Holiday Traditions

Over many years of working in the clinic, clients have shared with me the special holiday traditions they have with their pets.  One in particular stands out for me and I think of it every year.  For many years, one family always gave their dogs a special Christmas treat.  Not so unusual as most of us buy special treats or toys for our pets every year.  Every year this family gave their 2 large dogs sausages as a Christmas treat.  The end result was always the same.  The next day (and for several days after) both dogs would vomit and have diarrhea.  We could count on getting a call for an appointment every year to see the dogs and prescribe medications to deal with the aftermath of the sausages.  Personally, I can think of better ways to spend my holidays than cleaning up vomitus and diarrhea from around my house.  I was never sure if they thought that some year the consequences would be different or what but I never did understand this tradition.  I'm sure the dogs enjoyed their sausages very much at the time, but I'm also pretty sure they did not enjoy the way they felt for the next several days. Fortunately, neither of the dogs ever developed pancreatitis (a potentially fatal condition) after eating the sausages.  We all like to treat our pets to something special, but we need to use caution in what we give our pets.  Fatty treats like sausage and ham can lead to serious illnesses, such as, pancreatitis.  Too much of anything other than our pets' normal diet can lead to gastrointestinal upset. So, by all means treat your pets to something special for the holidays, but use caution and learn what human foods can be toxic to your pets and always treat in moderation. You may be very surprised at what can be toxic to pets.  Check www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/ for a list of dangerous foods.
Jan Hueben, RVT

What is best for your pet

Sometimes a pet comes to us that has multiple conditions that need to be treated.  When such a pet comes in, we have to try to treat each condition, but in treating one condition we can worsen another.  There are times when specialized equipment and/or medications are needed that we don't have in clinic.  In these cases, we are very fortunate to have two very good specialty/emergency clinics nearby where we can send our patients for treatment.  We had such a case last week with one of our feline patients.  He is a very sweet boy who likes to give hugs and snuggle - even here in the clinic.  When we found that he had developed a second serious condition that was complicated by treatment for the first condition, we looked at our options.  Because he could receive treatment with equipment and mediations that were available at the specialists', we referred one very sick kitty.  Within a couple of days of being admitted there, he was greatly improved and went home with some very happy owners and continues to do well.  We would like to be able treat every pet that comes to us here in the clinic where the owners and pets all know us, but if it is in the best interest of your pet, we will refer you to the appropriate specialist(s).  We are kept up to date with your pet's condition and are thrilled to hear you have that your pet has been discharged from the specialists' care to take home and look forward to seeing you and your pet for ongoing veterinary needs.  As the title of this blog states, we will always recommend what best for your pet.
Jan Hueben, RVT

Things to be thankful for

On this day before Thanksgiving here's a few things we are thankful for:

Grateful clients
Clients who call back
Getting to wear scrubs every day
Down to earth fellow employees
Hard working fellow employees
Working for doctors who care
Wagging tails and slobbery kisses
Friendships that have developed over the years with clients
Family and friends
The purring cat that can be heard across the room
Being able to laugh at work
Employees that can read my mind and finish my sentences

We love all of you and hope your holidays are full of joy and turkey or tofu (for those like our own Dr. C).

Another day, another stray

This afternoon we had yet another stray brought to us.  This time it was a dog.  A good samaritan found him running around on Quivira at 75th Street.  Anyone who is familiar with that intersection will be amazed that he was not hit by a car.  Unfortunately, he had no collar.  Shawnee Animal Control came and picked him up and took him to Animal Haven where hopefully he will quickly be found by his family.  Fortunately, dogs have a 75% chance of being reunited with the owner so treatment for an injured dog may be authorized by Animal Control in the city where the dog is found.  The bad news is that cats only have a 10% chance of being reclaimed by the owner.  What this means for cats who are found injured and with no ID is that they are often euthanized without any treatment being authorized or done by Animal Control.  Any animal that is severely, or even in some cases moderately, injured and without ID may be given the chance to be held and stabilized for 24 hours but without an owner to consent to and accept responsibility for payment for treatment that animal may be euthanized.  If your pet is lost, immediately report your pet's status to Animal Control in your city and in surrounding cities so Animal Control will have the pet on their list to check if a stray is found.  Find out what shelter(s) cities use for strays and also contact those facilities.  And above all else, make sure your pet has ID at all times.  With a collar with ID a pet can often be returned to you directly but, because collars can be lost or removed, having your pet microchipped provides permanent ID (but only if you keep your contact info current at all times).
Jan Hueben, RVT

