hello from the warm south....

Well not too far south, Dr. Lechten and Lisa have traveled today to Kansas City, MO. Over the next few days they will be presenting and speaking to others that are interested in building the "dream come true" hospital. They have prepared an hour presentation about their experiences of the "new" Allandale Veterinary Hospital. They will teach their peers and first time builders about possible obstacles and challenges of building a new hospital. They are very excited to speak at the CVC Hospital Design Conference, as attendees will be from all over the North America. They will be sure to post photos daily of their travels and experiences while out of the country. Here are a few from today....

Kauffman Center for the performing arts

taking off in Toronto

Mr. Mantis who was found praying on the  sidewalk of downtown KC!

 

center square outside the convention center

cool water featre

CVC (Central Veterinary Confrence) advertising all over downtown KC

Barrie Advance Readers' Choice 2013 VOTE NOW

Dr. Lechten has been nominated for Best Vet in Barrie! We are proud and honored for this nomination. Please been sure to vote! Only 1 vote per IP address is allowed. Happy voting!!


Barrie Advance Readers' Choice 2013 VOTE NOW

Happy ending really do happen - even for dogs....

One of our clients decided to share a beautiful true life story with us, and we wold like to share it with you....

 

"I had a Jack Russell Terrier whose health was failing badly but I wasn’t quite ready to let him go. I wanted a companion for him who would be patient, gentle and kind to him but where to find such a dog? While pursuing the pages of “petfinder” I saw and fell in love with a Chloe a Chihuahua mix who needed a forever home.  I filled out the application form and waited hoping for the best. My references were called and checked to see what kind of person I was and how I treated my present dog Elliot. All my friends and family told the people from Happy Tails Rescue that they would gladly come back in another life as my dog to be spoiled. I was soon called and Chloe was brought over for a 2 week trial and the rest was history…"

 

"There are some challenges to adopting a “rescue” dog as opposed to going to a breeder but you will never find a more grateful, loving, happy individual as this. Chloe never had her own bed before I got her nor anything of her own before I got her. The first belonging she ever owned was a red blanket from Giant Tiger which I have kept to this day as she still loves it. If I ever can’t find her I know exactly where to look for her she is happily sitting in her bed or on her corner of the couch."

 

 

"She is a well-adjusted loving little being who enjoys walks but is still very  cautious of strangers. She is very close to her immediate family and loves to go to the cottage and play with her friend the squirrel."

 

Happy endings really do happen even for dogs.


- Anonymous

Astounding generosity....

It truly humbles you when you give back not only to your community- to anyone in this world. Some of our AVH staff were out supporting the 12 Ladies in a Tent helping the Barrie Food Bank this weekend. It was astonishing how many people came by dropping loads of full bags of non perishable food off for the Barrie Food Bank. Generosity was oozing everyone, and everyone was so happy to be there. Cheers to Douglas -Ford as they were donating 20$ for every car or truck that you test drove! Twenty dollars per car!! Fantastic! At one point there was a line up of people waiting to test drive the vehicles!
Out team was out on Diva Day with giveaways, complimentary nail trims and more! Dr. Lechten and her 11 ladies organized pet contests, the Barrie Police K-9 Unit was also on hand with a demo, and of course it was DIVA day! Pamper it up girls! Hats off to all of the 12 Ladies for taking the reins on this needy cause, a cause that perhaps one day any one of us may need.

On another note, our staff was quite busy this weekend. Lisa (our Senior tech and treatment supervisor) was in Owen Sound, at the GBVA conference learning from the expert Dr. Robin Downing on new and up to date information on pain management in small animals. Lisa has reported back that is was very, very informative session, and if Dr. Downing was ever in the area again or at a major conference she would surely be listening to her again. "The information she teaches is very valuable for our patients!" says Lisa. Dr. Downing's accomplishments include not only owning and working from the "Downing Pain Management Center" in the USA, but the recipient of numerous awards including Outstanding Woman Veterinarian of the Year, and  Hill's Animal Welfare and Humane Ethics Award among many more.

Sunday was also popular at the Rogers Center as the Blue Jays were playing the Texas Rangers this weekend. Some of our staff headed out for some fun in the sun with the dome roof open - hence some of the one sided sunburns you may notice. Despite the loss for the Blue Jays, they said the has a great day out.

a long way from home.....

We are so pleased to have a visitor with us for the next month all the way from Guatemala City! Dr. Heidi Arguello is a veterinarian from Guatemala, who met Dr. Lechten and the crew on the "Veterinarians Without Borders" mission to Todos Santos, back in February of this year. After many emails and phone calls after the adventure ended, Dr. Lechten invited Heidi to stay with us and visit our clinic to learn more. "This has exceeded all my expectations" says Heidi.
"Where I come from we learn the techniques but do not practice all of them, we learn what the instruments do, but they are very expensive and are very hard to come by, so we do not have most of them". Back in Guatelmala Heidi is the type of veterinarian that travels to people's homes to diagnose and treat their pet. It is a difficult thing to do especially when you don't have blood machines, x-rays (the diagnostic capabilities) at your disposal. Heidi is working alongside our doctors and technicians here to advance her skills to bring home with her. Heidi was excited to see the rehabilitation area, as she has never seen that before. "I think the hydrotherapy tank is fantastic, to to see the positive therapy sessions is really neat to see" she says. Heidi is bilingual teaching us here at the hospital some Spanish, but we have to admit her English abilities are excellent!

Walking away from this experience Heidi simply hopes to " keep everything in my head that I had the opportunity of seeing and learning so I can take it all back with me to use in practice"! Heido will be with us until the beginning of June. We hope she enjoys her time with us, and comes back to visit again in the future!



