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Visit our website often to keep up with all the news about Avondale. We'll keep you up-to-date with all the news concerning our hospital, our doctors, and the latest procedures being offered to keep your pet healthy and happy.
Just click below to watch the KCCI, Channel 8 video of "Bear, the 3-Legged Dog" which recently covered a story about Avondale Veterinary Healthcare Complex!
The CAPS Communicator Newsletter - Spring 2007
"Angel" Experience Reflects Generosity of Many ~ CAPS provides last-chance care for abandoned puppy found shot
In mid-December in a Fairfield, Iowa field, Elsie Evans and her neighbor, CAPS member, Colette Guay-Brezner tried to coax a frightened, Samoyed-mix puppy to take some food. The dog had been seen running in the area for a few weeks and was malnourished, yet she shied from the women trying to help her with some canned dog food and treats. Two days later, the two Iowa women found the dog lying in the field, shot and left for dead - or left to die.
Days later, the veterinarian who performed the orthopedic surgery on the dog postulated on his patient's history. "We think the puppy had been abandoned. That it had been seen circling the area for weeks suggests strongly it had not wandered there on its own from home, but had been dropped in the area where it was found," said Dr. Kyle Malter of the Avondale Animal Hospital in Des Moines. Dr. Malter called the female white puppy - estimated to be about six months old based on the presence of adult teeth - "Angel".
NOT AN ACCIDENT
Dr. Malter detailed Angel's condition when she arrived at the hospital. "Both right legs had been hit with a single shot. The projectile shattered the bone of the front leg, exited and embedded in the rear leg, which suffered a compound fracture of the tibia. While the majority of the projectile remained in the rear leg, there were fragments of the projectile in her abdomen, near the thorax. We can't confirm the caliber of the projectile. It was open hunting season, but we can't say for certain a hunter shot Angel, because the impact of the shot suggests is was from a high-powered rifle, not a shotgun or rifle normally used by game hunters. However, there is little doubt the shot was intentional, and it was a shot meant to kill the dog."
A CONCERTED EFFORT
When Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Guay-Brezner had gone back to the field on Saturday, December 16, with dog food to help the puppy that had eluded them for two days previously, they found the dog standing briefly, then she dropped stiffly to her side. "There was a lot of blood," said Mrs. Suay-Brezer, "so we couldn't tell what the injury was at the time." Carefully , they transported the injured puppy to the Fairfield Veterinary Clinic, where a staffer opened the facility to provide emergency care. There, Angel received injections of antibiotic and cortisone, was cleaned up and bandaged, and provided water and rest. On Monday, the attending veterinarian had read X-rays and recommended Angel be euthanized, since the front leg, decomposing, required amputation and the back leg would require major repair surgery. Seeking help to avoid the dog's euthanasia, Mrs. Guay-Brezner, who fosters kittens for the Noah's Ark Animal Foundation, contacted a board member of that group, who also was a principal of Neighborhood Cats, a group that targets the capture, neutering, and fostering of stray cats. Together, they considered options for help. Mrs. Guay-Brezner E-mailed CAPS president, Deborah Howard, about the dire situation hoping that CAPS could suggest a practical solution for the needed surgery, based on the organization's experience with animal rescue. "Within hours," related Mrs. Guay-Brezer, "Ms. Howard had gotten back to me advising that CAPS would cover the cost of the surgery needed to save the dog. So my husband and I covered the expenses at the Fairfield Clinic, and my associate at Noah's Ark personally covered the expense of transporting Angel to Avondale in Des Moines, 120 miles northwest of Fairfield, where the attending veterinarian recommended we transfer her."
A STOIC ANIMAL
When Avondale Animal Hospital received Angel, she was emaciated and septic. "Her front leg was necrotic," said Dr. Malter. "We fluid-loaded her to stabilize her, and prepared her for surgery. Her stats were good through the amputation of the front right leg, but while we were preparing the back leg for surgical repair, Angel's heart stopped. We did CPR and administered emergency drugs. It was probably a thrombolitic embolism - a loose blood clot, and a surgeon's worst nightmare. She was a stoic animal, a sweet dog, amazingly stable. It was a heartbreak for all of us to lose her."
