Our Website has officially launched! We are very excited about having a presence on the web and hoping it will help more people learn about Abbott Valley and all the great services we offer for your pets health care needs.
One of my original ideas when I set up this Blog and linked it to our website was to have a place to memorialize some of our long time patients who died or were humanely euthanized due to catastrophic illness or tragedy. Little did I know when I had that notion that the first memorial created would be for my own beloved dog Tansy. We adopted Tansy 7 years ago from our local shelter. She was a 6 month old pit mix who had been picked up wondering the streets and had no training or manners. In short, she was a nightmare. She chewed furniture, jumped on people, counter-surfed and was a complete wild child. Her one redeeming quality was an over-whelming desire to please. Well, through a lot of hard work our family turned this wild street waif into a wonderful, gentle and obedient companion. She loved doing tricks,(usually running through her repertoire all at once), chasing rabbits and hanging out with us by the fireplace in the winter. In the summer her favorite spot was lying like a pancake on the deck soaking up the sun. She had many dog friends at doggy daycare where she spent one day a week chewing on them and rough housing until she was exhausted. She was my shadow when we were together. One day we noticed she was a little slower flying down the stairs. I immediately began an extensive work-up pretty certain that I was just being a neurotic, overzealous owner who happened to be a veterinarian. Unfortunately, I was wrong. It turned out she had metastatic lung cancer that was very advanced. It was a complete testament to her zest for life that she failed to show any signs up until that week. Even after she was diagnosed and given a grave prognosis by the Oncologist she came home and chased a skunk to a very bad end(not for the skunk!)under our deck. We tried some palliative chemotherapy options but she had a very poor response. We could not stand to see her suffer as she was the sweetest love in the world. We made the best decision we could for her which was humane euthanasia. Needless to say our hearts are broken in two. Once we recover from this devastating loss our plan is to rescue another dog from the shelter or Rescue Agency. That dog will have big paws to fill!
Other big news of note is that the Rabies Law has changed in Rhode Island. All Rabies vaccines given after April 15th will be effective for 3 years assuming the pet had the original 1 year vaccine as a puppy. All first time Rabies vaccines are still effective for only one year. There is some variability with this depending on the manufacturer so talk with one of our veterinarians at your visit and they will be happy to explain the new law to you. More on Rabies
Happy Spring!
Devoted to providing information regarding pet health and well being for clients of the Abbott Valley Veterinary Center and members of the general public interested in current vet issues. This may include pet food recalls, current vaccine recommendations, new disease identification, and the latest in veterinary health concerns. We may also publish human interest stories related to cases we see at the Center as well as memorials honoring our cherished patients who have passed away.
sweet Tansy
Hurry up Mom, there are squirrels waiting for me outside!
