Animal Clinic of Kalispell - March 2022

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Pet Press KALISPELL MARCH 2022

406.755.6886 WWW.KALISPELLVET.COM

STUCK IN ENTHUSIASM How Optimism Steers My Work and Life

Once, I overheard a friend talking about me. “Jevon is one of those people who is stuck in enthusiasm,” he said. He was right — that’s just my personality. I don’t buy into negativity, and it’s one of the things that has helped me be successful. March is Optimism Month, but I live every day with a positive outlook. Veterinary medicine is hard work, and the emotional aspect can be the hardest of all. I find that without optimism, you can easily get overwhelmed.

and the staff cope with everything that’s been thrown our way. If we’re not moving forward, we’re probably moving backward, and I believe we can successfully navigate any changes needed. We’re already on the upswing here at the clinic. We’ve finally hired some new staff, and I can already see a positive change. Next up, we’re looking to hire a new doctor (or two!) to expand our services and help more of you with your pets.

If someone comes in worried about their pet and I walk into the room with an overly grave tone, that only increases their anxiety. So I try to stay optimistic about every case. That doesn’t mean I always have good news to give or that I go around dispensing false hope. But there’s no reason to anticipate the worst before we have all the data, and often, the situation isn’t as bad as the pet owner thinks. Recently, I saw a woman with a very sick cat. She had already visited another veterinarian, and they’d given her bad news. I walked into the room with an optimistic attitude. I like to give people a different take on things and help pull them back from the ledge. After talking to her for a while, the woman asked me if the other veterinarian had been overly pessimistic about her cat’s case. I explained that everything they said was correct, but I’m a glass half-full kind of person. The reality was the cat had a problem, but it wasn’t time for euthanasia. We offered new treatment and are providing the cat with a good quality of life. For the last two years, especially, we’ve been living in a pessimistic culture and just trying to cope with one disaster until the next. I refuse to believe that’s how we’re going to live out the rest of our lives. Optimism has helped me

I think a positive outlook is essential to everyone achieving their potential. We are all given gifts, but some people are too afraid to use them. Maybe they’re scared to fail or want to save their talent as a backup plan, but not using your gift is not only to your own detriment but also everyone else’s. People need to share their talents, and failing to do so is to act as a bad steward of the gift you received. My gift of optimism is why I’ve felt empowered to take risks in life and try new things. It’s not that I don’t have fear like everyone else, but I don’t let it rule my actions. In 2008, I left a great, stable practice to start something new. I’ve been able to build something better and provide stability for my staff and improve services to this community. I remain optimistic that it will succeed. In a way, being optimistic is a lot like having faith in something you cannot see. I choose to believe in the future and have faith that good things will come to pass more often than not. I can’t imagine living my life any other way.

– Dr. Jevon Clark

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The Wil INT

5 Ways to Deal With Annoying Robocalls PROTECT YOUR IDENTITY AND KICK SCAMMERS TO THE CURB According to the latest data, scammers and telemarketers make 1,528 robocalls to Americans every single second . No wonder they’re driving us all crazy! Some of these calls are legitimate reminders about doctor’s appointments and payment plans, but around 55% of them are just nuisances — and we can’t rely on the government to stop them. If you’re sick of hearing about “your car’s extended warranty” or the “student loans” you paid off 40 years ago, try these five tips to cut down on robocalls and outwit scammers.

Hi everyone, my name is Sweetgrass, and I’ve been living with my mom since October. Humans

found me when they were camping in Eastern Montana and saw a lot of little eyes looking out at them from the trees. It was me and my nine brothers and sisters.

We were only a few weeks old then, and we all have homes now. My sisters Copenhagen and Coule live with the man who found us, and I live with his mom, Dawn.

I still get to see Copenhagen and Coule sometimes, and it’s lots of fun when they come over. What’s not fun is when humans visit. As if I’d just let some stranger pet me! I always have to hide until they go away. Thanks, Mom.

