Case Studies and Pet Success Stories

Chloe Gray

"Drs. and Staff,

Thank you all so much for taking care of Chloe! She is recovering so quickly, I am amazed! I cannot thank you all enough! Chloe still likes to play the drama queen, but she is virtually pain free.

I sent some photos along showing her recovery. She would not let any of her dog-siblings near her the first 24 hours she was home, so now they are just staying clear of her and letting her heal (they understood the growl saying stay away!). But the cats, they were not listening to the growl and check on her regularly! 

She is staying in the crate with no problems and her appetite is strong as ever. When I carry her outside for her potty breaks, she does a little walking and her gait has gotten more regular with each trip outside.  I do the excercises with her that were in the packet, and she is fine with them.

Again, thank you for your wonderful care for Chloe!"

Bette

Bette was referred to BVNS after being treated for ten months with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory and anti-pain medications to treat pain and discomfort that began in June of 2010. 

Upon examination, MRI and surgery were recommended. MRI revealed two disk ruptures and surgery was recommended. During surgery it was determined that only one of the two ruptures could be successfuly repaired. Luckily, that appears to have been enough as Bette continues to do well and improve. We hope that the future holds many pain free and fun-filled days, weeks and years for Bette and her owner, Ron. 

"Dear Drs. Jarboe, Hague and Uzzle,

Although it has not yet been two weeks since Bette had her disc surgery, I wanted to write to express my sincere thanks for all you have done for her. As Dr. Hague saw when I brought Bette in on Saturday for her suture removal, she is doing amazingly well. As I watch her when I get home from work, I realize that she has not been this comfortable and pain free in nearly nine months. She is acting once again like the Bette she always was. Her improvement has been dramatic, but it's really the little things that let me know that she is a happy dog once again.  For the first time in months, she walked over to her toys last night and picked out one of her favorites and brought it over to her bed to play with it.  She did the same again today with another toy.  She has once again begun to interact with my 15 year old blind beagle. Bette has always treated her as if she were her mother, and now that she is feeling well, Bette wants to lie down next to her and lick her face. It actually brings tears to my ears to see the two of them like this once again.

I also wanted to let you know how impressed I was with each and every person I came in contact with at BVNS. From my first phone call in the morning when I spoke with Christine, to the most caring attention I received from all of you, your kindness, communication and dedication has been overwhelming. I know that people who care from animals are special people, but each of you are truly exceptional. Everyone at BVNS with whom I came in contact deserves my sincere thanks.

Although it may be premature to know what Bette's long term prognosis will be, I am thankful for all that you have done for her and for me.  You are my heroes."

Ron

Riley

Riley was referred by Dr. Nancy Barnett at Stonewall Veterinary Clinic for being unable to rise, muscle loss,  and being very painful. He would persistently whine and cry throughout the day and night. He was diagnosed via MRI with an infection of the intervertebral disks and adjacent bone and soft tissue. It was inferred that the infection was from a Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) because this bacteria was grown in his urine one month prior to presenting to Dr. Bush at BVNS. Riley was treated with aggressive pain management, the use of clindamycin and a slow tapering course of prednisone (a steroid). This treatment combined with a very dedicated owner ultimately allowed Riley to survive this disease. The owner has recently the following note and this picture. 

"I just wanted to send you a quick email to not only update you, but also thank you once again for saving my boxer Riley! It’s been a little over a year and half since he was one of your patients and he actually turns 9 this month and is doing great! He is completely off of the steroids and remains on a small dose of his antibiotics and acetaminophen for his arthritis. I am sure you are so busy, but I really wanted to thank you again for your knowledge and your efforts that have kept Riley with me for this long!" - Laura 

Henry

Henry (shown here with Dr. Bush) is a 2 year-old French Bulldog referred by Dr. Peter Pruckowski at Catoctin Veterinary Clinic for being weak and wobbly on the pelvic limbs, lame on a right thoracic limb, lethargic and febrile.

Neck pain and joint pain were present on Dr. Hague and Dr. Bush’s examination and we deduced the problem was either an infection or immune disease of the joints and lining of the meninges. This is also called polyarthropathy and meningitis. Drs. Hague and Bush did not feel a MRI was required, but instead choose to run blood tests and assess his response to medication. Henry made a rapid and complete recovery but with an interesting twist. Interestingly, Henry improved on antibiotics despite infectious tests that came back as normal. Henry's recovery was even more surprising because he also tested positive for immune disease and yet recovered without receiving any immune modulating drugs. Despite these mysteries, we couldn't be happier with his recovery. 

Going forward, we have decided to monitor him closely for development of immune disease in the future and treat for four more weeks with antibiotics. Despite being a clinical challenge, Henry is a clear favorite at the clinic as evidenced by this picture with Dr. Bush.  We expect Henry will stay well for a long time to come.