Thank you JL

Last Friday one of our clients was horrified when she ran over a cat while she and her son were headed to the park.  She stopped and picked up the cat and brought him to us.  She is herself a cat owner.  Despite the fact that she felt both the front and the back wheels of her car run over him, the cat suffered no apparent injuries.  We treated him with pain medication, medication to prevent shock and gave him fluids until Animal Control could respond to our call.  We ended up keeping him overnight.  We were delighted Saturday morning when we came in and he had been eating and drinking overnight and was ready to go on about his life.  Unfortunately, he had no ID so we could not reunite him with his owner.  He is obviously someone's pet and one of the sweetest cats I have ever met.  Despite being run over by a car, picked up be a stranger, being poked and prodded by us, he was purring and rubbing on us the whole time and was thrilled every time we could stop and give him some attention.  He definitely used up a life or two last Friday.  We hope that his owners are reunited with him or that someone will quickly adopt him from the shelter.  He is a strong reminder of how hazardous the world is to a cat running loose and, with no ID, the animal control officers often have no choice but to authorize euthanasia for cats that are injured that they consider strays.  Please keep your cats inside but, if they must go outside, make sure they have a collar with tags and a microchip so you can be reunited and your cat is not needlessly euthanized.  And, a huge thank you to JL for the caring and kindness and compassion you showed this cat in a situation where many people would have just kept moving.
Jan Hueben, RVT

Pets and our hearts suffer

I wish there was a way to tattoo the foreheads of people who should not be allowed to have pets - something like an international symbol with a slash through the word "pet".  It is so hard to be the ones who have to clean up after these people.  The person who tells us that this is the fourth dog he has owned that has been hit by a car as we prepare the body to send for cremation.   The people who refused to buy heartworm prevention for several years and, then, when their dog tested positive for heartworm infection, thought we should find a new home for the dog because they no longer wanted him. The person who had a two year old beagle he wanted euthanized because he was moving and did not want to deal with the hassle - needless to say we would not do as he wished no matter how much he yelled at us that it was his dog and he could do what he wanted with him.  The person who abandoned the sweet, unspayed female cat that a good samaritan brought in - she was pregnant and Feline Leukemia positive. Today, it was emotionally devastating holding and comforting her as we euthanized her and her unborn litter.  Plus, the cats owned by the good samaritan have now been exposed to Feline Leukemia.  I will never be able to understand how people can treat pets as disposable things.  On these days, I can't wait to get home and give my boys, Boris and Melvin - themselves part of a feral litter that got lucky by being in my yard - big hugs whether they want them or not.

Jan Hueben, RVT

Maybe It's Not Just Old Age

Everybody knows how common arthritis is in older people and many people know that it is fairly common in older dogs, especially in the larger breeds.  However, even in the veterinary community, it was not thought that cats were likely to have arthritis.  In fact, we now know that 90% of cats 12 years and older have arthritis.  The odd thing about cats and arthritis is that x-rays are only diagnostic 22% of the time.  The changes cats exhibit can be very subtle, unlike in dogs who will visibly limp or show definite signs of stiffness when they get up.  Cats are very good at hiding pain and illness.  With cats, it may be that you suddenly realize your cat is not sleeping or sitting on the high places like always.  Sometimes, inappropriate elimination can be tied to arthritis in that it is too painful for your cat to climb into the litter box anymore.  Cats have some unique drug metabolism pathways that have made it difficult in the past to effectively treat pain from arthritis.  We now have alternatives that can be very effective in cats.  In fact, Lilly, who many of you know from coming into the clinic over the last 12 years is now benefiting from medication to treat arthritis.  After she had been on medication for awhile, we realized we were starting to see her more and more in her old haunts around the clinic and we have had to become used to looking up to higher perches again when we can't find her.  I have known her since she first joined us as a young adult over 11 years ago and it is nice to have to look for her up high again.
Jan Hueben, RVT

