A Special Thank You from Yorkshire During Pet Dental Health Month!

We are nearly two weeks into Pet Dental Health Month, and we are thrilled by the overwhelming response from our client family! As a special thank you to those of our clients who have scheduled a dental procedure for their pet during the month of February, we have put together some exciting raffle prizes!

With one basket for dogs and one for cats, the lucky winners will enjoy toys, treats, and some fancy new dishes! We have also included some great home care products to help owners keep their pets' teeth healthy between cleanings. We will draw the lucky winner's names on Wednesday, March 7th.

 If you haven't scheduled your pet's annual dental cleaning, call us today at 719-602-8652 to take advantage of the 10% savings throughout the month of February and have your name entered in the raffle!

Remember, you can also schedule your pet's free dental exam by one of our Certified Veterinary Technicians before scheduling your dental.

Please Vote!

Hi Everyone!

It's me, Finn, hoping you all had a wonderful Christmas and wishing you a Happy New Year! Now that the rush of the holiday season is behind us, we can get back to talking about how you can keep your Fantastic Feline healthy and living the good life!  

Recently, I spent the day with my friends at Yorkshire Veterinary Hospital, doing some real investigative research on the importance of having your cat spayed or neutered. I think it's always better to teach from your own personal experiences, and who better to tell you what it's like for a cat to be neutered than - well, a cat who has just been neutered?

You may have heard that male cats who are neutered before they reach sexual maturity (at around six months) are far less likely to engage in territorial spraying. Territorial Spraying is a fancy way of saying that the litterbox has suddenly become optional, and your bed linens and other household surfaces acceptable substitutes. The risk of potentially fatal diseases like testicular cancer, prostate cancer and prostatitis is greatly reduced by neutering your male cat. It is also true that neutering by six months can help prevent or reduce other unwanted feline behaviors, such as male aggression and the urge to roam in search of a mate. Neutered males are often more focused on being members of their human families, rather than trying to get out and create families of their own!

Female cats that are spayed before they reach sexual maturity (between four and six months) have virtually eliminated the risk of common reproductive cancers. A female cat in heat can be a very undesirable housemate, often pacing and wailing loudly throughout the night. The veterinarians at Yorkshire Veterinary Hospital recommend that all cats are spayed or neutered, even if they are kept (as they also recommend) exclusively indoors - it is the best way to ensure that your beloved feline friend lives a long, healthy life.

Now that I've given you some of the reasons why it's so important to spay or neuter your kitty, I can tell you about my own very important day. Maybe after I explain how easy it was for me, your purrfect buddy won't be so worried when it's their turn!

There ARE certain elements of the story I'd recommend you leave out, like the part where I couldn't eat past 10 p.m. the night before surgery. I know that's so I'm safe under anesthesia, but I thought I was going to starve!!

First, I arrived at Yorkshire bright and early in the morning, and met Kelly, one of the veterinary technicians. She immediately noticed how handsome I am, and mentioned it several times while she made sure my human understood everything I was going to be doing that day.

Kelly told me that the first thing we needed to do was see how much I weigh, so she put me on a special scale just for cats. She didn't tell me how much I weighed, but I'm sure it was perfect.

Next, Kelly took me into the treatment area of the hospital, where two of Yorkshire's veterinary technicians, Nick and Brandy, took some blood (to make sure I'd be safe under anesthesia) and placed an IV catheter in my leg, so I could have fluids during surgery. Now, I'd be lying if I said this was my favorite part, but Brandy was so gentle with me, and Nick so quick about taking the blood, that I barely felt a thing. I did, however, let them know in my loudest voice that I am not accustomed to such indignities.

