Dear Dr. Cerf: 

It’s hard for me to believe that it was four years ago that I first met you, Kathy, and the tremendous

staff at Ridgewood Veterinary Hospital.  It seems like just yesterday. 

My dog, Schatzi, had just been diagnosed with transitional cell carcinoma, and I was devastated by the

news. Dr. Strauss of the  Animal Emergency and Referral Center in Fairfield suggested I might want to

contact you, as he’d heard you had pioneered a laser surgery as a treatment for TCC. 

I called RVH the next day and luckily got an appointment for the following Saturday. Kathy Wyder

called me back that  afternoon and gave me information on the surgery, and was glad that I’d made

an appointment for a consultation. Little did I know that Kathy would become a second mother to

Schatzi!

 I brought Schatzi in the following Saturday, and you reviewed her case with me  and did an ultrasound.

Your encouragement and positive attitude meant so much, and we agreed that Schatzi was a candidate

for the laser surgery. You and Kathy made sure I understood that this surgery wasn’t a cure, but a

treatment to keep Schatzi comfortable and give her a fighting chance. I have to admit that while I

acknowledged that, in my heart, I was hoping it would give us time to find a cure.

It was hard for me to leave her for her surgery a week later, but I knew  she was in good hands. When

Kathy called me to let me know that Schatzi was out of surgery and doing well, I can’t describe the joy I

felt.You told me later when you called me yourself that the cancer was confined to her urethra but her

urethra was almost totally blocked from the cancer.  That’s the problem with TCC, it doesn’t cause a lot

of symptoms until the disease is advanced.  Once she recovered from her surgery – what a difference in

her behavior!  She was back to being the happy, bouncy, joyful dog she’d been before she got sick.

Schatzi and I had an additional 20 precious months together because of you, Kathy, and everyone

else at RVH. 

 Dr. Cerf, you, Kathy and everyone at your hospital will always have very special place in my heart.

What you did for us was incredible.  After that first surgery, and the a  follow-ups, Schatzi always felt

good – and that gave me hope.  For a dog who didn’t like going to the vets, I will never forget that she

always walked into RVH as if entering a second home. 

 I know that  Schatzi is watching over you and Kathy, as well as me, and cheering you on to help other

dogs the way you did her.