Despite what her name may imply, Zesty, an 11-year-old miniature poodle mix, is a bit on the shy side and prefers cuddling on the couch with owners Anna Moberg and her mom, Cindy. 

Adopted in 2018 after being rescued from a bad breeding situation, Zesty came with her quirks. 

She was initially anxious about being crated, she hated sprinklers, and burped—a lot. 

It’s not uncommon for dogs to burp after eating, but Zesty’s burps were abnormally frequent and turned out to be a sign of a more serious condition. 

“Not knowing at that time that burping could indicate a gastrointestinal issue meant it took a really long time to actually find out what was really going on with her,” Anna Moberg recalls. 

Other gastrointestinal (GI) clinical signs also cropped up after adoption, the most prevalent for Zesty being diarrhea. Anna and Cindy even started a potty log to track Zesty’s stools to try to deduce a cause. Meanwhile, trips to veterinarians prompted blood tests and ultrasounds and yielded prescriptions for antibiotics and special food, but nothing seemed to help for very long. 

After years of trying to manage Zesty’s GI distress, the family received a referral in June 2022 to the Small Animal Internal Medicine Service (SAIM) at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center (VMC). There, clinicians performed a colonoscopy and an endoscopy to examine her GI tract and retrieve tissue samples for biopsy. 

With information from her procedure, Zesty’s care team diagnosed her with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD is a chronic condition in which the lining of the intestinal tract becomes inflamed and causes problems such as the diarrhea that had long plagued Zesty. The condition is fairly common in dogs, but shares clinical signs with other ailments and may need additional testing to diagnose.

“It was really good to hear what was going on, but it was also kind of heartbreaking to realize she had been in so much pain or discomfort,” Anna Moberg says. “Hearing that her stomach was inflamed and how fragile her intestines were because there had been scarring was very hard.”

Zesty was prescribed steroids to help manage her IBD. Her dosage has been adjusted over the years, as long-term steroid use can have a negative impact on liver function. While her condition was relatively well managed, the Mobergs did note Zesty was frequently licking her lips.  

Her care team ordered a swallow study in January 2025, which involved clinicians watching a live X-ray feed of her eating food. 

“The study helps us assess how dogs are chewing food, and how dogs are transporting food from the mouth through the esophagus and into the stomach,” says Haley Abbott, a SAIM resident who currently works on Zesty’s care team. 

Following the study, Zesty was diagnosed with esophageal dysmotility, a condition in which the esophagus fails to move food properly. Dogs with this condition may experience regurgitation, coughing, and difficulty swallowing. The Mobergs feed Zesty sitting upright and keep her in that position for 15 minutes following meals to help reduce nausea and prevent her from regurgitating food. 

While her GI issues were brought under control, Zesty’s need for specialists at the VMC has continued. In July 2025, Zesty’s groomer noticed what might be a cataract forming on her right eye. 

An evaluation with Jordan Roberts, veterinarian and head of the Ophthalmology Service at the VMC, confirmed the suspicion and also revealed that Zesty had signs of retinal hemorrhaging, which is often indicative of high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. Roberts continues to manage Zesty’s cataract with medication while Abbott and the SAIM team keep an eye on her hypertension. 

In between specialty appointments, Zesty also sees the Primary Care Service, often veterinarian Amy O'Brien, for her routine care, and has made visits to the Urgent Care Service for other issues over the years. Having so many types of care under one roof has been a blessing, according to Anna Moberg. 

“The coordination of care has been fabulous,” she says. “She’s a medically complex dog, so it's great to not only have everything there but also to see how passionate every provider is about what they do and about Zesty’s care.”

It’s an approach that not only benefits patients but clinicians as well, according to Abbott. 

“Working in a big facility like the Veterinary Medical Center, where there are a lot of different specialists, really gives me access to quick expert opinions, which I find very helpful and elevates our standard of care,” she adds.

Having top-notch care keeps a little spunk in Zesty’s step these days, but Anna says her favorite way to spend time remains cuddling in blankets and finding warm spots in the sun to nap. It’s a significant shift from how she joined their family, and Anna is grateful for everyone at the VMC and beyond who has contributed to giving Zesty a good life.