September Patient of the Month- GD

GD, a 70lb, 3 year old canine mix is a water baby. She and her housemate can be found frolicking around the water most any weekend.  However, one day this summer play went wrong. While jumping off the dock, GD caught her left rear leg in the motor of a boat.

When she arrived at the HAH she was anxious, to say the least, and bleeding profusely. An exam and x-rays with Dr. Carlos showed a degloving injury* isolated to her foot with multiple tendon lacerations and two fractured metatarsal bones (foot.)  GD was very lucky.

Surgery was necessary and the wound was immediately prepped. Large amounts of dirt and grease from the boat motor were cleaned out prior to any repair.  The superficial extensor tendon was severed completely and un-repairable while the 2nd metatarsal bone was reconstructed using soft tissue and allowed to heal by callus formation. The skin was partially closed to allow for drainage and a splint was placed to stabilize the fractures.

 

 An extended schedule of antibiotics and bandage changes were then made. Over a period of one month, GD returned to the HAH for multiple bandage changes; some every few days and later, once a week. GD needed to keep calm and quiet to allow the wound/bone to heal. A task, easier said then done with all of her energy. During these weeks she continued her mischievous behavior chewing on her bandage and even jumping back in the water a few times.

However, today, GD is “back to normal”. While the bones are still in the process of healing, the wounds are gone and her spirits are better then ever. Complete bone healing will take some time and GD may always have a limp in her walk but most will never know the extent of her injuries.

GD was a love to have as a patient and a real trooper for all the bandage changes. She had a very interesting summer and certainly makes a great success story.

(The last few pictures are of GD's wounds and may be graphic to some)

 

Below are pictures of GD's wounds.

(THE PICTURE BELOW MAY BE TOO GRAPHIC FOR SOME)

Dr. Larry's letter responding to Broward County's Breed Ban

 February 24, 2013

Dear Broward County Commissioner,

I am writing to encourage you to OPPOSE agenda item #52, which is on this
Tuesday's commission agenda. The American Veterinary Medical Association
(AVMA) has opposed breed specific dangerous dog legislation for many years.
I know of few veterinarians who would support such legislation. Those of us
in the trenches of private veterinary practice have seen too many happy,
pleasant, docile pit bulls and pit bull crosses to support such legislation..
Breed-specific legislation cuts too wide a swath through the lives of
responsible owners who own non-dangerous animals who happen to be of the
tainted species.

I am attaching a report from Ohio, which eliminated its state breed specific
legislation in 2012. I support the opinion of the majority of the Ohio state
legislature.

The issue of dangerous dogs is one of responsible ownership. The AVMA policy
on dangerous dogs is as follows:

The AVMA supports dangerous animal legislation by state, county, or
municipal governments provided that legislation does not refer to specific
breeds or classes of animals. This legislation should be directed at
fostering safety and protection of the general public from animals
classified as dangerous.

I served on the Broward County Pet Overpopulation Committee for many years
and as its chair for most of that time. On several occasions the committee
addressed breed-specific legislation, rejecting it every time. In addition,
the Florida Veterinary Medical Association opposed state legislation last
year that would encourage breed-specific dangerous dog legislation.

I appreciate the Commission's desire to address the dangerous dog problem in
our community, but I encourage you to oppose this simplistic approach and to
support those recommendations from the AVMA and other knowledgeable animal
lovers that address this multi-factorial issue.

Sincerely,

Larry Dee DVM
Diplomat, American Board of Veterinary Practitioners
Canine/feline practice.
Fellow, National Academies of Practice, veterinary medicine
AVMA Executive Board, District IV
Hollywood Animal Hospital

Broward County proposed ban on "pit bulls"

Broward County, FL proposing ban on “pit bulls”

blessthebullys.wordpress.com/2013/02/22/broward-county-fl-proposing-ban-on-pit-bulls/

Barbara Sharief, the Vice Mayor of the Broward County Commission, introduced on February 21, 2013 a motion to make it illegal to “own and keep” American pit bull terriers, American Staffordshire terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers, or any dog that may “conform” to a pit bull breed in Broward County, Florida.  The motion seeks approval from the state to pursue a breed specific ordinance – an action that is prohibited by Florida state law.   The state law was passed not long after Miami/Dade enacted its ban on pit bulls, and Miami/Dade, as well as a handful of other cities with breed specific laws, were grandfathered in by the state law, but from that point on, cities could not pass ordinances that discriminated against breeds.

Vice Mayor Sharief claims Broward County has a “pit bull issue,” and that animal centers have reported more than 270 incidents of roaming pit bulls in Broward County since 2011. The motion alleges that the action will hopefully ameliorate “on-going incidents involving pit bulls and other dangerous dogs.”

Contrary to the actual wording of the motion (included below), Sharief claims Broward County doesn’t want to make owning pit bulls a criminal offense, but they want to fine people into compliance. Begging the question, what do they expect people to comply with if its not a breed ban?
Sharief said she recognizes the combustible nature of the issue, and acknowledges the county will get backlash for this move, but claims there is more support for the move than against.

