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August 2025 www.surfacecreekveterinarycenter.com 970-856-4474
SCVC Pawprint
Healthy Ways to Spoil Your Dog (Guilt-Free) Treat Your Pup!
Many pet owners love pampering their dogs and relish the wagging tails and slobbery affection they get in return. Although National Spoil Your Dog Day takes place on Aug. 10, many folks act as if it’s a year-round celebration! As Spoil Your Dog Day rolls around this year, why not elevate your game? Sure, you regularly surround your pet with love, but you can provide genuine enrichment by adding healthy behaviors and foods to their daily lives. CURB RANDOM SNACKS Many of us love indulging in tasty snacks ourselves, and tossing your dog a Milk Bone or a few table
scraps feels like a gesture of affection. As I’ve written in the past, however, canine obesity is a growing problem. Nearly 3 out of 5 dogs in the U.S. are obese, elevating their risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other health problems. Try cultivating healthier snacking habits in your pet. Few processed pet treats are good for your dog, regardless of what the package says. But canines love plenty of the same healthy supermarket staples that benefit humans. Offer your pet vegetables, such as chopped chunks of celery and full-sized carrots (to prevent choking). Most dogs also love cooked sweet potatoes, broccoli, and peas mixed in with their food. A cautionary note: Be careful which veggies you choose. Avoid onions and garlic, which can cause serious health problems in large enough doses. While cauliflower won’t harm your dog, I strongly urge you to avoid it for your own sake — it tends to cause flatulence! If you want to buy your pet a gift, bypass the treats section at the pet store and choose a more thoughtful gift. Your dog might love a comfy new bed or an upgraded dog house. No matter how simple, a new toy will thrill most pups (at least for a little while). HELP THEM EXERCISE If you regard exercise as work, you’re not alone. However, you may not have realized that acquiring a dog is like signing up for a PE class: Dog ownership increases people’s time spent exercising
by as much as 200%. All dogs need daily activity, although their exercise needs vary by breed and age. Make walking your dog a daily routine. Run around the yard with them, toss a Frisbee for them to chase, or play fetch with a ball-thrower. Dogs that love the water will enjoy a cool swim. If you can do so safely, allow your dog to run freely in an open space. On bad-weather days, try running the stairs, hide- and-seek, or tug-of-war games indoors. Whatever exercise mode you choose, remember this: The more your dog moves, the better off they’ll be. And don’t hesitate to consult your vet if you have questions about the right amount of exercise. OFFER UNDIVIDED ATTENTION Aside from food, water, and air, one of the greatest gifts you can give your dog is your attention. Dogs are highly sociable, eager to form bonds with humans, and thrive on love and affection. To really enrich your pet’s life, learn their body language so you can tell how they love to be petted and played with. Whether your dog likes running, roughhousing, or snuggling on the couch, one-on- one time is a much better way to show them you care than a pile of Pup-Peronis. If you want to spoil your dog for the better this month, work on ways to connect with their mind and heart.
– Dr. Jeff
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Behind the Scenes, Ahead of the Curve Meet Brooke Klaseen, Our Vet Tech
Most pet owners already know their furry friends make life better, but according to a new study, the value might be higher than anyone realized. Some researchers say it’s close to $100,000. Researchers in the U.K. aimed to measure how much happiness dogs and cats bring to people’s lives. Using data from more than 700 people, they found that owning a pet can boost life satisfaction as much as getting married or landing a massive raise. In economic terms, it’s the emotional equivalent of earning nearly $93,000 more per year. To determine whether pets actually improve happiness, rather than the opposite — happy people are more likely to have pets — the team factored in things like age, income, personality traits, and family size. They also used a clever workaround: They asked people whether they look after their neighbor’s house while they’re away. That behavior is linked to pet ownership but not directly to happiness, which helped researchers isolate the impact of pet ownership. It’s not just a fun fact, either. Experts say findings like this could affect everything from housing laws to public health programs. If pets fight loneliness and lift people’s moods, it might make sense to rethink rules that prevent pet ownership in some apartments and assisted living facilities. While the researchers focused only on cats and dogs, the message came through clearly. Pets matter, maybe even more than we thought. And if you already live with one and know how they benefit your well- being, the science now backs you up. That wagging tail or soft purr might be worth more than you ever guessed. New Study Says Pets Are Worth Plenty THE $100K REASON TO GET A PET
Brooke Klaseen loves helping our doctors care for our pet patients. As an elementary school teacher for most of the year, she is an expert at planning for success. “I enjoy making preparations and trying to think of all the things that are going to be needed for whatever procedure we are doing, from routine wellness exams to surgeries,” she shares. “I try to think of every possible scenario.” Brooke is accustomed to helping others with animal care. Growing up on her parents’ cattle ranch near Hotchkiss, she worked alongside her father tending their 250 head of beef cattle. She assisted with branding, pregnancy checks, and administering vaccines and medications. She rode miles on the back of her dad’s four-wheeler to check on cows during calving season, seeing the new babies and making sure the mother was doing well. “Ranching is a 24/7 job. There is no downtime,” she says. Fortunately for us, Brooke likes to keep busy year-round. She began working part-time at Surface Creek in 2019, when she was a student at Western Colorado University. Since beginning her teaching career in 2022 at Garnet Mesa Elementary School in Delta, she has continued to work with us on her summer breaks. As a vet tech, Brooke assists our doctors with surgeries, sets up the operating room, and administers and monitors anesthesia. She has learned numerous other roles during her time with us, from making appointments to checking in patients. She says her communication skills help pet parents feel confident about caring for their pets at home. Brooke also loves just hanging out with our clients’ pets. As cute as the baby calves on her family’s ranch are, she prefers dogs and cats. According to her, “Cows just aren’t lovable like that.”