The puppy that likely was abandoned by her owner, then left to die by a shootist, was given another chance at life by strangers who came together to help save the animal. "Ms. Howard was very willing to help this dog, after being advised the cost of major surgery for multiple injuries and hospitalization could run from $2,000 to $2,500. And we gave this patient the best care we could. With help from so many, including those animal friends in Fairfield who helped get her her, this patient probably received better care in the last few days of her life than all the rest of her life," summed Dr. Malter, who himself owns a three-legged retriever-mix named "Annie" that he adopted from Animal Lifeline in Des Moines. Angel's tragic story appeared in the "Des Moines Register" newspaper the first of January, prompting much compassionate feedback from readers. But the article implied that CAPS was involved with Angel only after her death. "We needed someone to be responsible for this animal, and Ms. Howard stepped up," explained Mrs. Guay-Brezer. "Angel wouldn't even had made it to Des Moines for a chance for recovery without the offer to help from CAPS. And it was very kind of her to give me the option of dealing with Angel's remains." She added that Angel was cremated, with the remains spread in a pet cemetery in Des Moines. (Ms. Howard added that the Avondale Animal Hospital supported the effort to save Angel by generously discounting the cost of the hospital's veterinary care.) "Although Angel didn't survive, there was generosity, caring and willingness demonstrated by several people," Dr. Malter concluded. "Especially because it doesn't have a happy ending, it is admirable that CAPS is sharing Angel's story to help raise awareness."
The following member profile is from the latest issue of the Pet Services Journal:
Avondale Pet Resort
Reservation and Occupancy Rules : Credit card required to hold reservations; 48-hour cancellation notice required for peak times (Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks, Memorial Day through Labor Day, and Spring Break) and 24 hours the remainder of the year; Overbooked during peak seasons by about 10%, extra cages in the hospital handle any overflow; Suite occupancy averages 90%, with a year-round waiting list No. of Dog Enclosures: 87 indoor runs, 9 themed vacation suites No. of Cat Enclosures: 27 No. of Employees: Six full-time & 10 part-time for the Pet Resort, 3 full-time & 2 part-time veterinarians as well as 20 full- and part-time veterinary technicians and support staff (including receptionists, child care providers, a bookkeeper and a maintenance man)
Entrance Requirements for Dogs: Pre-entrance exam, current (within 2 years) rabies, distemper/parvo, bordatella, and fecal test every six months. Entrance Requirements for Cats: Pre-entrance exam, current (annually) rabies and FVRCP, and fecal test once a year.
Technology: Veterinary software – Cornerstone – which includes a boarding and grooming module. It allows staff to see what’s scheduled throughout the facility, and it gives clients the benefit of all services on one invoice. Pet Portal, via website (www.avondalevet.com), clients can complete information sheets, but they cannot make reservations online at this time.
Retail: Very small area in lobby with rawhides, West Paw toys, and a few grooming supplies Media: Coverage on local TV, including ABKA’s work to airlift of dogs after Hurricane Katrina. More than 30 dogs arrived at Avondale. Most went on to other kennels, but Avondale did adopt out 10 dogs to new homes.
Avondale Animal Hospital opened in 1973 with Dr. Jim Wistrom at the helm. It served both small and large animals. Woodruff joined the veterinary practice in 1974 and two years later became a partner. In 1984, the large-animal portion of the practice was sold off. And, in 1986, Woodruff became the sole owner. In 1989, Woodruff oversaw a major renovation, which included additional exam rooms, offices, a central treatment area and expanded lobby. After many kennel visits, he undertook a second expansion in 1997, and that’s how the current Avondale Veterinary Healthcare Complex came to be. The large L-shaped facility encompasses:
· Avondale Animal Hospital · Avondale Cat Hospital · Avondale Grooming · Avondale Pet Resort
· Avondale Child Care
The Pet Resort sits between the main veterinary hospital and the cat hospital and has its own entrance and reception. Inside the lobby, there is a large mural of dogs, dressed as people, checking into a resort, with an Afghan hound as desk clerk. Quarry tiles cover the floor and up onto the front desk, along with copper colored tiles cased with various dog breeds. There is an exam room, food prep kitchen, and a laundry and supply room between the lobby and atrium.
A small waterfall provides ambient noise to keep the dogs in the nine vacation suites lining the large atrium from hearing every little noise. Another mural above the water fall shows dogs enjoying vacations in Paris, Hawaii, and Las Vegas. An award-winning local artist, John Neal, painted both murals. The 5 x 8 foot vacation suites, lining the atrium, have walls that extend up eight feet, but above that, they are open. The suites include radiant-heated tile floors, one window, a bench, a Kuranda bed, a TV, and a small fan. Inside the main kennel area, or “dorm rooms,” there are Horst custom kennels, 18-24 square feet each. The kennels have durable, easy-to-clean polyethylene side panels and galvanized chain link doors. Each one holds a Kuranda bed. The sealed concrete floors have radiant heat. There is an Acco concrete polymer drain at the rear of each run. Staff manually flushes those drains three or four times per day with a gate valve. Each of three exits features double gates. Staff exercise dogs in either the large yard, which is surrounded by a six-foot privacy fence, or they leash walk them along wood-chipped paths around the 1.6-acre property.