Please send your polite, respectful and informative opposition to breed specific legislation to the Broward County Commissioners, item # 52

mklar@broward.org, <kjacobs@broward.org>, <sritter@broward.org>, <lwexler@broward.org>, <sgunzburger@broward.org>, <tryan@broward.org>, <bsharief@broward.org>, <dholness@broward.org>, <clamarca@broward.org>

Commissioner Barbara Sharief

Broward County Governmental Center

115 S. Andrews Ave., Room 410

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301

Phone: 954-357-7008

Fax: 954-357-5704

No direct e-mail available for Sharief, but

her aide is Torey Alston: talston@broward.org

Commissioner: Martin David Kiar

email: mkiar@broward.org

Phone: 954-357-7001

Fax: 954-357-7295

Commissioner: Kristin Jacobs

Email: kjacobs@broward.org

Commissioner: Stacy Ritter

sritter@broward.org

Phone: 954-357-7003

Fax: 954-357-7319

Commissioner: Chip LaMarca
email: clamarca@broward.org
Phone: 954-357-7004
Fax: 954-357-7798

Commissioner: Lois Wexler
lwexler@broward.org
954-357-7005
FAX: 357-7044

Commissioner: Sue Gunzburger
sgunzburger@broward.org
Telephone: 954-357-7006

Commissioner: Tim Ryan
email: tryan@broward.org
Phone: 954-357-7007
Fax: 954-357-8088

Commissioner Dale Holness
dholness@broward.org
Phone: 954-357-7009
Fax: 954-357-5707

South Florida K9 Cancer Walk!!!

Come out and support Morris Animal Foundation's

South Florida K9 Cancer Walk

 at Tradewinds park

Jan 26th!!!

Morris Animal Foundation is a nonprofit organization that invests in science that advances veterinary care for companion animals, horses and wildlife. They are the global leader in animal health science, and their funding helps more species in more places than any other organization in the world.

Since their founding in 1948, Morris Animal Foundation has invested more than $70 million toward 2,000+ studies, and these studies have led to significant breakthroughs in diagnostics, treatments, preventions and cures for animals. Some of the breakthroughs funded through the Foundation have become gold standards in veterinary care.

See you there!!!!

http://support.morrisanimalfoundation.org/site/TR?fr_id=1320&pg=entry#.UPQpTaxHNH0

December Patient of the Month- "MilkDud"

This month we would like to honor as our Patient of the Month, a pup that is very special to our Hollywood Animal Hospital family.  “MilkDud” ,  a 12 year old,  red dachshund; the proud pup of our very own Kathy Ziezio .

After monitoring a few days of diarrhea the “Dud” began vomiting and no longer wanted to eat. Kathy immediately came in and saw Dr. Grasso. X-rays were ordered and showed a mass in “Milkdud’s” abdomen causing fluid to build up.

Kathy hospitalized the “Dud” throughout the weekend and on Monday Dr. Sessa ordered an ultrasound to get a clearer picture of what the mass looked like.  During the ultrasound Dr. Murphy was able to see that the mass was affecting the spleen and also her gallbladder. Surgery was scheduled for the following day. The surgery was serious but “Milk Dud” came through beautifully and then started the process of recovery.

Often the post operative care is as important as the surgery and “Milk Dud” benefited from the many minds that our hospital has to offer. For the next 10 days “Milk Dud” was giving TLC and aggressive medical therapy.  She received several transfusions to increase and maintain her blood cell volume and was hand fed every night by her momma.

“Milk Dud’s” pathology came back with a less then desirable result but did show that Dr. Sessa had removed as much of the effected tissue as possible. For now, “Milk Dud” is home and getting back to the business of playing with her sisters “Samantha” and “Daisy”. Most recently, she stopped in with Kathy, donning a Santa costume to hand out presents to the staff.

We are so happy to honor “MilkDud” as our December Patient of the Month!

November- Patient of the Month Highlight

 
Koas, an eight year old mixed canine was seen on emergency for multiple gunshot wounds. That morning his owner returned home from work and let Kaos out only to be awaken later by the sound of gun shots and Kaos running inside.  He had been shot three times.

 Kaos had two bullets lodged in the soft tissue around his chest and abdomen and a shattered left scapula. His temperature was elevated and he was in shock. Our emergency doctor, Dr. Lukens, triaged Kaos and stabilized him.

The following morning Dr. Shapiro took over the case and discussed the poor prognosis with the client. Due to massive injury from ballistic penetration into the thoracic and abdominal cavity requiring multiple surgeries, with high risks of anesthesia, infection and potenital suffering, Koas' owner's had a difficult decision to make.

Meanwhile Kaos seemed to be resting comfortable even wagging his tail. That is what changed things. Kaos was a strong boy with a great spirit and together his family decided to go forward.

