Save the Date: St. Francis Animal Hospital’s 30th Anniversary Open House!
We are celebrating our 30th year of providing veterinary care to Roseville and our surrounding communities! Please come to our Open House on Sunday, September 18th from 1 pm to 4 pm to help us celebrate! We’ll have giveaways, educational demonstrations, fun activities for kids, and tours of both St. Francis Animal Hospital and Integrative Services. Because there will be a lot of people in attendance, we ask that pets please stay home, but we promise there will be goodies to bring home to them.
Traveling With Your Pet
Many families bring their pets along with them when they travel in the summer, whether that means trips up to the cabin or flying across the country. Traveling with your pet can be so fun, but it’s even better when you are properly prepared! Here are a few things to consider before, during, and after you have traveled:
Before travel:
- Make sure that your pet’s identification is up-to-date. Check their ID tags on their collar to be sure you have an accurate phone number and address. If your pet is microchipped, be sure that the microchip company has your updated contact information. If you aren’t sure what your pet’s microchip number is, ask your veterinary clinic to scan the chip and provide you with the number. Microchips are the best way to ensure that a lost pet is returned to their family, but only if the contact information associated with the chip is accurate!
- Double check that your pet has had all of their core vaccines and travel with a copy of their vaccination records. You never know when you might suddenly need to have your pet boarded. It is far more convenient to board your pet when they have all of their necessary immunizations rather than needing to find a vet who can vaccinate your pet on short notice.
- If your pet takes medications, make sure you have enough medication to get your pet through the trip. If you need refills, request them several days in advance of leaving home so you aren’t scrambling to get a last-minute refill or trying to find a pharmacy to fill medications out of town. Don’t forget about once-monthly heartworm or flea/tick preventatives that might be due while you are traveling!
- Double check the requirements of the places you will be staying with your pet. Some facilities require specific vaccines, up-to-date fecal parasite screening, and/or restrictions on the size, number, or species of pets that can stay there.
- If your pet is an anxious traveler, consider asking your veterinarian for suggestions about supplements, pheromone sprays, or medications that could make travel less stressful for them.
During travel:
- Give plenty of opportunities for bathroom breaks. Even the best-trained pets can sometimes need to urinate or defecate more often than usual while traveling. It’s ideal to let a pet have a potty break every 2 hours while driving if possible.
- Keep some familiar items from home around to help them feel more comfortable. Crates/kennels and bedding that smell like home can help new spaces feel more cozy.
- If possible, try to keep to a schedule that your pet finds familiar. Pets like predictability and often have a good sense of when their mealtimes and waking/sleeping schedules usually occur. Sticking to the usual timing can help provide comfort when everything else is different from the norm.
- Some species of pets, such as pocket pets and birds, are sensitive to changes in water flavor. Consider utilizing bottled water or bringing some water from home so that they are more likely to continue to drink well during travel.
- Be mindful that travel is a stressor, and even normally well-behaved dogs can struggle with meeting new dogs or people when they are outside their usual routine. Protect your dog from bad interactions and limit how much you are asking them to socialize until they get used to their new surroundings.
Traveling with your pet is a wonderful way to bond and create memories together! Have a safe and adventure-filled summer!
Employee Spotlight: Jessie Pudil, CVT
Jessie is one of our Certified Veterinary Technicians. She grew up in Minneapolis, went to NDSU for a short time, and then moved to St. Paul to start a family. She has 2 children, 3 cats, and two dogs (a rottweiler named Shamrock and an English Mastiff named Pebbles). She loves to play board games, especially Monopoly, every chance she gets!
What is your favorite aspect of veterinary medicine?
I knew from a very young age that I wanted to go into veterinary medicine, and like most in this field I wanted to be a vet. Through the years, I learned that being a veterinary technician was my true calling. I graduated from Globe University in December of 2013 and have been loving the vet tech life ever since. I would say that my favorite part of veterinary medicine is making bonds with each patient that comes through and educating their people. Though I enjoy all of the bigger dogs, my heart is with the black and tan babies. I love having conversations with all the fur babies that visit us every day! Honestly, what’s better than having a furry friend to snuggle with when you are having a rough day? Love it!
What do you think is special about St. Francis? Why do you love working here?
I started here at St. Francis in April of 2020- why not change jobs in the middle of a pandemic? I would have to say that I am glad that I did. I love how nice everyone is, how understanding, and just the feeling that it is a family. Truly a home away from home. Everyone here is also willing to help you, some even know when you need help without you even knowing you needed the help! An added bonus is that our clients are amazing as well. I have never worked in a place that the owner cared so much about her employees. What an awesome place to work!
A message to the LGBTQIA+ members of our community:
We love our jobs not only because we love animals, but because we love animal people. We get front row seats watching the bonds that you have with your pets, the unconditional love you share, and the special connections that form when you are a caregiver to a beloved animal.
We also love that we get to see families of all types who share their lives with animals, and want to be clear that no matter your sexual orientation, gender identity, or family structure, we affirm the importance of your role in our lives and in the lives and care of your pets. We strive to always create a safe, supportive, compassionate environment at St. Francis for every client.
We also want to see veterinary medicine continue to expand the roles and amplify the voices of those in the LGBTQIA+ community, and are showing our support through a donation to the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine student organization VOICE (Veterinarians as One Inclusive Community for Empowerment). VOICE is a chapter of PrideVMC, an organization dedicated to creating a better world for the LGBTQ+ veterinary community. They do wonderful work!
If you’re also feeling generous this Pride month, please donate to an LGBTQ+ organization of your liking. It’s a great way to celebrate Pride!
Here are a few excellent options:
- https://centerforblackequity.org/
- https://itgetsbetter.org/
- https://www.familyequality.org/ig/
- https://pointfoundation.org/
- https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
Upcoming Clinic Closures
We will be closed for the upcoming holidays:
Saturday, July 2nd through Monday, July 4th (Fourth of July)
Saturday, September 3rd through Monday, September 5th (Labor Day Weekend)