On October 16th, my mother passed away after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease. She was an amazing woman throughout life - even in the 10 years she suffered with her disease. I will miss her greatly, as I do my father nearly twelve years after his death. To all who know have experienced this, it is an awful and most unwelcome phase of life.
But life never gives much of an opportunity to dwell on our sadness. As I write this, I'm closing out the 10 hour flight from Barcelona with a stiff neck and swollen feet. I've watched 3 movies and tried with little success to get more than a short nap in. Still, it was all worth the difficult overseas flight to see my daughter, Sarah. She's finishing up a semester abroad in Barcelona and it was amazing to see the personal growth that has occurred in the four short months she's been away.
Likewise, duties with the Delta Society and as OVMA President, continue to keep me busy as well as the day to day operations of the hospital. Exciting developments continue at Murrayhill Veterinary Hospital including new equipment and new team members. Both as part of our continuing commitment to quality care.
We recently upgraded our Class 4 Therapeutic Laser in order to offer a better alternative to drug-free pain relief for your pet. We also purchased a new Ultrasound for better diagnostic capabilities for your pet.
You may have noticed our involvement with social media. You can now "Like us" on Facebook or check out our new Castpage at: http://www.murrayhillveterinaryhospital.com Likewise, you can follow us on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/Murrayhill_vet, or our new blog site at http://blog.murrayhillvethospital.com. Of course we still have our old fashioned web site at www.murrayhillVetHospital.com.
Most importantly, we're excited to welcome the following new babies to the clinic: Amy (CCR) recently had a beautiful baby girl (Brenna), Virginia (CVT) became a grandma with the birth of Brooklyn (also gorgeous), and Tara is expecting!
Enjoy the newsletter and the holiday season. Most of all, enjoy the loved ones in your life - we never know just how long they will bless our lives and it never seems to be long enough.
All of us at Murrayhill Veterinary Hospital want to wish you the very best for this holiday season and the coming New Year.
Pain prevention and management for your pets has always been a focus at Murrayhill Veterinary Hospital. We are constantly striving to find new and safe ways to help manage our patients' chronic pain and prevent pain from occurring during procedures and treatments. Pet owners often prefer a progressive, non-invasive therapy, to a drug regimen for the treatment of chronic pain.
Several years ago we were the first veterinary clinic in Oregon to purchase a class 4 therapeutic laser for treatment of pain and reduction of inflammation in our patients. The therapeutic laser provides a sterile, pain free, surgery-free, drug-free treatment that is used to treat a variety of conditions.
Not all lasers are for cutting, in fact, the vast field of laser technology includes numerous, non-invasive and rejuvinating applications. Laser Therapy is among the latest in medical treatments involving "photobiomodulation." Photobiomodulation is the scientific term for laser therapy's effect on tissue. Deep-penetrating photons from the laser influence cell chemisty in a variety of beneficial ways.
Treatment with laser therapy is not based on heat development but on photochemical and photobiological effects in cells and tissue.In addition, the infrared wavelengths create a warm sensation in your pet's body at the precise location requiring treatment. Treatment time, power and laser pulse frequency are based on your pet's individual condition and body size.
After surgery, patients receiving laser therapy have less pain. Their recovery is faster, with fewer complications.
Laser therapy has proven successful, safe and effective in treating: arthritis, degenerative joint disease, back pain, muscle, ligament, and tendon injuries, hip dysplasia, sprains, neuromuscular disease, open wounds, ulcerations, post-surgical revovery, soft tissue trauma ...just to name a few.
Class IV Therapeutic Laser treatment has many advantages to your pet including: Anti-Inflammation, Pain reduction(Analgesic), Accelerated Tissue Repair and Cell Growth, Improved Vascular Activity, Increased Metabolic Activity, Reduced Fibrous Tissue Formation (Scarring), Improved Nerve Function, Immunoregulation, Faster Wound Healing. There is no sedation or restraint required for the treatments. The experience is usually pleasant and comforting to them. Most pets do not need to have their hair clipped.
