Patient of the Month- Jackie deLaurentis!!

Jackie, a 9 ½ year old, female, JRT was 7 when she was diagnosed with diabetes. She had a long history with the HAH and with, Dr. Anne Murphy. Upon diagnosis the process of regulating Jackie began. However, she was very difficult to regulate and so her mom, Sarah, started to test and record her blood glucoses at home. Sarah was diligent in taking and tracking the blood results which made it possible for Dr. Murphy to make changes to her insulin as needed. However, it took almost a year to regulate Jackie’s blood sugar levels and in that time she developed diabetic cataracts.

Diabetic cataracts are common in diabetic dogs in fact; most will develop cataracts even if the diabetes is well controlled. The solution to the cataract is surgery. 

In Jackie’s case though, before she could schedule the surgery she developed Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (I.M.H.A.) I.M.H.A. is a disease of the immune system that causes the body to attack its red blood cells causing a life threatening anemia. A steroid is needed to combat the body's desire to destroy these RBC’s  but that same steroid can cause insulinantagaism. This will increase the need for insulin in the body thus making regulating Jackie’s diabetes once again, very difficult.

Once her I.M.H.A was controlled, Dr. Murphy spent the next 10months focused on slowly weaning Jackie from the steroids and adjusting her insulin accordingly. Finally, in Oct of 2012, after 3months of no immunosuppressive drugs Jackie was cleared for eye surgery which was performed by Dr. Robert Swinger.

Today, Jackie is doing great! “She is like a new puppy!” She is once again staring out the window spying on the world as she once did. Her success is due to many factors. Her “original super hero”, as her mom would say, Dr. Murphy and the “remarkable” surgery by Dr. Swinger were paramount but a huge credit goes to Jackie’s owner.  Sarah’s determination, dedication and organization of Jackie’s bloodwork, diet and behavior made Jackie a perfect patient. Without that commitment to her care the story would have a very different ending. We are so pleased to honor Jackie (and in many ways her mother) as our Patient of the Month!!

Welcome, Dr. Jennifer Bibevski DVM !

Dr. Jennifer Bibevski, DVM was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and recently relocated to South Florida with her husband, Steve.  After graduating from Baldwin Wallace College with a degree in Biology and Chemistry, she obtained her veterinary degree from The Ohio State University in 2006.  She then completed a medical internship at Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital in Akron, Ohio followed by 4 years of specialty surgical training in small animal surgery, which included soft tissue, orthopedic and neurological procedures.  Her specific clinical interests include critical care medicine and minimally invasive techniques including arthroscopy and laparoscopy.  She has undertaken additional training in human intensive care as well as training in advanced human laparoscopy laboratories allowing her to bring state of the art care to your pets’ most complex problems.

During her free time, Jennifer and her husband enjoy spending their time training and riding their two horses; Pace and Willow, as well as enjoying time at the Hollywood Beach with their rescued black Labrador Cali, who has proven to be an avid ocean swimmer! They look forward to exploring all that south Florida has to offer in the upcoming years to come.

February Team Member of the Month- Sandy

We would like to recognize a team member that have been at the HAH since July 1986.  Most of our clients know her by name.  The HAH staff  knows her as the one who will bend over backwards to help clients-even if it means breaking protocol!!!   She always puts the clients and their pets needs first (which we greatly appreciate!)  

One thing we can always count on is that Sandi Raymond will be answering the phones and making sure that the rest of us are on our toes doing what’s best  for our clients!  Thank You Sandi!!

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

February Patient of the Month- "Friskie"

“Friskie” Johnson, a 7 year old indoor cat was brought to see Dr.Heim for a possible UTI. “Friskie” had been urinating more frequently over the past month and began to take it outside of the litter box. Her owners knew there was a problem but when “Friskie” arrived at the HAH she was very dehydrated. Dr. Heim examined her and recommended bloodwork, a urinalysis and x-rays to get a more complete picture of her condition. The x-rays revealed a large stone in her bladder requiring surgery. However her bloodwork showed such significantly abnormal kidney and electrolyte values that she did not make a good surgical candidate.

For the next three days “Friskie” was given IV fluid therapy and medical care to address her hydration and to stabilize her electrolytes. Once she was stable, her owners took her home to continue this care until she was healthy enough for surgery.

Nearly a week after she was brought in, “Friskie” returned for a schedule cystotomy with Dr. Heim. Because her bloodwork was now within the normal limits, the surgery went smoothly and the stone was removed.

During surgery, a culture of the bladder was obtained to determine what kind of infection may be present. In “Friskie’s” case it was severe. “Friskie” had a ‘bug’ that was extremely resistant to most antibiotics and that had likely infiltrated her kidneys. The only medicine that would fight this was a very expensive human medicine that needed to be administered under the skin twice a day along with subcutaneous fluids.

Now as you may imagine, a cat named “Friskie” was name for one of two reasons. “Friskie’s” was not for being playful. She did not welcome daily injections. But her parents were loving and persistent and they worked out a system that made it work.

For 6 weeks, “Friskie” received all the TLC she could handle as her parents administered her fluids and injections. Now “Friskie’s” bloodwork is normal and her only medicine is a Hill’s Prescription diet.  According to the owner she has gained weight and is doing great!

Her parents were so pleased with the results that they paid it forward by donating the remainder of her medication to another pet in need.

This month we honor as patient of the month “Friskie” Johnson but also her parents. This is a true story of how the commitment and dedication of her parents made all the difference. There dedication to her and her daily treatments is the reason “Friskie” is back to herself again.

Follow Up To Isabel's Race

We were so proud to sponsor Isabel for her Marathon and we're happy to announce that she reached her goal of $2000! Way to go, Isabel!