Biscuit

Today, we'd like to share one of the many heart-warming success stories we were a part of this past holiday season. 

Biscuit was initially seen 2 days before Christmas because she couldn't move her right front leg. Her quality of life was poor but we were hopeful that we could help improve her condition. Biscuit underwent MRI, which showed a severe disk extrusion resulting in emergency surgery the evening of 12/22. The surgery was successful and after a short recovery we are happy to report that she WAS HOME WALKING FOR CHRISTMAS. Pictured is Biscuit with her owner Steve, ready for an exciting 2011. 

Thank you to Dr. Lisa Marsico from Del Ray Animal Hospital in Alexandria for referring this case to BVNS.

Champ

This inspirational letter was recently received by the owner of our client, Champ. We're very excited to read about how well Champ is doing and very happy to read such positive words of encouragement. 

"Thanks for your update on Champ. It's refreshing to know that your concern for Champ continues to extend beyond the treatment room.

I know you have great love for all animals but I can never thank you enough for giving us the greatest gift this holiday season has provided. Champ is home and moving around under her own power. The concern over her motor control for her hind quarters is abated everyday as she seems to be able to place the left leg firmly in sequence with her other legs. The knuckling under is less frequent every time she gains access to the outdoors. On a side note, she is also able to stand on her own, turn and follow us around to keep up with the daily routine. None of this would ever have been possible, in my opinion, without your quick evaluation and your move to immediately locate and diagnose the nagging problems that were bothering Champy at the outset. Also, the very deliberate professionals who manned the emergency care facility also delivered exactly what I would have expected from that caliber of staff. They were great beyond words.

In the end game, we are blessed to have Champ home again and on the road to recovery. I'll always remember the efforts that you and Dr. Cuff provided in response to our pet's seemingly downward spiral. You gave all there was to give. And although our hearts were heavy as we departed Thursday morning, you gave us the confidence, that the best was yet to come for our pet. None of this would have been possible without your calm deliberate approach and constant reassurance that Champ had a fighting chance. My entire family was blessed that divine province put an angel in our path at Champ's darkest hour. I know I speak for all pet owners when I say, "Well done, Dr. Bush". You have my confidence and assurance that if ever a pet owner approaches me on the best opportunity for their pets continuing health, I will remember your name first.
Have a Blessed New Year and thanks for giving us the greatest gift of all."

Ron

Mozart

"I want to wish you and your staff a blessed holiday season filled with much HAPPINESS and GOOD HEALTH in the New Year! I hope you enjoy the attached pic from Mozart. He would like to thank you for all of your help on his case and for not giving up on him. :-)"

Best wishes,
Cheryl & Mozart

Taz

Taz, a 12 year old female spayed Pomeranian mix, presented to BVNS Springfield at the end of September for severe weakness (tetraparesis) of all four limbs and neck pain. She was unable to walk or support weight when assisted. An MRI showed a lateralized (right-sided) disk herniation at C4-C5. A ventral slot (decompressive spinal surgery) was performed and a large amount of disk material was removed. At recheck 2 weeks post-operatively, Taz’s owners report that she is able to stand and walk at home, and is no longer experiencing any pain.

We will post an update as soon as one is available!

Vinny

Vinny hails from Richmond and  presented the Leesburg practice  almost 2 years ago semi-comatose and unable to walk.  Although he looks contemplative in this picture we also know him to be quite feisty and a little bossy.  He is being treated for GME and doing very well. The owners are fantastically dedicated to Vinny and this is the principal reason he has done so well with this serious disease.

Augustus Miller

Augustus is a 2 year old English Toy Spaniel who was diagnosed with severe hydrocephalus in June 2009 by Dr. Tiches.  Unfortunately, he did poorly with medical management and a vetriculoperitoneal shunt was placed surgically in January 2010 by Drs. Bush and Jarboe.  He has been doing very well since and his owner recently sent us this update: 

"Augustus has been doing really, really well! I've been in Charleston, SC working  and Augustus has become quite the beach dog. We live on Daniel Island and he loves to go to the pier and play in the water!

My neighbor has a golden retriever and Augustus does a pretty decent job of keeping up with her. He's so bright and perky and seems happier than he was this time last year. Probably because he's not on 84,000 medicines!"

Cooper M.

"Thank you for giving me my life back, Doc!"

With much affection and respect, Cooper M. Cooper is a 9 year old Airedale terrier who was brought to BVNS for inability to walk and severe neck pain over the previous 2 days. We performed an MRI of Cooper’s neck and found some severe changes that were consistent with an abscess within the neck muscles extending down into the spinal canal – seen as the bright white areas on the MRI.

