Canine receives pacemaker - a first for U.S. Customs PDF  | Print |  E-mail

In late February, the Brownsville, Tex., Canine Enforcement section received a call from their local veterinarian. Dr. Sherri Wooding needed to see Customs canine "Dik" in her office for some additional lab work to follow-up his annual physical. The telephone call began a long and bumpy ride for Dik, a Belgian Malinois, and CEO Amador Zapata, his handler of five years.

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.

Dik with his handler CEO Amador Zapata.
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.

This story originally appeared on U.S. Customs Today