#Vet Orthopedic Surgery Texas

[dog-braces]

A Tale of Resilience: How Dog Knee Braces Are Changing Lives

One crisp morning in Oregon, a golden retriever named Bailey sat on the porch, her tail wagging with excitement as her owner, Sarah, prepared for their daily hike. But that day was different. Bailey limped, her usual boundless energy subdued by the pain in her hind leg. A visit to the vet confirmed Sarah’s worst fears: Bailey had a torn cranial cruciate ligament (CCL). Surgery was an option, but the hefty price tag left Sarah searching for alternatives. That’s when she discovered the power of dog knee braces—a solution that transformed Bailey’s life and brought their adventures back to life.

Why Dog Knee Braces Are Game-Changers

Bailey’s story isn’t unique. Thousands of dogs in the U.S. experience knee injuries every year. In fact, CCL injuries account for 85% of all canine orthopedic cases, with an estimated 1.2 million dogs undergoing treatment annually. While surgery is effective, it can cost anywhere between $2,000 and $5,000, excluding post-surgery care. Enter dog knee braces, a non-invasive, cost-effective solution that helps pets regain mobility and reduces pain.

Beyond the Obvious: Little-Known Benefits of Dog Knee Braces

Most websites talk about the cost-effectiveness and simplicity of knee braces, but let’s dig deeper into the hidden advantages:

Joint Stabilization for Active Healing Unlike surgery, knee braces don’t require recovery downtime. By stabilizing the joint, they allow natural tissue repair while maintaining your dog’s quality of life. For senior dogs or those with health conditions that make surgery risky, this is a lifesaver.

Preventing Secondary Injuries Dogs with one injured knee often shift weight to the other leg, increasing the risk of further injuries. Knee braces provide balanced support, minimizing strain on the unaffected limb. A recent study revealed that 60% of dogs with untreated CCL tears develop injuries in the opposite knee within two years.

Custom Fit for Unique Needs High-quality dog braces, like those from specialized brands, are tailored to your dog’s specific measurements. This ensures maximum comfort, promoting consistent use. Custom braces have shown a 30% faster recovery rate compared to off-the-shelf models.

Overcoming Skepticism: Real Stories, Real Results

Many dog owners hesitate to try knee braces, doubting their effectiveness. Yet success stories abound. Take Rocky, a spirited border collie from Texas. Post-surgery, he struggled with stiffness and recurring pain. A custom knee brace provided the additional support needed for complete recovery. Within weeks, Rocky was back to chasing frisbees.

Experts agree that dog knee braces are particularly effective when combined with weight management and physical therapy. In a study conducted by the Journal of Veterinary Science, 78% of dogs using knee braces alongside therapy showed significant improvement in mobility within three months.

Choosing the Right Brace

Selecting the right knee brace can feel overwhelming, but understanding your options helps. Look for features like adjustable straps, durable materials, and veterinary endorsements. Whether your dog has a CCL injury, arthritis, or a luxating patella, the right brace can make all the difference.

A Brighter Future for Dogs Everywhere

Bailey now leads Sarah up mountain trails again, her knee brace a symbol of resilience and innovation. For dog owners facing similar challenges, investing in a dog knee brace might just be the decision that changes their furry friend’s life.

Dogs don’t speak our language, but their wagging tails and joyful leaps say it all. With the right support, they can overcome even the toughest hurdles.

Sources

American College of Veterinary Surgeons: Insights on CCL injuries.

Journal of Veterinary Science: Study on knee braces and mobility.

PetMD: CCL injury statistics and treatment options.

[vetnews]

Are you finding the best Orthopedic Surgery Hospital for your pet? Safarivet is the best pet Hospital for any Surgery at a low cost in league Texas. We have skilled board-certified surgeons with 30 years of experience.  we use Advanced techniques supplemented by the most advanced equipment for pets.

If your pet is really suffering from any pain and you want surgery for him then you directly call us at  281-332-5612 and also visit our website.

[stemcellsafari]

Are you finding the best Orthopedic Surgery Hospital for your pet? Safarivet is the best pet Hospital for any Surgery at a low cost in league Texas. We have skilled board-certified surgeons with 30 years of experience. we use Advanced techniques supplemented by the most advanced equipment for pets.

If your pet is really suffering from any pain and you want surgery for him then you directly call us at  281-332-5612 and also visit our website.

[doberbutts]

tinypawpets replied to your link “Shelters Contemplate Breeding Pets During COVID-19 Animal Import Dry...”

