July 8, 1942 ~ May 4, 2023
An Article about Dr. Tom Pescod
There are many people here in Green Valley who have pets. They are a part of the family, and we feel great responsibility for their care and creature comforts.
We have a dog named Bogie. He is the kindest, most wonderful dog to us. We try to be most conscious of his needs health-wise as well as giving back the unconditional love he gives to us.
When we returned to Green Valley from our summer break, Bogie exhibited signs of distress when we touched him in the neck area. We took him to a vet in the valley, and they diagnosed an ear infection and advised us to administer ear drops to him.
We did this, soon realizing we were hurting him more than we were helping him.
We then took him to Dr. [Thomas Pescod,] who diagnosed severe neck pain, suspecting something amiss with the discs in his neck. After treating the pain with a relaxer (Diazepam) and steroids for a few weeks, a blood workup was done as well as a Valley Fever test.
The test showed that he had the disease, but didn’t give an accurate reading of the titer [measures the levels of a dog’s immune defenses]. Note that I’m getting really good with the terms. We requested that he be put on medication for Valley Fever immediately.
Specialist recommended
Dr. Pescod recommended that we visit a neurologist, the closest one being in Phoenix. However, he made further inquiries, and discovered a neurologist, Dr. Peter Gordon, one of only 150 in the country, closer – in Tucson doing work out of the Veterinary Specialty Center of Tucson which had just opened in July.
There are also specialists in dermatology, radiology, orthopedic surgery, internal medicine, valley fever, and critical care at this facility. They are located at 4909 North La Canada Drive in Tucson and their telephone number is 520-795-9955.
Even though they are a referral veterinarian specialty hospital, you can also take advantage of their vast expertise if your pet has an emergency 24/7.
The facility is a state-of-the-art, two-story hospital concentrating on intensive care for our four-legged friends.
There is a crash cart, isolation room, two operating rooms, ultrasound equipment, CT scanner which is also used at Tucson Medical Center, a small room set aside for endoscopy, and an X-ray system that is viewed on a computer allowing the output to be sent to consulting doctors and the primary vet.
These are only some of the amenities. More important, to us, was the care and caring given to Bogie. He has a doctor, Peter Gordon DVM, MS, Diplomate American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Neurology), like none other, we have ever encountered, and we have had other animals and come in contact with many vets. He related not only to us and our questions and concerns but also to Bogie.
His hands-on (even on days off, etc.) was gentle during surgical procedures and encouraging before and during. The entire staff excels in their particular areas of expertise, and go above and beyond assisting you in any way they can.
We wanted to share our experiences with you who have a four-legged family member (be it a dog or cat) and let you know of a very special place to take your pet when he or she is ill. We would, also, like to thank Dr. Pescod for referring us, and, of course, Dr. Gordon who now shares ownership of Bogie!
We don’t know how things will turn out, but we feel we are doing everything we can do, and with Veterinary Specialty Center’s expertise and care, and our love and commitment we’re still hanging in there.
Herb and Jeri Sieler moved to Green Valley in 1988 from Gig Harbor, Wash., where he worked for the Ranier Brewing Co. and she was employed by Weyerhaeuser Corp.
The opinions expressed above are the writers’ own and do not necessarily reflect those of this newspaper.