Success Stories
Here is what past pet owners and referring family vets have said about Dr. Zeltzman’s services.
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JACK IS BACK TO NORMAL AFTER OPEN CHEST SURGERY
Jack, an 11 year old Jack Russell, had open chest surgery to remove a lung tumor. The biopsy showed it was cancer, which was attached to his rib. 2 weeks after surgery, his owner WD writes:
“Jack is back to his old self. Appetite is normal and he had never showed any sign of pain. (…) I’m happy we took out the tumor yet sad bc pathology showed it in his rib. I will enjoy whatever time we have left with him. Thank you for everything you all did for him. Dr. Zeltzman is my hero.”
Stella, a 6 year old Lab, had TPLO surgery to address a torn ACL.
6 months after surgery, her owner CBK writes:
“Our lab Stella had her surgery by Dr Zeltzman. We are extremely happy we made the decision for surgery. Stella is such a playful girl since her surgery.”
Cash, a 5 year Aussie, had TPLO surgery to address a torn ACL. His owner AH writes:
“The ENTIRE LRVSS team was absolutely outstanding during our boy’s surgery last week! The preop care and support provided throughout the entire process is so helpful and comforting. I especially appreciated the direct communication with Dr. Zeltzman on numerous occasions and the post-op pictures/recovery updates we received. The team’s wonderful communication really helped to ease our minds and allow us to feel comfortable during our boy’s stay. Kudos 👏🏼 LRVSS!!! AND THANK YOU!!!”
Korra, a super cute 1 year old Boston terrier, had surgery twice to repair her dislocated kneecaps. Her owner CO writes:
“Thank you all very much for the kindness you have shown us during this whole process and for the care you have given her. Working with you guys has been amazing and the communication from Kat has been phenomenal, the nurses taking care of her were amazing and thank you to Dr Zeltzman for what he did for her. It was a bit scary going into this the first time around not knowing if we did the right thing for her. We know now we did and you guys made things more at ease for us. So thank you all for what you do.
Korra says thank you as well and that she will be having a great summer once this is all healed.”
Rocket, a 9 month old kitten, had a hip fracture. It was addressed with a procedure called an FHO (Femoral Head Ostectomy). 3 months after surgery, his owner LS writes:
“Rocket has been doing fantastic! We haven’t had any issues with him wanting to walk or gain strength in his leg since the surgery, so I feel his rehab has gone very well! He loves to walk and hang out with his siblings! He takes the stairs well – he didn’t need encouragement to try them, he would just walk up with us. He truly has been a great patient through it all!
I truly cannot thank you all enough for the care you have given to Rocket!”
Gunner, a 6 year old German shepherd, needed a toe amputation because of a cancerous tumor. A few days after surgery, his owner CP writes:
“Gunner is doing well. We are following up on all his meds and keeping all activities on standby. His appetite is good, and his spirits are great. I feel in my heart his pain is gone, thanks to Dr. Zeltzman and his fantastic staff. Once again, thank you for all that you do.”
QUALITY OF LIFE IS BACK FOR TUCKER & SAMMI AFTER 4 TPLOS
Sammi, a 4-year-old shepherd mix, and Tucker, Tucker, a 3-year-old shepherd mix, collectively tore their ACLs, and each needed 2 TPLOs.
“Just wanted to update you on Tucker. He is back to his younger self. Running and playing… even smiling when he is outside. He has lost the weight he gained being less mobile and his back legs are getting back their muscle. Attached is a video of him playing with my son’s two dogs. Sammi was there too, running and playing.
I think we can call the 4 surgeries Dr. Zeltzman did for our dogs this year “a success”.
Thank you for giving our dogs back their quality of life.”
NO MORE SNORING FOR MOLLY
Molly, a 4 year old Bulldog, was struggling to breathe by day and snoring loudly by night. She had classic “brachycephalic syndrome. Her owner BT writes:
“Molly is doing great! NO MORE SNORING!! Our experience was great! Kat is wonderful, kept me informed, and answered all my questions. I can’t say enough good things about Dr. Zeltzman. He really, genuinely cares about these fur babies. Anyone who asks, I refer them to him. I don’t think anyone else could offer the same quality of care.”
TWO SUCCESSFUL SURGERIES FOR CHARLIE
Charlie, a now 12-year-old Cavachon, had 2 surgeries, 4 years apart. Four years ago, he had an ACL repair. Then this year, he fell and hurt the opposite back leg. An exam and X-rays showed that he dislocated his hip (which was treated with an FHO). His owner DZ writes:
“Dr. Phil Zeltzman is a very talented veterinary surgeon. He performed two surgeries for my dog, the first one was an ACL in 2018 and then in 2022 he did an emergency surgery after an injury. Doctor Zeltzman is very responsible, reliable, and a great surgeon. He is always explaining all the steps in detail to me during this difficult process. Additionally, he always makes sure to follow up. He really cares about the pets he works with and he put me at ease through these stressful times.”
I have been referring surgery patients to Dr Zeltzman for over 12 years. I trust him tremendously with my patients and clients. I know when I refer patients to Dr Zeltzman that they will get the best surgical outcome. He takes excellent care of his clients as well. I have never met an individual who will work harder for his patients than Dr Zeltzman.
COMMENTS FROM A REFERRING VET
I have personally known Dr. Phil Zeltzman for almost 15 years. His meticulous surgical technique, along with scrupulous attention to detail and sterility, makes him the consummate surgeon’s surgeon. My complete faith in his knowledge and ability allows me to recommend him to my clients without reservation. Included among the many patients I have referred to him are my own pets.