That's insane....I would love a day when my time in rescue wasn't needed....I know shelters are different up north. I wish they would come down here and see how we are drowning in dogs :(

The problem is that they were bringing dogs up from down south prior to covid, but they were not treating any dogs they had that came in with illnesses and were not training dogs that came in with aggression. Simply going to southern states and bringing truckfuls of dogs up, and adopting them out occasionally as they arrived. Dogs with active ringworm, heartworm, kennel cough, canine influenza, giardia, tapeworm, and other diseases going straight home, sometime with warning and sometimes not. Dogs that had been hit by cars being shoddily patched up and sent on their way still with a cone and stitches. Dogs that had limps and mystery wounds that were never investigated that became huge vet bills for their new owners. And, sadly, dogs that were never tested with cats, children, or other dogs now going home to where these things exist.

I used to live in Maryland and Pennsylvania and I have never seen so many dogs going home sick or aggressive until I moved to the New England area. I can absolutely understand wanting to help the plethora of dogs rotting away in rescue in the southern US, but in order to do that you have to make sure that the dogs are healthy and safe once they go home. Rescues just aren’t doing that here. I’ve had so many dogs with contagious diseases showing up at my job and I have to explain that it won’t just spread to other dogs that come in but also can spread to the new owners and their kids (in terms of skin and parasite diseases). I’ve had rescues turn their backs on the new owners once they come back with problems and won’t help with the very expensive vet bills they’ve now foisted off on the unsuspecting family.

Let me put it this way- Creed’s breeder has a guarantee that puppies coming from her are healthy before they leave. If you take your puppy from her to the vet within a reasonable amount of time, and the puppy is shown to have contagious disease or genetic defects, she will pay for whatever it takes to make sure the puppy can live a happy, healthy life, because a responsible breeder feels it’s their job to do everything in their power to make sure the puppies are healthy before they go  home.

I had a client who adopted a pit bull two days after she arrived from Texas. She had been hit by a car and apparently shattered her elbow. The rescue used the cheapest vet they could find to install a plate and save the leg, then adopted her out still in cone and stitches with next to zero plan for aftercare. They came to me for training when her stitches came out and I warned them that I did not believe the leg was stable and that I felt they should get a second opinion from an orthopedic specialist. She always had a limp but went completely non-weightbearing after a few months and would not allow her family to touch her without aggression. They took her to an orthopedic specialist and the vet confirmed my original fears regarding the leg- the leg was not stable, the plate was installed very poorly, and the rescue should have just had it removed as it would have been cheaper and less pain for the dog. The estimate to remove the leg was $7-8k. The family called the rescue to ask for help paying or at least organizing a fundraiser since it was their vet that made the mistake. The rescue hung up on them after threatening to take their dog away and give her to a family that will “appreciate her”, and have added them to an adoption blacklist shared by all the rescues in the area.

To me that is abhorrent. There is no reason to have not done it properly the first time except greed- it was cheaper to go to the person who offered the cheapest fix rather than do it properly and give the dog some relief from her pain. There is no reason to take responsibility for the bone holding the plate cracking down the center from the poorly placed screws in an already shattered joint. There is no reason to have adopted this dog out before it was clear whether the plate installation was a success and not two days after surgery.

I have no problem with dogs within the US being moved to areas with little overpopulation and adopted out (though that was paused during covid and has slowly been made illegal over time due to the above issues) but the dogs must be put through the same rigorous health checks any bred dog should go through before going home.

[happydawgblawg-blog]

via RED Collar Rescue on Facebook

[tortuga-aak]

Reporters managed to buy a spine and 2 human heads over the internet while investigating America's lax trade in body parts

REUTERS/Wade Payne

It is possible to buy certain body parts, such as heads or parts of a spine, in the US for as little as $300 with very little vetting involved. 

When the bodies are donated for medical research it isn't always clear what will happen to them.

The companies that handle these body parts can also turn a big profit from the sale of human remains.

Whilst failing to do their due diligence into where the part is going and what it is being used for. 

Families, with often no other choice, can be left in the dark as to what has happened to a loved one's remains. 

  TOWNSEND, Tennessee (Reuters) - Cody Saunders was born in 1992 with failing kidneys and a hole in his heart.

When he died on his 24th birthday, he had endured 66 surgeries and more than 1,700 rounds of dialysis, his parents said. Some days, he hid the pain in upbeat selfies on Facebook. Other days, he shared an excruciating reality, posing in a hospital bed with bandages strapped across his scarred chest.

On his Facebook profile, Cody wrote that he was looking for a girlfriend who will accept "me for me."

"Y am I ugly," he posted on Christmas Day 2015.

Cody lived with his parents in an aged motorhome at an East Tennessee campground. When he was well enough, he worked on a farm with his father, feeding cattle, putting up hay, hauling molasses in a dump truck from one barn to another.

On August 2, 2016, Cody died after a heart attack on his way home from dialysis. Too poor to bury or cremate him, Cody’s parents donated their son’s body to an organization called Restore Life USA. The facility sells donated bodies – in whole or by part – to researchers, universities, medical training facilities and others.

"I couldn’t afford nothin’ else," father Richard explained.

