From Clinical Study to Critical Care: How Research Funding Saved Running Bear
December 4, 2025By Sandra Bolduc
Clinical and Market Research Specialist | Ethos Science
Meet Running Bear, a 4-pound Pomeranian puppy who recently arrived at Nashville Veterinary Specialists (NVS) in congestive heart failure caused by a severe patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Thanks to a minimally invasive transcatheter PDA closure performed by the NVS Cardiology team, this tiny patient avoided a thoracotomy and made a smooth, successful recovery.
But what makes Running Bear’s story truly remarkable is how his care was funded.
As part of the ongoing CARE clinical study for cats with heart disease, the study sponsor provides investigator incentives, funds intended to acknowledge the extra time, attention, and expertise required to offer research opportunities to clients and patients. Instead of accepting these incentives personally, Kiira Rodriguez, DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology), and Eric Owens, DVM, DACVIM (Cardiology), chose to donate them to create a cardiology assistance fund for pet parents in need.
That decision made a real and immediate difference.
Thanks to their generosity, the NVS Cardiology team was able to use that funding to provide a critical, life-saving procedure for another cardiology patient whose family would not have otherwise been able to pursue treatment. It’s a powerful reminder of what becomes possible when research and clinical care work hand in hand: access expands, outcomes improve, and our patients — and their families — benefit directly.
At Ethos, we are fortunate to partner with industry sponsors who fund study-related diagnostics and procedures and recognize the clinicians and nursing teams who make research possible. NVS took that recognition a step further, transforming it into direct support for a family in crisis. Moments like this show how clinical studies, industry partnerships, and the compassion of our hospital teams come together to advance care in ways that matter deeply.
Thank you to the entire NVS Cardiology team for turning a scientific opportunity into meaningful access to care. Your commitment to your patients, your community, and to advancing veterinary cardiology exemplifies the best of what Ethos Science strives to achieve.
Running Bear’s story is just one example of the extraordinary impact made possible when clinical expertise, research partnership, and compassionate decision-making come together across Ethos. And best of all, we’re happy to see Running Bear and his family reunited, healthy, and home just in time for the holidays.