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Animal ERMONDAY, MARCH 29


Bob Brown offers a firsthand look inside a hospital-based emergency room for animals. The report focuses on two specialists in the field of veterinary science whose amazing medical work impacts the lives of so many pet owners.


Animal ER
20/20

Monday, March 29, 1999
(This is an unedited, uncorrected transcript.)

CONNIE CHUNG, ABCNEWS You’ve seen it countless times on TV—the life—and—death pace of the emergency room. Automatic doors fly open. The patient rolls in on a gurney. Doctors and nurses shout instructions at each other. Every second counts as they try to save a life. But in this story, the patients are, shall we say, different. As Bob Brown takes you to this busy trauma center, you may find yourself wondering where you could get the kind of treatment these patients get.

 BOB BROWN, ABCNEWS (VO) An emergency patient is in critical condition.

 ANNE—MARIE MANNING, ER VETERINARIAN She’s closed.

 BOB BROWN (VO) The patient is a cat whose lungs and chest cavity are filled with fluids. It dies on the operating table.

 ANNE—MARIE MANNING OK, go ahead. She’s gone. One cc, epi ...

 BOB BROWN (VO) Then, with a fast and coordinated response from the doctor and emergency staff, it is brought back to life with many of the same techniques THAT would have been used on a human.

 ANNE—MARIE MANNING OK, we got a heartbeat.

 BOB BROWN (VO) This was one out of more than 80 cases a day that are seen at this animal emergency clinic at Angell Memorial Hospital in Boston, one of the biggest animal hospitals in the world.

 MALE VETERINARIAN What’s his name?

 DOG OWNER His name’s Duke.

 MALE VETERINARIAN Duke.

 BOB BROWN (VO) The patients range from the humble to the exotic. From a hamster with skin disease that started after he hid in the wall behind a washing machine ...

 HAMSTER’S OWNER I don’t know if he has picked up something there or if he has some kind of infection or ...

 BOB BROWN (VO) ... to a blue heron with a bloody wing brought in by a park ranger. And at the center of this 24—hour, high—stress operation are two women, Lisa Moses and Anne—Marie Manning, the co—directors of emergency services at Angell who may not have much time left for a life, but who do enjoy one particular kind of luxury.

 LISA MOSES It’s the absolute luxury that we have that we can become very attached to our patients. And that’s why I wouldn’t trade my job for one as an MD for anything. Because that’s what makes it worth it is that we develop real relationships with our patients.

 BOB BROWN (VO) And the patients—Mimi is here for a checkup on her pregnancy ...

 FEMALE VETERINARIAN You still have three babies.

 BOB BROWN (VO) ... are allowed to return the affection.

 ANNE—MARIE MANNING We get to come in and hug them and kiss them, and nobody looks at us weird.

 LISA MOSES Right.

 BOB BROWN (VO) Lisa and Anne—Marie are two of the most prominent specialists in a field of veterinary service that was virtually unheard of when they were kids—hospital and clinic—based emergency care. In the last 20 years, the number of animal emergency clinics has grown from a dozen in a few major cities to more than 400 around the country.

 ANNE—MARIE MANNING Anything can come through the door. On a given night, I might see an animal in congestive heart failure. I’m going to take him right back to the ICU, OK? I might see an animal who threw a disc out in their back or got hit by a car and has a broken leg.

 BOB BROWN (VO) Survival rates have improved dramatically because of 24—hour monitoring and increasingly sophisticated technology. Here, they’re using an endoscope, an instrument with a miniature camera, to help them insert a feeding tube into this cat. Lisa will use ultrasound on a Springer Spaniel named Libby to discover what appears to be a cancer on her liver.

 LISA MOSES Oh, I don’t like that.

 BOB BROWN (VO) What they like best are cases like Sophie’s. She was brought to Angell all the way from Nantucket by Mike Feeney (ph), who was afraid she might have cervical cancer. There are 30 specialists at Angell, ranging from cardiologists to a plastic surgeon who rebuilds jaws or limbs disfigured by cancer. Mike Feeney felt it was worth the five and a half hour trip in bad weather.

 MIKE FEENEY, SOPHIE’S OWNER It’s a real hospital, you know. It’s huge. It’s big, and they have a lot of great doctors here. And they have all the state—of—the—art equipment. They’re able to deal with the problems that veterinarians, say, on like Nantucket can’t.