COMMENTS FROM A REFERRING VET
LRVSS is a practice that holds trust, value and quality. Any surgery that appears to be out of my realm that needs expert surgical hands gets placed in the care of Dr. Phil Zeltzman and his surgical team. I have had the honor of knowing Dr. Zeltzman for 7 years now and am grateful to have him as a resource for my clients to use. I will continue to refer to LRVSS because they schedule patients for surgery in a timely manner, they offer different surgical options, the postop care can be done locally, and the communication is excellent. Thank you for always being there for me, my clients and their animals.
LUKAS, LIVING HIS BEST LIFE AFTER ELBOW SURGERY
Lukas, a 6 month old German shepherd, had elbow surgery to remove a big piece of bone (“UAP”, aka elbow dysplasia). 11 years after surgery, his owner ST writes:
“It’ll be almost 11 years since you did Lukas’ elbow. And he’s doing tremendous with it. It’s just his hips that we are dealing with now. But he is living his best life at 11 1/2. For that I am eternally grateful to you.”
AMAZING RECOVERY FROM TPLO SURGERY
Meco, a 2 year old Lab, had TPLO surgery to address a torn ACL.
Almost a year later, his owner MS writes:
“Thank you and your amazing staff for taking care of our pup and an amazing recovery from TPLO surgery.”
Rocket, a 9 month old kitten, had a hip fracture. It was addressed with a surgery called an FHO (Femoral Head Ostectomy). One year after surgery, his owner LS writes:
“Rocket is doing AMAZING! Lives up to his name zooming around this house! He also continues to do his leg stretches!
Thanks again for all you’ve done for him!
He definitely has not skipped a beat and there is no other team I’d trust with my fur babies!”
Maximus, a 1 year old, 125 lb Great Pyrenees mix, had massive drooling. It goes with the breed, but it was just too much for his owners. He had surgery of the lips (twice) to create a “dam” and allow him to swallow his own saliva.
One month after surgery, his owner AA writes:
“All is well. He recovered very well and we are happy with the results. I would have to say 95% improvement. We are all extremely happy. Thank you for helping us and putting up with our not so co-operative pooch. Thank you all again.”
FROM SUFFOCATING TO BUBBLY AND GOOFY – EVE HAD LARYNGEAL PARALYSIS
Eve, a 10-year-old Lab, was suffocating and panting because of laryngeal paralysis. She had a tie-back surgery and recovered well. Her owner PD writes:
“Eve is doing amazing! (…)
Earlier this week, I let all of the dogs out for their morning potty. Beau & Penni ran to the back fence with Eve close behind them. They smelled critters in the field. The 3 of them RAN back and forth across the back yard 3 or 4 times… Eve was the last to come back to the deck and she was NOT panting at all! I was shocked!!
Yesterday, we went on a group walk for the first time since her surgery. She did soooo good. Panted a bit during the walk, but NO panting once we got back to the car.
She is absolutely bubbly and goofy! When we come home, she actually does the happy bouncing/turning thing that some dogs do.
I have learned that Eve is a “panter.” She pants when upset, nervous, excited, happy… But I remind myself of what you told me… As long as she recovers quickly, we should be OK.”
GRANPA BRODI GETS A NEW CHIN
Brodi, a 14 year old miniature poodle, had a big mass on his chin. After it was removed, his owner LM writes:
“My overall experience was great. Everyone was very nice, helpful and professional! The surgeon did a great job! All of which are hard to find nowadays! Thank you!”
COMMENTS FROM A REFERRING VET
I have referred my patients to Dr. Zeltzman for about 7 years for specialty surgeries. He is an experienced, reliable and companionate surgeon, who I trusted to perform surgery on my own dog. I highly recommend him and his team to take care of your pets!
DOUBLE TPLOS FOR SOPHIE
Sophie, a 2-year-old Pit mix, had a TPLO to address a torn ACL, then a second one of the other side. Her owner AH writes:
“Our 2-year-old Pitbull/Boxer mix Sophie tore her right CCL last year. I was so nervous what the future would look like for her since she was so active. I had received information from the emergency vet I went to about Dr. Zeltzman and his team, so I gave him a call. Dr. Zeltzman returned my call himself and asked me to tell him about my sweet Sophie and what had happened. He then sent me in the direction of his assistant, Kat who was just as caring. She explained everything in great detail about what to expect in the coming weeks ahead. I could call her with any questions or concerns I had. After repairing her right leg, we noticed her left CCL had also torn which is common with these types of tears.
I’m so glad that for both of the surgeries she was with Dr. Zeltzman and his team. They are angels and I couldn’t have asked for a better surgeon for our girl. With the guidance of Zeltzman she healed perfectly. He set the expectation that we would get her “as close to normal” as possible as long as we followed his instructions. I’m so glad we did. She is back to being active and doing what she loves. She is now 4 years old and still has the zoomies and plays with her fur cousins.
I can’t thank Dr. Zeltzman and his team enough for all they did for our girl.”
A ROYAL STORY: “SMARTEST MOVES I’VE MADE”
Royal, a 3-year-old Greyhound, was facing amputation when I met her. His owner JK writes:
“I adopted Royal, a retired racing greyhound, in 2011, at age 3. She’d broken her knee in a race collision with another dog. She had surgery to repair the break but no physical therapy to strengthen the leg. Shortly after I adopted her, she stopped using that leg. Two veterinarians recommended amputation, as she could not put weight on it at all and carried the leg high against her right side.
I consulted with Dr. Zeltzman, who recommended stem cell therapy as an alternative to amputation. In February of 2012, Dr. Zeltzman performed the stem cell procedure. As you can see from the video, just a few weeks later, Royal was walking normally on all four legs. She’s now 14 and, although she has some arthritis pain, she’s still using all four legs.
https://www.facebook.com/janine.kressler/videos/3355120442941/?
Consulting with Dr. Zeltzman was one of the smartest moves I’ve ever made.”