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Press Release |
YOUNG NEW YORK CITY POLICE DOG, FELLED BY HEART BLOCKAGE, BACK TO NORMAL WITH PACEMAKER FROM THE ANIMAL MEDICAL CENTER
When Blaze, a young German Shepherd with three years’ service in the New York City Department of Correction Emergency Services Unit, keeled over, eyes open, and was paralyzed for about six seconds, his handler and permanent partner, Capt. Efrain Madera, thought he might be having a seizure.
But Blaze wasn’t shaking. He was still. To the Captain’s alarm, the same thing happened two more times over the next six weeks.
Blaze was taken to The Animal Medical Center, the city’s largest facility for animal care, research and education. Located on East 62nd Street, The AMC provides medical attention to all of New York’s police dogs.
Dr. Philip Fox, a board-certified cardiologist with a 30-year history at The Animal Medical Center and currently Director of AMC’s Caspary Research Institute, attended to Blaze immediately. Dr. Fox has a long relationship with the NYPD serving the healthcare needs of police dogs.
After tests ruled out neurological problems, Dr. Fox was able to quickly determine that Blaze’s symptoms were due to an uncommon but life-threatening genetic heart condition called complete heart block – a total disruption of the electrical current that stimulates the heart to pump blood. The result is an unstable, critically-low heart rate that can lead to shock and death.
Blaze, just 4 years old, needed a pacemaker. Pacemaker implantation requires specialized surgical skills and facilities, all met by Dr. Fox and The AMC.
Blaze was carefully anesthetized. Next, Dr. Fox threaded a pacemaker wire, under fluoroscopic guidance, through Blaze’s jugular vein into his heart’s right ventricle. The wire was then connected to the pacemaker, surgically placed under the skin at the base of Blaze’s neck.
Miraculously, Blaze “was back to himself the very next day,” said Capt. Madera. “He came out with more energy than when he came in.” The Captain was relieved. “He’s like a son. He’d give his life for me. I thought he might have to be retired long before his time.”
According to Dr. Fox, Blaze’s life expectancy is not compromised, nor does the dog – trained for riot control, criminal apprehension, and even forced entry – have any physical limitations. . “The pacemaker should last 4-6 years, and it can be replaced when necessary,” said the doctor. “He has a good prognosis for a long and useful life.”
The Animal Medical Center, with a history of expertise in cardiology as well as emergency and critical care for animals with breathing problems, has published a number of scientific papers involving pacemaker therapy in dogs and cats, including many by Dr. Fox. He has written two textbooks on veterinary cardiology, as well as numerous scientific articles. He speaks at scientific meetings internationally to focus on more effectively diagnosing and treating heart disease in companion animals.
The AMC’s cutting-edge, non-invasive diagnostic techniques include echocardiography, which safely and accurately evaluates heart muscle valve structure and cardiac function –invaluable in treating heart disease. Its Bobst Hospital has had a cardiology residency program since 1975, and boasts a state-of-the-art intensive care unit.
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PRESS ROOM
Contact:
- Wendy Gallart
- Director of Marketing and Communications
- The Animal Medical Center
- 212-329-8686
- wendy.gallart@amcny.org
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- Julye Seward
- Assistant Manager, Marketing & Communications
- The Animal Medical Center
- 212-329-8746
- julye.seward@amcny.org
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