Parvo and Your Puppy

Okay, folks. This is a serious post.

We see more puppies with parvovirus than we would like. It's a very dangerous virus. It is often FATAL. We think that new puppy owners just aren't aware of parvo. We'd like to change that. We are very much into client education.
From the ASPCA website:

What Are the General Symptoms of Parvovirus?

The general symptoms of parvovirus are lethargy, severe vomiting, loss of appetite and bloody, foul-smelling diarrhea that can lead to life-threatening dehydration.

Here's a picture of Bella. She's one of the lucky ones-SHE SURVIVED. She came to us after being diagnosed with parvo at FACE. We treated her as an outpatient, which involved giving her some fluids and some injections, as well as sending her home with some medicine. We prefer to hospitalize the patients in these cases, but we understand that sometimes it's just not possible.
From the ASPCA website:

How Can Parvovirus Be Treated?

Although there are no drugs available that can kill the virus yet, treatment is generally straightforward and consists of aggressive supportive care to control the symptoms and boost your dog’s immune system to help him win the battle against this dangerous disease. Dogs infected with parvovirus need intensive treatment in a veterinary hospital, where they receive antibiotics, drugs to control the vomiting, intravenous fluids and other supportive therapies. Should your dog undergo this treatment, be prepared for considerable expense—the average hospital stay is about 5-7 days.

Please note that treatment is not always successful—so it’s especially important to make sure your dog is vaccinated.

The following day was Thanksgiving, so we weren't able to follow up with Bella's family to find out how she was doing. We called on Friday to get an update. Unfortunately, she wasn't doing well. I feared the worst for her.

A few days later we received a call from Bella's owners. She was doing better! Luckily, she was able to pull through. It was so nice to see her looking healthy.

Here's the moral of the story, kids: GET YOUR PUPPIES AND DOGS VACCINATED!

From the ASPCA:

How Can Parvovirus Be Prevented?

You can protect your dog from this potential killer by making sure he’s up-to-date on his vaccinations. Parvovirus should be considered a core vaccine for all puppies and adult dogs. It is usually recommended that puppies be vaccinated with combination vaccines that take into account the risk factors for exposure to various diseases.

Trust us, it's much easier on your wallet to have the vaccinations. Not to mention the heartache that goes along with losing a pet. When we see a puppy, we always advocate the proper vaccines. We also call you to remind you when it's time to booster the vaccines. We want to make the process easy for you. We want to help you keep your pets healthy!

For the complete article from the ASPCA, follow this link.

-Lori

Antifreeze Poisoning

It's that time of year again - time to winterize our lawns, homes, and automobiles.

If you will be changing your antifreeze, please be sure to clean up any spills right away and keep new and used fluids in a sealed container.

Dogs and cats can find antifreeze very tasty and will drink it! Antifreeze is extremely toxic. Poisoning can be fatal in just a few days. And it doesn't take much: a few tablespoons can kill a medium sized dog, and if a cat walks through a puddle and licks its paws, it can ingest enough to cause death!

If you see your pet ingesting antifreeze or are suspicious it has had access to antifreeze, please contact us as soon as possible.
In the first few hours your pet may seem depressed, may stagger, or may have seizures. Your pet may also drink lots of water, urinate large amounts, and vomit. Your pet may appear to get better but in a day or two get much worse as the kidneys fail. Signs of kidney failure include depression and vomiting.

Diagnosis is made by blood and urine tests. Treatment needs to start as soon as possible after ingestion. Once kidney failure develops, most animals will die.

If your pet is seen within a few hours of ingesting antifreeze, vomiting is induced to remove any antifreeze still in the stomach. There are also antidotes that can be administered. Pets that are presented with kidney failure can sometimes be saved with aggressive treatment.

Please keep your pets safe this winter and treat antifreeze as a highly poisonous substance!

Warning: Cute puppy photos ahead.

If you follow us on Facebook, you know that we helped out a stray puppy last month. Here's how the story goes:
Someone hit a puppy with a car while avoiding two other dogs. That person was kind enough to stop, check the puppy for any kind of identification, and when none was found, do the right thing. This person called a local radio station to ask for help, and that's where MAAC came into the story. We called in to the station and offered to help. The puppy came to the clinic, and we starting treating him right away. It was obvious he hadn't had a meal in a while, and X-rays showed that he had rocks in his belly, along with a broken front leg.

We started him on fluids and monitored him very carefully. It was obvious he didn't feel well at all. He was having a very bad day, to say the least! He slept most of the first day away.

Dr. Jennifer Glore was the vet in the clinic that day, and here's a photo of her and Buddy, after having his leg wrapped.

