Emily Shani, DVM

For those of you who don’t know, Groundhog Day is my favorite holiday of the year! (A day when furry animals are center focus? No surprise!) My team loves when I work Groundhog Day because I bring all my wacky traditions to the hospital- groundhog cookies, full holiday apparel, and the giving of ground hugs to patients. Here I am with Bella who came for her general checkup today and got to enjoy the festivities Hoping you and and your families had a wonderful Groundhog Day!

Happy New Year! Wishing you a wonderful year of health and happiness ahead! Ever wonder what a year looks like as a veterinarian? For the first time ever, I looked back at my year of working- here are some of my stats for 2020 if you can believe it! 3,890 pets seen as inpatients... 2,214.63 hours worked 703 surgeries >400 new puppy/kitten visits 47 foxtails removed from various body parts 23 abscesses lanced >3,000 vaccines administered 4 pairs of work shoes worn and retired (the last one being Tuesday) So if you ever wonder if I'm busy, the answer is probably yes! What isn't clear from the stats above is the wonderful joy I get from meeting new clients and patients and how appreciative I am you let me in to your families. Thank you for trusting me with your pets! Happy New Year!

With so many holidays for so many faiths around this time of the year, I want to wish you all a wonderful season and new year. This might be a very different winter for you compared to previous years- remember that even if you can’t be with extended family, your animal friends are family, too! Every year I make and send personalized holiday cards to all my clients past and present to thank you for trusting me with your pets. Some have been returned due to labels falling off or changes in address. I love sending cards and would be happy to send you one if you message me! Wishing you all happy holidays!

Meet Porkchop, the 6 month old pittie pup with the best spirits! Almost two weeks ago, Porkchop had a very routine neuter. Two days later, his scrotum looked like they had regrown his testicles and there was a lot of pressure on his incision. I reassessed and we added in warm compresses, sedation, and additional pain medication to help reduce the swelling. By another two days later though, part of the skin on his scrotum began dying and we knew Porkchop had to go back to surg...ery. Of course throughout all this, Porkchop was as happy as ever! So at 4:30pm after already completing 6 surgeries, I went back into surgery to explore what was going on and remove the unhealthy tissue. What I was expecting to find was a hematoma (blood vessel leak) or seroma (collection of fluid under the skin). Instead I found a huge infection with abscesses- not a known complication of neuters! We still have no idea why Porkchop’s body responded this way but thanks to wonderful owners and a great surgery team, we got to work to try to fix the problem. After removing all the unhealthy tissue and flushing thoroughly, I closed up, started Porkchop on antibiotics, and prayed for the best. We finished surgery right before the clinic closed- it was a long night! Well here Porkchop is with his surgery team a week after his emergency surgery doing awesome! His infection has completely resolved, he still can’t wait to kiss everyone in sight, and his incision looks fantastic! He’ll be able to get his cone off in a week so that he’ll be able to cause even more mischief! A shout out to Kassie and Angel, my wonderful techs pictured who helped along with this crazy ride. Photos posted with owner permission.

Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy the beautiful weather with a walk outside with your furry friends just like I did! So thankful to have all of you in my life!

And as one of my former RVTs said, limit their drinks to 3 or fewer! But please also remember that dogs truly don’t need these foods at all, sticking to their normal food is safest!

With the holiday season approaching, I'll be posting some tips for the holidays with pets. Let's start with your possible travel plans! Safe road travel with your pets: While car rides may be more normal for your pets than flying, there can still be a lot to consider when planning your road trip.... 1. Carsickness In a 2018 Harris poll survey, 48% of dog owners reported their dogs getting carsick, so if your pup is one of them then you're not alone! That said, there are options! Talk to your veterinarian about prescribing Cerenia or other medications appropriate for your pet to help avoid nausea. 2. Anxiety Leaving the house can bring about a whole new level of anxiety for pets that are used to a routine. Again, talk with your veterinarian well in advance about medical options to help with anxiety to make it a more pleasant trip all around! 3. Buckling up/traveling safely Pets free-roaming around the car can lead to unsafe driving and the potential for accidents harming you or your pet. Ideally crating pets for car trips is the safest option. If that doesn't work for you, consider pet-designed seat belts or having pets in the back seat to avoid distracted driving. 4. Planning along your route Depending on the length of your drive, you may need to make rest stops or seek veterinary care. I highly recommend figuring out a number of locations suitable for potty breaks (for you and your pets!) along the way. Also look up a number of emergency veterinary clinics along your route in case something unexpectedly arises. 5. Make sure to bring documentation Many states require health certificates to cross state lines. While your chances of being stopped are lower when driving, you can still be fined and prevented from bringing your pets with you if you are caught without appropriate documentation. Make an appointment with your veterinarian 10 days before travel for health certificates and bring copies of your pets' vaccination and medication records. 6. Update tags and microchip information Before any sort of travel, make sure the information on your pets' tags are up to date (and actually on their collars). If your pet does have a microchip (which I strongly recommend for every pet), check to make sure the information associated with the chip is up to date as well! Keep following for further holiday tips in the upcoming weeks!