But otherwise, things are good. When I first came home, all the humans seemed really worried about me. They thought I

1. EXPLORE YOUR CARRIER’S FREE TOOLS. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon all offer services to cut down on scam calls. Some of them are free and/or come with your phone, but others you have to pay for or activate. If you have Verizon, for example, you can download the “Verizon Call Filter” app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. Visit your carrier’s website or call them to learn about the tools they offer. 2. DOWNLOAD AN AD BLOCKER. For extra protection, you can download a separate ad blocker from the Apple App Store or Google Play. Hiya is a free app that will give you caller ID and block spam calls, and Nomorobo is an award-winning option that’s free for landlines and costs $1.99 per month for cellphones. 3. WHEN IN DOUBT, LET IT RING OUT. If you don’t recognize the number calling, don’t answer. You can always call back if they leave a legitimate voicemail. 4. SUSPECT SPAM? HANG UP. So, you accidentally answered a spam call. Whether it’s a person or a robot on the line, hang up immediately! Even saying your name or the word “yes” could set you up for identity theft. 5. HANDLE VOICEMAILS WITH CARE. If you get a suspicious voicemail, never call the number or visit the website given by the caller. Instead, Google the company or agency they claimed to be with and call that number. If the real agency has no idea about the call, you’ve just escaped a trap. By taking all five of these steps, you can protect yourself and your wallet from Ponzi schemes, identity thieves, and annoying telemarketers. For even more specific advice, visit AARP.com and search “The Definitive Guide to Reducing Robocalls.”

was too small, and they tried to baby me. I guess they don’t know you can’t judge a book

by its cover, so I do my best every day to show everyone I’m fine by staying really busy.

SARDINE AND FLAXSEED Cat Treats Inspired by HomemadeDogTreatsNow.com

Ingredients

1/2 cup whole- wheat flour 2 tbsp flaxseed 1/4 cup parsley

1 3–4-oz package of sardines

• •

• •

1 egg

2 tsp coconut oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. 2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. 3. In a large bowl, mix together flour, flaxseed, and parsley.

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ld Child TRODUCING SWEETGRASS!

COVID-19 IN PETS

Mom, on the other hand, still needs some training. She’s always trying to make me get off the kitchen counter, even though it’s my favorite

place in the whole house. Someday, she’ll learn I belong up there, but who knows when that’ll happen? And can you believe she also tries to stop me from climbing the curtains? If any other cats are reading this, think twice before getting a human — they can be a lot of work.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS? By now, you’ve probably heard of stories about zoo animals contracting COVID-19 (or even being vaccinated against it). During the early stages of the pandemic, many scientists were concerned that coronavirus could be a risk in household pets. Even more than about pets’ health, they worried that humans and their animals might be able to transmit the virus back and forth to each other. “Every species has their own coronaviruses,” Dr. Clark explains. The official clinical name for COVID-19 is SARS-CoV-2, and the SARS portion of the name stands for severe acute respiratory syndrome. “That’s what kills people and animals,” he says, “the body’s response that happens secondary to the infection.” The big cats that have died in the past year suffered from SARS. After their deaths, they tested positive for COVID-19.

But even though Mom has a lot of problems, I love her anyway. I follow her around to make sure she doesn’t get into

trouble, and I supervise her carefully whenever she has a shower. One time Mom’s daughter called me a “peeping Tom,” which shows you just how dumb humans can be. I’m not even a tomcat! But I’m still glad I didn’t stay in the woods or end up at a shelter, so I do my best to keep Mom happy. Every night, I play her favorite game with her. She hides her feet under

the covers, and I grab them. If I do a really good job, she starts screaming! I love watching her have fun. Keeping her entertained and well-behaved is all in a day’s work.

