Surgery Success: Rocco


Rocco went to the back yard and came back fully impaled on a PVC pipe! In horror, his family brought him to NorthStar VETS where Dr. Joanna Lloyd of the NorthStar VETS Emergency service examined Rocco and worked with Dr. Katherine Kerrigan of the Radiology service to get a CT scan of his body. Incredibly, no major organs or vessels were damaged! The pipe entered Rocco’s chest missing his heart, lungs, and esophagus. It penetrated his diaphragm, but missed his liver, kidneys and intestines as it exited his lower back. Dr. Kelly Kraus of the Surgery team performed the hours-long operation, which confirmed the lack of damage, removed the pipe, cleaned the area, and closed the holes. Having recovered, Rocco’s medical care was transferred to Dr. Kristie Decker at Pet’s Best Friend in Levittown, PA. He walked out of the hospital with his tail wagging, completely unaware of the miracle that happened.

Learn more about the Emergency and Surgery services at NorthStar VETS.

https://youtu.be/J1RAY0MqJ_o

Joanna Lloyd, VMD
Dr. Lloyd grew up in Philadelphia before going to Williams College in Massachusetts where she majored in Chemistry with a specialization in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. After college and a brief stint as an ER veterinary technician, Dr. Lloyd earned her veterinary degree from the University of Pennsylvania. She joined NorthStar VETS in April 2018.

Dr. Lloyd’s clinical interests include veterinary neonatal and pediatric care, trauma, and urinary obstructions. In her spare time, Dr. Lloyd raises orphaned kittens and makes jewelry.

Kelly Kraus, VMD, DACVS
Dr. Kraus is originally from Connecticut. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from Loyola University in Baltimore, Maryland in 2003 before moving to Philadelphia, where she did molecular genetics research for two years at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Kraus then completed veterinary school at the University of Pennsylvania in 2009. After graduating, she completed a rotating internship at Oradell Animal Hospital in Paramus, NJ. She then moved to Texas to complete a one-year internship in surgery at Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists. She was fortunate to then move back to New Jersey for a three-year residency in surgery at Red Bank Veterinary Hospital, which she completed in 2014.

She is excited to be part of the surgery team at NorthStar VETS. Her special surgical interests include, but are not limited to, wound management and reconstructive surgery, surgical oncology, cardiothoracic surgery, and hepatobiliary surgery. Dr. Kraus also enjoys management of orthopedic conditions. She is trained in the tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO) for cranial cruciate ligament disease. Outside of work, Dr. Kraus enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, traveling, and helping her local SPCA.

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