We have a lot of great success stories to tell. Below you will find four that hold special places in our hearts.
“Taylor” is a vibrant, happy-go-lucky, 15 year-old Labrador retriever who was abandoned at a veterinary hospital when he was seven years old. Dr. Muri Szabo, a local veterinarian at Hidden Valley Animal Hospital, fell in love with him and knew that Taylor was destined to join his family. Dr. Szabo’s other pets enjoyed the spaciousness of a nice yard surrounded by an invisible fence that would soon become Taylor’s domain as well. Things were in place to welcome the newest member of the family. A new collar had just been ordered but had not arrived yet. About 10 days after being in his new home, Taylor was outside with Dr. Szabo when the phone rang. In the blink of an eye, Taylor crossed a busy street and upon Dr. Szabo’s return immediately ran back across the street where he was struck in the face by a car. Suffering facial trauma including fractures to both sides of his lower jaw, Taylor was taken to Dr. Szabo’s hospital for x-rays. Dr. Szabo quickly realized that Taylor’s injuries and subsequent treatment were beyond the scope of what he could do at his facility so he rushed Taylor to VSH. While at VSH, Taylor underwent surgery to repair the fractures. Steel pins were placed into the fractured bones with one inch of the pins remaining exposed. The external portion of the pins were connected with epoxy putty that when hardened had the strength of steel. This fixation limited movement of the fractures and sped the healing process. Remarkably the next day Taylor had a voracious appetite and was eager to be spoon-fed canned food. Since then, there has been very little that has slowed him down. He has recovered completely from all of his injuries and continues to be the same loving, energetic dog he was before the accident.
“Grits” was an unusually soft-tempered kerry blue terrier who was diagnosed with a type of cancer called lymphosarcoma when she was eight years old. This type of cancer is similar to Hodgkin’s disease in people and can progress rapidly. Floranne Etheridge, Grits’ owner, had trained Grits for obedience competitions. Grits had a utility degree in obedience, which is one of the highest degrees awarded. She successfully performed in obedience competitions for four years before the Etheridges moved to Raleigh from South Carolina. In addition to obedience training, Grits was also a certified therapy dog that visited elderly patients at the VA hospital in South Carolina once a week. About six months after they made Raleigh their new home, Grits was diagnosed with cancer. Ms. Etheridge immediately thought that her only option would be to wait for an opening at the NC State Veterinary School. Her referring veterinarian suggested that she would be immediately seen at VSH and that they had a great oncologist on staff that could provide the treatment Grits needed. Within just a few days Grits was seen and started chemotherapy. Although the first few weeks were tough and Ms. Etheridge questioned whether she had done the right thing, Grits greatly improved and went into remission for several years. Because of her immediate treatment, Grits was able to live 40% of her life after diagnosis and continued to be the same loving dog she had been before diagnosis. Although Grits passed away in December 2004, she still holds a special place in the hearts of the VSH staff.
“Scooby” is a nine year-old polydactyl cat that has seven toes on his front paws and six toes on his back paws. Ashley Fox, Scooby’s mom, first brought him to VSH in October of 2001 with symptoms that were consistent with acute renal failure. After an ultrasound, doctors determined that Scooby had bilateral ureter obstruction and compromised kidney function. (The ureter is a tube that carries urine from each kidney to the bladder). Over the course of the next twelve days, Scooby had two kidney surgeries and two blood transfusions. The first surgery involved running catheters directly from the kidneys and directing urine to an external collection system. This procedure was performed to determine how much damage Scooby’s kidneys had sustained and eliminate the toxins that had built up in his body. Within 36 hours of the surgery, Scooby’s kidney values were almost back to normal. The second surgery was performed to remove obstructions that turned out to be a combination of protein and cells instead of stones as was originally thought. At the time of his illness, Scooby’s kidney values were so high they were literally off the charts. After the surgeries and during frequent visits back to VSH, his kidney values have been monitored and are now within the normal range. To this day, veterinarians who have examined Scooby and looked at his initial blood work remark that he shouldn’t be alive. Scooby continues to be a healthy cat who is considered the “peacemaker” of the six cats that reside at the Fox household. Despite having been seriously ill, he is still an even-tempered cat with a generous purr.
“Sam” was a gray and white cat who had his fifteen minutes of fame when featured on the WRAL noon news. He was one of the animals at the Wake County SPCA who needed a home. Jo Smaltz had recently lost a well-loved gray and white cat and fell in love with Sam when she saw him. She asked her husband if Sam could be a present for her upcoming birthday. He agreed and it wasn’t long before Sam joined the Smaltz household. Sam was a very strong but easygoing cat. He would let the neighbor’s children play and poke at him without ever raising a paw. Sam was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of seven despite the fact that he did not display the typical symptoms. He was not an elderly cat nor was he overweight, but he made frequent trips to the litter box. When he was ten the Smaltz’s went on vacation, and Sam was being cared for by a pet sitter. The pet sitter, a veterinary technician, checked on Sam one day and discovered that he was in a diabetic coma. She took Sam to his regular veterinarian who quickly sent him to VSH for intensive care. This included a continuous insulin infusion and IV fluids, blood glucose monitoring 12 times a day, serial electrolyte measurements & supplements, and antibiotics. Sam spent 10 days at VSH. He then went home and had to have two shots a day of special-ordered insulin. Sam had an uncanny sense of time. He knew when it was time to take his shots and would walk up to his owners and meow. He eventually had to have four shots of day but didn’t seem to mind. The Smaltz’s always knew that Sam was the boss of the household but since his diagnosis, he really was. Sam’s food intake had to be monitored constantly and his insulin given at certain times. Sam lived several more years after his diagnosis and continued to be a loving, talkative cat that never lacked something to say.
