First Street Veterinary Hospital

Many of you know my large black cat Pokey. He used to be the clinic cat here until he started attacking dogs–not good for public relations! So he came home to live with me–he still attacks dogs but mine usually deserve it. He also has acquired the ultimate bad habit of chasing cars. We live on a cul-de-sac and he will wait a few houses up and then dash out in front of my car, then meander up the driveway in front of me. Well a few weeks ago Katie and I were coming home late on a Saturday and Pokey jumped out in front of us. As we were inching up the driveway at cat pace we heard a bump. We jumped out to look but Pokey was nowhere to be found.

By Monday night we still had not seen him. We put posters up around the neighborhood, went out calling him, looked everywhere we could think. Katie was becoming distraught. Tuesday morning I called Harry Oakes–he is a search and rescue person in Longview, WA. He came down within a couple hours with 2 search and rescue dogs. They immediately got on Pokey’s scent and started tracking. The dogs can tell the difference between live, injured, and dead scent and this was a live scent, not badly injured. We tracked him through a neighbor’s yard, through the park, across a road, through some townhouses and ended at a locked RV parking storage. And there we were stuck. Harry recommended that I leave a urine trail from the RV storage to home (yes–pee in a spray bottle, dilute it, and leave a trail home). He said most animals will eventually follow a trail home in 5-7 days.

That was Tuesday, by Sunday we were starting to lose hope. Katie and I headed to the bus stop Monday morning and guess who was waiting–Pokey! He was limping pretty badly but seemed okay otherwise. So off to the clinic for some xrays. He’s got a fractured pelvis in two places but it is not displaced and should heal without surgery after 4-6 weeks of rest. Otherwise all is okay. So he now lives in my bedroom–in the lap of luxury, no dogs to harass, all the food and water he needs, and me to purr against and try to wake up at odd hours of the night.

Here’s some advice from Harry Oakes: if you have multiple pets comb each one, save the hair in a paper envelope, on the front write down vital information such as name, age, microchip number. Store the envelopes in a dry, cool area. That way if you ever need a scent for a track you have it all ready.  It was really interesting to watch the dogs get on the scent and follow it.

Congratulations to Michael and Diane Sarver. They have won a $100 credit to their veterinary account for referring Hans Lundin and his dog Senna.

Do you want to win also? All you have to do is refer your friends, family and acquaintances to us. When they come in and mention your name, you are entered into a raffle to win $100.

And something new we are instituting–you automatically get a $20 credit placed on your account, and still get the chance to win an additional $100.

So make sure anyone you refer knows your name and lets us know!

Every year the PVMA (Portland Veterinary Medical Association) has held a holiday pet food and supplies drive. This year they have decided to move the drive to February in an effort to spread the giving out a bit. Because of recent large scale rescue efforts and the depletion of community pet food banks, there is a huge need for donations. Recipients of the donations will be the Portland Animal Welfare Team, The Feral Cat Coalition, The Cat Adoption Team, and several other area shelters.

We will have a container in the lobby for anyone that would like to donate.

Items needed:

• unopened dry, canned or pouch foods–any good quality brand
• new or gently used collars, leashes, harnesses
• new dog or cat toys
• new or gently used warm pet clothing–sweatshirts, raingear, etc.
• towels/blankets (no dog or cat beds please)
• over the counter products such as dental/oral care, shampoo and supplements, flea control products
• general pet care supplies
• medications, expired or unexpired, sealed or unsealed

They are not able to take pet carriers, crates or dog houses/igloos.

Please bring the supplies to the clinic any time between now and the end of February and we will deliver them to the PVMA. Thank you in advance for all donations.

Congratulations to Suzie Spencer the winner of our December drawing for referring her Mom Frances Spencer.  Suzie gets $100 credit here at the hospital.

You could win too!  When you refer another client to us, we put your name in a bowl up front by reception.  Then, every month we draw one name and award $100 in hospital credit.  You actually get 3 chances at that drawing–we leave your entry in the bowl for 3 months.

Just let your friends, family or acquaintances know to tell us who referred them to us and we’ll put your name in the bowl.  They win too because their first exam as a new client is only $22.50 per pet!

Click here to give your friend, relative or aquaintance a first visit coupon.

Born 09-09-09! Some lucky puppies. Bred our female first and only time for the benefit of our 9 year old daughters experience of raising and caring for newborn puppies. I wanted my daughter to share what I did as I grew up to be a Veterinarian.

You can arrange to come by my animal hospital in Lake Oswego to view them. First Street Veterinary Hospital 545 First Street, Lake Oswego. 503-697-5600. They are living at home right now, but I can bring them to work with me if I know you’re coming.

Daisy (Female), (you can change the names still, they’re not accustomed yet) is a lover! The first to wag her tail, she was the first born and comes to life when you make eye contact. Very outgoing with the neighbor kids and is used to all the handling.