You may be wondering why such a young, handsome fellow like myself needed to have bloodwork done before having surgery. Isn't that just for older pets? Presurgical bloodwork is very important, no matter how old or young your pet is. It will tell the veterinarians whether or not a pet is currently fighting an infection, how healthy the pet is overall, and whether or not the liver and kidneys are functioning well enough to tolerate anesthesia. It's also a good idea to get bloodwork done for a younger pet, because it gives your veterinarian a baseline so that they are better able to assess your pet's overall health throughout their lifetime. I'm sure glad I had Nick and Brandy there taking care of me, they made it so much easier!

Now, I was all ready to meet Dr. Corrina Hamann, one of Yorkshire's amazing veterinarians. She also noticed right away how amazing I am, and I really liked her too! Oddly enough, not too long after meeting Dr. Corrina, I started to feel really, really sleepy. I don't mean the kind of sleepy where you find a good patch of sun and start your bathing ritual - I mean the kind of sleepy that isn't like any other kind of sleepy.

Come to think of it - you can see the sleepy coming on in this picture, can't you?

I guess I must have actually gone to sleep, because the next thing I knew I was waking up in the arms of one of the veterinary technicians. Don't ask me which one, because I felt a little too woozy to notice. They made me a soft nest of blankets to rest in while I recovered my normal superior reasoning skills, and then my human was there to take me home - just like that!

Boy, was I glad to get back on my own couch again! I slept alot that first day home, and my humans were very careful about making sure I didn't jump around or play too much. You should have seen the way they all fussed over me! It was awesome!

When your feline friend is ready to be spayed or neutered, I highly recommend calling the folks at Yorkshire Veterinary Hospital. From beginning to end, they took such good care of me!

I also recommend letting your cat borrow your E- reader during recovery, it makes it so much easier to stay still when you've got something good to read.

Well, it's been nice spending time with you again. Did you know that February is Dental Health Month? I'll be back soon to talk to you about keeping your cat's teeth healthy and strong!

Do you love spending chilly, gray winter mornings burrowed under the covers with someone you love? How about quiet nights in front of the fire with a soft, purring friend warming your lap?

If this sounds like you, I think you're looking for me!

I have been through alot lately, the worst of all being that I lost my nice comfortable home! Thank goodness a kind soul found me and took me to Yorkshire Veterinary Hospital - I wouldn't have lasted very long outside since I'm declawed.

I've been waiting here ever since for my perfect match to find me.

I'm a gray tortoiseshell kitty, about two years old. I've already been spayed, and the amazing doctors at Yorkshire even cleaned my teeth up for me! Everyone here says I am such a beautiful and nice kitty, and I have the sweetest meow for them when they come to greet me each morning. I hope this isn't too personal, but you should know I'm also great about always using my litterbox.

My only downfall is that I feel really shy when I first meet people, but who could blame me? I don't take too long to warm up though, one of the nice ladies here at the hospital took me home for the weekend, and I spent the whole time cuddled up with her kids! It was so much fun, and so nice to be in a real home again.

Because I take a little while to warm up, I need someone who is patient and knows about cats - and I'd probably do best in a home where I'm the only one. I promise, once you gain my trust, I'll be your very best friend for the rest of my life!

If you think you might be the one for me, please call the hospital at 598-3192.

I can't wait to come home.

** UPDATE **

This awesome kitty has found her forever home! We are so thankful for the family who decided this sweet girl belonged with them!

We’ve all seen them, television advertisements featuring pets in shelters that have been abused or suffered horrible neglect looking for a second chance in life in a loving forever home. Anyone who has ever loved an animal cannot help but be moved by their plight, yet not all of us are able to pledge a financial gift - particularly in the difficult economic times in which we now find ourselves. If you are one of the many who would like to help a rescued animal, you may not realize that you have something even more valuable to give than money – your time.

At Yorkshire Veterinary Hospital, we care deeply about the needs of rescued animals, and in this monthly blog segment, “Rescue Me”, we’d like to introduce our client family to the many ways they can volunteer their time to animals in need.

Do you have room in your heart and home for a rescued animal, but aren’t necessarily looking to adopt another family member? Do you think you might enjoy participating in the care and rehabilitation process of a rescue, but aren’t sure how to get involved? If you answered “yes”, then you just might be an ideal foster parent for a furry friend in need!

