First Street Veterinary Hospital Newsletter - September 2008

What about Microchips?

Just in the last 3 weeks we have had 2 dogs brought into the clinic that were found wandering the streets of Lake Oswego. Both had microchips and were reunited with their owners within a few hours. Both dogs had escaped, one from a backyard when a construction worker left a gate open, and one from a walk still wearing his leash. Neither of these dogs had tags.

Microchips are small chips implanted under the skin between the shoulder blades. They are made of surgical steel. They can be read by a scanner and the number is registered by a database. Microchips aren’t fool proof but they are one of the only permanent forms of identification. For them to work to reunite an owner and a pet the animal has to be brought somewhere that has a scanner that can read the chip.

There are a number of different chips commonly used in the US but most of the scanners can identify, if not read, the other brands of chips. Also the chip needs to be registered and updated if you move. Several times I’ve found animals with chips only to be told the chip can’t be traced or the contact information is no longer valid.

All of the local shelters, many of the veterinary hospitals, and even some of the police departments have scanners available.

We use HomeAgain microchips. HomeAgain and AVID are the most commonly used chips in the US and both types of chips can be read by either scanner. We have both a HomeAgain scanner and an AVID scanner.

The cost of microchip implantation is $49.99 and includes the implantation, registration, and first year membership. HomeAgain has an advanced yearly membership for $14.99 that is optional but offers 24/7 access to recovery specialists that will issue lost pet information to your vet, local clinics and shelters, and a local pet rescuers group. This fee is included in the first year’s membership and can be continued or cancelled in the following years. If it is cancelled the pet is still registered and your information is still available on the database.

I encourage all owners to consider microchipping for all your pets.

FAQ’s

“What is your prescription policy?”

Answer:

Veterinarians are required to have a valid client/patient/veterinarian relationship in order to prescribe certain medications for patients. This means we have to have examined your pet within the last 12 months to prescribe any medications that require a prescription.

This includes deworming medication and heartworm and parasite preventives. In addition for chronic medications such as thyroid medications, pain medications, and others the doctor will require periodic blood monitoring.

This is to ensure the medications are not working against the body and that we are maintaining the proper dosage. The way the body interacts with a medication will change over time so this blood monitoring is very important for the health of your pet.

See more FAQ's here.

Dental Health

You will hear a lot from me about dental health because I feel it is so important to the overall health of an animal. Periodontal disease can lead to kidney and heart disease. Home care is essential and brushing daily is the best. Special chew treats and tartar control diets can also help control dental disease. But nothing is good enough not to have to go to the veterinary dentist periodically. Routine cleanings and maintenance can really help prevent periodontal disease. Think of a tooth like an iceberg. The part you can see is less than half the whole tooth. And once periodontal disease starts we can never cure it—it becomes only able to control the disease process. By periodontal disease I mean plaque, calculus, gingival inflammation, gingival recession, and bone loss.

Once periodontal disease reaches stage 3 or 4 a simple dental cleaning will not be enough to stabilize the infectious process. Good home care and routine dental cleanings before disease sets in will be much better for the pet and cheaper in the long run.

If you would like instructions on a home program for dental care please call to talk to a technician. We can also provide instructions and demonstrations on proper brushing techniques.

Veterinary Education

Some of you may not know what is involved in becoming a veterinarian or veterinary technician. To become a veterinarian you first have to have a primary college degree. This can be either a Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts but there are required courses, including chemistry, organic chemistry, biology, zoology, physics, and several animal husbandry courses, that must be completed as well.

Next comes the application to veterinary school. There are only 27 veterinary schools in the US so competition for the spots can be fierce. Veterinary school is 4 years with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine waiting at the end. Usually the first 2-3 years are mainly academics with the final 1-2 years being in clinics and more practical. We learn about dogs, cats, horses, cows, sheep, goats, pigs, llamas, and birds.

The students are allowed to focus on a certain area in the last year. In order to become licensed a student must also pass National Boards. These are day long tests on all areas of veterinary medicine. In Oregon, one must also pass a jurisprudence test on the laws regarding animals.

So once we’ve graduated and passed Boards we must then work a year under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian.

Some graduates continue their education and go on to become a diplomate of one of several specialty disciplines. To become a diplomate includes further schooling and training and another test—this one much harder and including proving profiency at the discipline you have chosen. There are many specialties available including surgery, internal medicine, cardiology, neurology, ophthalmology, oncology, laboratory medicine, and avian. We are lucky in Portland to have many specialists within reach.

To continue to be licensed in Oregon requires continuing education. Oregon requires 30 hours every 2 years. This is usually achieved by going to a veterinary convention, either a large, national one or a smaller, local one. I will be heading to San Diego in November for a convention. Another means of education on a daily basis is VIN or Veterinary Information Network.

This is a collection of thousands of veterinarians from all over the world that communicate online. This is a wonderful source of information especially for me as a solo practitioner because I can get communications from several specialists within hours. Also new technologies and medications are often mentioned here and many opionions can be shared.

Veterinary Technicians are licensed in Oregon as LVTs. A licensed veterinary technician is required 15 hours of continuing education every 2 years. Many LVTs are on the job trained and then passed the licensing testing, but there are technician programs as well. Most of these are 2 years and are followed by the technician boards. Portland Community College has a veterinary technician program.

Suzanne here at First Street Veterinary Hospital is a licensed veterinary technician that has been in the field for over 10 years.

Katie’s Corner

“Hi, my name is Katie Kruse. My mom is the doctor at First Street Veterinary Hospital. I like to go to my mom’s work. Some of you have seen me. Some of the things I do are:

• clean windows
• folding laundry
• empty garbage and recycling
• help take care of the animals

Sometimes I just sit in the office and read.

I turn 8 on September 13th. Last year for my birthday I had my friends bring cat supplies and toys instead of presents and we donated them to PAWS cat shelter. This year I am going to donate food to the hungry. I was inspired by the movie Kit Kittridge. If you would like to participate, there will be a donation box at the veterinary hospital till the end of September.

Bye.”

Congratulations to our July 2008 winner Janelle Silva.

Janelle Silva wins $100 in free services! Thank you again Janelle.

Every month we draw a name from everyone who refers us a new client. We keep your name in a fish bowl on the front counter for 3 months of chances. If you like us and know someone who needs a good vet, refer them to our website FirstStreetVet.com for a $22.50 First Exam Coupon. That coupon is good for EACH of their pets. Make sure you tell them to let us know that you referred them!