Testimonials

Buggy Tasi

Dear Dr. Chamberlain and everyone at Animal Dentistry and Oral Surgery,

Thanks for your expert care of my cat Buggy. As a veterinarian, I appreciate all your technical prowess. As a loving guardian to my cats, I appreciate your compassionate treatment. He is glad to be home, but will see you next year.

Sincerely,

Andrea Tasi, DVM

Scooter Kendig

Scooter is a beloved member of our family and my constant companion. He's joyous from the moment he opens his eyes to the moment he falls asleep. When my vet told me that Scooter needed to have his teeth cleaned, I opted to have the work done by a specialist. Scooter weighs eight pounds, and I especially like that Dr. Chamberlain only uses human-grade anesthesia.

When Scooter's x-rays showed that he needed to have sixteen teeth removed, I was devastated. I started sobbing. Do you know what the staff person did? She hugged me. Need I say more about the caring staff? Probably not, but I will anyway. They were so responsive to my needs, they allowed me to stay with Scooter right up to the time of the surgery, and to be with him as soon as he came out. They kept me informed. They were professional and thoughtful.

Scooter is back to being his happy, vivacious self. Thanks to all of you for making our experience such a positive one.

Warmest regards,
Irene Kendig

Montana Bigbee

Dear Dr. Chamberlain,
All creatures in the Bigbee household--especially one of your recently acquired patients, Montana, are thriving, thanks to your care! This time, when I discovered periodontitis in our Scottish fold youngster, it was a great comfort to know just who to call. You saw him the very next day, performed surgery to make things right, and now, although neither Whitey nor Montana line up at night for their teeth-brushing routine, we know that you have not only extended their lives, but have vastly improved the quality of their lives, and thereby ours, as well.

Thank you for once again performing your magic and for taking such fine care of this latest edition to our household. You and your staff are very, very special to us! I think the pictures say more than could!

All the best to you, Michelle and Erin,
Dr. John and Ivy Bigbee

Montana Bigbee, Scottish fold cat, age 15 months

Vicki Snovell – Referred by Dr. William Tyrell, Cardiologist

Dear Dr. Chamberlain, Michelle and Erin,
Just a note to say Happy Holidays and I never did get to write and say thank you so much for being so great with Vicki’s surgery back in August. I don’t have kids so Vicki is my BABY and I was sooo nervous about having this surgery for a second time. . . on a 12 year old cat! You are all such a great team, obviously experts in your field, and especially accommodating. Michele was so comforting on the phone from the beginning. I really found it less stressful on me and the cat to have the consult on the same day as the surgery, with not too much time in between. I never felt rushed or pressured with your team, and my questions were all answered (I ask a lot!), which is appreciated with such a big decision.

Vicki’s doing fine with no teeth and still practices biting on my husband’s leather belts and assorted bag handles. She’s now eating wet food every day which she really seems to enjoy.

Vicki is the sweetest cat I ever met and I can’t imagine my life without her. Thanks for taking such good care of her and making sure she sailed through surgery and recovery smoothly!

Sincerely,
Christine Snovell

Whitey Bigbee - Referred by Dr. Amanda Fullmer - South Paws Veterinary Referral Center

Dear Dr. Chamberlain,
Along with all the thanks John and I can muster, it is a joy to convey our gratitude for saving Whitey's life. No doubt, you recall that dental-periodontal infection and abscess were placing our 20 year old cat in rapidly declining health. Rebounding from chemotherapy, Whitey's complicated cancer treatment was contributory to his dental condition, which was not allowing him to eat and causing immense discomfort. Much to our relief, the most kind and sympathetic Michele was able to schedule Whitey to see you in your beautiful clinic the following morning.

It was clear from the moment we met that, along with your vast education and clinical experience, you possessed considerable communication skills harnessing both your "analog charm" and the latest in digital means, fully explaining Whitey's condition and offering a flexible treatment plan. Without delay, you put Whitey on the road to recovery, and showed us how to care for his teeth in the future.

Noteworthy was the fact that you brought to our attention a previously unidentified heart condition, which you also took into account pre and inter-operatively. Fortunately, responding to your care, Whitey beautifully tolerated both the general anesthesia and dental surgery, especially given his age and somewhat debilitated condition.

From the moment we returned home, it was amazing to see how quickly our cat recovered, much to our relief and joy. Along with the medication, your post-surgery instruction sheet was a great resource in the following days, and by doing just as you advised, Whitey's appetite, energy and zest for life returned.

Although we are fortunate to live in a nearby town, our experience with you would merit considerable travel if need be; potential client-patients who may be considering the distance would do well to put their pet's welfare before mileage, time and convenience, if at all possible.

We pet owners seem to possess bigger hearts and more love for our animals, so with this in mind, my husband and I strongly encourage anyone reading this to allow Dr. Chamberlain and his staff to work their magic and apply their considerable healing gifts to the creatures who trust their lives to humans.

