I was practically born in a whelping box. My journey through the field of veterinary medicine has been marked by a deep love for animals, for the medical sciences and respect for nature. I believe in compassionate, state of the art, yet objective veterinary care. After obtaining my DVM degree and working as a practitioner for a couple years, I developed a strong affinity for emergency and critical care medicine, which led me to transition into a research role at top human medical schools, where I worked in collaboration with internationally recognized human surgeons, emergency and critical care physicians. My time in cutting-edge areas of human medicine developed in me a profound appreciation for the interconnectedness of human and animal health in addition to the opportunity to gain valuable insights into the scientific and therapeutic aspects of the medical sciences.
Later, upon returning to the veterinary field, I focused predominantly on small animal emergency and critical care and worked alongside outstanding board-certified veterinary specialists. As my journey progressed, I continued to broaden my scope of veterinary care, including general practice, wellness/preventative medicine, canine reproduction and behavior. As a result, I have developed extensive skills in delivering a broad scope of interventions to veterinary patients.
My life-long involvement with dogs makes me greatly appreciative of the importance of pure-bred dogs, their history and function. Purebreds are purpose-bred dogs! The characteristics that make each of these dogs unique also help them perform specialized functions for which they were bred. The physical appearance of these pure-bred dogs clearly illustrates this and is also an important part of each breed?s development and history. Ear cropping is an elective surgery currently implemented in approximately 20 dog breeds, including Dobermans, Great Danes, Boxers, Schnauzers, Corsos and others. Many owners of specific breeds wish to maintain their dog?s historic practical function by having their puppy?s ears cropped, tails docked, or dewclaws removed. While some people unfamiliar with the breeds believe that these practices are purely aesthetic and question their necessity, these procedures often actually enhance the dog?s ability to perform the tasks it is meant to do, and in many cases protect the dog from serious injury in life.
Unfortunately, the politization and groundless criticism directed at these veterinary procedures by animal rights groups have negatively impacted the way our society perceives ear cropping, tail docking and declaw surgeries in dogs. Consequently, nowadays, very few veterinarians comprehend the importance of these procedures. Furthermore, the surgical skills necessary to perform them correctly have been lost. This problem has also encouraged the same procedures to be performed on the black market, under unsafe, deplorable conditions by unqualified individuals.
By a stroke of luck, I met Dr. Anne Platt in Alaska, and she informed me of the DPCA?s Crop Externship Program. Through Dr. Platt, I am receiving outstanding mentorship on how to best harness the ear cropping skills for different breeds ? all of this under safe, state-of-the-art veterinary care.
The ultimate goals: dispel the myth of animal cruelty for these procedures while preserving breed standard and function.
Dr. Lagoa lives in Anchor Point, Kenai Peninsula (Alaska) with his wife, daughter and 3 rollicking AKC champion Irish Setters. He is the owner and solo practitioner at Chugach Animal Clinic.