August Was Tough

I was very glad to see August end here in the clinic.  We had an unusually high number of euthanasias. I have been here since 1989, so, many of these pets are dogs and cats that I have known since they were puppies and kittens.  And for some families, I have participated with them in euthanasias several times over the years. There is such joy and excitement when a new pet finds a new home and quickly becomes part of the heart and soul of its new family.  Unfortunately, the years fly by so fast and so many diseases and illnesses can afflict our pets. This month we have said goodbye to many of our senior pets and to several of our younger pets with serious medical conditions.  People always tell me that they could not do my job - it would be too painful.  The only way I make it through these deaths is with the knowledge that the final visit I have with your pets is filled with compassion and caring.  To be able to end suffering in a gentle and peaceful way is the final gift I have to offer the dogs and cats who have given so much to me in my day to day work life.  The hug I share with you on that day is as much for me as for you as you say goodbye to your pet. I grieve not only for the cat or dog but also for the owners going home without their pet for the last time and I am always reminded of saying goodbye to my own dog, Harriet, who we euthanized 4 years ago.   So, yes it is hard, but euthanasia is a choice we make out of love for our pets and all the love they have given to us.
Jan Hueben, RVT

Keeping your pets comfortable is our goal.

Wanted to share a couple of pictures of our day to day.  These pets are recovering from surgery in a baby carrier.  This way we can keep a close eye on them as well as help keep them warm. 

Change is always hard

For the last 4 years, I have had the joy of working with Alisha and I think that our clients and their pets feel the same way.  As she heads to California to try something new, I won't just be missing her as a co-worker, but as a good friend and I know many of you feel the same way.  Change is hard for most of us to accept and I must confess to living in denial since she told us she was leaving.  As of last Friday, her leaving became reality.  For many of you who come into or call the clinic, especially those who have been coming in for years, the changes in who greets you have been difficult.  We do appreciate very much your patience as our newer personnel get to know you and your pet.  We pride ourselves on treating each of you and your pet(s) as individuals and do not want that to ever change.  All of us, the newbies and the oldies, hope that you will always feel welcomed by each of us and know how committed we are to giving your pet and you the best possible care (even if sometimes we have to ask you how to spell your name yet again).

Alisha, I wish you great happiness and success in California and thank you for all you have done for me and all of our patients and owners.

Jan, RVT

So hard to say goodbye! 8/11/10

I started working at Trailridge nearly 4 years ago... I started as the front desk receptionist, making appointments and answering the phone. I had been in social work since college and had finally reached my burn out in the field when I saw the posting for this job. I thought, "I will take this "easy" job answering phones for a little bit to give me some time to figure out what I really want to do with my life." What I didn't realize is that this job was far from easy and that it would become the most rewarding employment experience I had ever had. I also didn't realize that I would one day consider my fellow employees and our clients my friends and family.

Many of you have been, well... not sure lucky is right word, but you have been on the receiving end of all kinds of knowledge about me. For instance, that I have a crazy cat named George Cat-Stanza and that I have a very odd variety of food allergies and that I like to cut my own hair (which is why it changes every time you see me). What's so cool is that I know your quirks too. I know all about your new grandbabies, the new jobs you're starting, and why you can't seem to bring yourself to get a new puppy after your old canine friend passed away. You see, you have not just been clients to me and I have not just been a receptionist to you. For all of these reasons, I have a hard time saying goodbye.

In just a couple of weeks I will begin my big move to California with hopes of beginning a new career in Web Design. Even though I suppose I did accomplish my initial goal of figuring out what I wanted to do with my life...I certainly did not expect this amazing journey that preceded.