As we have come to realize, during these challenging economic times, it makes complete sense to promote and maintain a pet's dental health to insure that the emotional and financial investments we make in our animals are secure.

We learned so much from you! Although our remarks may appear to generalize, it should be noted that in our view, each animal entrusted to Dr. Chamberlain's care is unique and given individualized care--and possibly even more so--than has been our experience in human medicine! Dr. Chamberlain's gifts are surely the gifts that keep on giving.

Gratefully,
Dr. John and Ivy Bigbee

Whitey Bigbee, 20+ years and purring strongly in Centreville, VA.

Cheyenne Goodwin - Referred by Dr. Michele Vitulli - Caring Hands Animal Hospital

Cheyenne is our 11 year old golden retriever/lab mix who had a growth on her lower jaw. The growth had grown slowly over a year and was beginning to bleed when she played with her toys. We were referred to Dr. Chamberlain in Oct 08 to assess and biopsy the growth. After examination and biopsy, Dr. Chamberlain recommended removal of the tumor that had begun to grow into her lower jaw bone. We were very uneasy about putting Cheyenne through any surgery given her age and also since she had just had her right eye removed the previous year due to glaucoma. Dr. Chamberlain clearly communicated our options and risks, which were surgery alone, surgery with radiation or just monitoring the tumor. Since the tumor had already grown into the bone, we didn't want to wait. However, given her age and her nervous nature, we didn't want to put her through radiation, so we opted for surgery alone. Cheyenne did very well after the surgery and we were surprised that she was able to eat normally within a few days. When the biopsy results came back, Dr. Chamberlain called to tell us that there were still a few cancer cells in the margins requiring a second surgery to remove a bit more of her jaw. Since she had recovered so well from the first surgery, we didn't hesitate this time. Again, she recovered very quickly and the additional removal was hardly noticable. Thankfully, the second biopsy came out clear.

Cheyenne has returned to her usual playful self - and still maintains her role as Alpha female among our 3 dogs! She can still catch balls (we use soft ones), eats and drinks normally (although drinking is a little messier). Esthetically, her lower jaw is shorter, but is not easily noticed. Sometimes when she's sleeping, her tongue sticks out about an inch (which looks like she's sticking her tongue out at us).

We are very pleased with the results of this surgery, especially considering how reluctant we were to go through with it at all given her age and temperament. Dr. Chamberlain was very thorough when explaining the treatment options and risks and answering our many questions. We are very happy with the decision to go through with the surgery, but more importantly, that we still have our spirited Cheyenne in our lives!

I would highly recommend Dr. Chamberlain to anyone faced with this type of surgery for their pet. We are very grateful for his special skills and knowledge and for his dedication to helping owners make informed decisions for their pets.

Beverly Goodwin
US Government IT Team Quality Assurance Manager
Booz | Allen | Hamilton

Split Bowman - Referred by Animal Emergency Critical Care Associates at The LifeCentre

After 25 years of working with English Cocker Rescue, I am rarely surprised by any phone calls I get. I was taken aback however, in February 2008 when a woman called begging me to come get her 6 month old puppy ASAP. After finding out who the breeder was and discussing the situation with her, I agreed to get the puppy and bring him back to his breeder. She thought she had a home for him. She also told me he had a cleft palate.

When I rang the doorbell at the puppy's home, I was greeted by 6 children, a Bouvier and an extremely timid dark blue roan puppy with the most beautiful face, who was staring me dead in the eye. He sat there perfectly still and would not budge.

It was over an hour's ride to the breeder. I was not looking for another dog at the time, and was certainly not thinking about a PUPPY! But there was just something about the way we locked eyes, and he seemed to be speaking to my heart in a way I had never experienced before. I couldn't stop thinking about him in the days after he was returned to his breeder.

After some soul searching, negotiations with my husband and research on canine cleft palate, the timid puppy joined our household. I decided to name him Split so he could own the uniqueness of his cleft palate. Our next stop was an appointment with Dr. Chamberlain at the Animal Dentistry & Oral Surgery department of The LifeCentre in Leesburg, Va. I was immediately struck by how kind everyone was. Both Split and I were treated with such compassion. I gained a great deal of knowledge from Dr. Chamberlain that day. We decided on surgery, to be followed up with the insertion of a feeding tube.

April 21, 2009 was surgery day! Mom was nervous; Split couldn't figure out why I forgot to feed him his breakfast! Everything went fine. After a two day stay in the Critical Care unit, Split came home. The tube feeding went fine. At our one week check up, Dr. Chamberlain exclaimed, "I'm thrilled!" after looking in Split's mouth. How could I ask for better? We love all the staff in Dr. Chamberlain's office, and couldn't be more grateful for all their wonderful care. Split loves Dr. Chamberlain, Jenn and Michele (and so does his Mom!). Heartfelt gratitude goes out to the Critical Care folks too!