 BOB BROWN (VO) In Sophie’s case, it was a gynecological problem. The day after she was admitted to the emergency room, she underwent a hysterectomy. Two days later, emergency over, she and her doctor were enjoying a walk together. And before the week was out, Sophie was back in Nantucket. The bill was $2,600. Feeney was prepared to pay, but pet owners are often surprised at the expense of animal emergency care. And owners rarely have insurance to cover the costs. Each night in the ICU is $200, aside from any additional treatment. X—rays are $100. Blood tests add another $80. And the cost of treatment can quickly escalate because so much more can be done.

 ANNIE—MARIE MANNING We need oxygen and a catheter.

 BOB BROWN (VO) Surgeons here can perform hip replacements on animals whose cases might once have been considered hopeless. This dog, Max, had his pelvis rebuilt after being crushed by a car.

 ANNE—MARIE MANNING So we’re going to estimate four to five days in the hospital for cuddles.

 BOB BROWN (VO) But doctors here must always raise the financial issues involved before proceeding, even when the only alternative may be euthanasia.

 LINDA REID, TAFFY’S OWNER This is a nightmare. This is a nightmare.

 ANNE—MARIE MANNING We don’t want somebody to put their animal to sleep because of finances, but we also want them to be able to put dinner on the table for their children. And if treating their pet to the tune of several thousand dollars means they can’t do that, then that’s not the right thing for them to do. We need to know how you’d like us to proceed. That’s extremely difficult for us to reconcile. But ...

 LISA MOSES We can’t make that decision for them. They have to make that decision.

 ANNE—MARIE MANNING And we have to help them.

 LINDA REID I don’t want him to suffer. Excuse me.

 ANNE—MARIE MANNING It’s OK. Take your time.

 BOB BROWN (VO) In this case, Anne—Marie has shown Linda and George Reid X—rays of their cat Taffy’s enlarged heart.

 ANNE—MARIE MANNING Her heart is extremely large. Normally their heart would be probably like that size. So we’re talking about a ...

 BOB BROWN (VO) The question is whether the ICU should place a “do not resuscitate” order on Taffy if she stops breathing. The Reids chose to try treatment. Anne—Marie placed Taffy on medication that controlled the problems associated with her heart, and the decision paid off. Taffy was able to return home after five days.

 LINDA REID Say, “All I know is I want to come home.”

 BOB BROWN (VO) In cases where the potential for recovery exists, the hospital may offer financial assistance and will always work out a payment plan. But if there’s little or no chance of a successful treatment and the animal will suffer, Lisa and Anne—Marie are often called on to be sensitive but direct in their recommendations. Eight—year—old Josh Smolowicz (ph) came in with his mother, knowing that their dog Ranger was unlikely to survive much longer.

 MRS SMOLOWICZ He’s a 15 1/2—year—old dog. And, you know, there could be several things wrong with him. He means a lot to us. He’s a very, very special dog.

 BOB BROWN (VO) And although the emotional blow of making a life—and—death decision is numbing, Josh’s mother had talked carefully with him. And Lisa believes the understanding he showed is an example of why the details of such a case should never be hidden from children.

 LISA MOSES I have so many clients who come into the exam room and tell me that the thing that they remember from their childhood most of all is that they came home and their dog was gone. And nobody told them what happened. Or they told them something that was a made—up story, and they found out 10 years later. And they don’t want to repeat it with their own kids.

 BOB BROWN (VO) Because of pancreas and kidney trouble that couldn’t be treated, Ranger was euthanized four days later.

 LISA MOSES I try really hard to validate whatever decision they make. So I feel like we have to be their advocate at all times.

 ANNE—MARIE MANNING But sometimes it’s so busy that you’ve just euthanized an animal and another emergency just rolled through the door.

 LISA MOSES Right, you have to run right back out there.

 ANNE—MARIE MANNING And you have to go right off to that, and you don’t have time to settle your emotions over what you’ve just done. So, you know, even if a client sees us in the exam room putting their animal to sleep, and we don’t look like we’re having a difficult time, we are.

 LISA MOSES Yeah.

 ANNE—MARIE MANNING Yeah, that’s definitely a hard thing.

 LISA MOSES And there are weeks that it really takes its toll on us. And there’s times when I’ve been particularly emotionally attached that I can’t euthanize the animal. And I have to come and get Anne—Marie to help me.

 ANNE—MARIE MANNING Right. We’ve done that for each other.

