Animal Care Clinic is an AAHA Practice of the Year Finalist!

Your veterinary hospital will display this
image if they are AAHA accredited.

Written by Nicole Gunkel, RVT

Some of you may have seen our post a few months back that we sent in our application for American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Practice of the Year.  Well, I have some exciting news that we recently found out that Animal Care Clinic is a finalist for Practice of the Year!!!  We are all elated that we have made it as a finalist this year!  It all started last spring, when in one of our regular veterinary periodicals there was an article about the first annual AAHA Practice of the Year awards.  I read it and thought, why didn’t we hear about this?  In my mind, Animal Care Clinic should be a shoe-in for this award!  So I decided that when it was time to send in applications for the following year, we would be among them!  AAHA will announce awards for first, second, third and two honorable mentions.  We will find out where we stand in March at the AAHA conference in Toronto.  So, keep your fingers crossed that we did as well as I know we can, first!

For those that are unfamiliar, let me tell you a little more about the American Animal Hospital Association, AAHA accreditation, and what it means to you as pet owners.  AAHA was established in 1933 as an international association.  They accredit animal hospitals throughout the U.S. and Canada.  AAHA accredited hospitals undergo voluntary evaluations to be assessed on 900 standards in the areas of quality of care, diagnostic and pharmacy, management, medical records, and facilities.  AAHA is known among veterinarians and pet owners for their standards.  AAHA standards require hospitals to provide diagnostic services (x-ray and laboratory) to quickly diagnose pets, focus on quality of care in anesthesia, contagious diseases, dentistry, pain management, patient care, surgery and emergency care.  Accredited hospitals have an onsite pharmacy and must also have medical records that are thorough and complete.  You might be surprised how many places do NOT have thorough and complete records!  For these reasons, it should be important to you that your pet is seen by an accredited hospital.  There are many hospitals that do meet these standards, but have not gone through the evaluation.  However, you do not have that guarantee unless your hospital can prove they are AAHA accredited.  You can be confident that if you pet is taken to an AAHA accredited hospital they are more likely to be given top-quality care.  The AAHA standards are also periodically reviewed and updated, so consistently accredited hospitals can stay on the leading edge of veterinary medicine and give the care your pet’s deserve.

If you would like to learn more about the American Animal Hospital Association, you can visit their websites at: http://www.aahanet.org/ or http://www.healthypet.com/.  Their Healthy Pet website is built specifically for pet owners with helpful information on pet care, travel, fun stuff and even interactive pet stuff just for kids!  They have an AAHA hospital finder, so you can locate the AAHA accredited hospitals nearest to your location.  You can also connect with AAHA through Facebook!

Everyone at Animal Care Clinic is very proud of our AAHA accreditation.  We have been accredited with AAHA since 1993 and have maintained our certification since that time.  If you would ever like to talk to us about our AAHA accreditation, get a tour or have any questions at all, please contact us!  We look forward to announcing how we fared as a finalist in the coming year!

Meet Melissa Reuter-Wagoner, RVT!! Our Featured Employee of the Week!

Melissa is another smooth, easy-going addition to the Animal Care Clinic Team. She grew up near Santa Clarita, California and graduated with a B.S. in Animal Science from Cal Poly in June 2007. Melissa is a very inquisitive part of the Veterinary Nursing team, joining ACC in July 2006. We are so happy to have Melissa as one of our Registered Veterinary Technicians. Melissa’s passions include riding her jumping horse, music, ballet, and traveling.

Adopt-A-Senior-Pet-Month Commercial

Animal shelters are full of dogs and cats that desperately need homes. Most people focus on puppies, kittens and young adults when adopting. However, a senior pet may be less rambunctious and better behaved than a younger dog or cat and can still add years of love and joy to your home. Animal Care Clinic is celebrating Adopt-A-Senior-Pet Month by providing free physical exams and discounts on our wellness laboratory profiles for all senior pets adopted from local shelters before the end of 2010. Join us in celebrating life. Adopt a senior pet for the holidays.

Happy Holidays from Animal Care Clinic!

Entire Animal Care Clinic Team!

Written by Nicole Gunkel, RVT

December is here along with all our winter holidays!  I'd like to take a moment today to wish everyone a fabulous December!  As a group each December, our entire team likes to highlight an individual charity group and offer a unique way to give a nice gift while also helping a benefitting cause.  We had such a good experience with "Women At Risk, International" last year that we decided to stick with them again this year.  "Women At Risk, International" unites and educates women to create circles of protection and hope around women at risk through culturally sensitive, value-added intervention projects.  These women and children are individuals who are at risk for human trafficking sexual slavery.  You find more information about this group, their call to action, their programs and how to get more involved at their website,WarInternational.org.

We are currently offering beautiful egyptian hand-blown glass ornaments for $15 each.  Proceeds benefit "Women At Risk, International."  There areornaments of different colors, shapes, and sizes.  They would be lovely to adorn your own home or tree and also make great gifts.  Please come and visit us to pick out your ornaments!

Adopt-A-Senior-Pet-Month Video

Animal Care Clinic's lodge manager, Julie Wilson, interview one of our great clients, Patti Holanda, about her experiences adopting "senior" pets from the local shelters. Patti tells us how they have enriched her and her husband's lives and what a joy it is to bring some loving years to their lives for whatever years they have to share left. Senior pets are often the first to be euthanized at shelters as they become overpopulated. These pets can be wonderful as many already have a fair amount of training in them and are already potty-trained as opposed to puppies. If you adopt a senior pet from a local shelter, Animal Care Clinic is offering a free doctor exam and a discount on wellness lab work through the end of the December 2010.

Meet Nicole Blevins! Our Featured Employee of the Week!!

Nikki, as known here at Animal Care Clinic, has been on the veterinary nursing team since November 2006. She grew up locally here in Paso Robles. Nikki spent her first couple college years in Massachusetts She is currently an Animal Science major at Cal Poly, after which she hopes to attend vet school. Nikki has a Siberian husky, Kokoyah, and her cat, Buddy. She enjoys taking her dog to the beach, running, music, and whitewater rafting. Nikki is also one of a couple ACC workers who are vegetarian, and has never eaten meat in her life.

Diabetes in Pets

Written by Richard Tao, DVM

Diabetes is a disease most people are familiar with. Whether it is on a personal level affecting a family member or a close acquaintance, there is no denying that it creates a strain on the physical health of our nation. However personal diabetes is in your life, it’s important not to forget that our pets can also suffer from the condition. Many pet owners are unaware that diabetes is found in dogs and cats too! It is a serious disease that deserves a serious detailed discussion with your veterinarian.

Insulin and glucose testing supplies.

Our pets have no way of communicating the presence of a serious disease like diabetes to us. Owners need to be able to recognize early signs of diabetes, because as conventional wisdom teaches us early detection can lead to early cures. The most common signs of diabetes are an increase in water intake, an increase in urination, and weight loss. Subtle signs like cataracts and muscle weakness can occur in the later stages of the disease. You can expect your veterinarian to obtain a blood and urine sample and perform an ultrasound of the abdomen to make a diagnosis of diabetes.

Diabetes mellitus is the result of the body’s inability to absorb and use a form of sugar called glucose. Without the ability to use glucose from the blood stream the cells in the body literally starve and ultimately cause the disease associated with diabetes. Insulin is the hormone produced by the pancreas that allows the cells to utilize glucose. Treating diabetes will inevitably require insulin injections. The very act of poking your own furry companion may seem difficult, yet it is something even the most needle shy person can manage. We will walk you through each and every step of treating a diabetic pet from diagnosis to treatment and management. With proper care even a diabetic animal can live a long life.