Ocala doctors support UF rehabilitation efforts in gratitude for pet's care

Radiologist Dr. Scott Kerns and his wife, Dr. Suzie Kerns, a pediatrician, are "people" doctors whose commitment to their animals has taken them all over the country. Throughout their journey, however, one University of Florida veterinarian has consistently provided care or counsel relating to treatment of their beloved pets, including their dog, Zozo.

The couple began a relationship in 2007 with Kristin Kirkby, D.V.M., who was then a surgical resident in the College of Veterinary Medicine. The Kernses' dog, Zozo, a mixed breed adopted from Haiti, came to UF in 2007 to receive medical treatment for a head injury she received just a week before she departed for Florida to be with her new family.

During her first days in the UF Veterinary Medical Center's intensive care unit, she was treated for gastrointestinal hemorrhage after nearly bleeding to death.

"I didn't actually treat Zozo when she first came in for head trauma," said Kirkby, who now directs the new Small Animal Rehabilitation and Fitness Center. "I saw her and knew how small and frail and hurt she was. But I met the Kernses when I was at a rehabilitation course in South Florida and they came in with Zozo as the ‘class example.' She had come to be treated by our class instructor, Dr. Laurie McCauley."

McCauley is an Illinois-based veterinarian certified in canine rehabilitation therapy, acupuncture and chiropractic.

The couple mentioned Zozo was not spayed and that whenever she would go into heat she would take giant steps backward in her recovery process.

"I introduced myself to them and said that I could facilite her being spayed at UF so that she could have a boarded anesthesiologist," Kirkby said. "When they came up for the procedure, I started telling them about my wish to start a rehabilitation service here. They said that they have had to travel state and country looking for this service and how great it would be to have something so nearby."

The Kernses soon had donated money and equipment — resources that Kirkby said were essential in the rehabilitation program's successful development.

"Without them, we would not be where we are now," Kirkby said.

The Small Animal Rehabilitation and Fitness Center at UF has now been in operation for about a year and a half, and is gearing up to accept new patients from outside the VMC.

The Kernses have been tireless in their efforts to obtain the best possible care for the dog they say has "richly blessed" them. Zozo's dramatic medical odyssey has spanned two years and has included both human doctors and veterinarians from several states working in the fields of physical therapy, chiropractic and acupuncture.

"Zozo certainly is well-traveled," said Suzie Kerns, who has visited specialists in Illinois, Oregon and Florida. Prior to meeting Kirkby, the family took its pet to a therapist who specializes in craniosacral work in Illinois, who was recommended by Kerns' sister, Dr. Sharon Forster Blouin, a feline practitioner in Corvallis, Ore., and a 1992 graduate of UF CVM.

Later, Kirkby would travel to Illinois to learn more about the therapist's techniques in order to better treat Zozo closer to home. She and the Kernses also visited with a human chiropractor to take advantage of his expertise in functional neurology.

"We aren't sure which treatment modality or therapist or supplement has made the most difference, but we do know Zozo has defied all odds and expectations," Suzie Kerns said, adding that Dr. Huisheng Xie, a UF veterinary acupuncturist, played a key role in caring for both of their pets during their hospitalizations at the VMC.

Now Zozo's biggest remaining problem is the tendency to tuck her chin between her front legs and literally somersault when she's agitated or confronted by powerful smells.

"To the casual observer, she has a high-stepping, prancing gait and a slight head tilt," Kerns said. "To us, she is a miracle and the absolute joy of our lives. She has taught us never to give up hope."