We are proud to announce, Chica Zuniga
as Februarys companion animal of the month. The Zuniga family is the proud
owners of Chica, an adorable little girl. Chica found a very special way into
the hearts of the Zuniga family and here is her story. The Zuniga family had
been shopping at their local mall in Maryland and their daughter begged them to
go into the pet shop inside the mall. This was not unusual as their daughter
did this every time they went to the mall. As soon as they walked into the pet
shop their daughter had her eyes set on a little ball of fluff that seemed to be
calling her name. Well, that is at least what she told her parents. They then
asked the nice lady working in the pet shop if they could visit with the cute
little puppy. The Zunigas knew it was all over from there and they would soon
be taking this adorable puppy home. As soon as the lady brought the puppy to
them she jumped right into their daughter lap and they all knew there was no
turning back. They had just added a new addition to their family. They decided
to name this adorable puppy Chica, meaning little girl in Spanish. They soon
realized she does indeed live up to the name. She is the Zuniga family's little
girl and she knows it. She loves being with the family and may often forget she
is actually not human. Chica enjoys snuggling up on the sofa, take long walks,
eating, and sleeping. Chica is involved in all the family activities and
outings, the Zunigas note it would not be the same without her there. Chica
usually gets what she wants and doesn't like to take no for an answer. If you
are eating a snack she will stand on her hind legs and begin jumping straight up
to get your attention until she gets what is wants, especially if you are eating
cheese. You can probably tell she is a little spoiled and the Zunigas love to
spoil her. With a cute and cuddly face it is very hard to resist. She is a
wonderful companion animal who never complains and is always looking to please
her family. One thing Chica does not like is to be left behind. If her family
is going somewhere you better believe Chica is going along for the ride. 
In December of 2009, Chica was presented to Atlantic Animal Hospital with a non-healing wound after being bitten in the face by another dog 6 months prior. Chica's owners explained that the wound had been repaired several times by two other veterinarians but continued to reopen after sutures were removed. Sometimes it appeared to scab over and be just about healed and then it would open up again. Since Chica is a Shih Tzu, her skull bone structure and anatomy differs from your typical canine. Shih Tzu's are within the breeds known as brachycephalics, brachy meaning shortened and cephalic meaning head. They are characterized by having shorted mandibles (bone that encompasses the nose and upper teeth) and overbites. Its altered anatomic structure also moves vital structures like veins, arteries, nerves and in Chica's case, the salivary duct. A canine with a normal snout with a bite below the eye like Chica would probably just been a flesh wound hitting no vital structures. However, since Chica's snout is shorter the vital structures are more compacted and injuries are less forgiving.
The dog that bit Chica in the face actually severed her main salivary duct. Dogs have four salivary glands on each side of their head. All are in the same general location just below the ears and have a system of ducts (similar to a garden hose) which move saliva from the gland (s) into the mouth to aid in softening and pre-digesting food before it is swallowed. Even though Chica's salivary duct was severed, saliva still accumulated, not in the mouth as normal but under her eye in the skin layers where it pooled. Eventually, pressure built up under the skin and the skin broke open and abscessed. The constant build up of saliva in an abnormal location caused Chica's non-healing wound.
Chica was anesthetized and radiographs were taken of her mouth and teeth to ensure there were no underlying fractures or tooth root abscesses (which is also a common finding in this area). When satisfied that all teeth were healthy, Chica underwent surgical removal of the parotid salivary gland (the largest of the salivary glands). When removed attention was given to the non-healing wound. The area was debrided (cutting away dead or questionable tissue) and closed for, what we are confident is, the last time. Chica recovered well from her surgery and recently visited Atlantic Animal Hospital to have her sutures removed.
Chica is back at home now cuddling up on the couch enjoying her family time. She is doing much better at home and is back to her old routine of being a princess and holding up to her name little girl.
--Written by Tiffany Rice and Kaleia Corbin