LW
Lorraine Willsea
Sep 2, 2025
Review of Katonah-Bedford Veterinary Center
Wonderful Care with a Happy Ending!
This past Labor Day weekend, my rescue Pomeranian suddenly began limping, then became lethargic and within 24 hours appeared as if his hip had dislocated. We rushed him to our usual vet who couldn’t see him for several hours, and she recommended we rush the pup to Katonah-Bedford Veterinary Center.
Once there, he was immediately seen, and the Veterinarian who first saw him was extremely kind and reassuring. She recommended we leave him there for several hours for blood work testing and a series of X-rays. We agreed, and when we returned we met with Dr. Chou, a surgeon. Dr. Chou discussed the results, which showed that his luxating patella (a common problem among puppy mill small dogs, which can be surgically corrected) which we were aware of from his first vet visit, had worsened. At that point we were ready to do anything to help our suffering pup.
Now, this is where it gets into legendary ‘Dr. House’ territory. Dr. Chou prescribed painkillers, etc., but she had also run a screen that showed the pup tested positive for Lyme Disease. He must have been bitten by a Lyme tick in the first months of life, because he has been on anti-flea and tick meds ever since we adopted him. We would never have even considered LYME, since he has been on preventative meds his entire life with us. She put him on antibiotics and scheduled a follow up appointment with a Veterinary orthopedic surgeon who specializes on tiny dogs. She said that there was a very slim chance it could be a flare up of Lyme disease causing the severe lameness and appearance of dislocation.
Fast forward to five days later. Thankfully (and we had lots of people praying for this pup), he is completely back to normal. We have scheduled our follow-up with our regular Vet to continue monitoring the luxating patella, but we are incredibly grateful for Dr. Chou’s brilliant diagnostic skills, and Rosie’s (front desk, the ambassador of the practice) kindness and compassion. Rosie was so compassionate, kind, and knowledgeable, from making sure we were as comfortable as possible to offering to help with navigating the pet insurance. She called every day to see how the pup was, and facilitated a change in his meds (from a usual liquid med to a chicken flavored one since the pup was being difficult).
Finally, yes, it is expensive, but pet insurance helps. Additionally, you are paying for skill, schooling, and expertise, just like with a human orthopedic surgeon. If my dog’s health and well being hadn’t been the prime focus, Dr. Chou could have recommended just about any expensive procedure and we would have grasped at any possible hope. Instead, she made a brilliant out of the box diagnosis and we have a very happy ending. Our pup is now back to scheming how to get more treats and cuddles out of us. THANK YOU!