Staff uses Health Technology’s Triple Two and Cage & Kennel Cleaner, along with Kennel Odor Eliminator as needed. Staff uses a wall-mounted SMT pressure washer, with a 50-foot hose, to clean. “It’s almost like using a car wash wand, with the chemicals pre-loaded,” Thiel explains. The facility also includes commercial laundry equipment – one washer, one dryer – that can do three or four normal machine loads at one time. Thiel keeps a regular washer and dryer in another room as a backup. Thiel says, “In hindsight, drains in the suites would be a huge help. Also, we could use more natural light and storage in the kennel area.”
Policies:
Avondale’s pre-entrance procedures require all pets to receive a brief wellness exam by one of the complex’s veterinarians or veterinary technicians. The check covers eyes, ears, teeth, skin and coat, heart and lungs, and such. Heartworm and flea protection are not required, but strongly encouraged. Pets that arrive with fleas receive a Capstar tablet to kill fleas. “They may also receive a Frontline spray treatment,” Thiel adds.
In addition to vaccination requirements, Avondale requires fecal exams for feline guests once a year and for canine guests every six months. “That’s one thing that’s different here,” Thiel explains. “We’re so much stricter with fecals than most kennels.”
Pets are fed twice a day, or as the client requests. Avondale feeds Purina EN, Iams Mini Chunk or Eukanuba low residue foods. Food from home is also welcome. To make medication handling easier, staff uses day-of-the-week pill minder boxes. Front desk staff loads each slot when pets arrive. “It’s especially helpful if the pet is on several medications,” Thiel says. “It saves fumbling with lots of pill bottles and provides a way to double-check that meds were given, in case the staff member forgets to initial the pet’s cage card.”
Kennel staff leash walk each
dog three times a day. High energy dogs and dogs from the same family can play
in the fenced yard. Individual playtimes come with a vacation suite stay. All
dogs who spend two or more nights receive a courtesy hydrosurge bubble bath on
the morning of departure. Full service grooming is also available with one of
two groomers – one has more than 25 years experience and the other specializes
in the FURminator treatment, which reduces shedding. “Rather than special
programs or promotions,” Thiel says, “we market our resort as all-inclusive.
Rather than charging extra for a bed, leash walks, medication administration,
bathing or nail trims, our rates are based on offering all the extras in one
simple rate.” Thiel recommends, however, setting peak-time and off-peak pricing,
which at Avondale is a difference of about $10 for a weekend stay.
Because of the close relationship between the hospitals and the resort, staff has the opportunity to observe procedures and learn more about pet healthcare. “They are, then, better able not only to recognize problems in boarders, but also feel ore confident providing care for special needs pets,” Thiel says. Some clients even schedule surgery during a pet’s stay at the resort. That can include everything from routine spays/neuters and dentals on up to complicated orthopedic surgery, where confinement and strict leash walking are part of the recovery process. Avondale staff also has access to onsite childcare, which just recently opened up to a few kids from the community. It’s been open since 1997, and on any given day six or eight kids take part. The cost of childcare varies from employee to employee – based on the hours worked per week.
Other Staff Notes:
A local high school pre-vet tech program and Carlisle High School’s Multi-Occupational Career class are great sources of employees for Avondale. New and experience staff team up for on-the-job training during a new person’s first few shifts. Thiel also uses ABKA’s educational programs to train new staff. Raises are linked to completion of these programs. Full-time team members also take part in monthly complex-wide sales incentive programs. Thiel manages the resort staff and is a member of the management team that oversees the entire complex. Full-time team leaders for the front staff and kennel staff help with training, oversight and inventory duties as well. “While turnover has been a problem in previous years,” Thiel admits, “it has been greatly reduced over the past two years as most current employees are in their 20s to 40s. We are very lucky to have several long-term employees. Two of Avondale’s current veterinarians worked here as kennel staff or technician positions since college.”
Teamwork efforts encompass professional education, lunches or dinners with training included, and community events – like taking part in the local Susan G. Komen Foundation Race for the Cure run and walk each October.
Big Picture:
Thiel laments about missing the “days of lazy summers and holidays,” but she credits a good workout routine with keeping her sane. “About five years ago, I discovered that exercise is a great way to combat the stress,” she says. “My family tells me I’m a nicer person after a trip to the gym, after work.” Still, she got what she came for – relationships with longtime clients and the great people she’s met through ABKA.
Roxanne Hawn is a freelance writer in Golden, Colorado, specializing in animal-related and lifestyle topics. She’s a regular contributor to the American Animal Hospital Association’s TRENDS magazine and to ABKA’s Pet Services Journal.
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