KINDNESS KORNER NEWSLETTER

Summer 1997                                                                                         Page 1

FROM THE MANAGEMENT

We would like to thank all of our clients who have stayed with us through the transition from Dr. Spink to Dr. Eger and we wish him the best in his retirement.

There are several aspects of Veterinary medicine which we feel are very important for the proper healthcare of your pet. One aspect is educating you about your pets so that you can make intelligent, informed decisions regarding their medical care. We will provide client education during your visits, with handouts and through this newsletter. Of course, if you do have questions you can always call. We may not be able to answer your questions immediately but one of our dedicated staff will call you back when they get a chance.

With this newsletter, we will also keep you informed of what is happening at Kindness Animal Hospital and about new products on the market. We will have copies of this Newsletter available in the waiting room and you can pick one up anytime.

We have made some changes at the hospital and implemented some new programs which we feel will better benefit you the client and at the same time provide quality medical care for your pet. The changes and programs we have implemented are designed to accommodate your schedules as well as to inform you.

 NEW PROGRAMS

Puppy and Kitten Programs: For those of you with new kittens or puppies less than 12 weeks of age, we have developed an immunization program which we feel is informative and cost effective. The immune systems of puppies and kittens are not fully developed and they are very susceptible to a number of diseases. To booster their immune system, puppies and kittens should be given a series of vaccinations until approximately 16 weeks of age. We know that this can be expensive and confusing for those who have never had a dog or cat before. Our puppy and kitten programs includes a reduced cost for the vaccine series, an information booklet and a number of freebies to get you started.

Client Referral Program: We appreciate our clients and want to reward those who have the confidence in us to refer their friends or relatives to us. When you refer someone to us make sure they put your name on the new client form they fill out. We will credit your account $5.00 for the referral. You are not going to get rich off of this program, but it can help to reduce your costs on your next visit.

Geriatric Program: We are still working on this one, but it will be designed to detect age-related problems which can occur in our older pets. There will be a price break for taking the extra step in preventive healthcare.

KINDNESS KORNER NEWSLETTER

Summer 1997                                                                                         Page 2

STAFF

As some of you may have noted, there has been some changes in the staff. Of course there is the obvious change in doctors to Dr. Eger. Her husband Mike now handles the office management duties. In addition to seeing dogs and cats, Dr. Eger will also see most exotic animals with the exception of birds, pot belly pigs and lethal snakes (lethal is defined as poisonous or snakes longer than she is tall-5 ft.).

Since we have expanded our hours, we have hired a part time relief veterinarian who will be here mostly on Fridays. Her name is Dr. Diana Alexander. She was employed at Lion Country Safari as one of their staff Veterinarians and has gained experience dealing with a wide variety of animals, especially birds. Although Dr. Eger does not see birds, Dr. Alexander will. If you want her to see your bird, you can schedule an appointment on most Fridays.

Beth has worked as a receptionist at this hospital for three years and will continue her dedicated duties at the front desk. Johnnie, our other receptionist, had her baby in November and found out that motherhood was a tougher job than she had anticipated. Johnnie is now a full time mother and we wish her the best. We welcome Gail as our new receptionist. Although she is new to this hospital, she has worked for 8 years as a veterinary receptionist and we feel that her friendly personality and kind heart will be a great complement to the staff.

Last but not least is our technician Lisa. She has been at this hospital for four years and, as many of you know, she has a knack for dealing with the pets that come in to the hospital. She is very knowledgeable and is always thinking of what is best for you and your pet.

OFFICE HOURS

8:00 AM to 5:30 PM Monday to Friday

9:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Saturdays

We have changed our hours a little to increase our availability. The biggest change is that we are now open all day on Wednesdays. There have been a number of people who have had problems on Wednesday afternoons and had to go to the Emergency Center (which does not open until 6:00 PM) or had to travel long distances to find a Veterinary hospital open on Wednesday afternoons. We were not comfortable with this but could not remain open on Wednesday afternoons without giving Dr. Eger some time off. To solve this problem we have looked for a Relief Veterinarian to give Dr. Eger one day a week off. Some of you have met Dr. Diana Alexander, who will be here primarily on Fridays. She is very personable and caring and we think will be a good addition to our staff.

