Page 9 - Hobe Spound Reflections - April '24

Hobe Sound, Page 9

tIp oF the taIl

Canine Cataracts to other age changes that occur as your dog gets older. The progression varies from breed to breed and individual to

hereditary cataracts can be seen in many breeds including individual. Cataracts may develop relatively early in life in
cocker spaniels, Labs, poodles, and Boston terriers. some breeds, but in others the first signs are detected when
The affect cataracts will have on your dog can vary the dog is older. The progression can be so slow that dogs still
from almost no affect to total blindness. If cataracts occupy have reasonable sight well into old age. Efforts can be made
less than 30 percent of the lens or only one lens, the vision to prevent inherited cataracts by careful and conscientious
will be almost normal. Noticeable impairment occurs breeding. Many veterinary ophthalmologists offer eye
when greater than 60 percent of the lens is affected and if certification programs that offer breeders the opportunity to
opacity progresses to 100 percent, your dog will be blind. screen their breeding stock and make sure they are producing
The progression depends on the type of cataract, the breed disease-free puppies.
and other risk factors. Veterinary ophthalmologists can Established in 1981, Palm City Animal Medical Center
surgically remove cataracts and restore failing vision caused is dedicated to providing the best possible care for your
The structure and function of the eye is similar to that of a by cataracts in your pet. Most pets have few complications pets. With focuses on compassionate care in surgery,
camera. The camera has a lens to focus light on film, while the and return to normal activity, running and playing within just physical therapy and rehabilitation, preventative medicine,
eye has a lens to focus light on the retina which sends signals a few days of the surgery. The ophthalmologists may start extensive diagnostics and emergency service, Palm City
to the brain to be interpreted into the world around us. A with topical medications, but surgery is often the best option. Animal Medical Center combines exceptional medical
cloudy or opaque lens is called a cataract. The most common Your veterinarian can arrange a referral appointment to an care with a caring philosophy for pets and their owners.
cause in dogs is inherited cataracts, but other cataracts form ophthalmologist to further evaluate your pet’s condition and For more information, call (772) 283-0920, visit www.
after traumatic injuries or systemic disease such as diabetes determine appropriate treatment options. palmcityanimalmedicalcenter.com or find us on Facebook
mellitus. Cataracts appear spontaneously and can be related Since the major cause of cataract is hereditary, cataract at www.facebook.com/PalmCityAnimalClinic.

Fundraising Event from page 8

“After serving 22 years in the Air Force, 12 in Special
Operations, and retiring with a PTSD and traumatic brain
injury diagnosis, I thought my journey was over. The baggage
I carried coupled with the symptoms of my battlefield wounds
was just too much. That was until I was turned on to American
Humane and their Pups 4 Patriots Program. The hardest part
was taking that first step but after filling out that application I
was surrounded by a care team and before I knew it a leash was
placed in my hand and Winnie on the other end. In that moment,
my focus changed. Winnie gave me that companionship and Gail Worth, Frank Orenstein Jim Engle, Gaye Engle
healing I required to get back on track, live life the way I Brian O’Connor, Dr. Robin Gerry Kazma, Leigh-Anne
wanted, and reintegrate back into my family!” Ganzert Kazma “For some, medications and therapy are simply not
Thomas and Joly. Military Working Dog (MWD) Joly enough to help restore a sense of normalcy, and nothing
was retired and needed a ride home from Bahrain to her American Humane stepped in and assisted us in bringing her can put a smile on a vet’s face like a wagging tail,” said Dr.
family in South Florida. Her handler that served with her home. If not for this organization this reunification probably Ganzert. “We want every veteran to know that they do not
(Brian) is still deployed, so she was received in Florida by would not have occurred. In June, Brian, Morgan, and Joly need to face this battle alone. Man’s best friend can help.”
Brian’s father, Tom. will continue their military service in Sasebo, Japan and reside To learn more, visit americanhumane.org.
“After several failed attempts to bring Joly stateside, together as a family for the first time.” Photos by Capehart Photography

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SPOTLIGHT ON HEALTH CARE

Fewer patients face traditional open-heart surgery as

minimally invasive procedures continue to evolve.

By Valerie Staggs

When Dr. John Gibbon performed the first conditions is heart valve disease, which, as For Sabbah, these new structural heart
successful open-heart bypass procedure in the name suggests, relates to a defect in a treatments allow him to provide patients
1953, the medical world gained its first heart valve. “The heart has four chambers with the life altering results they are desper-
glimpse at the possibilities for treating this and four heart valves. Their function is to ately seeking. “One of the most rewarding
vital organ with innovative medical inter- open and close in harmony so that blood aspects of my specialty is offering pa-
vention. Today cardiac surgeons perform flows through the heart in the proper di- tients who aren’t feeling well the option
over 900,000 procedures annually and by rection,” explains Sabbah. A “leaky” valve of a minimally invasive procedure. In
2029, cardiac surgeries are projected to can cause blood to back up into the lungs most cases, they are feeling better in as
reach 1.3 million each year. The increase and elsewhere, at times causing significant little as a week. There is nothing better
is attributed not to open-heart procedures, symptoms of shortness of breath, dizziness, than that.”
but to more minimally invasive options and even sometimes chest pain.
now available to physicians.
New procedures such as TAVR (transcath-
While Gibbon paved the way for the use eter aortic valve replacement) enable car-
of open-heart procedures to treat serious diologists like Sabbah to fix valve defects
heart conditions, the introduction of new through minimally invasive methods. The
cardiovascular technologies in recent years TAVR procedure involves a small IV, typi-
has enabled patients to avoid the need for conditions that affect the structure of the cally in the groin area, to allow access to an
open-heart surgery in many cases. Today heart, specifically the heart’s valves, walls, artery. A catheter is then inserted into the
cardiologists are able to diagnose and treat chambers or muscles. These conditions artery and guided through that blood vessel
many heart conditions early before they can be congenital, meaning they have been to the heart where the clogged up valve is
lead to future complications. with the patient since birth, or they can be located. The new tissue aortic valve is then
caused by other adverse conditions in the deployed inside of the defective aortic valve.
“The landscape of cardiac care has body such as high blood pressure, an infec- The average TAVR procedure takes about
changed significantly over the past de- tion or autoimmune diseases such as lupus one hour, and most patients return home
cade,” says Dr. Michael Sabbah, an inter- or rheumatic fever. Simple aging can also the next day. Patients report a significantly
ventional and structural cardiologist at Ju- lead to structural heart defects. About 2.5% improved quality of life after the procedure.
piter Medical Center. “We are now able to of all Americans suffer from structural heart
treat defects and disorders of the heart be- disease. TAVR is just one of the treatment meth-
fore they lead to more serious conditions.” ods cardiologists now have available to treat
Thanks to recent developments in the treat- structural heart disease. Similar treatments Michael Sabbah, MD
The defects and disorders Sabbah refers ment of structural heart disease, cardiol- available include MitraClip and Am-
TM
TM
to are collectively known as “structural ogists like Dr. Sabbah now have a host of platzer Septal Occluder . Both involve To learn more, visit
heart disease,” a sub-specialty of cardiol- different options for treating their patients. putting a device in place to fix a structural
ogy. Structural heart disease is defined as One of the most common structural heart abnormality. jupitermed.com/cardiology.
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