Although improvement is often seen after the first visit, most patients require several treatments [3 to 8] for freatest benefit. For most conditions, we recommend a multi-visit treatment plan. Treatments vary in length, but most sites require 2 to 8 minutes. A majority of patients exhibit greater comfort and mobility within 12 to 24 hours after a laser treatment.
Laser therapy treatments are cumulative in nature. The length and frequency of treatments varies, and your veterinarian will recommend a plan specific to your pet's condition.
For more information on Laser Therapy and its benefits for your pet, please call us at Murrayhill Veterinary Hospital.
Kim grew up in a family with lots of allergies, so her childhood pets were turtles and hamsters. Fortunately, she married a man that shared her love of animals and their first dog, Maggie, joined their family in 2002. Her entire career prior to Maggie's arrival had been spent in customer service, and she had been a branch manager in banking for many years. Thanks to Maggie, she began working at a veterinary hospital in customer service, while living in Williamsburg, Virginia. It was a wonderful opportunity for her to expand her knowledge of all types of pets in a professional environment, while doing what she loves, customer service. Their second dog, Kasey, joined their family in 2003. They moved to the Denver area in 2007 and she worked in customer service at a veterinary hospital there for 4 years. A job transfer for her husband brought them to Portland in the summer of 2011, and we were fortunate to have her join the Murrayhill Veterinary Hospital team as a Client Care Representative then! Welcome Kim!
Anne began working with us as an assistant about a year ago while in her Veterinary Technician program. She completed the program and earned her liscense as a technician earlier this year. She has a passion for horses and in her rare time off enjoys training her horse Honey, and playing with her dog, Bozley. We have been so fortunate to have her as part of our team and look forward to having her here for a long time to come.
James was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. He started his career in veterinary practivce by working as a veterinary assistant after graduating highschool and then eventually as a veterinary technician. James moved to Oregon a little over a year ago to indulge his adventurous side. We were fortunate to have him join our practice and continue to enjoy watching him grow as a member of our team. James has decided to expand his medical horizons to include human medicine and has recently obtained his EMT certification. He will be splitting his time working with both our patients and theirs in the near future.
Please Join us in Welcoming Amy Felner to our team. Amy is a Certified Veterinary Technician and graduated from Argosy University in Minneapolis, MN with an associates degree in Veterinary Technology in 2002. She has a special interest in animal behavior. Amy has three pets of her own: A french bulldog named "Stanley" and two cats; "Miracle" an 8-year-old Tortoise Shell and "Foreman" a 3-year-old Orange Tabby. Please stop by to say hello and meet her! We are so fortunate to have her on our team!
Murrayhill Veterinary Hospital supports responsible pet ownership which includes spaying and neutering. Besides doing your part in fighting the pet overpopulation problem, there are many health benefits associated with sterilizing your pet. Breast cancer and uterine disease is eliminated in females and prostate and testicular disease is eliminated in males. In addition, many behavioral problems are prevented by spaying and neutering your pet. Ideally, this surgery is performed before sexual maturity at around six months of age. "Like us" on FACEBOOK and receive 25% off the cost of your pet's spay or neuter surgery.
There are many ways to cut corners to make these surgeries less expensive but they all come with another cost: a procedure that is less safe and less comfortable for your pet. At Murrayhill, we never cut corners. We are committed to ensuring that all of our ovariohysterectomy (spay) and neuter patients receive the safest and most comfortable procedure possible. Here are just a few of the extra steps we take:
Pre-anesthetic blood screening is performed on every patient to identify potential complications that may affect the anesthetic or surgical procedure before it is started. In addition, we check blood clotting times to make sure bleeding will not be a problem during the surgery.
Every pet receives a physical exam on the day of his or her surgery to identify any health issues that may affect the procedure. Every patient receives IV (intravenous) fluids during the procedure to ensure a safer anesthetic experience. The IV fluids help in maintaining blood pressure during surgery and helps improve recovery afterwards by helping rid the body of anesthetic agents. The IV catheter also provides an immediate port for other drugs if needed.