Buddy showed signs of improvement during day two. He still wasn't out of the woods yet, but he stole my heart that day. I kept him up with me at the front desk in the morning. He slept most of the time, but by lunchtime he had some energy and was exploring the clinic! Dr. Kurt Phillips was at MAAC that day, and he performed another exam to monitor Buddy's condition. Things were looking better. And boy, was Buddy hungry! That little guy wanted to eat everything we put in front of him!

We made this quick little video that day to try to get donations to help the expenses. And the community response was amazing! People were calling to donate and to adopt. We had a huge list of people interested in taking Buddy home. It was wonderful to see that there are people willing to help an injured animal. Makes me happy just thinking about it.

Buddy's condition continued to improve, and he was ready to go to his new home by Thursday of that week. I think he found a wonderful family! Don't tell anyone, but I cried when he left. I became very attached to him. He's a very smart and sweet dog.

And thanks to our friends Zach and Melissa, owners of Grateful Pet, Buddy has food for a while. They donated that giant bag of puppy food. But the way he eats, he may be through that bag sooner than we think!

And finally, here's a photo of Buddy when he was in for a check up. The picture is a little blurry, but don't you just LOVE those whiskers?!? And look at that wrap. Someone has been nibbling!

So that's Buddy's story. I'm so glad we were able to be a part of his life. We won't need to see him until next year for annual vaccines, but maybe we will get lucky and he will come by to visit. --Lori

Open for Business!

First, I need to apologize! I have been so bad about updating the blog, but I suppose that's a good thing. The business have been crazy busy since we opened back in August! Things have been going very well, and if we haven't already seen you at the clinic, we would love for you to stop in and take a tour. Here are some photos of the finished product:

This is a shot of the lobby at the open house. I just love our color scheme- I think the orange really pops and helps us feel modern. We had some great flowers from Watt's Blooming, our neighbor on Mass Ave.

This is the treatment area/lab area.

 The pharmacy, again with the pop of orange!

 Procedure/dental area.

 Digital x-ray machine. This is so cool! It's a great tool to be able to share x-rays with clients and colleagues.

 More treatment area. Notice the orange clock!

Surgery room.

Exam room, complete with tile wall for easy sanitation and fold up tables. We love the tables!

We are very pleased with the facility. We think it looks great. What do you think?
--Lori

Building the Dream, Part 2

Drywall went up last week. I stopped in to take some pics and got to talk to some of the workers. Very nice guys! They are doing a great job for us.

Front entry

This is a shot of the area across from the front desk. We will have a small 'retail' area for food, treats, and probably other goodies. I believe this is where the client reception area will also be.

This a a (not-so-great) shot of the hallway area. The doorways on the left and right of the photo are to exam rooms. The doorway in the middle will be to the back part of the clinic. It's hard to tell in this shot, but that bright spot at the top of the photo is the skylight.

The previously mentioned skylight. 

Exam room

It's hard to get a good shot in there! My phone does a good job of taking pics, but the angle just isn't quite right. That little cubby space will be for a countertop and computer. I'm probably standing where the seats will be. 

Lab area

The lab will be in this corner. This whole area will be a nice, open space for working with the animals. Just out of the photo and to the right will be the surgery room. More photos of that to come in a later post.

Recovery

Doesn't look like much now, but this will be the recovery area where the staff will monitor the animals after procedures. I predict this room will be filled with caring and love for your pets!

I can't wait until my next trip downtown to see the new progress. I hope you'll check in to see, too! 

-Lori

Building the Dream

Construction is moving along! The first round of painting is scheduled to start after the holiday this week. SO EXCITED! Here's a look at what has been happening:

Before

This is a shot from the back of the clinic, obviously before anything has started. I love all the windows at the storefront. And that big bright square on the ceiling? That's an amazing skylight! I'm feeling very lucky to be able to work where I can see outside. And not just any outside, mind you. Mass Ave is just steps from our door! How cool is that?

Framing

And here is the same shot, but with the framing for the walls.  We will have a lobby with a small area for food, two exam rooms, an employee area with lockers, workstations in back, a lab, a surgery room, and a recovery area for pets out of surgery. Whew! Sounds like a lot. We will definitely be cozy.

Window decal

Our window decal. Not much needs to be said. LOVE the logo. Love the decal.













Our next post will be photos with drywall. Come back and visit us soon! -Lori

We have our permit!

It was a long journey to get here, but we finally have a permit to begin remodeling! We are so excited to become a part of the Mass Ave and downtown communities.
Mass Ave Animal Clinic (MAAC) is a progressive, high quality, companion animal veterinary clinic located in the upbeat Mass Ave district of Indianapolis. At MAAC, we are committed to offering only the highest quality veterinary medicine possible, coupled with compassion and extraordinary customer service, as well as a strong support for local businesses and the community.
As construction progresses, we will post photos and updates. Stay tuned, watch the progress, and come to our Open House when the project is complete!