WRVC NEWSLETTER
Spring 2004

Grooming Services Now Available at WRVC
In January, the clinic added Terri Watson, an experienced groomer to their staff.  Terri comes to us with eight years of experience, and thus far has been doing an excellent job.  Her clientele is growing steadily.  She will bathe and groom any breed of dog or cat, and we are also offering a $5.00 off coupon for your pet's first grooming.  Appointments can be made by calling the main clinic number 982-2733

Cats, cats and more cats...
Every community has problems with an over-abundance of cats.  The problem is not with house cats, but with those that are allowed to roam, or with feral and wild cats.  There are many, many issues with the cat over-population problem - too many to even begin to discuss here.  The basis of the problem, however, is that too many people do not neuter (which means castrating a male or spaying a female) the cats which they are responsible for.  Cats are very efficient at reproducing.  Statistically, a breeding pair can produce twelve offspring the first year.  The original breeding pair plus the offspring can produce 66 kittens, and by the third year this balloons to 382 kitten's! Within 10 years, over 80 million cats can be created from the original pair!
The sad thing is that the majority of these cats are either euthanized, or die at a young age from starvation, injury, illness, etc. The cat that finds its way into a safe, loving home is very lucky, but unfortunately represents only a small minority of those out there.
There is no easy solution to this problem.  It is a problem I am not sure we will ever fully gain control of.  Too many people do not neuter their pets, and most municipalities simply do not have the resources for dealing with the problem.  The best current solution is probably to encourage those people who are concerned about the problem to become involved in whatever capacity they can-neutering their own pets, donating time or materials to a local shelter, getting involved in public education, etc. No effort is without some positive impact, and no one should feel that their contribution does not have some value.  If we all do what we can, no one can ask for anything more.

WHAT'S NEW AT WRVC?
Currently, the Wolf River Veterinary Clinic is in the process of purchasing an in-house blood chemistry analyzer.  Performing blood chemistries is a very important diagnostic tool used for sick animals, wellness screens, and preoperative blood work.  Blood samples in the past have been sent to the New London Family Medical Center or Marshfield Laboratories, both of whom provide us with excellent service.  Having an analyzer in house, however, will be much more convenient and will greatly reduce both ours and our clients waiting time for results.  We are looking forward to being able to serve you better with the acquisition of this new equipment.
 

HUMBLING EVENTS note: The following is from a collection of short stories Dr. Ziegler wrote about some of his real-life veterinary experiences.

I will always remember a statement that was made in one of James Herriot's books, Siegfried Farnon, Herriot's boss, pointed out that veterinary medicine gives a person unlimited opportunities to make a fool of oneself.  I have found that to be true, and have proven it time and time again.
I remember one incident that illustrates this.  A client called me a number of years ago and asked if a cat's "tubes" could be tied.  The message I got was that they did not want the cat spayed, but also did not want kittens.  The request seemed reasonable, and I agreed to do the surgery at a cost somewhat less than a spay, since it seemed like it should involve less work.
Surgery day came and I thought I knew what I was doing.  I isolated the two horns of the uterus and put several tight ligatures of suture material around each horn, thinking that this would scar down the tissue enough that no egg or sperm could traverse the barriers I had created.
All seemed fine until several months later when I received a somewhat frantic (and a bit angry) call from the owners.  They informed me that they had just come home from work to find their "sterile" cat nursing two newborn kittens.
At that very moment I would have given anything to have been instantly transported thousands of miles away.  I closed my eyes and made a wish to that effect, but when I opened my eyes, I was still in the clinic, holding the phone.  I had no choice but to deal with the situation, so I offered to spay the cat for free and find homes for the kittens.  As it turned out, one of the kittens became a patient of mine, and it developed the meanest, most hateful personality I have ever seen.  For the most part, I would have rather taken care of a rabid mountain lion that deal with that kitten.  I kind of accepted the fact that this. too, was part of my penance for being a fool.
When I finally did spay the mom cat, I found absolutely no evidence of my first surgery.  Apparently, all of my sutures had been dissolved, no scar tissue had ever formed, and the result was obvious.
I would like to think that there is a moral to this story, but I cannot think of one.  It simply illustrates the fact that even the simplest of situations can sometimes backfire and humble us.  This is one aspect of veterinary medicine that has never ceased to amaze me.  Just when you think that you are getting pretty good and that you are pretty smart, a case comes along that proves you are incredibly human and incredibly average.
I have met veterinarians who have very big egos, and I often wonder how they do it.  I, myself, have never gotten to the point where I could enjoy that luxury.  One event or another always seems to come along and put me in my place. In this case, it was a couple of kittens.
 

EASTER LILY TOXICITY
The Easter Lily contains some unknown toxic chemicals that can cause sudden and fatal kidney disorders in cats.  Given that many cats will chew on plants, this puts cats at a high risk around Easter-time when many households have lilies present (some other types of lilies are also toxic to cats).
Cats exposed to lilies will show a sudden onset of vomiting, inappetance, and depression.  If caught within the first six hours and treated aggressively with intravenous fluids, exposed cats can survive.  The symptoms, along with exposure to a lily, is all that is needed for a diagnosis.
Like any toxicity, the best approach is prevention.  Cats should obviously be kept away from all lily plants, but if they do ingest any part of the plant, immediate veterinary care should be sought.

UPDATE ON HEARTWORM DISEASE
Along with spring and summer comes bugs, and in our area the mosquito is the most prevalent and troublesome insect.  For those of us that have dogs, it also means the treat of heartworm disease.
It is rare these days to find a dog owner who does not have some knowledge and understanding of heartworm disease.  This is partly due to the extensive advertising campaigns of those drug companies who manufacture heat worm control products.  Over the past 15-20 years, veterinarians have emphasized heartworm control more, too.  Despite this, there is a surprisingly poor compliance amongst dog owners in testing for heartworm and implementing some form of preventative program, allowing the disease to remain endemic or even epidemic in many geographical areas.
I think that part of the problem is that it is difficult to 'see' heartworm disease (people tend to not believe what they cannot see).  Most dogs infected with heartworms are subclinical, meaning that they currently are not showing any outward signs of being sick.  This makes it difficult for people to intervene with blood testing, possibly treatments and preventatives for a condition that does not seem to exist.  It makes for a hard sell program, but at the same time, we as veterinarians are trying to avoid having a pet get to the point where they are clinically ill.  Once they reach this stage, they are difficult to treat and are also costly to treat.
In areas where heartworm disease is a problem, control of the disease through testing and administering preventative medications is a very important and essential health care item for dogs  -- in some situations even more important than routine annual vaccinations.
If you have any question regarding heart worm disease, do not hesitate to call you veterinary clinic.  The risk of heartworm disease is real, and the more pet owners understand this disease, the better we will be able to control the spread of the problem.
HEARTWORM CLINIC
Hours this Spring will be:
April 29     2-5pm
May 3        2-6 pm
May 8        9-1 pm
No appointment is necessary for these walk in clinics.  There will be no charge for the office call.  Also the Heartgard and Frontline prices will be reduced.


BRAT FRY
On Saturday May 8th we will also be having a brat fry at the heartworm clinic.  All proceeds will go to our Stray Animal Fund.
 

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