Whitney's Waggin' Tails

Happy July 4th!

Nancy Hayes, DVM — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:33:22 +0000

I sure hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July! Be sure to safe guard your pets! Fireworks and loud noises are dangerous for pets and can frighten them.

Keeping them inside and in a quiet place will help. Cotton balls in the ears can help muffle the noise as well as playing a radio or television. Don’t forget to take the cotton back out of the ears after the noise has passed.

Other hazards of this great holiday include too much people food and the heat outside. Remember- if you are hot so are they!

Justin reminds us all of how to be safely patriotic as he shows off his uncle Sam duds!

Next Seminar will be a Potpourri of Behavior Topics

Nancy Hayes, DVM — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:32:37 +0000

The allergy seminar was well attended this week as we finished our 5th topic in the series. While we will not have a seminar in July due to timing and travel, the next one in August will probably be popular since the topic is behavior. I’ve done several behavior lectures before, and have found time to be the most limiting factor. We’ll be covering several topics this time, but I won’t have aggression as one of them. I have found that to be far too involved to cover in a seminar of only an hour and a half in length.

If you have a question regarding aggression, you can contact our office and we will be happy to try and help. Meanwhile, if you’d like to attend our upcoming seminars, please call the office for your reservation. Seating is limited and is filled as you call. Hope too see you there!

New topics?

Nancy Hayes, DVM — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 01:25:05 +0000

As I sit and write the notes for the upcoming allergy seminar, I think about the future upcoming topics. Since we have so many areas of veterinary medicine, I’ve decided to ask you what topics you would be interested in. Leave me your ideas in the comments here, and I’ll try to come up with presentations or handouts on those topics. I look forward to hearing what you’d like more info about.

Fun in the sun!

Nancy Hayes, DVM — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 23:49:08 +0000

I sure hope everyone had the opportunity to enjoy a wonderful weekend with your pets. It was lovely outside and cats and dogs alike will have enjoyed the fresh air. Please remember a few safety issues. All pets must be leashed in Peoria County. Cats too! A fun way for your cat to enjoy the great outdoors is to wear a harness and be under supervision. Remember that cats that go outdoors need different (additional) vaccinations than cats that don’t. All pets that go outside should be protected against fleas and ticks.

There were plenty of outdoor events this weekend. As summer goes on, remember, not all pets enjoy crowds and strangers. Keep your pet protected from the stress and think about what they will enjoy before asking them to participate. For example, fireworks are very frightening and hurt the dog’s ears, so lets not take them to the Fourth of July celebrations. Instead, they will prefer a peaceful night in and will be very understanding if they are not asked to participate.

Summer is full of fun in the sun, enjoy it safely.

Sorry I haven’t posted the follow up notes

Nancy Hayes, DVM — Sun, 25 May 2008 01:10:30 +0000

Hey group, sorry I haven’t had a chance to take those pics on CPR yet. I haven’t forgotten so check back and I’ll try to have them set up soon. Hope you all enjoyed the seminar. I felt we had a great group in attendance.

I’ll plan to have the pics by next weekend, until then have a great day.

Today is Open House 2008!

Nancy Hayes, DVM — Sat, 17 May 2008 12:41:02 +0000

Today we are holding our Open House. Lots of neat displays have been made, the staff has put together wonderful pictures of some of our patients, and generally all the cool stuff will be out for show and tell. Check out the ultrasound with a chance to scan, look inside a pepper with the endoscope, see the surgery suite we use when your pet needs surgery and much more. Raffle tickets and door prizes will be given away today, and we hope you all can make it.

I’m very proud of the Whitney crew as they have really worked hard to make this a wonderful experience for attendees. Our goal is to allow behind the scenes access and a chance to see some of the technology used to help us keep pets healthy and happy.

Its a lovely day and I hope everyone can attend. I’ll post some pictures after the event.