Dogatella Verpoochy (Female), is the stylin’ one. Has the cutest diamond white patch on her chest. She’s inquisitive and a little sensitive. When the big dogs bark she will run for cover. After play time, she’s the first to want to cuddle.

Both are first stage potty trained…still a few accidents, but hey they’re only 10 weeks old.

If you plan on being one of our clients (and we really hope you do as my daughter would love to keep in touch with the puppies), I’ll give you $50 off your first wellness visit (when needed). Both pups are already de-wormed (twice) and have their first shots (Distemper, Adeno Virus and Parvo).

AKC Purebred Pug Puppies

Wow can you believe it is almost Thanksgiving already! We are quickly filling up for Holiday boarding. So if you have plans away from home that don’t include your pets call soon for reservations. For dogs we have 6 indoor 4′x6′ runs and several large cages. We have lots of soft blankets and dog beds as well so Fido can be comfy and cozy. Our dogs are walked outdoors three times daily (more if needed) and we feed science diet dog food.

For cats we have many cages both large and small–so Fluffy can be comfortable whether he is outgoing or nervous. Our cats are kept upstairs away from the noise of the dogs. We have many cat toys available for hours of enjoyment. Litter boxes are changed twice daily and again we feed science diet cat food.

For boarding animals we require that vaccines are current and will need proof of that from a licensed vet. We can give medications as needed and perform other medical treatments as required as well. And should the weather turn for the worse–Don’t worry–I have a 4 wheel drive and I’m not afraid to use it! So don’t worry–your pets will be taken care of no matter what! My husband and I made many trips in last year even with 4 feet of snow!

The weather really got us, just like many of you too.
We still have to be at the clinic at least twice a day to walk, feed, love, care for and medicate our boarding pets.  The weather hit right at our busiest time of the year.
There were two days where we were the only vet hospital open in town.
We wanted to let people know we were open, so we even put up a “weather alert” on pdxinfo.net.  That’s the site that all the news channels use for their “news flash” tickers along the bottom of their telecasts of “Arctic Blast 08!”
My husband Brian and I would make the trek in twice a day on the weekends.  The day everything started to melt a little we even encountered a fallen tree in Wilderness Park on our way in…good thing my Boy Scout husband decided carrying a chain saw with us that day would be a good idea!  Quick work of a tree and we were on our way.
Speaking of chain saws, we finally did some pruning to our overgrown pear and apple tree in our courtyard.  Maybe this year we won’t get any cold snap in the spring and have really tasty fruit to share…btw you’re always welcome to come by and pluck a fruit off and enjoy.

There are lots of pets up for adoption right now and spring time is when lots of puppies and kittens are born, so I thought I could help with new names.
Naming a new pet can be easy but sometimes it’s hard!!  For example, naming my cat Oreo Cookie was pretty easy because he’s black and white and so are Oreo cookies. A lot of people name black and white pets, Oreo.

If you want a unique name for your pet, think of how soft your pet is or think of how sweet it’s personality is. Like if you had a dog who loves you and will never go any where without you, you could name it something like Angel or Sweetie or if you had a Dalmatian and you really want to name it Sparky but you want your Dalmatian to have a unique name, you could name it Chispa because Chispa means Sparky in Spanish.
If you can’t figure out a name look at this list of names I made up:
Skipper, Angel, Sweetie, Chispa, Princess, Midnight, Licorice, Cutie, Sugar pup, Lacey, Crystal, Champ, Ginger, Scooter, Spice, Buddy, Java Bean, Twinkle, Kit Kat, Pumpkin, Clover,  Pepper, Snow White, Fluffy, Pine, Statue, Squirt, Snowball, Leopard, or Leprechaun. These are all the names I can think of right now.
Bye!

For Christmas we will be closing at 1pm on Wednesday the 24th and be closed through Sunday the 28th, to allow our staff time to be with their families. We will reopen with normal hours on Monday the 29th. We will be closed for New Year’s Day as well. During this time we will have staff taking care of any boarding animals 2-3 times daily. For boarding drop off or pick up on closed days please contact Launie directly to arrange 503-697-5600. This will not be possible on Christmas Day, Sunday, or New Year’s Day.

I will be in San Diego for a veterinary conference October 30th till November 3rd. We will not have a doctor available during this time and will be referring to a neighboring practice. If you have any concerns please call and we can offer advice and referrals as needed.

We will be closed for Thanksgiving and open only for sales and boarding on Friday and Saturday following (no doctor appointments). I will be in Eugene following a long family tradition of making several dozen pounds of dipped chocolates—I promise to bring some to the clinic to share!

Our Christmas schedule is still up in the air and I will keep you advised as we make decisions.

Please keep in mind that during all the holidays we will have boarding available and staff will be in at least twice daily to take care of them. Our boarding fills up very quickly during holiday times so make your reservations early. We will be requiring deposits for our busy times.