Veterinary Hospice is about facilitating healthy living and graceful aging for the animals who enhance our lives.
Traditional veterinary medicine does little to accommodate pets that are coming to the end of their lives. The decision to euthanize one’s companion is never easy.
We provide a hospice unit at the Henrietta Animal Hospital. Our goals are simple; we want to be able to counsel our clients about their pet’s overall medical condition and long term prognosis, review the options and determine what needs can or cannot be met for the patient.
We target pain control, nutrition, hygiene, and hydration while the owners can take time to assess their options. Companions are almost always sent home in the evening where they can be surrounded by their family.
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Gordon was like many greyhounds and yet different.  He was low key, low energy and surprisingly a winner on the track where he spent his racing years until mandatory retirement.  He came to live with us on a very snowy day in February  from Iowa and made his home with use for 7 years.  He was a fixture at the clinic and many clients were moved to tears when they heard of his passing. http:// www.henriettahosp.com.

Over the years photos of Gordon in various costumes adored newspaper articles, magazines and other forms of media.  My all time favorite and most memorable was Gordon sporting his Tigger ears from Disneyworld.

Gordon will be remembered for his cockroach position (on his back and all four legs in the air) on my bed..and then casually rolling off much to his surprise. He greeted all dogs and cats with a customary sniff but keyed in on people who were potential food carriers.

I will miss you Gordie… but you will always be in my heart!

Princess

The Mother and 3 kittens  arrived  some 15 years ago to escape certain euthanasia at Lollipop Farm (aka Greater Rochester Humane Society).  Surprisingly, the Mother cat was adopted before the kitten and quickly named Velma.

All but the smallest went off to their forever homes.  The tiny black and white fur ball was so small she could squeeze through the bars  in her display cage…and was often found wandering the hospital.  My young son pleaded with me to take her home and keep her.  I melted and gave in.  Naming was difficult and her first name was Pikachu after the Japanese Pokemon character.  But, Princess just seemed to suit her and she settled in nicely to run our house with its myriad of Welsh Corgis and her superior feline, Gershwin.  They coexisted nicely, except when a rare intruder was ”fostered” indefinitely.  She would hiss and sulk but  eventually as is typical of many cats, blatantly ignored the new guest.

She slept with my son every night and rarely ventured into my rooms to mingle with her inferior friends, the dogs.  She was just above all that nonsense..the drooling, the panting, the endless,mindless ball chasing.

Princess never had a sick day in her life.  She developed upper respiratory tract signs of sneezing soon after a litter of strays came in from NYC, all with viral URI’s.  We treated her, but she got worse,   A feline specialist was consulted.  We tried everything until it was clear there was something more malignant…a tumor invading her nasal cavity.

Princess put up a heroic fight but last night we decided it was time to let her go peacefully and free her of the pain that racked her little body.  I am sure she is at the Rainbow Bridge with her old pal Gershwin…running the show from her pedestal.

Today, like almost every morning I leashed up my two Greyhounds, Uma and Gordon for their customary walk.  We live next to a local park but rarely venture in for one reason…unleashed dogs.

I love dogs, always have and always will.  They are my avocation and occupation along with  some feline friends.  However, after years of enjoying my neighborhood and accessible park, I opt to stay on the sidewalk.

People have come to believe that Ellison Park is “the unofficial designated dog park” in the greater Rochester NY area.  It is not…one section of the park where I used to enjoy walking my Corgis and Labs is no longer fun.  Why? Unleashed and uncontrolled dogs are rampant. I cannot count the number of times my son and I walked with our pooches  to enjoy a nice day and  were subjected to dogs running amok.  Dogs not answering their owners plea to return, dogs that were aggressive, dogs that taunted my dogs. I will never forget the sight of a  pit bull chasing after riders on horseback ..his helpless hapless owner running far behind in attempt to stop his dog.  If you are a Greyhound owner you know many of these dogs have serious space issues and detest ANY dog in their face.  And some growl and even bite the dog invaded their spacial areas.  And rightly so.  I detest someone coming into my personal space.  But, human training and the law prohibits me from biting!

