Corgivet's Chit Chat: Pets in Need Clinic Feb 5 12-2pm

Corgivet's Chit Chat: Pets in Need Clinic Feb 5 12-2pm: "Next Clinic: February 5, 2011 Runs Noon - 2pmSponsored by the Henrietta Animal Hospital www.henriettahosp.comIn response to the President's ..."

Pets in Need Clinic Feb 5 12-2pm

Next Clinic: February 5, 2011
Runs Noon - 2pm

Sponsored by the Henrietta Animal Hospital www.henriettahosp.com

In response to the President's plea for community service, this Pets in Need Clinic here in Rochester was developed. Since the first clinic in Feb 2010, we have developed other clinics in Florida, California and Michigan.

In that short time we have enlisted the help of Royal Canin, Intervet-Schering Plough, Pfizer, Butler-Schein and many more.

The clinic provides basic medical support to cats and dogs who have been through hard times. Many owners have trouble maintaining finances, some suffered natural disasters, and serve in the military. This is who PINC serves.

Services limited to:

• Vaccination
• Deworming
• Heartworm Blood Tests
• Food Donations

We have put the word out to the following organizations: Catholic Family Center, Open Door Mission, American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Veteran’s Outreach Center, Visiting Nurse Services, the United Way and the Jewish Family Service. A referral from a social worker, caseworker, clergy or similar stating need is going to be essential. All goods and services will be generously discounted.

Complete the PINC Registration Form,* then call to schedule an appointment.

Please note the deadline has been extended to Feb 4, 12 noon.

Corgivet's Chit Chat: The Food Strategist

Corgivet's Chit Chat: The Food Strategist: "I have been owned by Pembroke Welsh Corgis since I started college a million years ago. My first dog was a Dachshund and passed away bef..."

The Food Strategist

I have been owned by Pembroke Welsh Corgis since I started college a million years ago. My first dog was a Dachshund and passed away before I went away to school. Lonely for a new dog in the family I called local kennels in Louisville, and asked if they had any Dachshund pups. One kennel said "no but we have a Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppy." Our veterinarian in Rochester was Joseph Robbins a Corgi fancier for many years. So, I went to see the pup and of course, like everyone else, fell in love. I named him Beauregard.

Beau was my introduction into the Corgi lifestyle. They are active, whimsical ,highly intelligent and stubborn companions, traits common to most herding breeds. However, they do like to eat..and eat and eat.... and then...eat some more.

Flash forward to Bentley, my second Pembroke. Bentley lived with me for a very long time and was part of the "pack" when I attended veterinary school at the University of Georgia.During my second year we studied the gastrointestinal system. My most recent lecture covered signs and symptoms of gastric torsion (the stomach fills with gas and can twist leading to the death of the dog,usually a large breed disorder).

When I came home that evening, Bentley greeted me a wee bit sluggish but happy. BUT, he looked like he was going to have puppies!! I rushed him to the emergency clinic. Outwardly he looked fine but he had a huge belly!!! An x ray indicated a possible mass and they scheduled a barium series the next morning (dye is swallowed to identify obstructions and masses). I was really worried. A quick look at his weight indicated he gained 5 pounds since his last visit. Hmmm...???

Corgis, tend to be ..ahem, portly, if you will , or "big boned" as my Mother said of me..But the increase of 5 pounds according to this vet was not good and was probably a mass. The next morning I gathered books and Bentley and made my way to the car..which failed to start. "Great!! " I said to myself ( it was actually more colorful dialogue) . I walked home to call the vet and delay the x rays. As I sat on my couch I spied the remnants of a bag of dog food..a 5 pound bag to be exact. It was left over from god knows when..but true to Corgi style, Bentley found it and devoured the entire contents. This whole scenario was made even more laughable when I had to notify the veterinarian of my discovery. I was ribbed a lot about that at school.

Nigel was my next Corgi who loved his food. On one notable Christmas eve he ate so much I had to bring him to my own clinic and pump his stomach.