We use only the safest anesthetic agents for your pet - the same ones used in human hospitals. We have chosen Sevoflurane as our inhalant (gas) anesthetic because it is the "gold standard" and is used for pediatric surgery in human hospitals. Its safety is partly due to how quickly patients can be brought out of anesthesia. A nice side benefit is that patients feel good right after surgery and are able to go home the same day.
Every patient is connected to a multi parameter monitor from the time your pet is anesthetized until the time he/she is completely awake. This includes continuous evaluation of the heart with an ECG, as well as monitoring the oxygenation of the blood with a pulse oximeter. In addition, to further ensure your pet's safety, we monitor blood pressure, carbon dioxide levels, and body temperature. This extensive monitoring allows us to precisely control your pet's anesthetic experience and together with the very safest gas anesthetic, (Sevoflurane), adjust the anesthetic before any problems arise. Just as importantly, every surgical patient recovers in our main treatment area under the direct care of one of our certified veterinary technicians-not in a kennel out of site.
We use a surgical laser which dramatically reduces surgical pain, controls bleeding, and allows faster healing from the surgery.
We take pain control very seriously and your pet's comfort is a primary concern at Murrayhill Veterinary Hospital. All of our patients are given an injection of narcotic pain control medication prior to the surgery. We use a laser for surgery which dramatically reduces surgical pain over traditional scalpel surgery. Likewise, all patients receive a local anesthetic block for additional pain control. In addition, we always send home pain control medications to be continued afterwards.
All patients are kept warm and comfortable with a sophisticated, state of the art, surgical warming system similar to those used in human hospitals which is also eco friendly. In addition, every pet is provided warming discs and blankets during surgery and recovery, to help maintain their normal body temperature and comfort.
We use high quality suture materials that will be absorbed a few months after the procedure. This suture material provides strength after the surgery, yet doesn't persist in your pet's body for the rest of his/her life as is the case with stainless steel sutures.
And of course, your pet receives the individualized care every patient receives from the outstanding doctors and staff at Murray Hill Veterinary Hospital!
The holiday season is a great time for us at Murrayhill. We have a great pet gift exchange for our staff pets, which is always a hoot! And we love hearing from all of our generous and thoughtful clients, as we receive beautiful greeting cards and lots of delicious human goodies. Thanks to all of our wonderful clients for thinking of us at this festive time of year. As you can see, we have been feasting quite well on gifts of cookies and chocolate. As always, we have been diligent in our efforts to keep these delicious human treats away from our furry friends. With this in mind, there is no better time then now to review some of the holiday treats that should be kept out of reach from our pets.
To start off our holiday list, chocolate still remains one of the most easily assessable treats during the holiday season. Chocolate contains theobromine, an alkaloid which leads to gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and neurological dysfunction. Caffeine also leads to similar signs, thus coffee beans or coffee grounds should be kept away from pets. Another top offender is onions. Ingestion of onions leads to Heinz body formation within the red blood cells resulting in the red blood cell destruction. Some other potentially harmful food items include candy, macadamia nuts, grapes and garlic. In regards to holiday plants, day lilies should be avoided in households with cats. Day lilies, if ingested by our feline friends, may result in severe renal failure if not treated promptly. As a side note, the all too famous poinsettias, while shown to lead to gastrointestinal upset if ingested, are actually not as toxic as previously believed.
The cold weather in Oregon winters can also bring hazards. For any dog spending time outside during the winter months, a commonly overlooked issue is a frozen water source. Even when you fill your dog's water bowel daily, the overnight temperature can cause the water to freeze, thus making it impossible for your pet to be able to drink. If you spend a lot of time outside with your dog during the winter months, consider investing in a coat or some booties for them. In Oregon, we are extremely lucky that we are close to both the mountain and the ocean. We also live in a very dog friendly environment that allows us to maximize our free time with our pets.
If hiking in snow, please remember that your dogs feet can freeze in the snow and that ice can accumulate around their foot pads and digits. If possible, take a look at the underside of your dog's feet and make sure they have not sustained injuries or lacerations to their footpads and nail beds from running around on sharp, icy surfaces.
As always, if you are ever concerned about something your dog has ingested or been exposed to, please call us at 503-579-3300