If you are one of the people who thinks their dog is “entitled” to run untethered perhaps you could find someone who has a fenced in area  and go let your pooch run there or go to legitimate dog park.

Today a human was exiting the park and his two dogs dashed towards mine.  I was walking along on the sidewalk of a very busy street.  The dogs rushed straight for my dogs and one received a bared teeth snarl.  He blindly ran after them and shouted some tasty four letter word responses when I told him there was a leash law in this town and park.  While he was rolling off vulgar words..his  dogs darted into the street.  Fortunately, several cars swerved to avoid hitting them .  He was able to drag them into his car and darted out of the park, hopefully never to return.

People without dogs have trouble enjoying the park as well. Not everyone shares our enthusiasm for our canine buddies.    As responsible dog owners we should respect their desire to avoid our companions.

But people for gosh sakes use your heads.

Keeping your dog leashed does the following:

Keeps your dog safe from harm ( coyotes ,eating harmful plants and other substances, coming in contact with other animals carrying life threatening disease,  and from getting injured by other dogs and unforeseen traumas)

When off leash you cannot control your dog if  dog play escalates into a fight.  When off leash, the best trained dogs can easily forget all their training and become a danger to other pets and people.

Dog fights are difficult to stop and can lead to very serious injury to both you and your pet, not to mention the other person and his/or her pet.  If the latter pet was leashed, your  order of phone calls will be first to your veterinarian and then to your attorney .

Please let all of us enjoy our parks without fear of endangering our pets or ourselves.

For a balanced view on dog parks the pros and cons please visit this link:

http://www.aspcabehavior.org/articles/58/Dog-Parks-.aspx

First and foremost, a desperately need  remodeling of our from office was completed.  I have never been involved in construction or remodeling of any kind,  so this step was filled with fear .  Fear of the unknown and it turns out, justifiable fear.  Contractors discovered after tearing out old walls..that the hospital was only marginally better constructed that a twig house owned by one of the Three Little Pigs.  Our roof was sagging and needed  lift  as did other components of the main structure.

But, once completed it looks gorgeous.  So, I invite all of you who missed the May Open House to swing buy for a look see..you will not be disappointed.

Physically I have recovered completely from my knee replacement and am almost back to all my physical activites at 100%.

In addition to correspond with our new front end, we remodeled our very antiquated website.

Please visit and offer comments or suggestion on what you want to see, maybe what you don’t want to see as well.

http://www.henriettahosp.com

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

Henry went to the Rainbow Bridge 2/3/2011

Henry (not his original name) entered my life about 6 months ago.  His owners brought him in to be euthanized.  Reason: they were stepping on him.  When I took Henry to the back treatment room to examine him apart from his owners I found a gentle purring cat..thin as a rail but essentially in good shape for 19.  I told the owners I would adopt him, run some lab work on him and keep him as a clinic mascot.  They agreed.

Henry weighed 5 pounds initially and not surprisingly, was hyperthyroid.  Medication quickly stopped that but I also discovered the owners had actually broken one of his legs..which was now irreparable.

Henry had character and class that many geriatric cats possess.  He strolled through the clinic to check on everyone and everything.  He slept almost anywhere .

Last Thursday I saw Henry as he typically did, eating some of my greyhounds food.  I lowered the bowl to the floor for him and scratched him on his head.  Within minutes I was called to the back to find him collapsed.

He died peacefully surrounded by people who cared for him and truly loved him.

Henry, you are gone from our sight but not from our hearts.  We will miss you.

“These are great stories, but I can’t help thinking that the really heroic animals are those who sit tied in yards in the rain and ignored, or in cages in shelters for months and months, animals hurting and getting no relief, lonely and getting no company, frightened and getting no comfort.

And yet, nine times out of ten, if and when the long-awaited meal comes, the wounds are tended, the gentle touch is received, the soothing voice falls on their ears … they respond with grace and good will toward those who reach out to them, despite the history of cruelty and negligence they have suffered at the hands of the very same species.  That’s a pretty heroic way to be —  the courage to wait and endure and then to forgive and trust, even when that trust has been betrayed repeatedly.