Kaos was hospitalized for a week where he underwent two surgeries that addressed the soft tissue damage caused by the gun shots. His scapula was left to heal naturally and he was sent home with instructions for bandage care and scheduled bandage changes. Within a month, Kaos was healing beautifully and was even putting some weight on his left leg.

Kaos’ spirit was the initial key to his success. He was a strong patient that always had a tail wag or lick for everyone. His progress was a joy to be a part of.  We are happy to highlight him as our patient for November.

What our clients are saying about us......

Name: Ofc. Curtiss Richardson, Key West Police Dept.

Message: Dr. Herrington and Staff of HAH,
I just wanted to take the time to express my thanks for the treatment and care you all showed myself and my partner K-9 Cyress. I was a nervous wreck the moment I step through the door. All who came in contact with me and K-9 Cyress made us both feel at home and a little more at ease. 

Dr. Herrington, the K-9 community needs more great supporters like yourself and your staff. I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Respectfully,
K-9 Ofc. C. Richardson
Key West Police Dept. K-9 Unit
Email-crichard@keywestcity.com

With dogs we bust, in paws we trust

A truly heart touching story of a young girl's wish for God to care for her dog "Abbey"

This heart touching story of a young girl that wants to be sure God will look after her dog "Abbey" in heaven has been seen recently throughout the internet and seemed very worthy to share.

Here is her story....

Our 14-year-old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.

I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her, you will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.

Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven.

That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought he had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, "To Meredith," in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, "When a Pet Dies." Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away. Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.

I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.

Love,

God

Of Greatness, Dogs, and Great Dogs

by Professor Andrea Defusco-Sullivan on September 26, 2010

What do George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln have in common?

Brilliant minds? Eloquence? Patriotism?

Certainly.

But if the axiom “great minds think alike” is true, their like-mindedness centered around something particularly interesting…and furry. They were all dog-lovers.

George Washington’s character as a general and as president is well-known, but less publicized is the fact that he was the father of the American Foxhound breed in the United States. Just before the War of Independence, Washington paid for the safe passage of a pack of young foxhounds from England. In 1785, his friend, the Marquis de Lafayette, sent him three French foxhounds as a gift. The British hounds and the French hounds were bred, producing the hearty, good-natured American Foxhound.  He often mentioned his beloved dogs in his diaries, including one hound who routined vexed Martha Washington by breaking into their pantry and stealing whole Virginia hams.

Psychology Today suggests a link between dog ownership and greatness in a January 22, 2009 article. Stanley Coren, Ph.D., notes the character of some famous dog lovers, including General Washington:

That article contains a vignette which perfectly illustrates Washington’s honorable character as both a man and a dog lover:

During the Battle of Germantown, which was not going well for the Americans, Washington was encamped at Pennibecker’s Mill. On October 6, 1777, a little terrier was seen wandering the area between the American and British lines.  It turns out that General Howe’s little terrier had somehow gotten loose and had become lost on the battlefield. The dog was identified from its collar, and brought to Washington. His officers suggested that he might want to keep the dog as a sort of trophy which might weaken the morale of the British general. Instead he took the dog into his tent, fed him and had him brushed and cleaned. Then, to the surprise of everyone, Washington ordered a cease fire. The shooting stopped and soldiers on both sides watched as one of Washington’s aides formally returned a little dog to the British commander under a flag of truce.

Other Founding Fathers loved canines as well. John and Abigail Adams had two mixed-breed dogs: “Satan”, which was John’s dog, and “Juno”, Abigail’s puppy. In her letters, Abigail famously wrote “If you love me….you must love my dog.”

Benjamin Franklin acted as spoiled “grandfather” to his son’s Newfoundland, taking him on long walks and bringing him special treats during each visit. Thomas Jefferson loved the affable herding dog, Briards, so much that he not only imported a pregnant female from France, he routinely gave puppies to landowning friends, including James Madison. Abraham Lincoln’s dog, Fido, a lab mix, was well-known to be so spoiled that he ate at the table with the family. The hub-bub of the White House scared Fido terribly, so Lincoln made an incredible sacrifice–he gave Fido to trusted friends in Springfield, Illinois, with strict instructions to care for and love Fido. Subsequently, Lincoln became the owner of the first White House cat, Tabby, to whom Lincoln would give “belly-rubs” for hours at a time.

I think it’s worth noting that most of my colleagues and friends at ACHLS have loved, and been loved by dogs.  Dean and Professor Michael Chesson owns the very handsome Mick and has rescued cats as well as dogs from shelters; Lynne Snierson, our crackerjack PR person and admissions officer, owns one  dapper (and lucky) 13-year-old Sheltie named Reggie. My colleague in the writing program, Attorney and Professor Ruth-Ellen Post, still speaks fondly of  her now-departed family dog, whose loss is still fresh to her. 

Is there a link between dog ownership and greatness? Perhaps that axiom can’t be proven, but as I am proud to be owned by my hound, Ben, I do humbly admit that I can only aspire to his loyalty and good nature.

http://americanhistorynewsnetwork.org/blog/2010/09/26/us-presidents-and-their-dogs/