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October 2025 surfacecreekveterinarycenter.com 970-856-4474
SCVC Pawprint
The Critical Role of the Veterinary Technician More Than Medicine
Our hospital couldn’t operate without our doctors, but it couldn’t function without our other team members. As a great NBA coach once said, the strength of the team is in each individual member, and the strength of each member is the team. As we celebrate National Veterinary Technician Awareness Week on Oct. 12–18, we want to recognize the major role our veterinary technicians play in providing great care to our patients. Serving as a veterinary technician is a hard job. Our practice is fast-paced and our standards are high. People are counting on us, and the demands on our vet techs can be intense. They have to be willing to get dirty, bitten, and scratched. This isn’t a job for wimps! When we start work in the morning, it’s game time. There is no practice here. That happened in veterinary school, learning new techniques and attending seminars. I think of every day as the Super Bowl, and meeting every patient’s needs as winning the game. To use another football analogy, if the veterinarian is the quarterback, they need to know their team is doing their job for the best outcome. We love our job, it comes with moments of joy and laughter, but other times sadness and tears. We sometimes have to do things we wish we didn’t have to do. We really count on everyone here, including our vet techs and receptionists, to get all of this work done. A veterinary technician here is like a nurse at a hospital. Each one passes through five phases of training. Just as nurses earn credentials at different levels, our veterinary technicians rise from one skill level to the next. They start at the bottom: As kennel technicians, their role is much like that of a certified nursing assistant in a hospital. They clean cages, monitor the pets’ eating and bodily functions, and clean our exam and surgery rooms. As kennel technicians, level one and level two, they do cleaning, prepping, and restraining of pets during treatment. In the next three levels, technician assistant, technician level one, and technician level two, their duties include assisting the doctors with exams and surgeries, getting medications ready, and giving injections, as a registered nurse might do at a hospital. Eventually, just like a surgical nurse in a hospital, our vet techs help us perform dentistry and other procedures in the operating room, including such tasks as monitoring and regulating the patient’s breathing and blood pressure. If we
are doing a complicated surgery, we need every player in the operating room to bring their A game. Everyone taking part has to be very serious and very focused. You could hear a pin drop at these times. Our vet techs also must be willing to learn our way of doing things. We work hard to be consistent. We doctors have to know that care and treatment will be done in the same way for each patient across both our locations. Even if an employee has worked elsewhere and learned a different method of inserting a catheter, they need to be willing to learn our standard operating procedure for that task. Our veterinary technicians are thorough, strive for perfection, and want to win at providing excellent veterinary care for each patient. Every day, they help us succeed. We love them to death, and during National Vet Tech Awareness Week, we want to be sure they know it! If you happen to stop by one of our locations this month, I hope you’ll help us thank our vet techs for their important work!
–Dr. Jeff
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Clinic?
The popularity of Halloween has grown to rival Super Bowl Sunday, with nearly 3 in 4 consumers participating in decorating, handing out candy, and dressing in costumes. To keep your loved ones close to home for spooky fun, consider planning festive games, activities, and treats to share. Here are three fresh ideas for snacks, games, and activities to keep kids and grown- ups celebrating all evening long. GHOULISH GAMES How about a round of Pin the Spider on the Web to see which blindfolded competitor can land the spider closest to the center? Piñatas have no season, so try filling a piñata with Halloween treats of your choice. Older guests might enjoy a Halloween version of “party pong”: Place 10 candy buckets on the ground in a triangle and see which guest can land the most pingpong balls in a bucket. HALLOWEEN HORS D’OEUVRES Serve your guests ghostly eyeballs made from Babybel cheese rounds, or have the kids create “mummy dogs” by wrapping and baking hot dogs in ready-made biscuit dough. Everyone loves holiday gingerbread houses, so make a haunted version from a gingerbread house kit, purple or black frosting, and melted-marshmallow spider webs. Add a ghastly twist by planting a few ginger-gravestones in the yard. With leftover dough, you can create witch-hat or black-cat cookies. SHARE THE SCARES Cozy up in blankets to watch a favorite horror flick on a DIY outdoor movie screen. (Try stringing a white sheet on wooden rods stretched between support poles, perhaps fashioned from PVC pipe.) For child-friendly entertainment, find a book of scary stories and gather the little ones around for some ghostly storytelling. Also, if store- bought costumes don’t excite you, harness the power of face paint to transform each other into comical Halloween characters. If you are among the 1 in 5 Americans who plan to involve their pets in Halloween festivities, consider cooking up a costume for your furry friend. Your black Lab might make a great Bark Vader, your shih tzu could dress as Chewbacca, or your St. Bernard might don a cape to play Count Drool-cula! With a bit of imagination, you can ensure fun for all! Creative New Twists on Halloween Fun PLAN A SPOOK- TACULAR TIME!