Even though you will not see me at the clinic anymore, I want you all to know that I will be checking in on you and your pets and I expect you to send me your updates! This is my personal email address.. so don't be giving it out to just anybody okay?!? I really do welcome your emails. alishaalyson@gmail.com


Goodbye.... for now....

Alisha

Crazy days

Wow!  It has been a busy month.  These last few weeks have flown by with all the complicated cases, in house education and training, and summer boarding.  Many of you know Dr. Cram has been on vacation, but he will be back this week.  He's been making us jealous by sending vacation pics every day. 

You may notice some new faces in the next few weeks.  Our long time kennel assistant, Mary, will be starting college this fall and will be working more during the week assisting with appointments.  We have hired a new kennel assistant, Garrett, who is a senior this year and hopes to attend veterinary school in the future.  Be sure to introduce yourself.  We appreciate your patience with our staff while they learn their new tasks.  As always, let us know if there are things we can do to make your experience here better.

Dr. Maasen

Emotional Roller Coasters

In the past couple of weeks I have found myself in conversations with various staff regarding the difficulty of this job, especially when it comes to peoples' emotions. Obviously this is a small business made up of human employees and we all come with our own personalities and emotional baggage which can lead to the good, the bad, and the ugly when dealing with each other. We also have to deal with many life or death situations with pets, stresses our clients face (financial or emotional), equipment issues, an occassional angry patient that scratches and/or bites, and lots of feces (a.k.a. poop). Some days feel like a roller coaster to say the least. So, why do we do what we do? What makes us want to come to work to get pooped on, scratched, etc? We love pets!
Knowing that we've helped you and your pet makes it all worthwhile. Being a small business it is hard to provide great pay or benefits to our staffers, but your compliments and encouragement can sure brighten even the craziest of days.
Dr. Maasen

The Cat House--7/2/10

No doubt about it, it's summer. If we couldn't tell by the panting dogs or the flea infestations, we would know by the abundance of cats that have been abandoned around here. Not sure why, but this seems to happen in the summer time. Abandoned cats end up on our doorstep in boxes for an unsuspecting employee to find. It seems we may have our hands a little full! You all have probably seen the pictures of the kittens that were left here a couple of months ago(adorable!). The momma cat and one baby are still here waiting to find homes. We have another cat, Calli, whose owner passed away, and 2 other abandoned cats that have somehow made their way to Trailridge. CATS EVERYWHERE! They are fun though, but boy, are they rambunctious!

-Alisha

ps Have a great 4th of July weekend!!!

Senseless death

Last week, we saw a cat with a condition that I have fortunately only seen once before in my 21 years at the clinic and was hoping to never see again. We were presented with a 4 year old cat that was comatose on arrival. His gums were white indicating a severe anemia. He was covered in fleas and flea dirt. There were so many fleas that they were competing for spaces on him. Every time we touched him, we had to pick fleas off of our hands and arms. The fleas had basically drained the cat of most of his blood. The prognosis was grave and the owner elected euthanasia. Every death of a pet is difficult for me but to see a cat die from a condition that is totally and easily preventable is truly disturbing. It was all I could do to hold back from ranting and raving at him and smacking him upside the head. The over the counter product which he could not name was obviously started too late and had questionable effectiveness. I am so grateful for our pet owners who act proactively to prevent health problems in their pets. Sadly, I now have another horrific example to offer clients of how a flea infestation can have devastating consequences.