That was worrying, but a recent study on domestic cats provides good news. Scientists have found that dogs are not susceptible to COVID-19, and cats only experience mild susceptibility. In the study, researchers experimentally exposed cats to coronavirus. Though 100% of the cats tested positive after a few days, none of them developed clinical symptoms. “All cats were asymptomatic and recovered,” Dr. Clark reports. Twenty-eight days later, they infected the same cats, and none of them subsequently tested positive for the virus — they developed immunity at least for that period of time. “This is great news,” Dr. Clark says. He admits to being concerned in the early days of the pandemic. “If pets are one of the harboring sources of this thing to people, billions of animals could be euthanized,” he worried. If anything, it’s more likely we are exposing the cats and not the other way around. At the clinic, Dr. Clark explains, “Every single day, I’m sure we’re being exposed to the omicron variant because there are asymptomatic people everywhere.” Our pets pose no risk to us. “There’s no reason to worry that your cat or dog is giving you COVID-19,” he says. And while some people have been concerned that they need to isolate themselves from their pets after testing positive, he doesn’t believe it’s a cause for unease. “If the virus caused any clinical disease in pets, maybe,” he says. “But it doesn’t. I’d be hard-pressed to say that isolating from your pet would make any sense.” For humans and pets alike, it’s the positive coronavirus news we could all use.

Your fluffy feline is about to be addicted to these healthy and savory snacks! They aren’t quite catnip, but they’re close! 4. Place the sardines, egg, and oil in a food processor, and mix until finely puréed. 5. In the bowl, combine the wet ingredients with the dry, stirring to combine. 6. Line a counter or cutting board with flour and roll dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. 7. Using a cookie cutter, cut out small shapes. 8. Bake the treats on the lined baking sheet for 10–12 minutes. 9. Allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.

406.755.6886

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406.755.6886 WWW.KALISPELLVET.COM 1408 AIRPORT ROAD KALISPELL, MT 59901

PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

Inside

1

Why Dr. Clark Remains Optimistic

2 Handle Robocalls Like a Pro

2 Our Pet of the Month: Sweetgrass

2 Sardine and Flaxseed Cat Treats

3 Should You Worry About Coronavirus in Your Pet?

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Meet ‘Dr. Peyo’ — France’s Only 4-Legged Doc

Meet France’s 4-Legged Doctor ‘DR. PEYO’ THE THERAPY HORSE WILL SEE YOU NOW!

Imagine you’re sitting in a French hospital, minding your own business and waiting for a doctor to see you. Suddenly, the elevator doors slide open and a full-sized horse clip- clops out into the waiting room!

hoof to point his trainer toward rooms he’d like to visit. Inside, he comforts the dying patients and their families. “What really pushed scientists to take an interest in him and open the health establishment doors to us was this [seeming] ability to greatly reduce [the patients’ dosage of] all hard drugs and thus allow a more peaceful

That might sound like something out of a children’s book, but it’s actually

departure,” Peyo’s trainer, Hassen Bouchakour, told The Guardian.

a regular occurrence at Calais Hospital. There, a therapy horse

Peyo has been working as a therapy horse since 2016 and stood vigil by the bedsides of more than 1,000 people, bringing them comfort and letting their children ride him

named Peyo visits sick and dying patients to help ease their anxiety, bring them comfort, and distract them from their pain.

through the hospital halls. It’s an amazing achievement for a 15-year-old horse!

Peyo — affectionately known as “Dr. Peyo” by the staff at

Of course, Peyo is far from the only animal visiting hospitals to bring people comfort. Here in the U.S., Johns Hopkins partners with more than 15 volunteer therapy dog teams that make patients smile,

Calais — wasn’t always a therapy horse. In his early life, he competed

in dressage, but it didn’t take long for his trainer to realize Peyo was more interested in the crowd than the competition. In a moving article about Peyo, The Guardian reported, “After shows, he would pick out people in the crowd, approach them, and choose to stay next to them.” This was the first sign of Peyo’s secret talent: Like a bomb-sniffing dog, it appears Peyo can detect cancererous tumors. In the hospital, he uses a raised

lower their blood pressure, improve their mood, and reduce their pain. At least 45 hospitals in the country have similar programs. Want to know if your local hospital employs therapy animals? Visit their website to find out. You might be surprised by what you learn!

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