April… and How She Helped to Heal a Broken Heart
I guess most everyone who takes the time to visit my website has been affected in some positive way by an animal during his or her life. I know for myself that has been the case many times over, and it is one of the reasons I chose to pursue the career I did.
There is something so special and sacred about the human-animal bond. The relationship is one that transcends words and customs, existing instead in some higher realm. Our pets provide us unconditional love, elicit smiles with their antics, sit watch at our bedsides when we are ill, keep guard over our homes and our children, are known antidotes to stress, and can be our most loyal companions.
I was reminded of how important the companionship of a beloved pet is by a recent interaction I had with one of my clients who I will refer to as Mrs. Smith. Mrs. Smith is a senior who has been living on her own for a number of years now. She is originally from the Bronx, is a cancer survivor, and as long as I have known her one tough cookie. Lately though I could see she was having a bit of a tough time. Ailments that she had been living with for years were starting to really flair up, her mood was down, and she seemed to be feeling a bit lost. She left a voice-mail two weeks ago that explained it all- she missed her beloved feline companion (who I’ll call Kitty) that she had lost to cancer a few months prior. She joked that the home was actually Kitty’s and she just allowed her to live in it with her. She longed for another companion but wasn’t able to drive and had no internet so therefore had no easy means of searching the shelters. After the conversation was over it was clear that something needed to be done and so I began my mission to find Mrs. Smith the perfect feline companion. To make a long story a bit shorter, Mrs. Smith wasn’t the only one in need of an intervention. Animal control took in a stray cat from an area of known feral (wild/unsocialized to people) colonies. After a few days of letting her adjust we happily found that she wasn’t feral at all and in fact had a very sweet disposition. After a meet and greet (best first date EVER :) a new family was created.
Today I personally delivered Mrs. Smith’s new kitty (who she named April) to her home. I found it very telling that when I asked Mrs. Smith how she was feeling today she replied, “GREAT!” Wish I could take the credit for this miraculous transformation but the credit goes to you April :)
Give me Shelter… then Help me Find my Way Home
Animals sometimes have an uncanny ability to know just where to go when they need help. This was the case with Lucy, a beautiful pigeon who lost her way right about the time that winter was approaching. She suffered some sort of trauma that left her unable to fly and one night wound up in the driveway of one of my clients who just so happens to have a huge heart when it comes to animals. In no time at all she was whisked inside and given a warm place to sleep and a good meal. Throughout the winter she was slowly nursed back to health. At the end of the winter when her wounds had nearly all healed we discovered that she actually carried an identification number which could be traced back to her rightful owner. Pretty soon we hope that Lucy will be reunited with her family.
“I expect to pass through life but once. If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.” -William Penn
Third time’s the charm…
Aerosmith is what you might call a boomerang dog. He was initially picked up by Passaic Animal Control officers many months back after a call came in notifying them of a dog running at large. His original family never came to claim him but finally a new family came along and decided to adopt him. Unfortunately old habits die hard and he kept running away from that home as well. (Huskies are notorious escape artists). Frustrated by his antics Aerosmith’s second owners gave up on him as well.
To make things worse, this last time Aerosmith ran away he landed himself back in the shelter at the worst possible time. The shelter was over-capacity and simply had no room to house him. Husky rescues were contacted but they must have been overwhelmed too because there was no response. Long story short, and a few phone calls later a new prospective family was contacted. This family already had one Siberian Husky- a beautiful female named Storm, and they had been contemplating getting another. They heard about Aerosmith through a family member who worked at the hospital with the Passaic Shelter veterinarian. After making the trip from Blairstown they met Aerosmith and Storm confirmed it was indeed a perfect match. The foursome made the trek home and have been doing great ever since. His forever family (being familiar with the high energy of huskies and their tendency to run off) made sure his environment was safe and secure. Truth be told though, Aerosmith spent the first two days on the couch! He and Storm have become fast friends. The last update was that Aerosmith had started Agility classes and was having a grand old time! Yes, it seems the third time is the charm.
All animals deserve a great quality of life and that means more than just access to food and shelter. Helping provide an enriched and stimulating environment for our pets will help them be happy and to thrive in our care. Sometimes we are more in tune to the needs of our cats, dogs, and birds but might overlook those of our smaller quieter friends like rabbits, small rodents, or even fish. In the coming weeks I will talk about simple ways that we can help enhance the quality of our pets lives. As for what instigated this topic- on Friday I set one of my older fish “free” in a beautiful koi pond at a local garden center (with their permission of course!) I recognized that he had outgrown his aquarium and it was time for him to relocate. Click on the link to check out the pics of his new home… and stay tuned for more on this important discussion!
Paige continues to improve every day. Here she is having a blast racing around our treatment area on her fancy new wheels.
SPECIAL UPDATE: Rescue Ridge called to let us know that Paige has found her new forever home with a wonderful family and if that wasn’t enough she is now again able to walk!!! We are so excited that our little girl was able to make a full recovery…
My family’s dog Brodie has been having an especially challenging couple of weeks. Today we took him to see Dr. Kerry Bailey the neurologist over at Oradell Animal Hospital to see if she could help. I was familiar with her strong reputation but had never had the opportunity to meet her in person. I have to say, Dr. Bailey was wonderful with Brodie and offered some very valuable insight into how we could get him back on the right track. I think it is so great when general practitioners and specialists have the opportunity to work together to provide the best possible care for their patients. Not only does Dr. Bailey share her knowledge with local veterinarians like myself, but consults with veterinarians world-wide through the Veterinary Information Network where she is one of their featured neurology specialists. “Thanks Dr. Bailey… Woof Woof!!” -The Brodster :)
Many thanks to the rescue organizations that stepped up this past week and offered to help our little shelter friend Paige after an accident left her partially paralyzed. We are especially grateful to Rescue Me Yorkie Rescue, and Rescue Ridge for going above and beyond.
Partial Wen Resection surgery on a one year old Oranda goldfish. The purpose of the surgery was to restore the vision that was obscured by the overgrowth of the wen tissue over both eyes. The owner reported lethargy and decreased ability to locate food. The fish was anesthetized using Finquil buffered with sodium bicarb in a water bath. The surgery was a great success and recovery smooth!
performed by Dr. Tracey Cantamessa
with Andi D assisting