Now, there is Chester Honey Hugger,my son Isaac's Pembroke. He was a gift from my dear friend Martha Ihrman, a nationally recognized PWC breeder and owner of Sunrunner Kennels. Chester, like all his predecessors is a delight. He is gregarious, charming, and a tad goofy as well. The latter trait his breeder says he learned from our Greyhounds. However, the one definable characteristic about Chester is that he loves to eat..more so than any other Corgi or dog in my life.

Like all my dogs, Chester comes to work with me everyday. He knows in the morning what cages and kennels will be open so he can snarf a morsel of food. At home he is there standing underneath your feet waiting for divine intervention so that a crumb will drop his way. And he is clearly a Corgi whose glass is always half full..or shall we say plate is half full. He is happiest when he is eating..but then who isn't??

But one day he had been particularly troublesome..into all the cats food, the boarders food...just being a Corgi. On my way home with my son I remarked about his dog's food habits and I do think I called him a pig. My son turned to me and said simply "He is not a pig, he is a food strategist"

That poignant moment between Mother, son and Chester well be remembered with laughter.

Corgivet's Chit Chat: This Veterinarian's Wish for 2011

Corgivet's Chit Chat: This Veterinarian's Wish for 2011: "TM For many years I made resolutions every New Year...some good, some not so good, some foolish, some selfish and most never reali..."

This Veterinarian's Wish for 2011

TM



For many years I made resolutions every New Year...some good, some not so good, some foolish, some selfish and most never realized. This year I'm trying something different. I'm setting a goal for myself and my network of pet advocate friends and colleagues. Let us unite with a few goals that are reasonable and achievable. I wish I could ask that all abandoned and surrendered pets would find happy homes for the rest of their lives. But that's just not realistic. As long as the pet population continues to explode, the number of unwanted pets and those meeting early euthanasia will continue to grow. I am suggesting that all of my pet advocate friends, colleagues (and their friends and colleagues)utilize this miracle called the Internet. Together I propose we work under the guidance of The Pets in Need Clinic™ http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=64388521952 which can serve multiple purposes.

1) .Provide low cost spay/neuters and routine veterinary care to people with pets in financial crisis.

2) . Establish a Pets in Need Clinic Shelter Partners™ . Groups or individuals must meet our standard levels of care for their facility and care of their pets may join our network. This will allow the Pets in Need Clinic Shelter Partners™ to serve as a clearing house to unite prospective owners with available pets.

3). Unite pet owners with veterinarians who are Pets in Need Clinic Veterinary Partners™ for ongoing medical help. We are here to serve those with pets that experienced a recent crisis which includes those recently unemployed, disabled or returning veterans of the US Armed Forces.

A vital goal making a dent in all the existing intact male and female dogs and cats from this day forward. I am asking that veterinarians align with "legitimate" rescue organizations as we have in the past and as many are doing now and pledge t0:

4) offer low cost spay/neuter to "qualified" individuals. By qualified I am proposing that people who meet the guidelines I established for my Pets in Need Clinic™. Individuals with a cat or dog must have experienced recent financial crisis ie. unemployment, injury,medical illness etc. Applications must have a referral from a social worker, case worker , minister/rabbi etc. A board will review and approve these applications. There will be a fee charged to the owners which will be based on their financial situation. No one that meets our criteria will be turned away

5) veterinarians may offer free spay/neuter(s) to their choice of rescue organizations to animals awaiting adoptions. Veterinarians can offer as many or as few as they wish. The goal is to take some of the financial burden off of smaller rescue groups(those screened by Pets in Need Clinic Shelter Partners™). We are not in existence to offer these services to illegitimate rescue organizations. ie.puppy mills posing as rescue organizations.. Currently, there is no federal or even intrastate legislation to oversee and monitor these people. Which leads me to our final goal

6) Bring about state and federal legislation to govern all organizations that deem themselves rescue or shelters. We need unifying legislation to see that all those who work as a rescue or shelter be open to inspection of their facilities, records, intake and adoptions numbers, veterinary medical policies etc. This last hurdle is a lifetime goal I want to see in place within 5 years.

So how about it? Join me and The Pets in Need Clinic™ to make a difference by alleviating the suffering of our companion friends. After all, we are their caretakers are we not?

Michelle Brownstein DVM

www.henriettahosp.com

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=64388521952