Brooke can only be with us for the summers, but we are glad she is here!
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PAWS OFF THE PETUNIAS!
Curb Your Dog’s Digging Habit
ELIMINATE PREY If your dog is chasing gophers, voles, chipmunks, or rats burrowing under your lawn, try cleaning up any food for those invaders, such as bird feeders, compost piles, fallen fruit, or grubs in the soil. An exterminator may be able to place traps to solve serious vermin infestations, but be wary of using rodenticides. These toxins are as poisonous to your pets as to the vermin you are trying to eliminate. Merely eating a rodent that has died from rodenticide may be enough to sicken or kill your pet. COMFORT AND CALM Some dogs dig into the soil to create a cooler or warmer place for themselves to escape extreme temperatures. Provide your pet with plenty of shade and cool water on hot days, and don’t leave them outside in hot or cold temperatures for too long. If you suspect your dog is digging to vent anxiety, try a calming vest — a soft garment that gently hugs your dog’s torso. For some dogs, the vests ease the anxiety or overexcitement that can trigger digging. Don’t hesitate to consult your veterinarian for advice! Dogs with severe anxiety may require professional help, such as behavioral modification training or medication.
Seeing your beloved dog tearing up your carefully tended yard or garden can strain the patience of the most loving pet owner. While digging is normal for many dogs, it can wreak havoc with your landscaping. Some dogs dig out of boredom or anxiety, others to vent excess energy. Some breeds are hard-wired to unearth prey by digging, and others are just trying to create shelter from extreme temperatures. Here are four potential solutions. EXERCISE Some pets dig obsessively because they are bored. Try providing more physical and mental stimulation throughout the day. Rather than leaving your dog alone in the yard, accompany them on walks. Play vigorous games of fetch or tug-of-war, or give your pet engaging toys, such as a KONG stuffed with frozen peanut butter. Other canines may be stimulated by puzzles that squeak or dispense treats. A DIGGING ZONE Some pets develop a digging habit to get attention. If they are lonely or understimulated, negative attention is better than none! Try training your dog to confine its digging to a designated digging zone in your yard. Then, reward it for using it by giving it a treat or burying a few treats in the soil.
N ePwo lSi cCi eVs C
UnNtiloFtiucrether Due to a staffing shortage, SCVC will be closed on Saturdays until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Clients Spreading the Word
Lisa Beebe Dustin Braslin Peter Slaugh Dick & Pat Moore
David Slavens Heidi Weissner Marilyn Wyatt James Zechin
• At the time of scheduling a
dental or surgery appointment, a $250 deposit will be required. This deposit will be applied to the procedure bill. If you need to cancel the appointment, and you give us at least a 24-hour notice, the deposit will be refunded.
• Due to the increasing cost of
credit card processing, there is now a 3% service charge added to all clinic services and products. If paying with cash, check, or PIN debit, there is no charge.
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1 inside this issue
Bone Appétit: Healthy Ways to Spoil Your Dog
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Why Pets Beat Pay Raises
Planning Makes Perfect: Our Vet Tech Helps Pets Thrive
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Practical Tips to Stop Your Dog from Digging
New SCVC Policies
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Against All Odds, a Ranch Dog Brings a Lost Toddler Home
DESERT HERO Rancher’s Dog Rescues Toddler Lost in the Desert NC aenwc eAl l aptpi ooni nPt mo leinc yt When you cancel with less than 24-hour notice, we now require a prepaid $50 deposit to reschedule. If you keep your rescheduled appointment, we will apply the deposit to your veterinary bill. If you miss your rescheduled appointment, the fee is nonrefundable.
A tiny desert town along Route 66 in Arizona is home to a new hero — a big, shaggy ranch dog who rescued a toddler lost in the desert this past April. Two-year-old Boden Allen was missing from his Seligman, Arizona, home for 16 hours when a 6-year-old Anatolian Pyrenees named Buford appeared in his master’s driveway with the child at his side — 7 miles from Boden’s home.
Buford’s owner, Scotty Dunton, had heard about the child’s disappearance. “I noticed my dog was sitting by the entrance (to his ranch),” he said, “and the little kid’s standing there with my dog!” He calmed the child, who was unharmed except for a few scrapes and nicks, and gave him water and food while calling authorities. Dunton was overjoyed. “I was ecstatic that he was okay and that my dog found him,” he said. Dunton asked Boden if he had been walking all night, and the child told him no, he had been lying under a tree. “Did my dog find you?” Dunton asked Boden. He wasn’t surprised when the child said yes. Dunton traced the little boy’s tracks more than a mile from his ranch, with Buford’s paw prints beside them. “That’s what he does,” Dunton said of Buford. “He loves kids. I can imagine he wouldn’t leave him when he found him.”
Dunton’s discovery of the little boy ended an anxious 16-hour search by more than 40 search- and-rescue volunteers, sheriff’s deputies, and state public-safety officers. Wearing only a tank top and pajama pants, Boden had wandered away at about 5 p.m. into rugged desert terrain, where two mountain lions were spotted later that night. Boden’s frantic parents had reported his absence to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office. Dunton says he wasn’t surprised by Buford’s protective behavior. “He is a guardian dog. He patrols all night and keeps coyotes away,” he says. The Anatolian Pyrenees is a crossbreed, a combination of a Great Pyrenees and an Anatolian shepherd, known for its intelligence, gentleness, and protective nature. In appreciation for their neighborhood hero, Buford’s admirers piled chew toys, bones, and other gifts on Dunton’s doorstep for days after the rescue.
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