Pulse - March 2022 - 17

UC DAVIS UPDATE
Cardiac Emergency Leads to
Cross Country Journey to UC Davis
Rob Warren, UC Davis VMTH Communications & Marketing Officer
The dedicated couple started looking at veterinary
schools and specialty hospitals in the South but ultimately
headed to the one place where they knew it
could be handled - Legrand's former employer, the UC
Davis School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM).
Having been a SVM fundraiser and a former client
of the UC Davis veterinary hospital, Legrand knew just
who to call to arrange for Zeus to be seen by the Emergency
Room and the Cardiology Service.
He and Zeus were on the next flight to California,
and Zeus was in surgery at UC Davis for a pacemaker
implantation within 48 hours of arrival.
" These veterinarians go to great lengths for their
patients, " said Legrand. " Of course, I knew them personally
from having worked with them, but I feel they
would do that for any client who comes to them, especially
in emergency situations. "
Zeus' third-degree AV block was suspected to be conA
post-surgical radiograph
shows the pacemaker implanted
in Zeus.
(inset) Zeus at the UC Davis
School of Veterinary Medicine
following pacemaker implantation
surgery.
B
PULSE
eing faced with a life-or-death situation
with their animals, many pet owners will
go above and beyond to save them. This
certainly was the case for Jason Legrand and his
husband Eric Burkholder of Auburn, Alabama,
where the former California couple recently
moved for Burkholder's career as a physics professor
at Auburn University.
When Zeus, their energetic 7-year-old male Shih
Tzu/Schnauzer mix, became immediately lethargic
and ill with bouts of vomiting and diarrhea, their primary
veterinarian diagnosed him with a third-degree
atrioventricular (AV) block of his heart. The veterinarian
prepared Legrand and Burkholder for the worst and
informed them they would need to find a cardiologist
who could implant a pacemaker in Zeus to save him.
MARCH 2022
tributing to his clinical signs of hyporexia, vomiting, and
diarrhea due to decreased perfusion to his gastrointestinal
tract. A biotronic VVIR pacemaker was placed transvenously
after a complete systemic work up ruled out
significant concurrent disease. The block was suspected
to be secondary to idiopathic fibrosis of the AV node.
Significant proteinuria was noted based on UPC, and
this is suspected to be secondary to bradyarrhythmia and
associated hypertension, however a degree of glomerular
disease cannot be excluded. Risks of transvenous pacemaker
placement in the face of significant proteinuria
were discussed with the owner (loss of antithrombin III
and hypercoagulability with risk of PTE) and transvenous
pacemaker placement with anti-thrombotic therapy
was elected. Zeus did well under anesthesia and
clinically improved following pacemaker placement
(increased appetite, resolution of vomiting/diarrhea).
" Zeus' case is the type of story that I would tell
as a fundraiser for the school - these emergency life
and death stories where UC Davis saves the day, " said
Legrand.
He and Burkholder feel fortunate to now be the subject
of the story instead of the narrator.
After several weeks of strict rest and expert follow-up
care, Zeus seems to be back to his old self.
" He is so active that one would never guess he has
this device in him, " Legrand said. " Of course, he doesn't
remember he was sick or know any better, so he's just
the same dog he was before. " P
17
Pulse - March 2022

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