The month after Cody died, Restore Life sold part of the young man’s body: his cervical spine. The transaction required just a few email exchanges and $300, plus shipping.

Whether Restore Life vetted the buyer is unclear. But if workers there had verified their customer’s identity, they would have learned he was a reporter from Reuters. The news agency was seeking to determine how easy it might be to buy human body parts and whether those parts would be useful for medical research. In addition to the spine, Reuters later purchased two human heads from Restore Life, each priced at $300.

The transactions demonstrate the startling ease with which human body parts may be bought and sold in the United States. Neither the sales nor the shipments violated any laws, say lawyers, professors and government officials who follow the issue closely. Although it’s illegal to sell organs used for transplants, it’s perfectly legal in most states to sell body parts that were donated for research or education. Buying wine over the Internet is arguably more tightly controlled, generally requiring at minimum proof of age.

To comply with legal, ethical and safety considerations before the purchases, Reuters consulted with Angela McArthur, who directs the body donation program at the University of Minnesota Medical School. She took immediate custody of the spine and heads for Reuters, inspecting and storing them at the medical school.

REUTERS/Craig Lassig

McArthur said she was troubled by how easily the body parts were acquired and by the failure of Restore Life to perform proper due diligence.

"It’s like the Wild West," McArthur said. "Anybody could have ordered these specimens and had them delivered to their home for whatever purpose they want."

McArthur examined the remains and the documentation included with them to determine how useful the parts would be for medical research. Her review was based on national safety and ethics standards she helped draft for the American Association of Tissue Banks, the American Association of Clinical Anatomists and the University of Minnesota.

She concluded that the medical history Restore Life provided was insufficient, and that the accompanying paperwork was sloppy and inadequate. For those reasons, the specimens did not meet standards for use at her university, she said.

"I haven’t seen anything this egregious before," McArthur said. "I worry about the future of body donation and public trust in body donation when we have situations like this."

"Respect and dignity"

Contacted several months after the sales, Restore Life President James Byrd briefly explained his approach to business.

"Organizations like ours are what I consider accountable because, especially us, we have direct contact with the donor family," he said. "And there’s a certain level of respect and dignity that is involved there because we have that personal relationship with them."

Byrd subsequently declined to be interviewed or answer written questions. But he emailed a statement in which he criticized Reuters for making the purchases.

"It’s obvious your team at Thomson Reuters has no concern for those that seek help from our organization," he wrote. "You only wish to hurt those that need help the most."

Byrd added that Restore Life does good work by supplying body parts to researchers working to cure cancer, dementia and other diseases.

"We help countless people through a wide range of research working with world-renowned researchers," he wrote.

Whatever good Restore Life hoped to achieve by supplying these body parts, McArthur said, its poor handling of the remains "miserably failed" to serve researchers and the three donors: Cody Saunders and the unidentified man and woman whose heads Byrd sold to Reuters.

McArthur said the relatives of donors, whose intentions are noble during a difficult time, deserve better from the industry.

"People think they are doing the right thing, and they want to fulfill their loved ones’ wishes," said McArthur, who formerly chaired Minnesota’s body donation commission and serves on the leadership council of the American Association of Clinical Anatomists. "I know they would feel exploited to know that something like this happened."

Thomas Champney, an anatomy professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, also expressed alarm at the ease of the sales.

"Human body parts should not be bought and sold in the same manner as used refrigerators," he said.

The broker

Byrd, 50, has been in the body parts business for two decades. An East Tennessee native, the body broker recently was runner-up in a stand-up comedy contest called The Funniest Person in the Tri-Cities, the region surrounding Kingsport, Johnson City and Bristol.

Before opening Restore Life, Byrd directed a nonprofit tissue bank called American Donor Services, then located near Memphis.

For several years, one of American Donor’s chief orthopedic customers was a Texas firm affiliated with a company that distributed bone grafts made in part from human tissue. In 2005, according to sworn testimony in a civil lawsuit, American Donor shifted to a new chief orthopedic customer. The new buyer paid as much as $10,000 per donor, provided a $200,000 line of credit and began managing American Donor’s financial affairs.

Byrd left American Donor Services a short while later, worked briefly for a vascular tissue bank, and then founded Restore Life in 2008. Based in Elizabethton, Tennessee, Restore Life obtains bodies mostly from people in Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina. In return for body donations, Restore Life offers to pick up the deceased, cremate the unused remains for free and return them to the family.

In 2011, Byrd spoke publicly about Restore Life in a presentation to the commissioners in nearby Sullivan County. Officials there had grown frustrated by the increasing cost to taxpayers of cremating the indigent. According to a recording of that meeting, Byrd explained that he could help the county. He also noted that many families who donated to Restore Life did so for financial reasons: All expenses were covered, including cremation.

"We have become more a service for those indigent and pauper cases that can’t afford a funeral," Byrd told the commissioners. "It’s a perfect fit for situations where families don’t have the funding or sometimes where it’s left to the county for funding."

