foster failing their fifth dog, who suffers from severe anxiety, the Bradners decided to take a break. 

Then Erceg from Critter Crusaders called about Honey on Christmas Day. 

“When we got the call, we knew we needed to step up and open our home,” Laura says.

Most of the Bradners’ previous fosters have had just one medical ailment, which was not the case with Honey. 

“When I first saw Honey, Dr. Correa brought me back to the ICU and I couldn’t believe what I saw,” Laura says. “There was this lifeless dog hooked up to what felt like 100 machines; her only sign of life was breathing.” 

Challenges remained for Honey and the Bradners even as she slowly began to recover. 

“It’s been a rollercoaster as each new issue surfaced but the entire team at Iowa State’s small animal hospital have risen to the challenge each time,” Laura says. 

Honey has also risen to the challenge. 

“At first Honey was like a newborn: she ate, she drank, she went to the bathroom, she slept,” Laura says. “That was all. But each day, new behaviors were unlocked from her little injured brain.” 

Honey has been an almost daily visitor to the Canine Rehabilitation Center in the Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital, where she has received the care and treatment to continue to improve. 

With her improvement has come her endless joy in meeting people. 

“Since I work in the VDL (Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory) in the College of Veterinary Medicine, I drop her off in rehab every day,” Laura says. “The walk to and from rehab is met with smiles, tail wags, and pets each morning from everyone she meets.” 

And Correa continues to see Honey even though she has been discharged from the Hixson-Lied ICU. 

“When Honey left the ICU, I was happy and very proud of her,” Correa says. “But I shouldn’t be surprised. She has amazing strength, resilience, and a will to live. She’s a survivor.” 

Honey also has a new home, becoming a permanent member of Bradners’ family. 

But Honey will always be a part of the Hixson-Lied and Critter Crusaders families. The two groups gathered on the 100th day since Honey’s injuries to bid her “farewell” in a special ceremony. 

“The entire team at the Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital has risen to every challenge Honey faced,” Laura says. “These doctors, vet techs, support staff, and fourth-year students make the College of Veterinary Medicine so special."