The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune News Editor

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

WHEN Rex was six months old, his owner, Karen Silverman, learned the puppy would die within hours if she didn’t get him the proper medical treatment.

The German Shepherd was lethargic and barely moving, his heart racing at 300 beats per minute.

Ms Silverman, the spouse of millionaire businessman Henry Silverman, refused to let him die. She pushed some of the best veterinarians in the world to perform a rare procedure – a radio-frequency catheter ablation – that saved his life.

The fruits of Ms Silverman’s persistence continue to impact animal healthcare. She established the Henry and Karen Silverman Initiative to Advance Treatment of Canine Arrhythmias. On May 27, she sponsored a Veterinary Medical Association of the Bahamas’ seminar, where the vets who saved Rex’s life shared their knowledge with local professionals.

Deandra Delancey-Milmort, president of the association, said the event was part of the Keith Campbell lecture series, named after one of the country’s now-deceased veterinarians who promoted continued education. She said the seminar was important because local veterinarians regularly deal with animal heart issues.

“We deal with heart issues and heartworms which are very, very common, basically endemic, so it would be good to have continued education on the topic,” she said.

Dr Roberto Santilli and Dr Romain Pariaut, the vets who helped save Rex’s life, gave lectures during the event held at Baha Mar.

“These lectures are very important to us,” said Dr Valentino Grant, Mrs Silverman’s local vet. “It’s all about keeping up and being cutting edge. The vets in The Bahamas can stand next to any vet around the world.”

Dr Grant said heartworms are spread through mosquitoes, making heart ailments the most common issue vets see in dogs.

“We are faced with these cases every day, heart failure as they age,” he said. “How do we manage these conditions is the key, and we are really getting proper management on the treatment of these conditions.”

Dr Delancey-Milmort said Bahamians are using veterinarian services more than in the past.

“I think it’s come a long way,” she said. “Even in my six years now of practising, I notice that there is a lot more care that’s going into animals, and you know, persons really see them as part of the family or one of the kids.”

She said vets see challenges relating to heartworm preventative medication resistance.

“Most persons who have animals who take their animals to the vet would know of Heartgard,” she said. “You take Heartgard preventative once per month. We can speak for some of our clients: we know their pet takes it every month, yet they still get heartworm cases, so now we’re going to bring this issue to researchers in terms of what can we do to now help with this issue?”