I'd like to introduce you to our Companion Animal of the Month for November
2009, Soli Ventura. Soli (pronounced So-lee) is a beautiful 123 pound
brindle Mastiff. She did not always weigh in at such an awe inspiring
weight...
Mr. Ventura's niece breeds Mastiffs in Cleveland, OH. With Mastiffs being a giant breed dog, the larger puppies tend to be adopted out first. Believe it or not, this 123 pound girl we see before us was the runt of the litter and was not adopted out immediately. This is how Soli came to adopt Mr. Ventura as her forever master. Their journey together began seven years ago and their human-animal bond is remarkable to this day. Soli has grown to be a great companion for Mr. and Mrs. Ventura. Soli is a very sweet and affectionate girl. She is highly protective of her family and finds it her duty to watch over the ones she loves. When speaking of Soli, Mr. Ventura notes, "She is my buddy and she keeps me in line." Soli has made an impact in Mr. Ventura's life and has helped him see and experience unconditional love.
On October 14th, Soli was presented to Atlantic Animal Hospital with a chronic wound on her tail. Soli injured her tail by constantly hitting it against walls, her dads motorcycle, and anything that happened to be in her tail's line of fire. Could you blame a happy girl like Soli for wagging her tail? The Ventura's did their best to keep Soli from reinjuring her tail, but you try explaining to a 123 pound, full of life, pup to stop wagging her tail! So asking her to stop wagging her tail was out of the question. Unfortunately, due to continued trauma and infection a significant part of her tail was starting to die due to poor circulation. This lead to a generalized infection which in turn lead to anorexia and dehydration. During the medical evaluation, blood-work was submitted and Dr. Aman Sukhija recommended that the tail be amputated due to necrosis and infection. Necrosis is the premature death of cells and living tissue. Necrosis is caused by external factors, such as infection, toxins or trauma. In Soli's case she had necrosis of the tail muscle and skin tissues due to lack of oxygen to the affected cells, caused by self traumatic repetitive hitting of her tail. The standard therapy of necrosis is surgical removal of the necrotic tissue. Due to the severity of the necrosis a complete amputation of the dead tail was required.
On October 16th, Soli was admitted for tail amputation surgery. Dr. Amy Long amputated approximately 3/4 of Soli's tail. The surgery was a success and Soli's remaining tail stump is healing well. Soli's attitude and appetite have returned to normal and she continues to wag her much shorter tail. Although Soli has a slightly different appearance with a shorter tail she is still beautiful as ever. As we all can agree, those of us smitten with dogs and how their sweet silliness reminds us of the truly important things in life, living in the moment, giving unconditional love, being loyal, being yourself and enjoying the ride. Soli has and continues to make and everlasting impact in the Ventura's hearts.
--Written by Lauren Wilson and Tiffany Rice
Back to Atlantic Animal Hospital