Ice

A caring woman, seeking to heal from a personal tragedy, adopted ‘Ice’ to become her own.  She was in love!  Shortly after being adopted however, Ice was suddenly extremely lethargic, becoming almost unresponsive.  ‘Ice’s’ mom, not knowing what could be wrong with her new puppy found us at FIRST Regional Animal Hospital and she and Ice’s new grandma quickly brought her in late that night.  ‘Ice’ was diagnosed with Parvo.  

Parvo is a serious viral infection that is prominent in Arizona.  It affects puppies and older dogs most severely and often will result in death without aggressive treatment by veterinary professionals.  ‘Ice’s’ mom wisely hospitalized her, not yet fully knowing the roller coaster ride that she and  ‘Ice’ had yet to endure from this vicious disease.  For two weeks, that felt more like an eternity, Ice’s mom and grandma visited her in the hospital every day. They called several times a day and were always greeted by the kind and understanding Technicians caring for Ice, that not only gave her updates on Ice’s condition, but even sent her pictures of Ice via text messages regularly.  Ice received intensive care from the Doctors and Technicians 24/7, along with the best medical treatment possible.  Through all that, a blood transfusion, many prayers of her owners, and Ice’s own strong will to live-  ‘Ice’ survived! 

Luka

Luka initially came in to our practice on 5-19-13. She had been bitten by a bull terrier at home, including having been picked up and dropped by her head. Her symptoms included throwing her head back, having no ability to walk, blinking and seeming unresponsive, and being unable to either sit or stand. The wounds she sustained were in her neck, over her right eye, and over her muzzle.

Progress Reports

Luka’s next report came two days later on 5-21. Her improvement was visible as she was wagging her tail and responding a little. We could tell that her traumatic brain injury was improving. Her progress was charted as follows:

5-22-13 Luka began to be a bit more mentally aware

5-23-13 Luka began eating from her own bowl and was able to stand without support. She also began getting excited to see people!

5-28-13 Her daily improvement was apparent, but she was still tiring easily. Her wounds had mostly healed, but in her walking she would still occasionally stumble. 

It has now been one month since Luka’s injury and she is doing significantly better! See the videos below to learn more about this brave little dog.

Carly’s Story

This poor little brown dog was found on the side of the road by our own Dr. Megan Begay while on her way to work one morning. The Doctor could tell she had been hit by a car and was badly injured, so she stopped to pick her up. 

The dog spent several days recuperating at our North Valley location; recovering from a collapsed lung, broken ribs, numerous scrapes and bruises, and a pretty bad injury to her right leg (which left her with permanent nerve damage). 

Carly Gets a New Beginning

She was brought to First Regional Animal Hospital in the hopes of finding someone to foster or adopt this poor little dog. Jessica took one look at her sad face in the kennel and immediately wanted her. Turns out not only had she been hit by a car, but had clearly been abused by her previous owner. She cowered terribly every time Jessica would try to scold or correct her, trembling and flinching as though she were waiting for the beating to begin. She was also terrified of any water, especially out of the hose. She didn’t know how to play with toys. She had terrible separation anxiety. 

After a lot of patience, love, and acceptance (and a lot of gentle correction), she has grown into a wonderful dog. Jessica couldn’t imagine life without her. Carly makes her laugh on a daily basis. Although she still has the issue with the right front leg, which causes her to stumble or knuckle her foot under from time to time, it hasn’t slowed her down a bit. Carly is now the happy, vibrant, playful dog she deserves to be.

Shawna's Rescued Pups

Shawna Sparks, a vet tech at North Valley Regional Animal Hospital, has three rescue pups that were all three hit by cars. One of them has a broken leg, another of them has two broken legs, and the third one is healed from its broken leg and has been with her for quite a while already.

Hot Weather and Pets

It is starting to get hot here in Arizona, so what does that mean for your family dog?

Even tough the weather right now is comfortable for us, our dog may not be able to tolerate that hike you want to take him on. Dog’s cannot sweat and have to pant to cool themselves. If they are unable to cool themselves, they can become hyperthermic or develop heat stroke. This can lead to sever organ damage and even death. 

Dogs with short noses (like Pugs) and overweight pets are more susceptible to over heating.

Do not walk dogs on hot days. Even in the coolest part of the day it can be too hot for your dog and if you are taking him/her out, consider wetting down their hair coat first.

Watch out for the water coming out of the water hose when you go to spray down your dog. You can cause serious burns from the scalding hot water.

Do NOT leave pets in parked cars, even with the windows cracked. Two minutes is too long, and leaving them in the car is often fatal. Be careful in our heat!

Things to consider for your dog during these next several “hot” months:

• Have a shady spot for them.
• Have cool water for them at all times.
• Supplement those extra hot days with some ice in their water bowl.
• You may even want to spray their area down with water from time to time to help keep them a few degrees cooler.

Zoe

Zoe is getting older and has arthritis. Her mom takes great care of her and  keeps her active with walks. She is able to go on walks because she is kept pain free on her carefully prescribed medication.

Older dogs need to see their vet at least once a year, preferably every six months. One year for a dog is thought to be similar to a seven-year period in human life. Imagine only going to your doctor only once every seven years! Catching problem early on helps keep them pain free and healthy.

There are things that you can watch for that warrant visiting a vet sooner:

•  If their weight has a noticeable change. If they become heavier or slimmer without any change to their diet.
•  If they eating or drinking habits change.
• If they start coughing and it becomes regular.
• If they have lumps and bumps that change fairly quickly in size.

As they age it is even more important that they have good oral hygiene.  Dogs need to have their teeth brushed regularly. Watch for bad breath, if they don’t like being touched around the mouth, or if they have red or bleeding gums.

We all love our pets and keeping them comfortable as they age is a great way to show them we love them.