National Train Your Dog Month
Written by Sabrina Reed, CVT, Fear-Free Certified, Director of Behavioral Services
Materials courtesy of Family Paws Parent Education: https://www.familypaws.com
Last month, we celebrated National Train Your Dog Month. Sabrina Reed, CVT, our Director of Behavioral Services, has prepared a few tips and resources for you.
Dogs and Children
Training your dog is important. In addition to teaching your dog basic manners, training allows you to create a happy, healthy bond between you and your dog. Keep in mind that this bond may not always come as easily between dogs and young children. Normal child behavior can be scary, overwhelming, or confusing to some dogs. Kate Anders, CPDT-KSA, CBCC, CDBC, of Pretty Good Dog, specializes in the child-dog dynamics and helping families thrive with both children and dogs in the household. She also teaches the Dogs and Storks workshop monthly to help expecting and adopting families with dogs prepare for life with a baby.
To learn more, we encourage you to visit these sites:
http://www.prettygooddog.com/
https://www.familypaws.com/our-programs/
Choosing A Trainer
It is important to choose a dog trainer that fits the needs of you and your dog. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior has a list of recommendations to help you choose the right one: https://avsab.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/How_to_Choose_a_Trainer_AVSAB.pdf
We have created a list of trainers that we recommend in the Twin Cities based on these guidelines. If you would like a copy of this list, please reach out to us at (651) 645-2808 or group@stfrancisabh.com.
Employee Spotlight: Elizabeth Gunter, CVT
Each month, we will spotlight one of our team members in order of years of service at St. Francis Animal Hospital.
Liz joined St. Francis Animal Hospital in 2007 after graduating with an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in Veterinary Technology from Globe College. She is a Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT). In addition to her technician duties at St. Francis, she has served as our lead Client Service Representative since 2010 and our Director of Hospice & Palliative Care Services since 2017.
Her professional interests include hospice and palliative care, Traditional Chinese Veterinary Medicine, pain management, and laboratory services.
She is actively involved with our Integrative Services department and is at the forefront of developing our Hospice & Palliative Care services at St Francis. She recently earned her Hospice & Palliative Care Certificate from the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA).
Outside of St. Francis, she has her Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Medical Laboratory Technology and is certified through the American Society for Clinical Pathology.
She has been a regular volunteer at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center for the past 1½ years.
She lives with her son, Derek; one cat, Cookie Monster; and two dogs, Floki and Jeloni. She enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and friends.
Why do you love being a veterinary technician?
I love being a veterinary technician because I love caring for animals and assisting clients in helping them care for their pets.
Why do you love working at St. Francis Animal Hospital?
I truly believe that we are the best and we are always striving to improve our practice. All of the doctors and staff are here for the right reasons — they truly care about their patients and clients.
New Protection for Your Cat: Revolution Plus
We are very excited to introduce Revolution Plus for cats starting March 1st! Revolution Plus not only protects your cat against heartworm disease, fleas, ear mites, roundworms and hookworms, but now it adds protection against three species of ticks: the black legged or deer tick, the Gulf Coast tick and the American dog tick.
Revolution Plus is a safe, FDA-approved 6 in 1 parasite preventative. Revolution Plus is applied topically between the shoulder blades once per month.
It is safe for cats over 8 weeks old and over 2.8 lbs body weight. In addition to selamectin, Revolution Plus contains sarolaner. Sarolaner provides protection against ticks and adds a unique dual action against both fleas and ear mites.
Side effects are rare, but may include lethargy and anorexia. Revolution Plus should be used in caution with patients with a history of neurological disorders.
Overall, Revolution Plus offers the same safety as Revolution but with much better protection for your cat.
Since intestinal parasites and fleas can occur in indoor cats and approximately 1 in 4 cats with heartworm disease are classified as indoor cats, we’re excited to bring you even better protection for both outdoor and indoor cats!
Laura Berg, CVT, Director of Preventative Care Services
News Briefs
Women’s Press Magazine: Favorite Animal Hospital
Thank you to everyone who voted in the Women’s Press Magazine’s What Women Want survey. We are honored to be voted your Favorite Animal Hospital or Veterinarian!
A complete list of winners will be listed in the May issue of Women’s Press Magazine.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Jennifer Blair, DVM, CVA, CVFT, CTPEP for earning her Certified TCVM Palliative and End-Of-Life Practitioner certification from the Chi Institute.
Congratulations to Elizabeth Gunter, CVT for earning her Animal Hospice & Palliative Care Certificate.
Progress 2019
St Francis Integrative Services was featured in February in the Lillie Suburban Newspapers’ Progress 2019 issue: “St Francis Integrative Services Offers New Ways Of Healing For Animal Companions”.
We are so happy to be able to offer these tools to help the loved ones in your family.