Hello friends! Spring has finally arrived, if only for a few days, but let's enjoy the sun and warm weather! As you all know, times are a little tough for some of us right now. We know you want to do the best for your cats though, so try to keep current on the basics- protective vaccines and well-patient exams. We hope to prevent consequences of  undiagnosed problems leading to very sick cats that are far more expensive to help by catching problems early and starting managements of the problem. If you are concerned about costs, let us know so we can work with you to get the most important information without breaking the bank. We do offer the services of Care Credit as well. There's a link to them on the hospital policies page that can take you to more information, or call us to find out more.

We also have a page on Facebook, too, so become a fan if you wish. I will probably put information that is seasonally relevant there, too, as it's more easy to use on a daily basis. See the link on the Web Site Links page.

Please welcome our newest addition, Dawn Schuerman. She's a certified veterinary technician, and she joins Rachele and Debbie as part of our care giving team of technicians.

We are also excited to tell you about our new lab suite that was added earlier this spring. It will expand our ability to run tests in the hospital, making it faster to find out what is wrong and get the best treatment going. It will also make running lab work before anesthetic procedures easier, as we can do it the day of the procedure. This can save you and your cat another trip to the hospital, and avoid overnights for some cats, too.  We have one more piece of equipment to bring in, but we have already started using several new machines. We hope that it will save money for you too, as we can tailor more individual tests for each patient, but still run a panel that gives us a large amount of information if necessary.

If your cat will be spending time outdoors, we recommend that you do a few things to help keep him or her safer. Micro-chipping is an excellent way to provide identification in addition to break-away collars. The small chip is injected under the skin between the shoulder blades as an outpatient procedure (or can be done while your cat is under anesthesia for neutering or a dental). If your cat gets away and is found, shelters, most vets, and Animal Control have scanners that can be passed over the back. These pick up the number that is registered to you and you will be notified that your cat has been found. We've had several cats so far that were identified using microchip technology. Outdoor cats should be protected against parasites for their safety and that of the family, too. We have several different topical parasite control products that we recommend based on the level of protection you cat would need. Indoor cats that live with pets that go outdoors should be protected against parasites as well. If you live in an area with mosquitoes or you have small children, the CDC recommends increased parasite protection for all pets to avoid the risk of parasite transmission to family members. Call us or come by if you have questions or would like more information about the products available for your cats. Outdoor cats must stay current on their vaccines, including rabies and feline leukemia. We recommend testing them more regularly, especially if they have been in contact with or fought with other cats not from your house. Definitely cats going outdoors NEED to be spayed or neutered. Millions of cats each year end up in shelters, or worse, euthanized, due to pet overpopulation. Even cats that you plan to keep inside should be neutered to avoid increased risk of cancer or infection, not to mention the possibility of undesirable marking or urinary habits.