Restore Life’s informal arrangement with Sullivan County to take indigent bodies continues today, county officials said. A few times a month, they said, the medical examiner or other officials refer pauper cases to Byrd for possible donation. At the 2011 meeting, County Attorney Dan Street said a formal arrangement with Byrd was unnecessary because officials were merely referring the indigent to him, without any endorsement implied.

"This company is simply going to come and take these bodies," Street told commissioners. "We’re simply getting out of the way and letting them do what private enterprise does best."

Since it opened, Restore Life has grown almost every year, according to the latest available tax records filed with the Internal Revenue Service.

Records show that Restore Life’s annual revenue rose from $49,251 in 2009 to $1.1 million in 2016. Income also increased, the records show. In 2009, expenses exceeded revenue by $1,277. Last year, revenues were $187,884 higher than expenses. The tax records show the charity’s net assets were $354,556 on Aug. 31, 2016, the last date for which records are available.

Byrd lives and works in a Tennessee town where the median household income is $30,000. The nonprofit he operates paid him a salary of $113,000 last year, the tax records show.

The donor

REUTERS/Wade Payne

Angie Saunders recalls that during her pregnancy, there were no signs of trouble in her prenatal check-ups or ultrasound tests. But when Cody was born on August 2, 1992, he arrived in grave distress.

He was moved from the county hospital to the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, where he stayed for three months. He was diagnosed with VATER Syndrome, a condition involving multiple birth defects.

Besides the hole in his heart and failing kidneys, Cody was born without a rectum. For the first two years of his life, Cody’s parents said, they fed him through a gastrostomy tube.

Cody had so many dietary restrictions – no milk, no chocolate, no tomatoes, no salt – that he settled on dry Fruit Loops as his go-to meal. For dessert, he took a couple of bites from a stick of butter.

Cody needed dialysis three times a week, four hours per session. Given her son’s needs, his mother couldn’t work much. His father told every employer upfront that his child came first.

"Half of his life, if it wasn’t the hospital, it was dialysis," Richard said. "I went through a lot of jobs."

When Cody was about 9 years old, his parents said, he received a kidney transplant that transformed him. It freed him from constant dialysis. He learned to swim and had more time for school.

"I wouldn’t say he was normal," Richard said, "but at least we wasn’t having to be tied down as much."

The new kidney lasted a little more than five years, and when it failed, Cody was rushed by helicopter to the hospital for a monthlong stay, his parents said. Dialysis began anew.

At 14, Cody won a children’s art contest. The charity, American Kidney Fund, flew him to Washington, D.C. On a contest questionnaire, he listed his favorite things, including gym class, coloring, and riding his bike. His favorite actor was Scooby Doo. His role models: his dad and his mom. When he grew up, Cody wrote, he hoped to work with his father.

Cody left school in the 11th grade. His parents say he was reading at a second-grade level. He worked on farms as often as he could with his dad, and in the winter they sold firewood. He chewed Skoal tobacco and played pool at a local club. To protect his kidneys and heart, he didn’t drink alcohol. But he didn’t always follow doctors’ advice. He could drink a six-pack of Mello Yello soda in a day, his parents said.

In his final years, Cody grew sad and lonely. His parents noticed, and so did his friends on Facebook. He was weary of the pills, the dialysis, the hospitals and the constant reminders of what he could and could not do, his parents said.

"I think not just his body was tired, but his whole mind was done," his father said.

"He wasn’t scared," his mother said. "He was ready."

Cody’s heart stopped on his birthday, August 2, 2016. Not long afterward, Restore Life collected his body.

Ordering a spine

On August 29, 2016, Reuters reporter Brian Grow sent an inquiry via email to Restore Life’s Byrd. At the time, the news agency knew nothing about Cody Saunders.

To contact Byrd, the reporter used his real name and his Thomson Reuters email account.

"We are seeking pricing, including shipping costs, to procure one cervical spine specimen for purposes of a research project involving non-transplant tissue," the query said. The term "non-transplant tissue" refers to body parts, such as heads and spines, which cannot be transplanted into living humans.

The request from the reporter provided a delivery address in Minneapolis, a few miles from the University of Minnesota’s anatomy lab. The query concluded, "We look forward to hearing from you."

Byrd responded about an hour later. "Thank you for your email, I do not believe we have worked with you in the past. How did you hear about our organization?"

"Your firm was referred to us by an industry contact," Grow replied.

Byrd asked if Grow wanted a full cervical spine – the vertebrae and tissue in the neck, just below the skull. When told yes, Byrd replied that the price would be $300, plus $150 shipping. He attached X-rays, which were described as belonging to a 24-year-old male.

Three days later, Grow accepted the offer.