Why I became a Veterinarian

Nancy Hayes, DVM — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:34:21 +0000

I get asked often why I chose to be a veterinarian. I think the simple answer is I really do love animals, but the answer is really more complex than that. I really do enjoy pets, but I really like people too. I have always wanted to help people with their pets, so it really is more than just the love of animals. For me, I enjoy helping people find that truly deep relationship they have with their dog or cat. I love to help the animals feel better of course, but I also want to help the families help their pets have better health and quality of life.

I’ve been asked a number of times when I decided on veterinary medicine, and I can truly say that its all I’ve ever wanted to do. I did study other fields in college to be sure I wasn’t missing out on some other area of interest, but I always came back to the idea of medicine and surgery. We all chose our favorite things as we go through life. I feel very blessed and grateful to be allowed to do what I love every day.

Truthfully, most veterinarians I know have found this career path in a similar fashion, and most can say they always wanted to have this job. As a group, we enjoy the human animal bond. New potential veterinarians come in often, and as they start their path through the schooling and experiences that bring them to the practice of medicine, I am delighted to be able to give them the help they need to continue on. Not all days are easy, and some are down right heartbreaking, but in the end, every day is worth the journey.

Next seminar is announced

Nancy Hayes, DVM — Sat, 03 May 2008 01:14:25 +0000

Well, this week’s arthritis seminar seems to have been a success. I hope everyone who attended learned something new that could be used to enhance their buddy’s life. Our next seminar will be on pet first aid. I expect for it to fill up fast and spaces are limited, so sign up soon if you plan to attend.

The first aid seminar will be on May 20^th, 2008 from 6 until 7:30 pm. We will cover a range of topics from the minor problems to what to do if a major problem has occurred. I hope to see you there.

If you have questions about the seminars, please feel free to call us at 309-685-4707 or 309-685-4715 and we’ll be glad to help.

Don’t forget that our Open House is coming up very soon. We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Arthiritis seminar is Tuesday

Nancy Hayes, DVM — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:22:05 +0000

The arthritis seminar is completed and I finally finished the handout to go with it. The handout will be posted to the website in short order. Look for it in the pet health care articles section. I always feel good to have finished these projects because I’m sure that the more info we can get into the pet lovers hands the better. The arthritis seminar is full, but the next one will be held Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 from 6pm till 7:30. The next topic will be Pet First Aid. Sign up soon if you’d like to attend because seating is limited. Don’t worry if you can’t make it this time, we’ll be having one seminar a month on various topics. I think it is a great setting and allows everyone to ask questions and participate. We hold these at the Cat Clinic in the conference room. Join us if you can.

I would also like to shamelessly plug Dr Baker’s puppy socialization hour. Open to clients who have new puppies (under 4 months of age), this is a great opportunity for the puppies to come to the clinic without all the scary stuff. Plus, puppy owners can see that they are not alone- everyone has some puppy behavior problem they’d like help with.

If you have any suggestions for topics you’d like to see, add a comment here or call our office at 309-685-4707 and leave me a message. I’d be happy to hear from you!

By the way, mark your calendars, Open House is only 3 short weeks away. Come help us celebrate the human animal bond, take a tour, meet the staff and doctors, win a door prize and learn a lot. Hope to see you there!

Aren’t They Silly?

Nancy Hayes, DVM — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 13:24:08 +0000

What would we do without the entertainment our pets bring? Even when all else goes wrong, I can always count on my pets to bring a break and some laughter.

Just last night I was chuckling as Ami, our golden, was watching a bug crawl across the floor. She was staked out in the most coveted bed in the room. There are 5 beds, for 5 dogs, but this bed is highly regarded as the prize bed for no reason I’ll ever understand. Because she didn’t want to give up the bed, she crawled and rolled and twisted around so she could see the bug, her ears alert and her brow furrowed as only goldens can do.

Just as the fascinating bug was close enough for a really good look and maybe even a taste, Weeds sauntering in from the other room, strolled up the the bug and ate it! I couldn’t help but laugh as Ami leapt to her feet in dismay. Ami jumped forward and Weeds slipped into the favored bed. All was lost… Poor Ami, I wonder if Weeds had planned it all along.