Cooper's owners wanted to give him the best chance and so Dr. Jarboe and Dr. Cuff performed surgery to remove as much of the abscess as possible and over the following week Cooper was cared for by the BVNS staff. By the time he went home he was able to walk with minimal support and was able to move his head and neck with improved range of motion and comfort. He went on to show continued improvement and made a full recovery over the following weeks.

And the cause? Likely a migrating grass awn. Samples taken at the time of surgery showed evidence of plant material. Cases like this are very uncommon and we hardly ever have direct evidence for the cause; they are notoriously difficult to treat. In this case the surgeons’ skill in conjunction with a tenacious patient and some loving owners led to the successful outcome we were all rooting for.

See our Facebook page for more on Cooper's story. 

Allie's Story

Allie came to BVNS on the first Sunday in June for an emergency neurology consultation.  Allie woke up in the morning unable to get up in the pelvic limbs.  Dr. Cuff and Dr. Hague examined Allie and found that she had excellent movement in the back legs, but was unable to get up on her own.  She was also painful in her back.  She was given some pain relieving medications and came back the following morning for advanced imaging of the spine.  BVNS has Sunday emergency hours, but since Allie was so stable neurologically, it was recommended that she come back the following day when the full staff was in hospital.

Allie’s MRI of the spine showed that she had a disc herniation between the 12th and 13th thoracic vertebrae causing severe compression of the spinal cord.  In the two MRI pictures, you can see the difference between the normal area of Allie’s spine and the T12-13 area where there is disc in the spinal canal causing severe compression of the spinal cord.   Allie was taken to surgery and Dr. Bush and Dr. Hague were able to remove a large amount of disc material by performing a hemilaminectomy procedure on the left.  After surgery, since Allie had a large amount of disc material, a CT scan was performed before waking her up from anesthesia to ensure complete removal of the disc material.  The CT scan showed removal of the disc material from the spinal canal and relief of the compression.  You can see from the picture, the region of bone we removed during surgery in order to remove the disc material and no evidence of compression of the spinal cord.

Allie was discharged three days after surgery.  Upon discharge from the hospital, Allie was still not able to walk on her own, but continued to have good movement.  We recommended that the owners continue physical therapy with passive range of motion and massage of the back legs.  We also recommended standing exercises.  Controlled water therapy can be excellent therapy for patients after back surgery.  Allie’s owners got her a small kid pool and she has enjoyed spending time in the warm days in the pool doing her physical therapy.  Currently, Allie is about 4 weeks from her surgery and is continuing to show daily improvement and is walking on her own!

Boo's Story

BVNS would like to introduce everyone to Boo, The Wonder Kitty. He is one of our super star patients! Boo is a 14 year old castrate male domestic shorthair. He was taken to Animal Emergency and Critical Care in Leesburg, VA on Thursday (4/22) for evaluation of circling to the right and being very mentally dull and depressed. He was seen by Drs. Bush and Dr. Hague at the Bush Veterinary Neurology Service on Friday (4/23). They performed an examination and were concerned about a problem in the right front part of the brain. They performed an MRI and diagnosed him with a brain tumor in the right temporal-parietal lobe. The following day (Saturday, 4/24) Boo was taken to surgery for removal of the mass. The results of the biopsy show that Boo has a meningioma, which is a slow growing type of tumor. Post-surgery Boo is doing great! According to the owner, Boo wants to run, jump and play with his toys! Here is a picture of Boo at home 5 weeks after his surgery.

 

Ruby's Story

Ruby came to BVNS for episodes of poor balance and neck pain. Her MRI showed that the bone at the back of the skull was pushing into the brain and disrupting the normal fluid flow through the brain and cervical spinal cord. The condition is common in King Charles Cavalier Spaniels and is now known as the chiari-like malformation with syringomyelia. Ruby is pictured here after her brain surgery to correct her malformation. 

Sheena's Story

Sheena first came to BVNS 25 months ago with the complaint of being unable to get up without screaming in pain, stiff, slow to move, dull, persistent flexion of the neck, lameness on the right pelvic limb, and a longer history of being fearful and aggressive.

Dr. Bush was a third opinion as Sheena had seen other neurologists already. After a series of tests and playing a hunch, Sheena became miraculously better on some of the newer treatments for GME. GME is a disease that traditionally carries a very poor prognosis, however the disease is now thought treatable or curable with the newer treatments.  Sheena was one of the first dogs we had tried on these medications, which are now a standard of therapy.

Sheena was also quite fearful and this too has resolved with medication. Today she is happy, healthy, relaxed and has beaten the odds.  

From Sheena's mom:

"Thank you all a million for my little happy and healthy girl. She is a mighty dog and Dr. Bush is a genius."