Byrd replied, "Thank you again for allowing us the opportunity to work with you and your organization." He added three questions. One concerned billing, and one asked to confirm that the spine should be sent frozen, not thawed. Byrd’s third question was whether the specimen would be used for "medical research or medical education."

In addition to determining how easy it might be to buy body parts, Reuters sought to assess the quality of the specimens and the documentation that came with them. When the reporter responded simply, "It’s being used for medical research," Byrd closed the deal.

"Thank you again (sic) the opportunity to work with you and your organization," he wrote.

McArthur said the Reuters purchase was legal and ethical. No law prohibits such sales, she said, and the news agency was conducting legitimate research. Byrd, she added, broke no laws by selling the body parts. Still, she said, the three questions he asked in his email demonstrated the broker’s focus on completing the sale, rather than on seeking more details about the buyer’s intentions.

That process can include a request by the seller for details about how the buyer intends to use the body parts for research or education.

McArthur said brokers like Byrd who accept donations have an ethical responsibility – though not a legal one – to ensure that body parts will be used in a medical setting for an appropriate purpose. Reuters turned over the remains to McArthur for analysis and safekeeping. But another buyer could have done anything with the human spine and heads, she said.

The spine arrives

REUTERS/Craig Lassig

On September 27, 2016, a FedEx driver delivered a brown cardboard box to the Minneapolis location where Reuters had leased a mailing address. There, Grow received the package and gave it to a courier who specializes in transporting human remains. The courier drove it directly to McArthur at the medical school.

McArthur immediately noticed problems. She said she found it odd that the outside of the box was not labeled with a customary warning that human remains were inside. McArthur found a pair of one-page documents in the box. One contained the results of a serology test by a reputable company, certifying that the donor was free of infectious disease.

The other page offered a handwritten summary, in layman’s terms, of the donor’s medical history.

"In my experience, I would have expected to see a more robust form," McArthur said, explaining that most brokers provide precise and detailed medical histories. "It’s very superficial."

The medical summary contained neither letterhead nor contact phone number, she noted. McArthur also cited inconsistencies in the specimen identification numbers listed at the top and bottom of one of the pages. And she noticed a small discrepancy between the identification numbers listed on the paperwork and a tag attached to a plastic bag covering the spine.

Precise, legible medical history and consistent donor identification systems are critical information for proper medical research, said University of California anatomical services director Brandi Schmitt. The medical history helps the researcher account for variables such as disease or trauma. Clear paperwork and accurate tagging, she said, allow researchers to track specimens in a scientific manner.

To prevent mishaps that could lead to lost or misidentified body parts, Schmitt said, most hospitals and medical schools use modern tracking techniques, including computer-generated metal discs or barcode tags. A label of some sort should have been directly attached to the spine itself, she said, not merely to the packaging.

"Misidentification is a real problem, for sure," said Schmitt, who coordinates body donation for the University of California’s medical schools statewide. "I don’t think that a handwritten document is your most professional approach. It can lead to human error."

A week after the spine arrived, Byrd responded to a follow-up email from Grow. Byrd said human heads were available for $300 each. He also offered discounts on knee and foot specimens to free up "some freezer space." He wrote that his low prices for body parts reflect the company’s "nonprofit public charity" status, adding: "We are looking to just cover our overhead."

Grief and ashes

REUTERS/Wade Payne

Richard and Angie Saunders said they wanted to bury Cody beside relatives in a nearby cemetery. But Richard, who struggles to read, earns only about $900 a month. Angie, who has long suffered from debilitating anxiety, cannot work or drive. A burial was simply too expensive.

Friends offered to pay for cremation, which typically costs at least $695 in the region. But the Saunders said they felt uneasy about accepting charity from folks they know. So they donated Cody’s body to Restore Life. At the time, Richard said he was grateful for the free cremation the firm promised.

The hardship the family faced is not uncommon among donors, said Martha Thayer, chair of the mortuary science program at Arapahoe Community College in Colorado.

Bereaved families are "vulnerable and are being put in the position of choosing this as an option when they don’t have money," Thayer said. "The only thing that’s more sad than a person who can’t afford to live is a person who can’t afford to die."

In Cody’s case, a relative read a donor consent form aloud to his parents before they signed it.

One paragraph says: "I authorize Restore Life USA to obtain all necessary tissue and organs for research and educational purposes. I understand this gift will be used for scientific research, teaching or other conforming purposes and for use in multiple research or educational venues with for profit and/or non-profit organizations that Restore Life USA, in their sole discretion, deems necessary to facilitate the gift."

The Saunders said they believed this meant that Restore Life would merely remove small skin samples from Cody for medical research, cremate him and then return his ashes. The Restore Life consent form for Cody didn’t disclose that a donated body may be dismembered, as consent forms of most other brokers do.

A few weeks after the donation, a man from Restore Life delivered an urn with Cody’s ashes. Angie can’t recall the man’s name but said he was kind.

