Baltimore-area humans are lucky to have access to many top experts in
medicine right in our own backyard. But you might not be aware that the
same is true for your dog. We talked to just a few of them, ranging
from internationally renowned specialists to general practices offering
cutting-edge procedures.
Dr. Ira Luskin, who practices in Towson and Annapolis, is founder of
the Animal Dental Training Center, the first private training center
for veterinary dentistry. When we spoke, he was about to leave for
Sweden to address a gathering of European veterinary dentists. Dr.
Luskin — whose most interesting recent patient was a one-pound fruit
bat at the aquarium — says that his specialty has only existed since
about 1989, and there are currently only about a hundred veterinary
dentists in the world.
The point of dentistry for your dog is not just to have attractive
pearly white teeth. Oral exams are important because the oral cavity is
the third most common site of cancers, according to Luskin. What’s
more, dental issues can lead to serious health problems. “Periodontal
disease is the third most common disease in animals,” he says. “It can
lead to liver, kidney and heart infections. In small breeds, it can
lead to jaw fracture — the bone is being eaten away.”
Luskin notes that many dental problems are preventable: they arise
because owners give their dogs the wrong things to chew on, resulting
in broken teeth. He points out that while a dog’s jaw pressure is
stronger than ours, its tooth enamel is weaker. His advice? “If you
would feel safe to chew on it yourself, then it’s safe for your animal.”
A sheltie wears a shoulder protection device following arthroscopic rotator cuff repair by Dr. Canapp.
Sports medicine for dogs — you might wonder, are there really enough
Frisbee-playing injuries to sustain a medical practice? Actually, the
Veterinary Orthopedic Sports Medicine group in Ellicott City are also
experts in treating working canines, like police and search and rescue
dogs. “Most police in the region have our direct cell phone line,” says
orthopedic surgeon Dr. Sherman Canapp.
Some of their high-profile patients aren’t exactly hurt on the job,
though. They recently treated the Italian ambassador’s German Shepherd
for a squirrel-chasing injury. And average pet owners choose his
practice using the same kind of reasoning they use for their own health
care: you want a surgeon who does the same procedures over and over.
“We do shoulder after shoulder, knee after knee, hip after hip,” says
Canapp, and, as he compares, “If we tear our knee skiing, we want the
same guy who did the quarterback for the Ravens.”
Along with surgery, their group includes rehab, acupuncture, and a
sports trainer. “Our model is based on the human model,” says Canapp.
“We’re the only group in the U.S. that includes all this under one
roof.”
Your pet also doesn’t have to be an athlete to suffer the joint
problems that often come with aging, and Canapp is on the cutting edge
of treating those as well. Patients have come from as far away as
Florida for regenerative stem cell therapy, which can be used to treat
degenerative joint diseases such as arthritis. A sample of the dog’s
own fat cells is taken and sent to a lab, which grows out cells that,
injected into a joint, are able to develop into other cell types, such
as cartilage.
Dermatology is another specialty that may seem surprising — with all
that fur, your dog never needs to worry about her complexion. But as
Dr. Adam Patterson explained, for dogs, a dermatologist is essentially
the equivalent of a human allergist. Itching, biting, rubbing, licking,
and scratching are often the signs of allergies — even allergies to
food — as are some chronic ear infections. “The ear is just an
extension of the skin, so whatever happens on the skin can happen in
the ears,” says Patterson.
Because these symptoms are often misinterpreted, Patterson is often the
first one to correctly identify a problem that’s mystified an owner —
and caused an animal suffering — for a very long time. “Many times
these animals have had chronic skin problems for five or six years
before I’ve even seen them,” he says. And while allergies can only be
managed, not eliminated, the diagnosis can be a huge step in the right
direction. Patterson says, “There’s never going to be a cure for
allergies, but can we improve the dog’s quality of life? Definitely.”
The Baltimore area is also home to a number of more general veterinary
practices that offer up to date procedures and services that aren’t yet
commonly available. There are new developments even in everyday
procedures like spays and neuters. Dr. Irvin Herling of the Docside
Animal Hospital in Fells Point says that laparascopic spaying reduces
the usual seven to 10-day recovery time to one or two days.
Laparascopy, now common in human surgery, involves inserting a tiny
camera which allows the surgeon to view the organs on a monitor under
magnification. Only a couple of small incisions are required for
procedures that used to entail opening the whole abdomen, resulting in
less pain and quicker healing.
Dr. Herling says that such minimally invasive surgical techniques for
pets have become more common in the past five years or so, but he’s the
only vet in the area that’s doing laparoscopic spays routinely. He was
a pioneer in the field, having trained with surgeons back in 1997.
Spays aren’t the only operation that benefits from the new technology,
of course. “Almost any abdominal or thoracic surgery should be
considered for minimally invasive surgery,” he says, including
diagnostic procedures such as biopsies. “I can put the patient through
so much less and do so much more.”
Dr. Allan Frank does a wide variety of minimally invasive surgery at
the Hunt Valley Veterinary Hospital, but it’s his soft palate procedure
that attracts the Bulldog owners and breeders from all over the
mid-Atlantic. The procedure helps eliminate the breathing difficulties
that are common in short-faced breeds.
“If the palate is elongated, we trim it with a special device,” he
says. “It’s a very quick procedure, which is important in these breeds
that don’t tolerate anesthesia well.”
Dr. Herling performs a laparoscopic spay.
The device, called a LigaSure, which is also used in laparoscopic
procedures, vaporizes cells or vessels, with no bleeding and minimal
swelling.
If you have a smush-faced dog like a Pug or Bulldog, the snorting,
snoring, and snuffling is the normal soundtrack of your life. So you’ll
understand why Frank’s son was up all night watching his dog after soft
palate surgery.
“He thought something was wrong, the dog was so quiet,” Frank recalled.
“It took a while for him to get used to not hearing the breathing.”
Specialists aren’t the only vets who are taking human medical care as
their model. At the Everhart Veterinary Hospital, says Dr. Robert
Goodman, “We see ourselves as a community hospital.” Everhart is open
seven days a week, and their goal, as far as possible, is for the
patient to be able to get all the necessary care in one place,
including diagnostic procedures like ultrasound and digital radiography.
“We try to provide as much as possible here instead of sending you to
other places,” says Goodman. Although they do refer patients to outside
doctors when necessary, they pride themselves on having a team of
doctors that can handle much of what specialists might do.
For their inpatients, one important innovation is the introduction of a
hospitalist, a doctor who’s trained in critical care and follows a case
throughout hospitalization, “so there’s a continuity of care throughout
the week – you talk to the same doctor every time you come in, instead
of a different doctor every day.”
Treatment area at Everhart Veterinary Hospital, a new state-of-the-art facility.
Everhart is housed in a brand new, state-of-the-art facility that
celebrated its first anniversary this past February. But the practice
was founded in 1956, and it’s fascinating to consider the changes that
have taken place in that time. Dr. Goodman himself says, “When I
started, in 1982, there were two specialists in the entire
Baltimore-Washington area.” Times have indeed changed!
Dermatology is another specialty that may seem surprising — with all
that fur, your dog never needs to worry about her complexion. But as
Dr. Adam Patterson explained, for dogs, a dermatologist is essentially
the equivalent of a human allergist. Itching, biting, rubbing, licking,
and scratching are often the signs of allergies — even allergies to
food — as are some chronic ear infections. “The ear is just an
extension of the skin, so whatever happens on the skin can happen in
the ears,” says Patterson.