 

Lucky’s Story

Dear Doctors Bush, Young, and Christine,

Your team is really amazing - we thank you from the bottoms of our hearts for the excellent care, thoroughness, compassion, and honesty you delivered to us and Lucky on Tuesday. It was an exhausting day for everyone but your group was so professional and kind that we felt such great relief driving home with Lucky-boy having some answers and a plan.

Lucky is comfortable with his pain meds, our family will be together over the weekend and we will enjoy our time together.

With our appreciation,

The Shreve family
 

Norman’s Story

Norman is owned by a veterinarian and came to BVNS for weakness on one side. His MRI showed a cancer was growing into the spinal cord. He was getting weaker despite medicine so surgery to remove the tumor was his only chance for a walking well and a good quality of life. The tumor was removed and the biopsy showed it to be an aggressive form of a common tumor called a meningioma. Norman started a safe form of chemotherapy and was given a pill at home three days a week. Although Norman died from another health problem a little more than a year and a half later, he was a great dog. We are sad he is gone but happy that we gave him an extra 18 months with his devoted owner. 

Rascal’s Story

Rascal presented for weakness of the back legs that was progressing to the thoracic limbs and dullness. The MRI did not show a cause for the problem but a spinal tap revealed there was inflammation of the spinal cord and spinal cord lining also called a meningomyelitis. Rascal was then treated with antibiotics and has made a complete recovery. 

Rascal was also the inspiration for the creation of the Rascal Foundation, our non-profit dedicated to advance the diagnostic testing and treatments of companion animals with neurological disease by supporting clinical research. The foundation provides financial assistance for the care of pets with neurological disease. To learn more or to donate to this cause, please visit this page.

Butterscotch’s Story

Butterscotch originally came to BVNS for episodes of poor balance that progressed to dullness and an inability to walk. An MRI showed the back of the brain was severely compressed by a large mass. It was suspected that the tumor was benign but removing it from over the brainstem was thought to be somewhat risky. The owners agreed to the surgery, the tumor was completely and safely removed and the biopsy was benign. Butterscotch quickly returned to normal and still enjoys a great quality of life two years after surgery. 

Scout's Story

"Hi BVNS, this is Scout's mom. Scout recently underwent a hemilaminectomy at your facility. It's been a month since his surgery and he's doing very well. He wanted to send you a holiday picture of him, especially to his surgeon, Dr. Jarboe and to Sarah who took care of him after his surgery. Thanks for the great care you provided to Scout!"

- Pavla D. (Arlington, VA)

Scooby’s Story

Dear Dr. Bush,

James & I wanted to thank you, Emily, and the whole team at BVNS for your expertise and empathy yesterday. Thank you for giving us the knowledge and confidence we needed in order to make the difficult decision to help Scooby. We are grateful Scooby had you to help him fight the good fight, even though in the end it was out of all of our hands.

We were looking forward to seeing Scooby live to be an old man, as we all knew he deserved. We are so grateful for the short time we got to share with him.

We really appreciate the friendliness and flexibility your clinic offered to us.

- Andrea DeLeonardis & James Potter

Scooby "Poo Man Chew" DeLeo-Potter
February 22, 2007 (adoption date) - August 24, 2009
 

Jo Ann C., Harrisburg, PA

"This clinic is absolutely wonderful. This is our second dog seen by this clinic in the past five months. I called before 7:00 a.m. on a Saturday and immediately spoke to Dr. Young. Drs. Young and Bush (and another resident) spent the entire day with us (early morning until after 5:00 p.m.) on a Saturday. This clinic is so responsive and caring. I cannot say enough wonderful things. Even though our little dog has a host of medical problems, Drs. Bush and Young were the ones to identify the problem. We are grateful."

- Jo Ann C. (Harrisburg, PA)

Anissa S., Frederick, MD

"Facility was state of the art and Dr's are experts!"

- Anissa S. (Frederick, MD)

Precious’ Story

Precious came to BVNS in a semi-comatose state, unable to walk and she had not eaten or had any fluids for several days. She was treated with emergency drugs for brain swelling and her fluid and electrolyte balance stabilized. Her MRI showed a large brain tumor was causing the back of her brain to be pushed into the brainstem and cervical spinal cord. Removing the tumor was thought to be risky however the tumor was suspected to be benign. Without hesitation, Precious’ owner opted for the life-preserving, high risk surgery. Happily, after a few days in the hospital, Precious was able to walk and eat. The biopsy came back benign and two years later she is still well and with her devoted owner. 

Tracey B., Bermuda

 "Service was first class from the time we walked in the door."

Lori F., Mechanicsburg, PA

"Honestly I couldn't think of anything else to improve. The staff was amazing. My dog was brought in and had an MRI & CT Scan and surgery the same day. Dr. Bush explained everything thoroughly and Dr. Hague "held" our hand through the whole process. I was updating daily on my dogs progress. I would recommend your practice to everyone."