amily focus >> pet lovers

Vet Specialists from page 39

Specializing in Off-leash Obedience Training for the Family Dog

No time to train your dog? No problem!
We can professionally train your dog in our In-Kennel Off-Leash Program. Owners
are welcome to train their own dog too! The choice is yours! Group classes held in

Birmingham, Clarkston, Oxford & Rochester

New
Sessions
Every Month...

rn

Si Enroll NOW

Back to School
for Ficlo too!

Not Everyone Likes Dogs... But Everyone LOVES a Well Trained Dog!
248.236.0287 WWW.GREATDOGS.ORG

Not only are we known for the

COOKIE KITS,

BEST Challah in town-
Cupcakes and MORE!!!

111

ft/

2013

248.626.9110

On the Boardwalk • 6879 Orchard Lake Rd. • West Bloomfield
www.dakotabread.com

2014 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro Premium

$379

MO*
36 mo ase

Audi
Truth in Engineering

mmilati.—.

Audi

SIfimania

rri

111111111111111111111aZa - 1.

Ali

Audi Service
WU'
MIIMM

MOM

UT
MI=

MEN MEIN

ANA.-

--A r7 7

Rick Zerner

Audi Sylvania

5570 Monroe St. I Sylvania, OH
www.syLvaniaaudi.com

40 January 16 • 2014

419-821 4 ; 1 2514

*$2994 plus tax & fees due at delivery. $0 security deposit. 10,000 mi./yr.
c,
allowed, 250/mi. over limit. Subject to credit approval by lender. Not everyone tg,t
will qualify. See Audi Sylvania for complete details. Offer expires 1/31/14.

health.
"Having the ability to help other
people is important to me, and I can do
that through my profession, which has
been very rewarding. It takes experience
and skill to work with pet owners and
patience to work with animals who can't
describe their symptoms. Becoming a
veterinarian was more of a calling than
a job."
In practice for 25 years, Henney
opened her current facility in 2004.
Twenty-three doctors are on staff at
OVRS, including specialists in anesthe-
sia, cardiology, emergency/critical care
and oncology. Henney is a board-certi-
fied veterinary surgeon with expertise in
constructive surgery.
"The human-animal bond is more
important to people now than it was 50
or even 25 years ago:' Henney says. As
more pets began to live in homes with
families, their health and life expectancy
improved. Pet owners also benefitted
from the companionship:'

John Simon: Holistic Style
As a teen, I was very interested in
science and loved animals:' says
John Simon, DVM, and owner of the
Woodside Clinic in Royal Oak. "I finally
connected the two interests at age 16,
and decided I wanted to become a vet-
erinarian:'
Simon opened his first practice 46
years ago and has been treating pets at
the Royal Oak location for 43 years.
"I didn't want to use drugs or sur-
gery to treat animals in my practice,
so I looked for other approaches to
solve medical problems and help them
maintain their health:' he says. "Healthy
nutrition for animals was one of my
first solutions. For instance, some of the
animals thrived when I put them on a
different type of diet, especially when
nutritional supplements were added:'
Simon has studied veterinarian
acupuncture for more than 35 years
although there is no formal certification
in that field.
"Acupuncture needles, when inserted
into acupuncture points, stimulate
the body's neuroendocrine system to
produce natural, narcotic, painkillers
known as endorphins:' he says. "These
endorphins are often more potent than
morphine:'
Today his clinic offers a variety of
holistic treatments including pet acu-
puncture, chiropractic approaches, soft
laser therapy, pulsed magnetic therapy
and herbal therapy to manage pain
when traditional treatments or anti-
inflammatory medications don't work.
For example, he uses chiropractic meth-
ods for back problems and nutritional
supplements to treat arthritis rather than
face the side effects of drugs.
Rather than surgically treating a pet

with a torn ACL (anterior cruciate liga-
ment, or knee), for instance, Simon uses
prolotherapy. This involves injecting a
non-pharmacological and non-active
irritant solution into the body, usually
near a tendon or ligament. The purpose
is to strengthen weakened connective
tissue and eliminate pain.
"The body has the ability to heal itself
when it's provided with proper support
and nutrition:' Simon says.

Paul Bloom: Skin and Ears
"I'm told that when I was 4 years old,
I announced I was going to be a vet-
erinarian:' says Paul Bloom, DVM,
founder of the Bloom
Animal Hospital
and the Allergy and
Dermatology Clinic for
Animals in Livonia.
He is certified as a
Diplomate of the
American
Board of
\‘‘0,
Veterinary Practioners,
Dr. Paul Bloom
(ABVP), feline and
canine specialty, and became Michigan's
first board-certified veterinary dermatolo-
gist in a full-time private practice.
"I remain associated with the College
of Veterinary Medicine at Michigan State
University, teaching residents and train-
ing doctors in dermatology medicine," he
says. "I also serve as a mentor to students,
often showing them the skills they'll need
for case management
"One of the most common complaints I
hear from pet owners is about their itchy
doe Bloom says.
"The key to stopping this chronic
problem is to search for the cause and
treat that. Often we find that the condi-
tion is incurable, but it can be controlled.
For instance, dogs also have eczema, just
as people, and there is no cure for that
condition:'
He says the second most common
complaint is about a pet's chronic ear
problems. "This is another example of
finding the cause, which we can do better
now working with new technologies such
as a video otoscope. With this machine,
I can enlarge a picture of a dog's inner
ear and project it on a larger screen. The
machine enhances surgical procedures on
the ear, making the treatment and recov-
ery more efficient:'
Using specialized procedures, Bloom
is able to examine skin biopsies, test for
allergies and provide microbiologic exam-
inations of skin scrapings. Treatment
methods include topical or systemic
medications, allergy shots and surgical
procedures.
As the number of animals kept as pets
continues to grow, the need for quality
veterinary care continues. The demand
for veterinarians with specific training in
health fields is consistent and continu-
ously growing.

❑

