To celebrate International Assistance Dog Week we would like to honor Vashti.

  

Vashti is an (almost) 5 year old spayed female Rottweiler/ English Mastiff mix. At 95 pounds, she is mom’s (Jamie from FRAH) biggest lap dog. She was adopted at 3 months old, from NVRAH, where she was abandoned with a fractured hind leg. 

Vashti is a universal blood donor. When she was 2 years old, she became an official hospital blood donor when the others became to old and could no longer donate. Vashti's large size makes her an ideal blood donor because we are able to collect a large amount of blood from her. The amount of blood we collect is based on her body weight and the recipient pet’s needs.

In order to be a blood donor, Vashti had general bloodwork, but also had specialized testing such as blood typing. She was also checked for blood parasites (such as Tick Fever and heartworm, among others) and Valley fever. She also had an ECHO, which is an ultrasound of her heart to make sure it was healthy enough to donate. 

To continue being a blood donor, Vashti must have annual bloodwork. She must always be on heart worm preventative. She must always use flea and tick preventative and she must be up to date on vaccines. She is also on call at all hours for donation, although she can only donate once during a 6 week period. Thanks Vashti for helping other dogs by giving blood.

Meet Dr. Daniel Guastella!

We are proud to tell you about Dr. Daniel Guastella, our newest board certified surgeon to join our team at  FIRST Regional Animal Hospital.  A native of New York, Dr. Guastella started out with a major in marine and molecular biology.  With this accomplishment he became employed at John’s Hopkins Hospital as a lab technician in the neuroscience department for 3 years prior to starting Veterinary School in 2000. 

After becoming a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, he performed a 1 year internal medicine and surgical internship at the University of Missouri-Columbia College of Veterinary Medicine, followed by a 3 year residency in Small Animal Surgery at the Red Bank Veterinary Hospital in Tinton Falls, NJ.  

After residency Dr. Guastella passed intensive specialty board exams to achieve the status of Diplomate American College of Veterinary Surgeons- Small Animal.  He joined our team here at FIRST Regional in October of 2012 where he offers many advanced surgical services to our patients-  including tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA), which is a procedure for cruciate ligament tears in the ‘knee’s’ of large dogs.   Dr. Guastella uses the latest in medical advances to repair fractures surgically with as minimally invasive an approach possible. 

Dr. Guastella is a proud father of an 18 year old daughter. He is now married to Dr. Alisa Reniker (our critical care specialist!).  They have a new 4 month old son they enjoy playing with at home, along with their 4 dogs (Bruiser, Reilly, Little Bug, and Cleo),  4 cats (Scooter, Bungie, Richard Parker, and Kitty Rex Ryan), a 20 year old iguana (Ray), and 2 horses (Fergie and Jack)!  

When Dr. Guastella is not busy working and saving lives like that of our patient  ‘Bailey’ Berling (one of his favorite memories so far at FIRST Regional- read about his story on our Facebook page!),  he enjoys fly fishing, playing with his newborn son, and movies.

If your pet ever has any orthopedic problems, or surgical needs, please make an appointment for a consultation with Dr. Dan Guastella for the best possible surgical care!

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.