 BOB BROWN (VO) Both Lisa and Anne—Marie have pets of their own, and as you might imagine, some they grew attached to from their work. Lisa has one pit bull named Dora, a former patient of Lisa’s who was abandoned in the hospital. And another named Paloma, who came to Angell Memorial as a cruelty case. She chose pit bulls because they are the least likely to be adopted by people searching for pets. Anne—Marie adopted a cat, Gracie, brought into the hospital as a stray. And she has a Husky named Nishka. She is 33 years old and lives with her mother because most of her life is taken up by her 60—hour work week, and starting relationships is difficult.

 ANNE—MARIE MANNING It’s hard. I mean, there’s no single guys. I mean, the veterinary profession is becoming more and more women, and there’s fewer men in veterinary medicine. But where there’s a will, there’s a way.

 LISA MOSES Yeah, right.

 BOB BROWN (VO) And although there is luxury in having relationships with animals, those contacts are always governed by relationships with the people who bring them in. Kathy and Richard Santos (ph) showed up on a Saturday in early January with Lewis, a Golden Retriever, who was too weak to walk or lift his head.

 RICHARD SANTOS, LEWIS’S OWNER You know, the average life expectancy of a Golden is 12 years, and here he is, 17.

 ANNE—MARIE MANNING His heart rate’s very fast.

 RICHARD SANTOS I was reluctant to bring him here because I just had the notion that we wouldn’t be going home with him.

 BOB BROWN (VO) It’s possible that Lewis, who has arthritis, might have been mishandled inadvertently by a dog groomer, who could have placed a strain on a back condition that already existed. The problem is Lewis can’t tell them exactly when the pain started and where it hurts worst.

 LISA MOSES I liken it to pediatric medicine a lot of the time. Because you’re dealing with a patient who can’t verbalize for you what hurts and what the problem is. And you have people that are bringing that patient in to you that are very attached and very emotional about what’s going on.

 ANNE—MARIE MANNING Just sit with him so he won’t feel scared.

 BOB BROWN (VO) The Santos agreed to have Lewis placed in the hospital’s intensive care unit for the night. Anne—Marie started him on pain medication and IV fluids to overcome dehydration. And when he saw Kathy and Richard walk away, he did have the energy to protest.

 KATHY SANTOS He hates it when we leave him anywhere.

 ANNE—MARIE MANNING He’ll get lots of attention.

 KATHY SANTOS I mean, he was telling me that he didn’t want us to leave him here. He could even rally. He’s rallied before.

 BOB BROWN (VO) Because of his age, 17, Anne—Marie chose not to put him through any batteries of tests. The next day, Lewis felt so much better that he was discharged. The treatment had mainly overcome his symptoms.

 ANNE—MARIE MANNING That probably feels good to him. Give like a little massage. Yeah, you like that, huh?

 BOB BROWN (VO) She showed the Santos how to help keep him comfortable, and they headed back home. In this environment, where time is often measured in the seconds of a crisis, the weeks or months that can be bought to maintain the quality of life for an animal and extend a relationship can be priceless. And life has many ways of asserting itself here—a critical case, rushed in the door one moment, a mother whose pups, it is feared, have died in the womb, is turned, an hour later, into a photo album picture. Following an induced labor, the pups arrived alive and well. And, like all the creatures here, ready for a place in the family.

 LISA MOSES Any client who brings in their pet to us, it’s not just an animal to them. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have come to us in the first place. Miss Pfeiffer (ph), I’m going to take you into the room.

 ANNE—MARIE MANNING The impact that I have on the lives of the people that bring these animals in, it’s huge. And I take that very seriously.

 PET OWNER Hello, baby.

 ANNE—MARIE MANNING It—it’s really important to me that I don’t underestimate how big of a deal that is to people.

 LISA MOSES Yeah, I think being rewarded with seeing an animal go out the door that came in really bad shape, this is what makes me happy.

 CONNIE CHUNG Charlie, do you know how much is spent on medical costs on pets a year?

 CHARLES GIBSON I have no idea, but I would presume it’s in the billions?

 CONNIE CHUNG That’s right—$12 billion, according to the Veterinary Medical Association.

 CHARLES GIBSON It’s extraordinary to see how those emergency rooms treat animals in much the same way human are treated when they come into the emergency room. There is a cable operation called Animal Planet that now has a show, very popular, called “Emergency Vet,” although I think they ought to call it “EV.” Get big ratings. 

S U M M A R Y

In the last 20 years, the number of animal emergency clinics has grown from a dozen in a few major cities to more than 400 around the country.

Content and programming copyright 1998 ABC News. Transcript by Federal Document Clearing House, Inc. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to ABC News.


Copyright ©1998 ABCNEWS and Starwave Corporation.