For the Love of Pets
“How much do we love our pets? Plenty!
Where once pet owners discussed when to get
their pets fixed, now you’re hearing about chemo & radiation for our
beloved 4-legged friends…
There’s pet dialysis & diabetes
treatment, &, well, cloning is on the landscape, too. Just ask Barbra
Streisand, who had her beloved dog Samantha successfully cloned.
A cat in Maryland lived a year after
receiving a kidney transplant from a donor cat…
The cat was 18 years old when he died, &
the owner adopted the donor cat…
Years ago, when dogs- or horses- suffered
broken legs or hips, the outcome was grim.
Now broken bones can be healed thanks to
custom crafted braces created with professional athletes in mind.
And there has been a surge for such devices
for pets not only suffering from broken bones but also arthritis & other
age related erosion.
Just ask Sandro Ferrari, owner of Brace
Yourself orthopedics in Toronto. The veteran hospital orthopedic technologist,
whose 2 gorgeous Dobermans, Molly & Kaja, lived to ripe old ages thanks to
his constant love & care, has been the official bracing specialist with the
Toronto Maple Leafs…
But it was a friend’s dog named Shadow who
inadvertently opened up a second career for Ferrari…
‘Shadow had torn her ACL (anterior cruciate
ligament) & I was asked to help. I knew I had to act quickly, & it came
to me that, if fiberglass works for humans, why not dogs?’
He studied the dog’s structure & created
a special brace.
‘When you’re working with a human, the mould
needs to set before you can cut it off & create the brace. With animals,
it’s different. You have to time it right before the cast sets,’ said Ferrari.
Do animals make good patients? ‘Dogs know when they are being helped &
stay still. They know you’re there to make them better,’ said Ferrari.
Word spread about the treatment’s success,
& calls for help starting to pour in- including one from a horse owner who
asked Ferrari if he could save his horse who had suffered a broken leg- which
he successfully did.
Today, Brace Yourself orthopedics (braceyourself.ca) is doing such a
thriving business, Ferrari finds himself juggling 2 full time careers- &
loving every minute of it.
‘It’s quite simple: I love helping animals,’
said Ferrari…
The Canadian pet industry is worth well over
$8 billion when you factor in veterinarian services, food & supplies,
daycare, grooming, & other services…
Statistics from 2018 show 8.3 million cats
were considered household pets, while the dog figure increased to 8.2 million,
up from 7.6 million in 2016.
‘It is encouraging to see the number of pet
cats & dogs increasing in Canada & I think that reflects the special
relationship we have with them,’ notes Colleen McElwain, CAHI programs
director.”
Rita
Demontis
The
Gazette, Montreal
Aug.
3/2019
Cute Critter Pic
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