Diagnosis
Dik underwent testing at the Brownsville Veterinarian Hospital and at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Tex. The specialists at the Military Working Dog Veterinary Clinic at Lackland confirmed that Dik had Cardiomyopathy, a chronic disorder of the heart muscle with a mild right-sided heart failure. Dik's heartbeat was one-third of what it should have been. Doctors advised CEO Zapata that Dik could no longer work and would need to be retired.

Photo Credit: SCO Eugene Moriarty

Dik with his handler CEO Amador Zapata.

A possible solution
Dr. Wooding was not giving up on Dik-she researched his illness and made telephone calls to other veterinarians and specialists. She contacted Dr. Matt Miller, Associate Professor of Cardiology, at Texas A&M University, a world-renowned university for veterinarian medicine. Dr. Wooding, along with the Brownsville Animal Hospital and Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Center, explored alternative ways to give Dik the best care possible. The solution to Dik's illness? A pacemaker inserted into his neck to support his ailing heart and possibly give him a new lease on life.

On the afternoon of April 17, Dr. Wooding told Dik's handler that Texas A&M wanted to examine the dog to determine if he was a candidate for the procedure. Dik and Zapata left Brownsville at 3 a.m. the next morning for the 8-hour trip to Texas A&M.

Surgery
The news was good: Dr. Sonya Gordon, Assistant Professor of Cardiology, and graduate veterinary student Tricia Latimer decided that Dik was, indeed, a candidate for a pacemaker. Dik's strong physical condition ensured that the pacemaker would not only extend his life, but that it would also allow him to resume his duties as a narcotic detector dog. Dik was taken into the operating room that same day, and three hours later his pacemaker was in place and working. Clinic Director Hank Reinheart informed CEO Zapata and Brownsville Canine Enforcement that the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Center would cover all of the expenses.

Speedy recovery
Dik returned to duty on May 28, and on May 30, he alerted to 84.37 pounds of marijuana hidden inside the tires of an automobile. Dik has an impressive record for the Port of Brownsville. His seizures total over $15 million worth of narcotics and property.

The Brownsville Canine Enforcement Section would like to thank the unselfish devotion and combined efforts of Dr. Sherri Wooding and the staff of Brownsville Animal Hospital; Texas A&M Director Hank Reinhart, Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Center; Assistant Professor Dr Sonya Gordon; graduate veterinarian student Tricia Latimer; Dr Matt Miller, Associate Professor of Cardiology; and the doctors and staff assigned to the Military Working Dog Veterinary Clinic at Lackland Air Force Base.

Between 10 and 20 dogs are diagnosed with heart conditions every day in the United States and Canada. "Between 100 and 200 pacemakers are implanted into animals-mostly dogs but some cats and horses-in the United States each year," notes Dr. David Sisson, a veterinary cardiologist at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital in Urbana. Although Dik's pacemaker was a new one, an increasing number of people are donating their pacemakers along with their organs after death. Federal regulations prevent pacemakers from being passed from person to person for use, but the implantation of these "second-hand pacemakers" in animals whose cardiovascular arrangement is similar to the human system can keep the animals alive for years. People who choose to be cremated must (by law) have their pacemakers removed first. Anyone in need of a pacemaker for a dog can contact the local funeral home, their veterinarian, or the American College of Veterinary Medicine in Lakewood, Colorado. at 1-800-245-9081.