How many among us have the courage and good will to celebrate this season by embracing one more of those still-waiting heroes and giving them the family they are so bravely waiting for?  Any one of them is every bit as noble and deserving of honor as the animals cited in the link above.  But they aren’t getting their names mentioned because they are anonymous.  They deserve to be recognized as individuals and family members.

If you have limited finances like most of us, just get a small one who doesn’t eat much.  Their substance isn’t measured by the size of their bodies, but by the size of their hearts. If you can possibly make room in yours, please adopt a waiting hero in this season of love and family and renewed hope.”

Hilary Brown

Owner and Moderator of:

POST List Messages to:   vetpet@vetpetpartners.com
Web URL: http://www.vetpetpartners.com

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.

This is only my second official blog…so I ask readers to be patient and at best ignore the typos…The Internet blogosphere is new to me and as I say to my tennis teacher..,my neural paths are just developing to the new media.

Gordon is one of 3 dogs (and 3 cats) that courteously allow me to LIVE with them.  Prior to Gordon all my dogs were Pembroke Welsh Corgis(another blog) and Labrador Retrievers.  20 years ago I would not own a Greyhound because I assumed they were high-strung, high maintenance dogs.  As more and more left the track (most doomed to be destroyed) rescue organizations sprung up to help place the retired pups.  And logically I began seeing more in my practice. 

When I spoke with our local representative  from Greyhounds of Greater Rochester http://www.greyhoundadopt.org/ about their care I was shocked at how little I knew about the breed.   Yes they raced and yes they were the second fastest land mammal behind the cheetah)..and that was all I knew.  Much to my chagrin they are, in fact, as described “90 mile an hour coach potatoes”.    They spend their time at the track conserving their energy.  So, if they are NOT racing, eating or playing they are asleep.  Gordon is at rest  almost 24/7.

In all honesty the rules to Greyhound care are few but stringent.  These are the first two I want to discuss.

1.  ALWAYS have them on leash when walking them outside (more on the hazards of not obeying this rule in part .  Many have very high prey drive..and the sight of any furry critter(squirrel, another dog or cat) is like blood to sharks.  And many if unleashed are off and out of sight in seconds.  The result can be disastrous as you can imagine..  
2. ALWAYS keep them off the furniture.  In general, dogs on furnitures (and beds ) is a bad idea.  It allows them to dominate you and your home.  Humans should remain alpha to their canine companions.  Greyhounds were crated at the track unless racing eating or playing.  It is their safe spot.  And, owners are encouraged to crate them.

After having Gordon live with us for several months I violated rule 2.  He got up on my bed and never created a fuss until last night.  Failing to comply with Rule 1 led Gordon to a brush with a car last week,    The drivers never stopped and he was left with some nasty scrapes.

A bad scrape on his elbow compounded with a  Greyhound’s tendency to constantly lick and groom themselves  led me to place a large bandage from his elbow to his ankle.   For some reason, the only place he was COMFORTABLE (on my Queen size memory foam bed!!) was across my legs.  There is space at the bottom of the bed for the Queen Mary to park, but apparently that was inadequate for Gordie.  Each time I pushed him off with my legs he would circle 2 or 3 dozen time(again another Greyhound anomaly)..and then lie back down on my legs.  I don’t know about you..but I cannot sleep with 70 pounds of dead weight across my legs. 

It was 3 am and I was to be up at 6:30 AM.  This process repeated itself for 2 hours…dog lays on legs, gets pushed off and circles to lay back down on legs.  By 5 AM I was ready to eject him “to the Moon ” as Ralph Kramden would tell Alice.  But I kept thinking, I am smarter than a Greyhound.  They are not rocket scientists. (and to all you dog owners out there..please don’t berate me with how smart your dog is …this is humor here…).  I could wear him down.  But nope, the hound kept it up until I finally exhausted lapsed into slumber from exhaustion after fighting 15 rounds . To make matters worse, Gordon started to nest (another feature Greyhounds love to display).  So, after circling and before laying across my legs he pulled all the covers off of me.

 I lost the battles and the war.   Gordon won the battle and best of all he got to sleep in late !!