"Really nice and understanding," she said.

The toll Cody’s death has taken on Richard worries Angie. He won’t eat more than a few bites of whatever she cooks and usually refuses to talk about their loss. Richard said Angie isn’t wrong, but he noted he has reduced his smoking, from five packs a day to about three.

On the rusted red-and-white pickup he used to ride in with his son, Richard placed a large sticker on the rear window: "In Loving Memory of Cody Saunders."

"He was my buddy. He was my best friend," Richard said. "I keep telling myself I’ll get over it, I’ll get over it."

In a shoebox inside her motorhome, Angie Saunders keeps four photographs of Cody. In each one, he looks directly into the camera, shades perched over his ballcap. She also keeps a silver urn containing his ashes on the dashboard.

"I didn’t get to hold Cody when he came into the world and I didn’t get to hold him when he went out," she said. "But he came back to me, so he’s in here with me."

Two more specimens

In January, Restore Life shipped a second package to Reuters at the same Minneapolis address. This one contained two human heads: one male, one female. As an upcoming story will detail, Reuters purchased the heads as part of its research into a case in Pennsylvania. There, a human head was found in a wooded area near Pittsburgh almost three years ago.

Again, the specialist courier brought the box to McArthur’s university lab, where she donned protective gear and opened it.

The Styrofoam container inside the cardboard box arrived cracked along two of the outside edges, making it vulnerable to leaks and presenting a potential health risk to anyone handling it, from shippers to researchers, McArthur said.

She also found problems with the paperwork for the male head.

"The area where tissue samples are usually listed – usually with client, sample description, sample ID, type of preservation, and the date and time of preservation – is all blank," she said.

Likewise, the paperwork for the female head was unprofessionally prepared, she said. McArthur said the documents were so hard to read that she struggled to understand key information any researcher would require, including the person’s medical history.

After the wrapping and paperwork were removed, McArthur found that neither head had an identification tag. A tag is considered critical, McArthur said, to track identity, especially when working with multiple body parts.

McArthur said that she was familiar with stories of casual sales of body parts by brokers, but the sloppiness of this shipment surprised her.

"I don’t believe what I have just seen here should be allowed or should be legal," McArthur said. "I know that it can be handled in a way that won’t stifle medical education and research. We can do this the right way."

A son's fate

REUTERS/Wade Payne

As is customary in the body broker industry, Restore Life did not include the names of the people who donated the body parts it sold to reporter Grow – just each person’s age and date of death.

Reuters could not identify the individuals whose heads were shipped. But at just 24, Cody Saunders died so young that the news agency was able to identify him after searching through obituaries in southern states.

With his parents’ permission and participation, Reuters hired a forensic lab to perform a DNA test. It confirmed that the cervical spine came from Cody.

In late August, Grow returned to visit Richard and Angie Saunders to tell them what Reuters had learned: Restore Life had dissected their son’s body and sold part of his spine.

For a few moments, Cody’s parents sat silently.

Angie stared into the distance. Richard looked at the ground.

Then Angie spoke. "I thought they was just taking skin samples," she said and began to cry.

Richard tried to comfort her. "It’s over with, honey."

"I didn’t want no more surgeries," she said.

"At that time, we did not have no choice," Richard reminded her. "But you have to look at it this way: Like you kept saying, if it’s going to help somebody else…"

"I know, I know."

The couple said nothing more for nearly half a minute. Finally, Richard turned to Angie. This part of their lives was "done and over," he told her.

Had they known Cody would be dissected, his parents said, they would not have donated his body. Cody, they felt, already had endured too many surgeries during his short life. They didn’t want, or expect, anyone to "cut on him" in death, Richard said.

And yet, he added, "I couldn’t afford to do nothing else, so I felt like that was the best option we had."

Richard asked whether Restore Life used any other parts of Cody’s body. The reporter said he didn’t know. Brokers typically don’t disclose that information. Richard said he doubted he would seek answers from Restore Life. "I don’t blame them," he said. But he appreciated learning what happened to Cody’s remains.

"Because we would have never known," he said.

Angie agreed. "We wouldn’t have had a clue."

Early this month, in keeping with the family’s wishes and at Reuters’ expense, Cody’s spine was cremated in Minnesota. Grow delivered the ashes to the Saunders family at their home in Tennessee.

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Four Vet Students to Receive Coyote Rock Ranch Scholarships

New Post has been published on http://lovehorses.net/four-vet-students-to-receive-coyote-rock-ranch-scholarships/

Four Vet Students to Receive Coyote Rock Ranch Scholarships

Four exceptional veterinary students with aspirations to impact the landscape of performance horse medicine will each receive a $75,000 Coyote Rock Ranch Veterinary Scholarship by the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Foundation on Nov. 19. The awards will take place during the 2017 AAEP Annual Convention in San Antonio, Texas.

