Veterinarians are specializing to provide extensive treatment, including ultrasounds, chemo and plastic surgery

BY CHRIS ANGERMANN

For many Americans, cats and dogs are not just household pets: They are family. So it should come as no surprise that during a medical crisis, many owners lavish extensive care on their four-legged family members.

"People are starting to demand the same level of excellence and service for their pets as for themselves," said animal neurologist and neurosurgeon Dr. Anne Chauvet of Sarasota.

"Advances of diagnostics are huge -- MRIs, ultrasound -- so early diagnoses are more possible."

In recent years, dialysis and kidney transplants for cats have become more common, as have hip and knee replacements for dogs. It is not unusual for pets with cancer to undergo radiation, chemotherapy and gene therapy, as well as surgery.

Chauvet tells the story of Serendipity, a mixed-breed dog, part-schnauzer, part-Labrador, whose hind legs had collapsed because of a cancerous spinal vertebra. The two sisters who owned the dog refused euthanasia. They

mortgaged their house to pay for surgery. In a seven-hour operation, Chauvet and a colleague took out the entire vertebra, replaced it with a bone marrow graft and plated it.

The sisters slept on the floor with the dog for months and took care of all her needs because the healing process required that she not be moved.

Serendipity lived up to her name. Except for no feeling in her tail, she made a full recovery and was able to run again.

"My job as a specialist is to guide the owners, not to decide for them," Chauvet said, although she offers this advice: "Follow your heart."

At Veterinary Neuro Services, Chauvet treats cats and dogs for bone, spinal and brain cancers. In a year, she does 10 to 15 craniotomies, the surgical removal of part of the skull to expose the brain, most commonly performed for brain tumor removal. She also sees pets for hernias, acute traumas and other emergencies. On call 24-7, she spent New Year's Eve operating on a dachshund that had a herniated disk.

Dr. Jeanette Cole; her husband, Dr. Edward Cole; and her sister-in-law, Dr. Kate Cole -- all veterinarians at Gulf Gate Animal Clinic & Hospital -- provide services from simple nail trims and teeth cleaning to major surgery and chemotherapy. But Cole also refers animals and their owners to specialists, including pet oncologists, dermatologists and other surgeons, "for procedures we haven't done frequently enough ourselves," she said. "That's the trend now."

In the Sarasota area, there are ophthalmologists who do cataract surgery and artificial lens implants. The Cat Thyroid Center in Ruskin treats feline hyperthyroidism, a disease common to older cats. Pet dentists perform root canals and treat allergies. In larger cities, you can find specialists who perform only soft-tissue surgery or orthopedic hip replacements for dogs. Even pet plastic surgery is available, both for reconstructive and aesthetic purposes.

For the owners, treatments can be expensive. An MRI can cost $1,500. A hip replacement for a dog can run between $4,000 and $6,000. Depending on where you live, a craniotomy goes from $4,000 all the way to $10,000. Follow-up care can place additional burdens on the owner. After a kidney transplant, for example, cats will have a stomach tube for a month so they can get adequate nutrition. Post-op care can take up to two hours a day -- a big time commitment.

The return on all that time, money and effort can be great. Cole cites the case of Smoky Lion, a cat that suffered from diabetes, intestinal tumors, kidney problems and hyperthyroidism. The treatment was challenging because the chemotherapy used cortisone, which is a no-no when an animal has diabetes. "It was a balancing act that needed a very sharp owner that could watch for symptoms of side effects for drugs," Cole said. But because of the surgery and attentive after-care, Smoky Lion lived to the ripe old age of 16.

Of course, it is not only traditional medical treatments available to pet owners. Just as humans are searching for alternative treatments for themselves, they are looking at some of those same options for their pets.

Kayla, an Australian shepherd, had been in excellent health until just before her eighth birthday. Out of the blue, she suffered three seizures in one day. "It was very frightening," her owner, Kristine Nickels, recalled. "I found her on her side panting, legs and feet spasming. She was foaming at the mouth and had lost control of her bladder and bowels."

Nickel took Kayla to the Sarasota Veterinary Emergency Hospital on South Tamiami Trail, where she received drugs and stayed until she was seizure-free. The heavy doses of phenobarbital and prednisone, however, made her groggy and listless. Later, an MRI showed a brain lesion that was not operable.

Doing research on the Internet, Nickel discovered that acupuncture treatment might be effective. She went to Dr. Howard Rand who combines traditional and holistic animal medicine in Sarasota. One of the first veterinarians in the U.S. to perform acupuncture -- he has been at it since 1974 -- he also does allergy testing and treatment, homeopathy, prolotherapy (injection of tendons and ligaments) and applied kinesiology. "I use alternative medicine to complement conventional wisdom," he said.

Rand put Kayla on a detoxing regimen, prescribed organic food, and gave her acupuncture treatments.

In three sessions, Kayla's health improved to the point that her medication could be greatly reduced. At the time of the interview, Kayla had been seizure-free for a month and had become more like herself again. Nickel feels fortunate that she and her husband, attorney Jack Klingsmith, can provide Kayla with the best treatment available.

"I wanted to return to her the joy that she has brought us," Nickel said.