Many local rescues recognize the importance of placing their animals into temporary foster homes, where they can more closely assess the unique personality and needs of that animal, and make informed decisions regarding their ideal future placement. Is this dog good with cats? What about children and other dogs? What kind of forever family should we look for? These are questions that Foster Coordinator and Foster Home Volunteer Rachel Jervis of Colorado Greyhound Adoption looks to answer about each of the rescues she takes into her home.

Rachel began volunteering for CGA in 2008, and has fostered a total of 20 rescues for the organization. She has also undertaken the role of Foster Coordinator, arranging home visits for potential new foster volunteers and shepherding them through the process of becoming a foster home. Each new foster dog presents unique challenges, according to Rachel, and each rehabilitation process comes with countless rewards. Perhaps the most tangible reward of Rachel’s years of commitment to CGA has been the addition of Evie Petunia, a foster dog so special that she never left.

Rachel quips, “I always tell people who ask about Evie that I’ve fostered 20 dogs in all, 19 of which found wonderful forever homes, and one who got stuck with me!”

 Evie and Rachel truly seem made for one another, and now finding forever homes for rescued greyhounds has become a team project.

In fact, the spirit of volunteerism is so much a part of their lives together that Evie has projects of her own, volunteering at their local library branch where young children come to read aloud to this very special girl.

Dogs in need of foster homes come from all different walks of life. Some are coming from loving families who, for whatever reason, are no longer able to care for them. Others come from shelters, at times with significant medical needs, and still others are found as strays and may have experienced extreme abuse or neglect. For Paul and Jocelyn Bakkemo, fosters for Golden Retriever Freedom Rescue, one of the most rewarding aspects of fostering rescued dogs is taking in a dog that may have significant fears or emotional damage and watching them blossom under the loving care they provide.

For many years, Paul and Jocelyn shared their lives with a very special rescued Golden Retriever of their own, who passed away shortly after they moved from Minnesota to Colorado Springs. Heartbroken over the loss of their beloved friend, and not yet ready to adopt another family member, they began the process with GRFR to open their home to dogs in need. One of these fosters, Sage, was blind and therefore would require a very special forever family - one that Jocelyn worried they may not be able to find.

Soon after bringing her into their home, it became clear that they wouldn’t have to look very far – Sage was the perfect fit for their family! Not too long after, Sage herself chose the next family member, when she became very attached to Ocho, another dog fostered by the Bakkemos.

Having found their way into their forever home, Sage and Ocho continue to remind the people who started out fostering them how giving the gift of their time can pay off in unimagined dividends.

Becoming a volunteer foster home is not without its challenges. Each new dog comes with its own past experiences, fears, and issues. Both Colorado Greyhound Adoption and Golden Retriever Freedom Rescue have a support network in place for all of their foster homes when there are questions, concerns, or issues with a foster dog. “There is always someone to call,” says Jocelyn Bakkemo, “even after the dog has been adopted, that dog will always be a part of the GRFR family.”

Perhaps chief among the challenges of fostering is the inevitable ‘goodbye’ when the dog that you have fostered and loved, sometimes for months, has at last found their forever family. Rachel Jervis shares the moment when her first foster dog left for their forever home - “I kept telling myself that it was okay to be sad, okay to cry – but I couldn’t! Standing there, watching them drive away with their new family, toward a new and wonderful life, I just felt such pure joy.”

If you would like to volunteer to become a foster home, you can find more information at Colorado Greyhound Rescue’s website: http://www.greyhoundadoption.com, or Golden Retriever Freedom Rescue: http://www.goldenretrieverfreedom.com

There are many rescue organizations always in need of loving foster homes, including many area cat rescues. If you have a dog breed or type of pet that especially appeals to you, search online for a rescue and contact them! Remember, the gifts of your time, of your love – are the most important you have to give.