Jan Hueben, RVT

Poor Cherry Pie

A few weeks ago my beloved Shar-pei mix Cherry Pie and I were romping around Heritage Dog Park. I was enjoying the much needed break from the rain, as Pie enjoyed the mud. As she ran, I watched her approach a freshly dug hole, perfectly concealed with muddy water. I immediately called for her, knowing she is not nearly coordinated or agile enough to miss the hole that she was about to fall in. Sure enough…"slip….plop…whimper whimper whimper.” My poor Pie stumbled out of the hole with a limp and a bruised ego. After completing the necessary de-mud process, I noticed the leg she was limping on was beginning to swell. My hopes that she would “walk it off” were quickly fading.
The next day Cherry Pie accompanied me to the work. As an assistant at Trailridge, I’m very lucky to have access to the knowledge and resources Dr. Maasen and Dr. Cram generously provide. Upon examining Pie, Dr. Maasen became concerned about the swelling and deformation of Pie’s leg and recommended X-rays. After anxiously (me, not Pie) waiting for the films to develop, we were able to clearly see that she was not injured from her fall. What we did find however was somewhat more concerning. At only 4 years of age, my beloved friend and side-kick already has arthritis in her joints.
It surprised me how affected I was by this information. Due to my job title, I often console pet owners when they’ve received bad news about their pet, but now I truly understand just how it feels. Although it could’ve been a lot worse, hearing that my precious Cherry Pie has a condition that will most likely cause her pain and discomfort as she ages was absolutely devastating. It caused me to face the mortality of my best friend and reminded me what little time we might have together.
I’m truly appreciative for this realization, as it has inspired me to be pro-active with Cherry Pie’s treatment. Being that she is only 4 years old, I now have the opportunity to treat this problem before it actually becomes a painful problem.

-Laci Beard
Assistant

You can never laugh too much

Momma cat and her kittens are thriving and giving us lots of opportunities to laugh daily and that is a good thing on those extra tough days we have had lately as we have said goodbye to too many of our patients, including an unexpected euthanasia of a family's dog while I was writing this. This family has seen personal tragedy lately and the kittens helped a young boy as he said goodbye to his dog.

Though she is very young herself, Momma has been a great mother. She is starting to want to spend more time away from them as they get closer to being weaned. Sometimes, it is easy to forget that she is still a kitten herself and likes to play with us, too. The kittens are providing us with unending entertainment as they learn about the world around them. I'm not sure how it works, but kittens seem to see lots of things to chase and leap at that are invisible to the human eye. They are big into developing their predatory skills right now - watching them get into position to ambush and pounce (mostly unsuccessfully) on each other is hysterical. At times, there is a line of 4 kittens each stalking the kitten which is directly ahead in the line - usually the ambushes fall apart as the kittens are easily distracted by unseen objects that require their immediate attention. In order to boost the kittens' confidence, we act suitably threatened when they puff themselves up and bounce at us sideways while hissing; however, it is very hard not to laugh as they are trying to scare us.

Hoping you are able to find laughter in your life,

Jan Hueben, RVT

I just want to say thank you to all of our wonderful clients who cut us some slack for being a little forgetful once in a while. I had forgotten about a recent urinalysis performed on a patient and recommended the test again. This wonderful client reminded me and forgave me for my forgetfulness knowing how many clients/patients we see every day. In no way does my "mommy brain" (that's what the staff calls it) reflect how much I care about your pets and it's nice to know that the majority of you understand that.
We are all human here and once in a while we forget what day it is or what test we ran a month ago. Thanks to those of you who understand and forgive. We also appreciate how much you keep on top of your pet's medical issues. Your pet's health relies on a cooperative effort between us and it's a huge asset to have clients that are aware of their pet's condition and treatments.
I try to extend the same courtesy to my pediatrician when he doesn't remember every last detail of my most glorious children's happenings. Although the staff here at Trailridge has to take a pop quiz every week...ha ha...or lol, as the youngsters say.

Dr. Maasen

I'm still here! 5/18/10

I had another client say to me today, "I haven't seen you in a while, I thought maybe you left". I'm still here! As things get busier around the clinic, I tend to rely on my great team members, Roxanne and Laci more to take care of you while I take care of things behind the scenes. I am flattered that some of you miss me and I miss you too! I'm usually around someplace, just ask for me and I will pop up and say hi! :)

Alisha

Suffering in Silence

I spoke with a client this morning that has a big problem. Her dog has separation anxiety. She can't stand it when her owner leaves and starts barking and nipping when she goes for her purse. Last night her anxiety worsened with the storm (also a common anxiety problem). The worst part is this poor gal didn't tell us sooner. She's being driven crazy by her dog's crazy behavior, but she's so in love with her pup she wouldn't dare part with her. There are other options! These anxieties are very common and there are lots of treatment and training options available.

