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January 2025 www.surfacecreekveterinarycenter.com 970-856-4474
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Tips to Avoid Accidents and Injuries Prevent Pet Tragedies
We wrote last month about how to avoid giving your pet human foods that are toxic to them. And now that we’ve made it through December without poisoning a pet (we hope), let’s focus on another important kind of preventive care — avoiding accidents, illnesses, and injuries. Many of the pet patients we see suffer from illnesses, accidents, or preventable injuries. It is hard to watch pets and their owners suffer when routine visits to the vet would
they often get run over because they have poor depth perception at long distances and misjudge how fast passing vehicles are traveling.
Natural predators are a risk to cats, too. Dr. Susie and I feed several feral cats on our property, knowing they might disappear someday. They may just wander off or be hunted down and eaten by something bigger than they are, such as a mountain lion, coyote, or bear. Unfortunately, we
would never know what happened to them. A cat owner who lets their pet roam freely runs the same risk. Give your cat outdoor time, but bring them inside at night when predators are most active.
have prevented their issues. In the past, before vaccines were developed, dogs regularly died from distemper, parvo, and rabies. Those diseases are still around, and pet owners put their animals at risk when they fail to keep vaccinations up to date. Dogs can still die after attacking or being attacked by an infected animal outdoors, such as a bat or raccoon. Unvaccinated cats are at risk, too, from upper respiratory infections, feline immunodeficiency virus (feline HIV), or feline leukemia. Letting dogs off their leash in open areas is another risky move. Pet owners may enjoy allowing their dogs to run free — until they run in front of a moving car or meet up with a mountain lion, snake, raccoon, or other attacker. Unsupervised dogs can get into all the same kinds of trouble as unsupervised children.
Finally, as readers know, safeguarding your pets’ oral health is one of my favorite topics. Few pet owners realize that many conditions we treat in pets start with poor oral hygiene. Cleaning the teeth will lengthen your pet’s life because what goes on in their mouth affects their entire body. To improve your pet’s chances of
good health, bring them in regularly for a professional cleaning and practice good dental care at home.
No pet owner can ever eliminate all the risks to their pet of accidents, illnesses, or injuries. But by giving your animal regular veterinary and oral health care, supervising
them well, and following basic safety rules, you can prevent avoidable suffering and loss — and improve your furry friend’s chances of living a long, healthy, happy life!
Dogs and cats often don’t survive getting hit by cars. We see dogs tragically injured after they escaped a chain, jumped a fence, or were allowed to play unleashed. Most dogs don’t know any better than running right into traffic. Cats, too, are at risk. Assuming that cats’ self-protective instincts will keep them safe, many cat owners allow their pets to roam free outdoors. While it’s true that cats are usually more wary of passing cars than dogs,
– Dr. Jeff
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Tips to Find Your Animal Friend A Receptionist Who Loves Pets and Their People Lost Your Pet? Meet Tara Sayers
Our pets are one of the great constants in our lives. They are always ready to support us after a hard day with warm companionship and slobbery kisses. However, despite our best efforts to keep them corralled while we are away, they can go missing. Losing a pet is a stressful experience. However, not all is lost. After getting lost, over 90% of dogs are found alive, and nearly 20% return home of their own accord. And for cats, in about 90% of cases, they are lost an average of 5–7 days before being found or making their way home. Here are some simple steps you can take to help your animal companions return home safely. Search Your Local Area It may seem obvious, but searching your immediate area is important when your pet goes missing. Make sure to thoroughly search every room and area of your house: your basement, crawl spaces, closets, cabinets, bedrooms, and garage. Failing that, check with your neighbors. In most cases, pets stay within a reasonable distance from home. Contact Authorities Your next step should be to call all relevant authorities in your area. If you are on vacation or traveling with your pets when they go missing, using Petfinder can help you locate local shelters. Call your local animal shelters, animal control officers, and veterinarian offices to report your animal missing. Program their numbers into your phone to make the back-and-forth easier and stress-free. Lost Pet Poster Lastly, you should create flyers and posters featuring a recent photo of your missing pet. These should feature the name, breed, and notable features of your missing pet and your contact information should anyone need to reach you concerning its whereabouts. If you are proactive, your chances of reuniting with your missing pet are high.
Tara Sayers has long had a heart for animals. She grew up owning dogs, cats, horses, and llamas on her parents’ mountain property. The best part of her job as our receptionist, she says, is “seeing all the different animals and hearing the cute names they have.” She feels compassion for clients. “The hardest part for me is when our clients come in with really sick or badly injured animals,” she says. “We try to calm the owners as best we can so we can take the best possible care of their animal.” She tries to reassure pet parents, answer their questions, and confer with the doctors about those she can’t answer.
This is Tara’s first job in veterinary medicine, and she enjoys helping our technicians check patients in, record pets’ health histories, and fill prescriptions.
“I have learned so much about different kinds of medicines and treatments,” she says. After two years on the job, she also likes being able to provide clients with estimates of the treatments and procedures their pets are likely to receive.