We think Split is just perfect and can't wait to get him started on his career as a Rally-O star. He's also showing promise in Agility. Fun days are ahead thanks to everyone at The LifeCentre.

Anna Bowman

Spirit - Referred by Dr. Beth Hood from Aldie Veterinary Hospital

Hello. My name is Spirit. I was born with a good size overbite. Upon arriving to my new home, Mom took me to her regular vet to get my check up. She was told that I had some serious teeth problems and a heart murmur. The vet said I wasn’t going to be a show dog. She suggested mom take me back to where I was born. Mom was pretty upset, she cried and was talking to God. She said she felt confident that Spirit picked me the day she came to visited me. She was confused as to why God arranged this match. She just lost her companion of 12 years, a relative of mine. So she had a lot of high hopes and big plans for me! She told God she would have faith that I was the gift He gave to her. She acknowledged that dogs love unconditionally and that she too would love me unconditionally. I knew I picked the right one.

A few days later Mom found Dr. Chamberlain who pulled six of my baby teeth because they were poking holes in the roof of my mouth. Yep it hurt. Then, we waited and waited, hoping, that my lower jaw would catch up to the top but it never did. So when my big fangs grew in Dr. Chamberlain filed one tooth down and moved one out just enough to clear my roof. There’s a more medical term for that but you’ll have to look that up yourself. Anyway, the filed tooth is still inside my roof but it doesn’t hurt me any more. I can still chew on bones and tug with the best of them!

Mom is choosing K9 Search and Rescue for me instead of being a show dog. Though I am handsome. My formal name even says so “Spirit Handsome Haverhill.” We are on the Virginia Search and Rescue Dog Association team. In training, my reward is to tug. I’ve been training for 6 months now and I can’t wait to see Dr. Chamberlain again for my check up so he can tell me my tooth is still healthy. I hope it is because I really love to play the tug game. If he tells me I can’t tug any more, I’ll be disappointed because the tug is the only reward I’ve been trained with. Even though I’m a Labrador retriever, I just never got into fetching… yet anyway. But if I can’t tug because of my big tooth, I’ll switch to fetching. I just like the challenge of the tug and showing off my muscles. I’m glad my Mom had faith and didn’t send me back. That would have broken my heart which is worse than a broken tooth for sure.

Lisa Carlisle

Max LeClerc - Referred by Sophia Chiang from Alexandria Animal Hospital

Max, the Italian Greyhound
“My Story”

In May 2006, my human couldn’t take care of me anymore, so I was given up to the Italian Greyhound Rescue Foundation. At that time I had advanced periodontal disease and had only a few teeth left in my head! So, while under the care of the Italian Greyhound Rescue Foundation, my veterinary treatment included removal of my few remaining teeth.

That summer, Jane, who would later become my mom, met me. She took one look at me and immediately thought that I was the most handsome dog that she had ever seen in her whole life! (Please check out my photo and I'm sure you'll agree with her.) So, in September 2006, my new mom took me home to Arlington, Virginia.

One of the first things Jane did was to take me to see Dr. Thomas Chamberlain. Now I know what you’re thinking. “Why would a toothless dog need to go to a dentist?” Well, Dr. Chamberlain is not only a dentist, but an oral surgeon. Because my periodontal disease was so advanced, I had developed two very large oro-nasal fistulas in my boney palate where my upper canine teeth used to be. In layman’s terms, I had two big holes in my head! In fact, those holes were so big that when I ate, food would come out of my nose. (Actually, I had so much fun grossing out my Italian Greyhound sisters by purposely blowing food out through my nose. What a blast! But Mom wasn't amused. Oh, I digress.)

Although the fistulas were exceptionally large, Dr. Chamberlain was able to perform the delicate surgical procedure of drawing tissue over the holes and sewing those flaps of skin closed. Now, instead of holes, it’s like I have two drums in my head. Anyway, that surgery was in September 2006, and the tissue covering the holes in my boney palate is still intact and healthy. And I must admit, after the surgery I did experience a surge of vitality that I hadn’t felt since I was young pup before my mouth got so infected. You see, oro-nasal fistulas can lead to infection that raises havoc with our immune systems.

My rescued Italian Greyhound sisters also have been patients of Dr. Chamberlain. Jane likes to take us to Dr. Chamberlain because she says that he doesn’t see us as just a mouth or a set of teeth. Rather, Dr. Chamberlain sees us as “whole dogs.” Before any procedure, he evaluates our overall health. Then taking our health into consideration, along with other factors such as our ages and lifestyles—Dr. Chamberlain discusses treatment options with the guardians of companion animals.

Well, it’s time for my nap so I’ll end here. When I wake up, there’s more trouble that I need to get into. I have to keep Mom on her toes. It’s fun being healthy!

Sincerely, Max (and Jane)