The recipients of the 2017 scholarships are:

Anna Caruso, Texas A&M University;

Leanne Fowler, University of Tennessee;

Anne Hutton, Washington State University; and

Emily Martin, North Carolina State University

Caruso’s passion for performance horses—and their care and treatment—led her to equine veterinary medicine. “I am deeply honored to be a Coyote Rock Ranch recipient,” she said. “This scholarship opens doors for me to study under the brightest leaders in equine medicine so I, in turn, can contribute to advancements in the equine industry.”

Fowler, who hopes to bring an integrative team approach to her equine practice by working with clients, trainers, and riders, said, “Receiving this award is a huge honor, and I am very humbled to be selected among so many deserving students. The financial freedom this scholarship brings will support my goals of landing an internship and residency focused on equine sports medicine upon graduation.”

Hutton intends to hone her skills in equine orthopedic and soft-tissue surgery. “This scholarship will have immense impact on my career plans,” she said. “It is truly life-changing. I have wanted to be a veterinarian since childhood, and my passion for horses is deeply rooted. I now have the financial freedom to seek further education and board certification to best serve the performance horse industry.”

Martin plans to use her scholarship to pursue a career in academia as an equine clinician scientist. “My goal is to combine clinical sports medicine and orthopedics with research and development of novel treatments for inflammatory disease,” she said. “My hope is that I will make an impact on performance horses from all disciplines, as well as the future students of equine sports medicine, by blending clinical medicine, research, and training.

Penelope Knight, an avid horsewoman and strong advocate for horse health, created the Coyote Rock Ranch Veterinary Scholarship in 2015. The AAEP Foundation and Coyote Rock Ranch announced at the 2016 AAEP Convention that they would expand their partnership to include four $75,000 scholarships moving forward.

“With the help of the AAEP Foundation, I am pleased to offer this great opportunity to benefit our next generation of veterinarians,” Knight said. “Helping future veterinarians is one way I am able to give back to the industry I hold dear to my heart, and I will continue my support for years to come.”

[theguardian911]

Update: Family dog left alone for the weekend to fend for herself suffers terrible accident. In rural South Texas where dogs often run loose, a frantic plea went out from an animal advocate and local rescuer, Leslie Ysuhuaylas for help. While the dog’s owners went away for the weekend, they left their spaniel named Arcadia outdoors to fend for herself. Suddenly, the young dog’s future was caught in a desperate life or death situation when she suffered a terrible accident: “Dog was hit by a car three hours ago,” stated Leslie on her Facebook page on Friday afternoon after being notified by a frantic witness. “Finder has been waiting with the dog for help to arrive! Her eye is popping out and ripped in half, ribs crushed and her leg is dislocated! These are the only visible damages. People were suggesting to shoot her to put her out of misery, but she needs a chance if she can get to the vet! The only vet open right now is two hours away…” Without a second thought the young dog’s owners had driven away. Sadly, the dog wandered out into the highway and was struck by an automobile. The witness described the disturbing event: “Arcadia went flying into the air about five feet after the hit and landed on the ground unable to move with her eye popping out. For three hours Arcadia waited for help, and finally we were able to move her to the emergency vet in the middle of the night, whereby she was stabilized as she was in shock. X-rays were taken which showed that Arcadia had a broken pelvis and her eye was obviously out of its socket.” Had it not been for Leslie and all the animal supporters and advocates calling in donations and offers to help, Arcadia never would have stood a chance. That night the dog was transported to an emergency veterinarian in McAllen; surgery to remove her eye was performed the next day. Still in shock, Arcadia was kept comfortable on pain medication awaiting more tests. Without any hesitation, Rescue Dogs Rock NYC stepped up to help. Stacey Silverstein, co-founder of the organization, stated in addition to the surgery performed to remove her eye, her broken pelvis will need to be repaired with a possible complicated orthopedic surgery. Arcadia is now scheduled to be transported to New York City where she will be evaluated by an orthopedic surgeon.  Maybe Arcadia had been trying to follow her family when they left her behind? Her owners never came forward even though notices were left at the owners’ home and people knocked on their door to let them know what had happened to their puppy. They just didn’t care, however plans had already been made behind the scenes just in case the irresponsible owners wanted the dog returned.  Arcadia is now officially in the custody of Rescue Dogs Rock NYC. To donate to her medical care, nate to her medical care, go to http://rescuedogsrocknyc.org/donate/ or Paypal Donate@rescuedogsrocknyc.org (Photos of dog in accident after left to fend for herself courtesy of Rescue Dogs Rock NYC and Leslie Ysuhuaylas) Follow the National Pet Rescue on Facebook. Source: MCXV

[vetnews]

[vetnews]

Safarivet – The complete guide to Orthopedic Surgery pets

Is your pet suffering a traumatic injury that may have resulted in torn ligament or fractured bone? Or has your pet been diagnosed with a degenerative condition such as osteoarthritis? Such conditions would likely require orthopedic surgery to get your pet back to a healthy state. Safarivet has got all it takes to handle your pet’s surgical needs. So, if you live in League City, TX and need vet orthopedic surgery for your pet, our board-certified surgeons are at your service.