So this is a plea to all of our clients. Please tell us if you are having any problems with your pets. If we can't help, I'm sure we know someone who can. There are specialists in many areas of veterinary medicine including behaviorists. Many pets have "issues" just like the rest of us.

Dr. M

May 10, 2010 - Special Delivery

Last Wednesday, the clinic had a visit from the Cat and Kitten Fairy. During the afternoon, someone left a taped-up box in front of the clinic. Luckily, here in the Midwest we are pretty laidback so we did not think to call Homeland Security and just opened the box ourselves and discovered a cat and her 4 kittens. Momma is very young but doing a great job with her kittens. She is a striking tabby as are 3 of her sons. The fourth son is grey with a hint of tabby markings to come. Obviously, momma was someone's pet. She is healthy and sweet and loves our attention. The kittens are about 3 weeks old now and growing quickly. Somehow, during our busy day, we have to find time to go give momma and the babies some cuddling - oh, the sacrifices we have to make sometimes. We are looking forward to the next few weeks - it is very hard to have a bad day when there is a litter of kittens around. Needless to say, the momma cat got a very good Mother's Day gift when someone who decided that they could not keep her was responsible enough to bring her and her babies to a safe place. Stay tuned for regular updates. Gotta go - I'm off to play with the family.

Jan , RVT

April 27, 2010 "Good people live here"

Over the years, I have noticed that there is apparently a secret network among stray cats. I think it must operate much the way the hobo signals worked when men were riding the boxcars looking for work. They used symbols to indicate things like "a kind woman lives here" so those who came later would know that they would probably be given something to eat and be treated well.

Just last week, we saw a sweet 8 week old kitten who had found such a symbol directing her to some of our clients. She had found the home where a kind man and woman live. These people over the years have taken in several strays - from adult to kittens - who just show up one day at their home.

We have several other clients who have taken in kittens (in some cases whole litters) and adult cats. They make sure they are healthy, vaccinated and spayed or neutered and then these lucky felines are given to other kind homes.

It is truly a gift for me to be able to work with these clients who are so giving to the animals that others have just seemingly tossed aside. I am not sure how or where the felines are posting their symbols that lead them to their new homes, but I am glad their system works.

Jan, RVT

April 24, 2010 -- The Break in

I feel kinda bad that my blogs are always negative.. I think I must use this to vent..sorry!

So this morning Roxanne and I came in to work to find that the practice had been broken into. Not the best way to start the day! It's more than inconvenient; it's scary, messy, and not to mention, expensive!

Luckily, no pets were harmed and not much was stolen but our door was destroyed and our sense of safety tested.

A special thank you to the very kind officers that spent the morning with us and to our clients that came in during the chaos!

Tomorrow will be a better day, I just know it!

~Alisha

April 20, 2010 Come home George!

This weekend I went through what I would consider, one of the most heart breaking experiences that I have ever gone through...I lost my cat. My first pet as an adult, George Cat-Stanza, I adopted him from a shelter 4 years ago to help me get through a rough time in my life, and now I had lost him. He must have escaped at some point while I was coming and going onto the back patio; how did I not notice? I felt panicked, guilty, sad..and even though I work in a pet hospital and deal with these situations from the other side, I didn't know what to do. I really didn't. Knowing all that I know, I hadn't done the things I should have to make finding him any easier. No microchip, no collar, (he's an indoor cat for goodness sake!). It's embarrassing to say that I hadn't followed the advice that I give to clients every single day..but I hadn't, and now I lost my best bud, George.

I posted ads online, I called shelters and local pet hospitals. I recruited friends to do a search party, but it's a little difficult to find a cat. I was so devastated. I couldn't stop checking outside the windows, and every strange noise I heard I was convinced was him meowing.

