Dangers of Halloween and our pets....

Chocolate. Of all candies Chocolate poses the biggest threat to dogs. Many like the smell and are attracted to it. The darker and more bitter the chocolate the more dangerous it is. Can you imagine ingesting dark chocolate covered espresso beans? Yikes...A single ounce of bakers chocolate can make a 50 pound dog very sick. Milk chocolate and white chocolate are the least dangerous but should still be kept out of reach.  If you think your pet has ingested chocolate please call our hospital immediately. Do not wait for digestion to occur. Signs to watch for include vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, agitation, increased thirst, elevated heart rate and in severe cases, seizures.  In smaller dogs even the wrappers can cause secondary obstruction in the stomach or intestines.

Raisins. Mini - boxes of raisins can be a healthy treat for tick-or-treaters, but are extremely poisonous to dogs. Dogs can experience kidney failure after ingesting very small amounts of raisins (including similar products with grapes and currants). Signs of this toxicity include, vomiting, nausea, decreased appetite, lethargy, abdominal pain, excessive or decreased thirst and urinations, bad breath and rapid onset of kidney failure.

Glow sticks and glow jewelry.  Cats being the curious critters they are, love to explore. Cats often ingest glow sticks or jewelry accidently because they are bright and fun to chew. The contents in the sticks can cause mouth pain irritation as well as profuse drooling and foaming. Bathing the chemical off the fur is important too as grooming can contribute to further poisoning.

Candles. This one is kind of self explanatory. Curious noses and wagging tails have a way of finding lit candles. Keep out of reach to avoid injury.

Costumes. Everybody loves a dressed up pet. Just make sure it doesn't impair vision, or movement of air intake. If it has metallic beads or snaps or other small pieces be aware especially ones that contain zinc or lead.  


Don't forget to check out our Facebook page as we are having a Halloween costume contest! Happy Halloween Everyone!

Seeing is believing

 

 

 

                  Call our office to inquire about laser therapy with either Caitlin or Dr. Rogers.

these shoes were made for walkin....

We cannot express word to thank you ALL for the generous amount of pledges for our Guatemala Walk A Thon. The rain held off - thank you rain gods, and were were able to complete our journey. No where near the journey that people in Guatemala walk to come and have their pets vaccinated or have surgery! We were able to raise close to 3000.00$ from this event. Were are planning a few more events before the trip this winter. Be sure to stay tuned, as we will be hosting a bath a thon, and bake sale at the beginning of December. Here are a few photos from the walk a thon. Many thanks to whose you attended, and participated.

and the winner is...

Today was the day. The day we were presenting our hospital as voted - best designed of 2013. It had a feeling like you were at the Juno's or something. We have some video for you, although we must

Dr. Ross Clark and Dr. Lechten before the presentation

warn you, the quality is not very good. Dr. Ross Clarke, a member of the Vet Economics advisory board led the introductions, the award was presented to us, then it was off to the races.

Dr. Lechten rocked the show (not literally) but well spoken to a room packed of people. There

and the floor is all hers...

were laughs and chuckles as Dr. Lechten added in some humor about the pitfalls of building a new hospital, but never the less, a very well informed presentation. There were very few questions to answer at the end of the show, as Dr. Lechten was so thorough, she covered pretty much everything you needed to know. Many people came up to us afterwards to congratulate us on the win. It truly was a proud day. Afterwards the Veterinary Economics magazine had a brief interview with us about how the team was so involved with the building of the new facility.

showcase of hospitals that were in the running this year

Brendan (Vet Economics Editor) with Dr. Lechten

Interview post presentation with Vet Economics

all in a days work

Testing one two three, we are blogging from KC, Missouri! Today was another hot one. It started early with getting up and dressed and heading over to the registration desk to sign in. Upon arriving at the registration desk we took a stroll along the Merit Winners row of all the hospitals that had entered the hospital of the year contest. In the middle was this:

 

and for all you people out there that are like me and need assistance with their vision, I took a close up as well.....

there is was beautifully displayed on an easel in the center. What a proud moment. We then carried on with the registration process, finding out where we will be presenting tomorrow, and ran into  Wayne Usiak the architect from Albuquerque who created AVH. From there it was back to the hotel where we both did quite a bit of paperwork/computer work - the work you can't get done while at the hospital. It turned out to be a productive day. Dr. Lechten then slipped out and she was involved with a group discussion about owners who are interested in building their own hospitals. Once back we decided to go down to the very well known "Fiorella's Jack Stack Barbecue". Which we both had a very well known dish to kansas city - burnt ends. Let me Wikipedia that for you:

Burnt ends are flavorful pieces of meat cut from the point half of a smoked brisket. A traditional part of Kansas City barbecue, burnt ends are considered a delicacy in barbecue cooking. Either the entire brisket is cooked whole, then the point end removed and cooked further, or the point and flat are separated prior to cooking. Due to the higher fat content of the brisket point, it takes longer to fully cook to tender and render out fat and collagen. This longer cooking gave rise to the name "burnt ends". Sometimes when the flat is done, the point is returned to the smoker for further cooking. Some cooks re-season the point at this time.Kansas City style burnt ends are usually served cubed with sauce either on top or on the side. A "proper" burnt end should display a modest amount of "bark" or char on at least one side. Burnt ends can be served alone (sometimes smothered in barbecue sauce) or in sandwiches, as well as in a variety of other dishes, including baked beans^[1] and gumbo.

Following the fab meal, we obviously had to walk it off home and enjoyed the sights of the downtown city area at night. Despite the very loud "screaming coming form the trees" I asked Dr. Lechten (a native to Missouri) what the heck is that it sounds like a bird stuck somewhere- she laughed and said oh those are "cicada's". They are an insect that makes that noise at night. What an awful screeching sound, and let me tell you if I could have voice recorded it for you I would have!

The adventure continues, until tomorrow folks.... signing out...Lisa and Dr. Lechten...

"Cicada" pronounced "Sih-cada"

Downtown KC at night

 

burnt ends with potato salad and cheese corn - delish

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