So, what are the steps to ensure a successful orthopedic surgery for your pet? That is the essence of this post. In the next few paragraphs, we are going to present to you a guide to orthopedic surgery for your pets, including signs that show your pet may require orthopedic surgery. But first;

What is Orthopedic Surgery?

Orthopedic surgery simply refers to a surgical repair of the bones or joints. When your pet has a fractured bone as a result of trauma or suffers a congenital condition that affects the joints, pet orthopedic surgery is usually required to make surgical corrections to the affected bones.

Procedures for Pet Orthopedic Surgery

Orthopedic Surgery is the best way to correct bone or joint disorders in your pet. If you have never performed orthopedic surgery on your pet, you may struggle to know the processes involved. The processes begin from the treatment period to rehabilitation. This is unlike other ailments that, as soon as the treatment is administered, your pet becomes well in a few days - rehabilitation takes some time before your pet recovers fully. And you need to know how to care for your pet throughout this period.

Generally, to perform orthopedic surgery on your pet, our surgeons may use bone plates, pins or screws, casts, or an artificial joint or nylon to make the process work. If your dog is scheduled for orthopedic surgery, heavy sedation and supplementary oxygen will be needed as the surgery will take several hours to complete. You should have that in mind.

So basically, we first diagnosed your pet to see if it is really a case of orthopedic surgery. If confirmed that your pet needs surgery, our board-certified surgeons will carry out the processes. Based on the condition of your pet, our surgeons will recommend what you need--to ensure a seamless surgery and also guide you on how to take care of your pet during rehabilitation. If you live in League City Texas, or its environs and looking for a dog orthopedic veterinarian, Safari Veterinary Care Center vet has all it takes to care for your pet.

Orthopedic surgery can be performed in several bones and joints. This includes:

   • Ligament and tendon reconstruction    • Limb deformity correction    • Cruciate ligament repair    • Minimally-invasive fracture surgery    • Whole elbow replacement    • Whole hip replacement    • Arthroscopic joint surgery    • Hip and elbow dysplasia repair

Signs that Shows Your Pet Needs Orthopedic Surgery

The following are orthopedic problems that indicate your dog may need surgery:

Hip Dysplasia

This disease affects pets’ hips. It is a genetic disease that is common in large breeds of dogs. Though this can be treated with inflammatory drugs, it can sometimes lead to arthritis in the joints, which requires titanium replacement. Thus, the need for surgery. Some common signs of dysplasia include difficulty in jumping, running, or climbing stairs. Also reduced movement and range motion, hind end lameness, and one of the pet’s legs look shorter.

If your pet is not getting relief from anti-inflammatory medications, then surgery is the next thing to do.

Patellar Luxation

This means knee joint dislocation. This problem can also require surgery to bring your pet to a healthy state.

“Signs of a dislocated knee joint in your pet include - severe knee pain, limping, not willing to walk, biting or licking the knee, and not being able to bear the weight on the leg.”

Cruciate Ligament Tears

This is also called ACL tears - it affects the anterior cruciate ligament of your pet. As you may know, ligament helps your pet knee to function properly. ACL injuries are usually severe and do not heal using medications. Surgery is required to repair the affected ligament and to further prevent arthritis. Signs that your pet might have an ACL tear include - severe pain, not sitting properly, stiffness in back legs, and lameness. Also, clicking, licking, and biting the knee joint.

Wrap Up

If you notice any of these signs, pet orthopedic surgery is what you need for your pet. Safarivet is always at your reach for orthopedic surgery and other pets’ health problems. We will carry out a thorough diagnosis before we administer treatment.

Also, our board-certified surgeons will guide you on how to care for your pet during rehabilitation. So, are you looking for where you can have your dog undergo pet orthopedic surgery in League City? Safarivet has got you covered. Talk to us today!

[vetnews]

[vetnews]

Best Veterinary Orthopedic Surgery Hospital Near Me In League City, TX

Do you live in League City Texas and do you think your pet may need Orthopedic Surgery? And you are looking for a good hospital for his good surgery which should be in your price? So now you don't have to worry because now Safari Vet which is a pet hospital in your city which offers Best Veterinary Orthopedic Surgery Hospital Near Me.

At Safari we take orthopedic surgery seriously. We have skilled board-certified surgeons with over 30 years of experience who use the most recent techniques supplemented by the most advanced equipment to ensure your pet has the optimal chances for recovery.

If you want to get more information about Pet Orthopedic Surgery then visit our Safari Veterinary Care Center and you can call us at 281-332-5612.