The heart monitor traces a steady pulse.
IV bags drip slowly.
Dr. Rick LeCouteur hovers at the edge of the operating table - scrubbed, ready and eager. Until recently, such a diagnosis would have meant certain death. It was test and slaughter. Armed with high-tech tools, specialty training and procedures such as kidney transplants and hip replacements, today's vets are giving household pets treatment that rivals, and sometimes surpasses, the care many humans receive. This revolution in veterinary care has been powered by a growing minority of owners who are willing to spend thousands to save a precious pet.