Local News

Specialized Veterinary Care Worth The Price For Pet Owners

January 30, 2015 / 7:30 PM CST / CBS Texas

Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Precious is just that - precious for Connie and Sparky Sparks. The 9-year-old pit bull is the baby of the family and their best friend. "She's my life," said Mrs. Sparks, fighting back tears. For the Sparks - no amount of money spent on Precious' care is enough. "She's our best friend! You would take your kids to a doctor, you would take your kids to surgery, I would take my dog to do anything," she said, fighting tears.

And Precious has had her fair share of doctors visit. In 2011, Precious underwent a stem cell treatment for a sliding knee cap. "She could not get up and down the furniture," said Mr. Sparks. "She was uncomfortable."

The couple sought a breakthrough treatment at Park Cities Animal Hospital. Dr. David Hille recommended stem cell therapy for her knees. "Probably within two weeks after the surgery, you couldn't even tell she had any problem," recalled Mrs. Sparks. "She was jumping and running like a regular dog."

Four years later, she's fighting another battle -- soft tissue cancer.

This time the Sparks took her to Dr. Glen King at the Veterinary Specialists of North Texas. Doctors removed the tumor but it wasn't enough. "There were some fingers left and we're treating those fingers with radiation," said Dr. King.

Chances for a cure are 85 percent to 90 percent. That's all the Sparks wanted to hear.

The technological advances in veterinary sciences has expanded in size and scope of the medical field. "Twenty to 25 years ago, it would have been like, the pet's not going to get through this. Crude drugs, crude procedures, poor outcomes," said Dr. Audrey Cook, a veterinarian at the Texas A & M University, Dept. of Veterinary Sciences. "These days the technology is stunning. So our chance at getting a positive outcome is also stunning." she said.

Breakthroughs in technology have also seen stunning crossovers. Once upon a time most procedures and drugs were tested on animals first, now veterinarians are drawing inspiration from human sciences and using that technology to treat their four legged patients.

"We're lucky in the sense that the difficult heavy lifting in figuring these things out have been done in humans and now wonderfully is being translated backwards to pets," said Dr. Cook.

Procedures such as endoscopy and urethral stents are being used for minimally invasive procedures on pets as well. "I think our traditional models of human medicine and veterinary medicines, those walls are falling down," Dr. Cook said.

But with specialized medical care comes heavy costs.

The Sparks have spent upwards of $20,000 on both treatments. And, they're not alone. "Those dogs are part of people's family," said Dr. Jonathan Levine Assistant Professor of Neurology at Texas A&M. "And people want to do everything for your family that you can," he said.

In fact back in 2001, dog owners spent about $11 billion on vet bills with an average visit costing $99. In 2011 that number jumped to $19 billion - with the average visit costing $146.

Vet schools like Texas A & M can offer pet owners a break. Often times vet schools set up funds to help pet owners. People can also participate in their animal clinical trials.

And pet insurance plans can help. They average about $35-$40 a month.

Some cities like Dallas also have programs that help residents pay for things like neutering and vaccinations.

Doctors say routine physical checkups is the best preventative medicine. For unexpected treatments, it's best to save a little each month for your pet.