A wintery scene

When it gets cold outside, we like our comforts.

Our pets give us that, don't they? They curl up on our laps as we relax watching TV at home. We enjoy their warmth, their gentle demanor...

Unless you have a bouncy labrador or terrier. :-)

Then they are only still when they are asleep.

Interesting time but an enjoyable time to enjoy a slow down and enjoy life. We enjoy life one day at a time, don't we?

Or do we worry about the weather next week, or the meeting next week, and forget to enjoy the present right in front of us, the enjoyment right in front of us.

I know I do.

But our pets remind us to enjoy the current day and time, and 'just enjoy it'.

Transparency in everything

Unfortunately, We live in a skeptical age. Many times we can not trust those who try to lead us, and unfortunately we are frequently proven right.

In Illinois, we only have to look at our political leaders to see this very clearly.

I have strived to have this transparency in the clinic as well. To help support that, we are going to be having a series of video's that describe some of the many procedures we do here at Lakeview Veterinary Clinic.

This is in no small part thanks to our newest staff member, Joe Sholl. He used to be the floor director for WEEK news, and is working now to get an electrical engineering degree, and will be at John Hopkins in Baltimore in a few years to help those who need prosthetic devices.

Until that time, while he is picking up classes at ICC and Bradley, he is helping us at the reception desk, and was able to put together this video. This video is on You tube now, and we will also have it on our Facebook page as well. This video explains how we take care of your pet while they are here for an Ovariohysterectomy (spay) procedure. We hope you find it informative.

If you have not become a fan of our Facebook page, please do so. Many clients are accessing it and finding it very interesting as we share some of the daily musings of the staff.

I hope everyone is off to a good 2010. Have you written down a goal for 2010? Maybe read a new book author, or learn a new skill?

What you write, becomes what we do..

Teeth - why pay attention to them with your pet

Brushing our own teeth is a habit we like. You are probably like me in that, when I wake up in the morning, I don't like the 'fuzzy' teeth, so I brush right away.

And we get the benefits from the daily brushing with less tartar and plaque buildup on our own teeth.

Imagine how quickly that builds up when we stop brushing even for 1 week!

Now imagine that person kissing you.
<>blech<>

You probably know I am now talking about your dog and cat. And brushing is important, but when our pet has tartar and plaque building up it may be time to clean them professionally. And what better way to start the year off than with a clean fresh mouth?

We have been giving classes on nail trimming, and CPR, and puppy selection. We recently were asked about other class on brushing teeth.

If you are interested in such a class in and evening, or during the day, call the office today at 699-6443.

Let it snow, let it snow

I guess we can say we are in winter now! For those reading in areas other than central Illinois, we have had about 6-8 inches of snow. I'm not sure of the official total, but it is a bunch around the clinic.

And as we started the new year, we want to thank all of you for allowing us to serve you and your pet over the past year. We strive to improve our knowledge, and pass that on to you.

If you have not done so, join us as a fan on facebook! We are having some fun with it.

We also sponsored a pet CPR certification class.

Unfortunately, it was last night, and with all the snow, many who wanted to attend could not. We would like to reschedule the class. Our challenge is that "Jerry" - our CPR dog, is borrowed from Parkland Community College which has a Veterinary Technician degree program.

We will check with them and see if "Jerry" can come out and play again !

So what do you do to prepare for an emergency? Did you run out to buy your shovel earlier this week, or did you have one?
What about salt?
Did you check your snow blower (if you have one) before this week?

I did and all my kids were ready to go. ;-)
I even got them some extra scarves!

But they are happy as long as there is hot chocolate waiting for them when they get in the house! Ahh the simple things.

I do miss our Newfoundland, Zinn. He loved the snow and would be outside with me all the time when I was shoveling the snow. The colder it was the better he liked it.

Adena is not so happy with that. :-)