Bienvenida Heidi!



 

12 Ladies....

It is upon us once again for the "12 Ladies" to get together in a tent to help raise food for the Barrie Food Bank:

HELPING HANDS FOR HUNGRY HOMES is a group of amazing, influential women who want to make a difference in their community. The purpose of the event is to raise money, food and awareness for the Barrie food Bank.
Families need to eat all year round, not just Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. We all know that Barrie and the surrounding communities are generous and with the help of these 12 ladies, they will meet the goal of 150,000lbs of food and help the Barrie Food Bank.

This year one of our very own Dr. Patricia Lechten will be one of the 12 Ladies living in  a tent for the event. Be sure to stop on in, and visit her this June.
 

Kris Hughston of Hughston Insurance has worked diligently promote awareness and raise support to assist local residents living below the poverty line meet their basic needs. Events like this require a lot of planning and these ladies are volunteering their time away from their families and businesses to make a difference in the community.

The Twelve Ladies of Helping Hands for Hungry Homes are:
 

 

The 12 Ladies of 2013

 Kris Hughston, Hughston Insurance

Anne Dorsey, Barrie Public Library

Amy Courser, ADC Online Marketing

Stephanie Lampron, Rhuekin Corp

Sonia Wood, Stone Ridge Insurance

Tara Stamp, Peaceful Transition Inc

Solutions Rose Adams, Adams Law
Rose Romita, Catering By Rose
Marni Heather, Wishes Concierge
Bernice Di Vito, Autobahn CARSTAR Barrie
Dr Patricia Lechten, Allandale Veterinary Hospital
Louise Brazier, Martin’s Rejuvenation Centre

Come on down to Allandale Station Park and join the 12 Ladies for their second annual event.

There will be many activities at Family Day on Saturday, Diva Day, Sunday, local talent to

entertain you, vendors to visit, food to eat and an endless list of activities to part. For the most up to date schedule of Activities and Events.

 

www.helpinghandsforhungryhome.com

 

The Barrie Food Bank is extremely excited about the made. In this past year the food bank saw a 36% increase in families and individuals of which 9,500 were children. The Barrie Food Bank serves Barrie and the surrounding area.

We are extremely proud of all these ladies, WAY TO GO!!!!!!

 

 

Fecal Testing 101...

A fecal examination is the microscopic evaluation of feces. The test is indicated for pets with diarrhea, straining, lack of appetite or vomiting. Annual fecal examinations are recommended on all animals as part of a yearly health exam, especially in the spring after the thaw. Fecal examinations are also recommended on all puppies and kittens.

There is no contraindication to performing this test. Negative results help determine health or may exclude the presence of disease and gastrointestinal parasites.

What Does a Fecal Examination Reveal?
Fecal examinations are primarily performed to detect microscopic gastrointestinal parasites, such as roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, Giardia, coccidia and tapeworms. Some abnormal parasites known as spirochetes or flagellates can also be detected.

A positive test result indicates gastrointestinal parasitic disease. Negative results from one fecal sample may be misleading. Some parasites do not shed eggs consistently so some samples may be negative even though the animal actually has a parasitic infection. Repeated fecal examinations may be necessary to detect some elusive parasites.  

Pets are victims of several internal parasites including roundworms, coccidia, giardia, hookworms and whipworms and can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and anemia. The most common are roundworms (ascarids) that infest pets at some time in their life. Usually they are born with them; they are passed from mother to young.

Tapeworms can be a big problem when flea infestation is high. Pets typically acquire worms when they lick up microscopic eggs that are ever-present in contaminated soil or grass, or they swallow a flea. Mature dogs usually develop a resistance to most intestinal parasites, but the whipworm (Trichuris vulpis) can still cause problems, leading to colitis (inflammation of the colon) and weight loss.

Evidence of roundworms and tapeworms can be seen without the aid of a microscope, but other worms are not so easily diagnosed. Early diagnosis is important because all worms do not respond to the same treatment.

How are parasites aquired?

Ingestion of eggs. Most infections are acquired by ingestion of microscopic eggs. This occurs when a pet licks areas where other pets have defecated, like yards, parks or grass.

At birth. Many pets are born with intestinal parasites (usually roundworms) that have been passed from the mother, where the parasite was in an encysted, quiet state.

From intermediate host. Tapeworms are transmitted by an intermediate host when a pet swallows a flea or eats a rabbit.

It should be emphasized that some parasites – especially roundworms and hookworms – can also affect people, especially children. For that reason, it is essential to prevent intestinal parasites in our pets and to treat any resultant infection.

Parasitic diseases range from trivial to fatal disease. Parasites can cause severe disease in immature puppies, sick or debilitated pets, or in pets with a suppressed immune system. Younger pets often get acute disease (vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, and anemia) whereas older pets get chronic disease such as intermittent diarrhea.

 

 

Home Care and Prevention

 

At home administer any prescribed medications and follow-up with your veterinarian for examinations and repeated fecal (stool) tests as needed.

Some microscopic eggs can live in the environment (such as the yard) for weeks to months and cause re-infection. Clean up yard weekly and minimize roaming of pets in places like parks where exposure and infection are possible.

Many health care specialists recommend a fecal sample from all adult animals at least yearly, a sample at each puppy vaccination visit, and a follow up sample at the appropriate interval after the last deworming medication has been given.

With primarily outdoor dogs, it may be advisable to evaluate stool samples every three to six months if risk of infection is high. One may also consider heartworm preventatives that also prevent intestinal parasites.