This month, a year ago, we launched an expansion of our services: We welcomed our first patients at our Hotchkiss location! The opening of this new location marked a significant milestone for us, providing a much-needed service to the community. The response from pet parents in the North Fork community has been overwhelmingly positive. Our Hotchkiss clients tell us daily, “We are so glad you are here!” Since opening, we have doubled our hours in Hotchkiss to meet client demand. We are now taking patients from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Appointments can be made by calling (970) 399-4099 . Many of our Hotchkiss, Paonia, and Crawford clients know from firsthand experience that travelling 30–45 minutes to transport an anxious pet to our Cedaredge location could be challenging. They are delighted to have a closer option. We are scheduling sick and wellness exams, drop-off appointments, and some surgeries at our Hotchkiss location. We can also do most blood work and take X-rays there. All of our dental procedures are still performed at Cedaredge. Our three doctors rotate between Cedaredge and Hotchkiss, so if a client has a doctor preference, we can accommodate that. Also, if we are completely booked at our Cedaredge location, we can often see a patient in Hotchkiss. The Hotchkiss location, at 164 E. Bridge Street , remains a work-in-progress. You might see Dr. Jeff with drywall mud, paint, or other construction debris on his clothing. He is still working on fine tuning the kennel room. We remain deeply grateful to the numerous clients, friends, and neighbors who have pitched in to help. Our Hotchkiss Clinic Passes Its First Anniversary! Ce M leb il r e a s t t i o n n g e a
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PUMPKIN, PLEASE!
A Nutritious Autumn Treat for Cats and Dogs
If you love your pumpkin pie or pumpkin spice latté this Halloween, consider this: Pumpkin is also a low-calorie super-food for many dogs or cats, full of great nutrients and fun for them to eat.
With those cautions in mind, you and your pet can enjoy a pumpkin-filled Halloween. You can steam or roast pumpkin flesh for your pet, or take the easy route and buy canned, pureed pumpkin. Start by adding a little puree to your dog’s food to help prevent constipation and improve anal gland health.
This popular autumn gourd is a gastrointestinal wonder food. It is rich in fiber, aiding digestion. Pureed pumpkin contains vitamins A, C, and K and beta carotene, which benefit vision, the urinary tract, and immune system functions. It also has potassium for healthy muscles and nerves. Because pumpkins are filling and naturally low in calories, they can help obese pets shed weight.
Plain pumpkin can be good for cats, and is actually used to treat feline gastrointestinal problems. Add it to their wet food or let them lick it straight from the spoon, in small amounts of a teaspoon daily for adult cats, and a half-teaspoon for kittens 16 weeks old and over. Pumpkin’s high fiber and water content can ease constipation and help with hairballs. Cats’ systems are made to digest meat; pumpkin should be fed sparingly and avoided for kitties with kidney problems or diabetes.
First, however, a few precautions:
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Always check with your veterinarian before changing your pet’s diet. Don’t feed your pet pumpkin seeds, stem, skin, or fiber-rich pulp.
Some great DIY pumpkin treat recipes for cats and dogs can be found online. For dogs, simple baked treats may include pumpkin puree, rolled oats, and eggs. For cats, some recipes involve blending puree with oat flour and other ingredients,
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Avoid canned pumpkin pie filling, which contains sugar and potentially hazardous spices or sweeteners.
such as tuna in water, and baking the batter into treat-shaped snacks.
• Don’t let your pets snack on your jack-o-lanterns, which can quickly turn rancid. • If your pet’s stool turns orange, they’ve had enough!
With these ideas in mind, you can make your favorite furball a part of your pumpkin-filled fun on Halloween!
UnNtiloFtiucrether
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Kendra Wilkins Ilavee Jones Steffani Lehr Sid & Michelle Haskins Clients Spreading the Word
• At the time of scheduling a
Due to a staffing shortage, SCVC will be closed on Saturdays until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
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
The Caring Hands Behind Every Cure: Honoring Veterinary Technicians Ghouls Just Want to Have Fun: Fresh Halloween Ideas With Flair Surface Creek’s Hotchkiss Location Marks a Successful First Year
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Why Pumpkin Is Good for Dogs and Cats
New SCVC Policies
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A Daring Kitty GPS Test
MISSION IM-PAW-SIBLE Florida Cat’s Epic Getaway From the Vet 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.
No one likes going to the doctor, but for one Florida feline, a routine visit to the vet turned into a daring escape. Just after being neutered at SPCA Florida, George the cat put his kitty GPS to the test when he broke out of his cage, trying to make his way home. As if his daring getaway wasn’t impressive enough, the tabby scampered across 3 miles full of obstacles to return to his owners’ doorstep. On the day of the incident, George managed to pop his cage open and scurry out in a matter of seconds. Still loopy on anesthesia, the housecat evaded clinic staff, scaling up fencing before disappearing. Employees did everything they could to stop the escape artist, lifting each other over fences, but George was too quick and determined to catch. Owner Bob Beasock was heartbroken by the news and searched for his little buddy alongside
clinic staff for nearly a week. Just when it looked like they might never find his furry companion, Bob found him at home, curled up in his favorite armchair in the carport. “There was George, stretched out in his chair in our carport, looking like he had just returned from a grand adventure,” Bob told reporters. “He was a bit thinner, clearly hungry, but otherwise no worse for the wear.” Though George was unscathed, his journey home was no walk in the park. He had to trek through multiple subdivisions, maneuver around a couple of lakes, and cross five or six roads to reach his destination. Cats are skilled navigators who use a combination of scent, visual markers, and even geomagnetism to find their way around. But George’s journey
wasn’t all prompted by a deep instinct or fear of the vet; he just wanted to get back to his owner. Though they express it more subtly than dogs, research has found that cats love their humans and form a deep attachment with their owners. Bob was relieved to find George safe and sound, but said he would have done it just a little differently if he ever found himself fleeing his doctor’s appointment. “If I had been stuck there, I would’ve called an Uber. But George didn’t have that option.”
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