Lake Emma Animal Hospital
by Jill Duff-Hoppes
Dr. Caroline Hecker, the medical director at Lake Emma Animal Hospital in Lake Mary, is passionate about veterinary surgery that improves the lives of our furry friends.
A case in point is a corrective procedure known as brachycephalic airway surgery, which is performed on short-nosed dog breeds such as French bulldogs, English bulldogs, Boston terriers, and pugs. Dr. Hecker has been doing this type of surgery for years and recently completed additional training in the procedure, which is typically performed when a dog is being spayed or neutered.
“Due to breeding their noses to be shorter, people have unfortunately also bred their airways to be a little bit narrower,” says Dr. Hecker, adding that smaller airways can lead to breathing problems and other serious health issues.
The surgery is life-changing for these breeds, which are highly sought-after by many dog lovers. In fact, French bulldogs – also known as Frenchies – have supplanted the Labrador retriever as the most popular purebred dog in the United States, according to the nonprofit American Kennel Club.
“Brachycephalic airway surgery improves their lifelong ability to breathe, and it reduces their risk of pneumonia, airway collapse, and other sicknesses such as upper respiratory infections and colds,” says Dr. Hecker. “They don’t get as overheated, so they can go on longer walks. It improves their quality of life, massively.”
For the owners of these dogs, a post-surgery bonus is that there’s less loud breathing and snoring emanating from the pups.
“The best compliment is when a client tells me, ‘Now that you’ve corrected my dog’s airway, I can’t hear where they are in the house anymore. They sneak up behind me and scare me,’” Dr. Hecker says with a laugh. “That means I did my job well.”
Paying it Forward
Dr. Hecker and other team members at Lake Emma Animal Hospital also strive to inspire future generations of animal lovers and veterinarians. This fall, she was invited to speak to students in the Pre-Veterinary Society at UCF about her career journey as a veterinarian. A native of Charleston, South Carolina, Dr. Hecker’s love of animals has always been strong, in large part because of her parents’ influence.
“I had my own little zoo at home,” she says. “My mom was a dolphin trainer, and my dad ran an aquarium.”
Dr. Hecker graduated from Vassar College in New York with a major in biology and a minor in classical literature. She then went to veterinary school at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and moved to Lake Mary in 2014 to begin her career. In 2016, she joined the team at Lake Emma Animal Hospital as a veterinarian and took on the additional role of medical director in 2022. Dr. Hecker lives in Heathrow with husband Jason, children Maxwell (age 4) and Josephine (2), a dog, two cats, a 20-year-old African grey parrot, and fish.
In addition to her recent visit with the University of Central Florida students, Dr. Hecker has spoken to kids in preschool, kindergarten, and middle school about the life of a veterinarian.
“Dr. Hecker loves education and community involvement,” says Jen Grefenhaus, the practice manager at Lake Emma Animal Hospital. “She’s always been a leader in the practice – and alongside our other doctors – she has always worked to educate our team and clients.”
Lake Emma Animal Hospital is accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and is certified by the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) as a Cat-Friendly Practice. Most members of the team are also individually certified as Cat-Friendly Veterinarians, Veterinary Professionals, or Veterinary Advocates. The clinic is also currently taking steps to ensure that every member of its staff is trained in pet CPR.
To learn more about the locally owned and operated clinic, visit LakeEmmaAnimalHospital.com.