Dr. Phil Zeltzman’s Blog
Running on ice leads to a broken bone…
Toga, a 1 year old standard poodle, was playing outside. He slipped on ice and ran into a tree. This apparently benign incident led to severe limping on a back leg.
X-rays confirmed a shattered femur (thigh bone).
I was called in to repair the fracture at Blairstown Animal Hospital in NJ.
We ended up using a big plate, a wire, a pin and 15 screws.
Toga, a 1 year old standard poodle, was playing outside. He slipped on ice and ran into a tree. This apparently benign incident led to severe limping on a back leg.
In order to heal, Toga will need to be strictly confined to a small room, with no jumping, no running and no stairs for 2 months. He also needs to be walked on a leash to eliminate only.
So far, 1 month after surgery, he is recovering nicely at home.
Dr. Phil Zeltzman is a traveling veterinary surgeon in Pennsylvania & New Jersey. An award-winning author, he loves to share his adventures in practice along with information about vet medicine and surgery that can really help your pets. Dr. Zeltzman specializes in orthopedic, neurologic, cancer, and soft tissue surgeries for dogs, cats, and small exotics. By working with local family vets, he offers the best surgical care, safest anesthesia, and utmost pain management to all his patients. Sign up to get an email when he updates his blog, and follow him on Facebook, too!
A very cool but challenging patient: a broken bunny
Mochi is a 1 year old, dwarf bunny who weighs a whole 3 pound.
She is “free rooming”, which means that she doesn’t live in a cage. She has access to the whole house.
Sadly, something happened, unbeknownst to her owner.
She started to hold her back leg awkwardly, acted painful and was reluctant to move.
Her owner took her to the vet:
X-rays revealed the diagnosis: her femur (thigh bone) was shattered.
I was called to the Animal Clinic of Morris Plains to fix the fracture. The repair involved using a tiny plate, 7 screws and 2 pins.
The bone was smaller than a pencil…
It’s been one of the most challenging fractures I’ve had to repair in a while!
So far, Mochi is recovering smoothly.
Dr. Phil Zeltzman is a traveling veterinary surgeon in Pennsylvania & New Jersey. An award-winning author, he loves to share his adventures in practice along with information about vet medicine and surgery that can really help your pets. Dr. Zeltzman specializes in orthopedic, neurologic, cancer, and soft tissue surgeries for dogs, cats, and small exotics. By working with local family vets, he offers the best surgical care, safest anesthesia, and utmost pain management to all his patients. Sign up to get an email when he updates his blog, and follow him on Facebook, too!
Chimps!
Project Chimps
On the 12th day of Christmas, I saw… chimps!
Emma (above)
After visiting the Georgia Aquarium, I had the unique opportunity to visit “Project Chimps” in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of northern Georgia. It’s a 240 acre sanctuary that is currently home to about 30 chimpanzees, all rescued from a biomedical research facility.
Arthur (above)
It will eventually be able to provide sanctuary to 300 chimps!
If you remember the compound where the cute dinos are kept in Jurassic Park, it gives you a pretty good idea of what the chimps’ amazing permanent retirement home looks like.
Because they were used for research, these chimps make their caregivers and veterinary team’s lives somewhat easy. They can show you their hand, stick their arm out or open their mouth, all on command. The sanctuary has a fully equipped veterinary clinic with X-rays and a surgery room; a prep kitchen (made possible by Rachael Ray !!!); and a room full of toys used for enrichment!
The team is now working on completing the outdoor habitat. This will allow the chimps, who have lived their entire lives in research facilities, to play outside for the first time in their lives.
Chimpanzees are great apes who can live over 50 years. Project Chimps was founded to provide a permanent, long-term home where they can thrive.
Do you love the idea?
How can you support this amazing project? The sanctuary is not currently open to the public, but private educational tours will be available soon. Meanwhile, you can help out financially (https://projectchimps.org/support-us/donate/).
You can literally sponsor a chimp for $23 per month!
You can also buy toys, supplies and… nuts through an Amazon wish list.
Or you can purchase some pretty cool gear, for yourself or as a gift for someone you love (https://www.ecojoia.com/index.php/stores/partner-all/ecojoia/pc).
Taz (above)
I hope you’ll join me in supporting Project Chimps.
Thank you.
Thank you also for following our 12 Days of Christmas, I hope you enjoyed the amazing wonders Mother Nature has to offer. I wish you, your family and your pets a wonderful New Year.
Dr. Phil Zeltzman is a traveling veterinary surgeon in Pennsylvania & New Jersey. An award-winning author, he loves to share his adventures in practice along with information about vet medicine and surgery that can really help your pets. Dr. Zeltzman specializes in orthopedic, neurologic, cancer, and soft tissue surgeries for dogs, cats, and small exotics. By working with local family vets, he offers the best surgical care, safest anesthesia, and utmost pain management to all his patients. Sign up to get an email when he updates his blog, and follow him on Facebook, too!
A little Holiday surprise for my readers!
Please keep an eye on my Facebook page for a special “12 days of Christmas event,” starting tomorrow Monday December 25, 2017.
Please tell your friends to Like my page – being an animal lover is a requirement!
Thanks and Happy Holidays to you, your family and your pets.
Dr. Phil Zeltzman is a traveling veterinary surgeon in Pennsylvania & New Jersey. An award-winning author, he loves to share his adventures in practice along with information about vet medicine and surgery that can really help your pets. Dr. Zeltzman specializes in orthopedic, neurologic, cancer, and soft tissue surgeries for dogs, cats, and small exotics. By working with local family vets, he offers the best surgical care, safest anesthesia, and utmost pain management to all his patients. Sign up to get an email when he updates his blog, and follow him on Facebook, too!
Have you heard about the 5 freedoms for animals?
This may not be surgery-related, but I thought it was relevant to pet lovers.
Have you ever heard about the 5 freedoms for animals?
1. Freedom from hunger & thirst. Pets should have easy access to food and fresh water to maintain health and vigor.
2. Freedom from discomfort. This includes a safe environment to rest and feel sheltered.
3. Freedom from pain, injury and disease. This can be done through prevention, or when there is a medical condition, through prompt diagnosis and treatment.
4. Freedom to express normal behavior. This is accomplished by providing enough space, appropriate facilities, and in some cases, company of the animal’s own kind.
5. Freedom from fear & distress. Mental suffering is avoided by providing appropriate living conditions and proper treatment.
Interestingly, this applies to all animals: pets, zoo animals, and wild animals.
Even though this was not the original intention, I believe that the 5 freedoms are also helpful to determine the quality of life of a pet who may be at the end of his life…
Dr. Phil Zeltzman is a traveling veterinary surgeon in Pennsylvania & New Jersey. An award-winning author, he loves to share his adventures in practice along with information about vet medicine and surgery that can really help your pets. Dr. Zeltzman specializes in orthopedic, neurologic, cancer, and soft tissue surgeries for dogs, cats, and small exotics. By working with local family vets, he offers the best surgical care, safest anesthesia, and utmost pain management to all his patients. Sign up to get an email when he updates his blog, and follow him on Facebook, too!