The other change we have made is on Saturdays. Whereas our hours used to be from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon, we have changed them to 9:00 am to 1:00 PM. It is tough for most people to get up early on Saturdays (and this includes us at the hospital). 8:00 and 8:30 appointments were routinely missed for this reason and

KINDNESS KORNER NEWSLETTER

Summer 1997                                                                                         Page 3

we decided that 9:00 am would be a better starting time. If the drop in missed early morning appointments is any indication, we think you agree.

We are now open from 8:00 am to 5:30 PM Monday through Friday and from 9:00 am to 1:00 PM on Saturdays. Tuesday and Thursday mornings are reserved for surgeries and dentals. This allows us to get started first thing in the morning on the surgeries and gives the patients a longer time in post-op for observation and recovery before sending them home. If our surgery load is light, we can schedule appointments late in the morning on these days.

FROM THE DOCTOR

by Dr. Rose Eger

Because animals live a shorter life span than people, one year is a significant part of that life. An annual exam done by a veterinarian can find changes that have been gradual enough to be missed by the owners who see the pet every day. The condition of internal organs cannot be determined by a physical exam so sometimes it is necessary to do labwork to check on the kidneys, liver and thyroid glands.

Preventive health care when young is in the form of wormings and booster vaccinations. Preventive healthcare for our older pets requires a watchful owner and more thorough exams to look for slowly progressing or even hidden-to-the-naked eye changes.

TECHNICIAN’S TURF

by Lisa Johnson

The summer is almost upon us, although it feels feel like it might as well already be here. Here are some helpful summertime hints for those furry little pets. With temperatures reaching in the high 90’s during the days, the best place for your pet is indoors. Even though they love their rides in the car, only short rides are advised and NEVER leave them unattended. Temperatures >130 degrees have been recorded in parked cars during daytime hours.

If your pet stays outside, it is recommended that they have plenty of fresh water and shade available at all times. Walks should be confined to early mornings or evenings. During these times, if you find your pet is panting heavily, or showing signs of tiring, stop and give him/her a rest. Sometimes old or overweight pets will experience these signs quickly. If your pet shows these signs, try shorter walks and stop often to give your dog a rest.

Knowing the signs to look for can mean the difference between life and death. If you feel that your pet needs assistance, come to the vet’s office as soon as possible. If you have any questions please feel free to call any time. Hope you and your pets have a safe and happy Summer!!!...Go Dolphins!!!

KINDNESS KORNER NEWSLETTER

Summer 1997                                                                                             Page 4

FLEA & TICK CONTROL

Until recently, bathing and dipping dogs and cats has been the only method of controlling fleas and ticks on your pet. However, over the last several years, there have been some new products on the market which do work and provide lasting results.

The first flea control product to come on the market is called Programâ . This is a pill which is given once a month and it sterilizes (but does not kill) the fleas that bite your pet. This product is useful in keeping the flea population under control and, when used consistently, it will greatly reduce the number of fleas your pets will have. It is a little less expensive than other flea control products and is best used when fleas are not a serious problem.

Advantageâ is another flea control product but it is a liquid and it is applied to one or more spots on the skin of your dog or cat once a month. The product migrates over your pet’s skin and will kill nearly 100% of the fleas on your pet within 24 hours. This is a very good product and works well when there is a flea infestation or for flea allergic dogs and cats. The product will not be washed off if your pet gets wet from rain or jumping into a pond, however frequent bathing with harsh shampoos can reduce the length of time it remains effective. We recommend bathing at most every two weeks with a mild soap free shampoo (the shampoo should say soap free or detergent free on the label) and applying the product monthly after a bath.

Another product is Frontlineâ and it comes in two forms, a spray and a spot on like Advantageâ . It is designed to kill both fleas and ticks and will not wash off with most shampoos. The spray is applied using a pump and requires one to two pumps per pound of body weight and is rubbed into the skin. For large dogs, this can become time consuming but it is the most effective method for spreading the product over the pet. The spot on is applied like Advantageâ but the results we have seen would indicate that it does not spread over the body as well. We recommend that it be applied to a number of spots along the back to help it spread easier. When it spreads over the body well, it does a good job in killing both fleas and ticks.

The manufacturers of all of these products guarantee that they will work so if you feel like they are not working for you, return them for a refund.