Colorado State’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital Featured in New Animal Planet Premiere Series Episode on April 2

Clients and medical staff of Colorado State’s prestigious James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital will be the focus of the first episode of a new series, "Animal Operation," premiering on the Animal Planet Network on April 2.

Episode one tells two stories. The first is Chaucer, a year-old English Sheepdog with a fatal heart defect. Chaucer’s one hope is Dr. Chris Orton, a veterinary cardiac surgeon who is pioneering a valve reconstruction procedure that may save Chaucer’s life. Colorado State has one of the leading-edge veterinary cardiac units in North America, and Chaucer’s owner, Melissa Panarese, makes the trip from Atlanta to Fort Collins to give Chaucer a fighting chance.

The second story involves Boulder resident Don Weaver and his dog Baron, who has developed a cancer in his leg. Usually, amputation is the best option. But the staff at Colorado State’s Animal Cancer Center has refined a technique known as the "flip and nuke" to save limbs from amputation. The technique is so new, this is only the twelfth such surgery performed at the Animal Cancer Center.

This episode is scheduled for 10-11 p.m. (EST) on April 2, but viewers should check local listings.

"Animal Operation" is a series that takes viewers into the surgical suites to witness the cutting-edge, life-saving procedures being developed at the nation’s leading schools of veterinary medicine.

Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences is ranked second in the nation. The Animal Cancer Center is recognized worldwide as having the greatest wealth of knowledge and expertise regarding cancer in animals.

The cardiology unit at Colorado State’s James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital is one of only two veterinary schools in North America performing open heart surgery and many other such complex and sophisticated procedures on animals.

Animal Planet, available in 77 million households nationwide, is the only television network dedicated exclusively to the connection between humans and animals. Discovery Networks, U.S. operates and manages Animal Planet Network.

For more information about the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital at Colorado State University, call (970) 221-4535.

For more information about "Animal Operation" on the Animal Planet Network, contact Chloe Kanter at (301) 771-3812.