At home, Tara lives with her husband Destyne, their 3-year-old son Nathan, and their two dogs and two cats — three of which she rescued from homelessness. Tara
first saw Arrow, an American bulldog, in a Facebook post. “It was kind of a sad story,” she says. The owner’s husband had died, and she was unable to keep him. “I went and met her, and I fell in love with Arrow instantly,” she says. Their other dog is a heeler-hound mix named Dutchess. Tara adopted one of their two orange cats, Mango, from our clinic about a year ago. A client had found him suffering from abscesses on his back leg and brought him in for treatment. When the client explained that she could not keep him, “I fell in love with him,” Tara says and took him home. She adopted their other orange cat, Bitty, from a shelter. When Tara isn’t caring for our clients, their pets, or her own furry friends, she loves to go on outings with Destyne and Nathan. A self-described “huge bookworm,” she also loves curling up to read. Her latest favorite? “Fourth Wing,” a fantasy by Rebecca Yarros.
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Golden Years, Golden Love ADOPT A SENIOR PET, SAVE A LIFE
Many people looking to adopt a pet are drawn to playful, cuddly kittens or roly-poly puppies begging for attention. As charming as these baby pets may be, there are excellent reasons to adopt a senior pet, too.
A senior pet may be especially well-suited for first-time pet owners. As charming and cuddly as puppies and kittens may be, they also can be rambunctious, messy, destructive, and difficult to train. An adult pet is likely to be calmer and more relaxed, requiring less supervision.
Many senior pets end up in shelters because their owners pass away. These animals are often calm, well-trained, and socialized, eliminating the need for a new owner to provide the months of training and supervision often required for puppies. Some adopters take satisfaction from choosing animals that are the least likely to be adopted by others, knowing they probably saved the animal’s life. An estimated 390,000 dogs and 530,000 cats were euthanized in U.S. shelters in 2019, based on the latest data available. While that is down about 65% from 2011, it still amounts to a death sentence for too many homeless pets. Other people see adopting a senior pet as an opportunity to show kindness and social responsibility by giving the
Some adoptive pet parents believe older shelter pets know somehow that they need to be rescued and appreciate the humans who do so. Consider the example of an adult dog in Michigan who escaped a shelter three times to take up residence in a nearby nursing home. The dog had BBs or birdshot embedded in his jowls and was wary of humans, suggesting he had been shot at and abused, the Detroit Free Press reported. The first time the dog was found
curled up on a couch in the nursing home lobby, the staff returned him to the shelter. But after he escaped twice more, climbing over two tall fences, crossing a busy highway at night, and entering the nursing home through automatic doors, the staff finally gave in and adopted him. The stray, whose new name is Scout, now roams his permanent home at will, visiting its 20 residents for belly rubs, treats, and pets.
animal a few more good years. It isn’t uncommon to see an aged pet that a shelter says is ready for hospice care recover and live several years longer — thanks to an adoptive owner’s loving care and attention.
Clients Spreading the Word
N ePwo lSi cCi eVs C
UnNtiloFtiucrether Due to a staffing shortage, SCVC will be closed on the first and third Saturday of the month. We will continue to be open on the second and fourth Saturdays. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
• At the time of scheduling a
Oogie McGuire Jessica Neil Kevin Parks Mike & Kathy Shoemaker
Morgan Barnard Tammie Benson Joetta Burns Kevin King Dee Latta
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.
We Reward Referrals!
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Shield Your Pet From Needless Suffering inside this issue
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Guide for Finding a Lost Pet
Meet Our Receptionist, Tara!
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Make a Difference With a Life-Saving Choice: Adopt a Senior Pet
New SCVC Policies
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A Deaf Dog’s Remarkable Journey
The Silent Healer Meet the Boxer Who Changes Lives 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.
At first glance, Sullivan is already a special dog. An adorable white boxer with a dark patch of fur around his right eye, he’s the kind of canine humans of all ages instantly fall in love with. If his cuteness wasn’t enough, he’s best known in his community for bringing people together in extraordinary ways. Originally found in a shelter in Coachella, California, Sullivan — who is deaf — lives in Oregon with his guardian, Allyson Ridling. A social worker and family therapist, Ridling has made Sullivan’s sweet temperament and calming presence a significant part of her practice. After bringing Sullivan to reading sessions with children (much to the delight of the little ones in attendance), she began including him in walking sessions with her clients. Fluent in sign language, Ridling has also introduced Sullivan to hard-of-hearing people worldwide via online video chats.
Early last year, Sullivan and Ridling received a 2024 Oregon Humane Society (OHS) Diamond Collar Award for their compassionate work. Thrilled by the honor, Ridling credits her animal companion with helping her clients find greater joy and comfort. “Some of these people just needed to reconnect with love and feeling this undoubtable connection between the human and animal bond,” she says in a special OHS-produced YouTube video on the award. “That’s what they needed to help open up and take their next step moving forward in their life.”
are struggling to open up. [He] may not be able to hear, but his impact on the mental health of those around him speaks volumes.” Proud of her furry friend’s loving nature and many achievements, Ridling believes that animals like Sullivan can work wonders for people’s therapeutic treatment. “I think the human/animal bond works really well because animals don’t judge. They have unconditional love to give people. As [a] society, we could all work better to strive to be as loving and caring [and] as open-minded as a dog can be.”
The OHS was proud to honor Sullivan for his fantastic work with humans.
“As a therapy dog, Sullivan is a friendly presence for kids to practice their reading,” the organization says on its website. “His comfort helps those who
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