Dr. Phil Zeltzman’s Blog
Real stories about actual HRVSS patients.
Skeeter and the vanishing neck tumor
Skeeter, a 10 year old Beagle, was drinking & peeing much more than normal. Blood work showed that his calcium levels were too high. This can be due to multiple conditions. An ultrasound of the neck showed an enlarged left para-thyroid gland. The para-thyroid is...
How Dog the Cat Almost Lost his Leg
Dog, a 10 year old kitty, was in a strange situation. 2-3 weeks before I talked to the owner, a child (from another family) apparently jumped on him and broke his shin bone. The fracture was initially managed with a splint, which Dog wouldn't keep on. So surgery was...
Archie, a high-stakes gallbladder surgery
“These clients are among my best friends. Both have very serious health issues. Archie is their life, and he’s in severe trouble. Please save his life.” Such was the high-pressure phone call I received from a referring vet. Archie, a 10 year old Scottish terrier, was...
Our top 10 surgeries in cats and dogs
Have you ever wondered how common your pet’s surgery is? Here are our 10 most common surgeries at HRVSS in 2023: 1. TPLO TPLO remains our #1 surgery. This procedure addresses a torn ACL in the knee. Our most common breeds are the Lab and pit bulls. Our biggest patient...
From pain to happiness after OCD surgery
“I could tell he was in a lot of pain, even though he did a good job hiding it and continued to act like his crazy self despite his limp.” Rocky, a sweet 10 month old German shepherd, was limping in the right front leg. It started when he was 9 months of age, then it...
Top 5 questions HRVSS clients worry about
Today we answer the 5 most common questions we hear from our clients. Anesthesia Most pet owners are concerned about anesthesia. Even though there is always a risk, it’s fortunately very low. The risk of dying under anesthesia is around 0.25% across all cats and dogs,...
Didder the broken kitty makes a full recovery
Didder, a beautiful 2 year old indoor/outdoor cat, was found limping. During a visit to the vet, X-rays were taken. The results were concerning… His femur (thigh bone) was absolutely shattered (see preop pictures). How many pieces can you count?Preop X-ray of the...
Is my dog in pain?
Signs of pain are not always obvious in dogs. Part of the reason has to do with their evolution. In the wild, sick animals often get eaten. So we believe that dogs have learned to hide pain and sickness in order to survive. Sadly that doesn’t always make our job easy!...
Behind the Scenes at HRVSS
What really happens after your pet is admitted for surgery? We are all pet lovers, and we’ve all had pets who needed surgery, so we know that a pet having surgery can be a very stressful experience. Today, we share our secrets and take you behind the doors at HRVSS....
When Everybody is Convinced it’s Cancer (part 2)
This is a follow-up to a previous blog with the same title: Sometimes, we remove a mass that was believed to be cancer, but the biopsy shows that it was perfectly benign. Here 2 more actual patients we recently treated. Delilah and the evil skin masses Delilah, a 12...