It had been 4 days and no George. I left food outside for him just in case. I received one email from a lady who thought that she had seen a tabby cat that had been hit by a car on the highway which ironically was right down the road from me. As sick as it made me, I knew I had to find out if it was him. I felt a glimmer of hope when I discovered that the tabby cat was actually a raccoon.

Then, just as quickly as George had escaped, he reappeared. I noticed the food I had left on the patio was gone, but thought that it must have been the squirrels that had eaten it. I opened the patio door just to check and in ran my tiger striped friend. He seemed okay aside from a few fight wounds.

George has been home for only 24 hours now and is already microchipped and a personalized collar with my phone number is on its way!

Lesson learned.

~Alisha

Just did a victory dance with Jan. We had a cat come in Saturday for a urinary blockage. This is a relatively common problem, especially in young male cats. Treatment involves anesthetizing the pet and passing a urinary catheter to empty and flush out the bladder. Left untreated, this can be fatal. Luckily, our astute owner noticed the signs (yowling, straining to urinate) early and brought his boy in to the hospital.
As is usually the case, cats don't cooperate and after the procedure he pulled out his urinary catheter. This almost always means we will be repeating the placement of the catheter, but in this case he urinated a large amount overnight and went home feeling great this morning. Yea!! Although we aren't out of the woods yet, the fat lady has not yet sung, we're not counting our chickens yet...we can see the light at the end of the tunnel, or in veterinary terms, the pee is in the box.
Now we start the long road of diet change and monitoring, but we can hope that he continues to do well without recurrence.
Dr. Paige Maasen

April 6, 2010

One of the most uncomfortable aspects of my job here at Trailridge is being so involved with the practice as a business and at the same time being what I feel, is personally involved in so many of our clients lives.



Today I received notice from one of our major distributors that they are making many changes with the items they sell to us, which we in turn sell to our clients. One of the changes is, (gasp!) a price increase! It makes my stomach turn. I know all too well how difficult times are for many of our clients and I hate delivering the bad news that prices have gone up, yet again. I know as a business that we have to continue to pass down the increase but it really is difficult and I tend to feel irrationally guilty when I see the look of panic as I give the final total at check-out.



Just know that if we had anything to say about it, we wouldn't keep making these kinds of changes when so many are struggling! We want our clients to be able to take the best possible care of their pets and we know that in reality, the cost of that care can be a major factor in whether or not that is possible.

Thanks for reading!

~Alisha, Office Manager

April 2, 2010

It's that time of year. We had our first dog with fleas this morning. Several other clinics in the area are seeing dogs with ticks. As bad as the winter was, many of us probably have slacked off on our flea and tick prevention. To prevent infestations, start flea and tick prevention now. As a trained professional, I decided to test the theory that having indoor only cats and no other pets in the house meant my cats would not get fleas. WRONG! I can now definitely confirm that theory as totally false and save the rest of you (and your pets) from testing that theory for yourselves. My cats, Boris and Melvin, have served as the poster children for why all pets need to be treated with prevention. It took several months of treating my boys and the house to get rid of the fleas. Don't let this happen to you - it was not pleasant for my boys or me.
Jan Hueben, RVT

March 31st

Although it was a beautiful day, we had a sad morning. We euthanized a very sick cat today. Many things in veterinary practice involve the best and worst parts of the job all tangled together. I feel euthanasia is one of those things. Helping a pet out of suffering is so important to all of us here, but we feel a loss everytime. You may not always see our pain, but we shed many tears behind closed doors for the love of your pets. I am thankful everyday that you entrust us with their care and allow us to guide and comfort you in these hard decisions.
Dr. Paige Maasen

Welcome to our blog

Welcome to our hospital blog. The purpose of this blog is to let you see more of the inner workings of our hospital and our souls (ha ha). We hope to give you a glimpse of what it's like to work in our veterinary hospital. We all started in this field because we love animals and want to help them live happy, healthy lives. What some of us didn't realize is that means we have to work with humans too. (Once again...ha ha). No, really we love you guys! We want you to better understand what happens on the other side of the door so to speak. We hope you find the blog enlightening, informative and fun.
Dr. Paige Maasen