Woof! (that’s “hello” in English). My name is Watson, and I’m super excited to be Dogwood’s newest pet of the month. My parents have been taking me to Dogwood since ’02 when I was just a  young pup. Today, I’m 13 years’ old and quite the Casanova. It’s no secret that I have crushes on both Dr. Prull and Nurse Sandy. They love it when I adoringly bat my eyelashes during acupuncture and laser therapy.

my integrative therapy plan includes

• frequent Acupuncture and NEW Laser Therapy to aid healing and decrease pain
• nutritionally rich,  high fiber diet
• NSAIDS to help with pain
• Milk Thistle to support liver health
• Cholodin Supplement to aid cell structure and function

At 10 years’ old, Indy is an incredibly loving, good-natured Labrador receiving  a unique combination of integrative therapy (traditional and natural care) to help her arthritis and pain.

Her integrative therapy plan includes:

• Frequent Acupuncture to aid healing and decrease pain
• Nutritionally rich, high fiber diet
• High grade, veterinary approved/researched Glucosamine in increase mobility
• Pre/Pro Biotics to aid digestion and immunity
• Milk Thistle to support liver health
• NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for pain

Since Indy began her therapy 1 1/2 years ago, she is overall happier and more mobile.

This month’s Pet of the Month is the ever-so-handsome Hunter. Hunter came to us with a leaky bladder this fall. He has a very common kitty ailment–a blocked urethra. He was unable to urinate and his bladder muscles weakened. After several days of treatment including a urinary catheter and muscle relaxants, Hunter’s bladder healed and he began urinating on his own. What a relief! Hunter is eating a therapeutic urinary diet made by Royal Canin to prevent future blockages.

Hunter is not a stranger to healthy eating. His loving owner recently opened Gresham’s first fresh and natural grocery store, Lillian’s Natural Marketplace located on 3rd & Miller.

This month’s Pet of the Month is Lola. She is a 7 year old Chihuahua mix that has been coming to Dogwood since June 2007. Her visits to Dogwood have been great! She is overall a healthy small breed dog coming to us for vaccines, blood tests and almost yearly dental cleanings. You see, like many small breed dogs, Lola suffers from chronic dental disease. Chronic Dental Disease is when there is a build up of tartar and gingivitis (gum disease) leading to 12 tooth extractions! Now with many of the teeth gone that were causing her to be uncomfortable, Lola is doing great and enjoying her summer with her family!

July’s pet of the Month is Eddy, he is a 13-year-old domestic shorthair coming to Dogwood since 2008. Most recently Eddy came in this June, weak and vomiting. We examined and tested his blood, which showed elevated liver values and hyperthyroidism. We started Eddy on the prescription drug Tapazole, a Chinese herb, Long Dan Xie Gan Tang, and a liver supplement. So far so good, Eddy is taking his medicine and on the mend.  How to tell if your cat is hyperthyroid.

Myah is a jovial 7-year-old Welsh Corgi who’s been coming to Dogwood since a spunky pup of 8 weeks. Overall, she’s  been healthy. Myah sees us annually for her wellness exam and when she’s not feeling well. Myah suffers from back pain with the possibility of disk disease. At one point, she visited us twice monthly for acupuncture therapy. Today she is doing much better and is receiving monthly acupuncture treatments for maintenance, eating a veterinary-recommend diet, taking natural supplements, and pain medication as needed. We all look forward to hearing Myah’s friendly “hello” whenever she walks through our door!

This month’s Pet of Month is Morey Tracy. He is just about to turn 10 years old and has been coming to Dogwood since he was adopted from MCAS in 2001. Morey has been very happy and healthy, coming to Dogwood for his annual exams, vaccines and dentals! In January 2010 he came in for his annual exam and his owner was concerned he was losing too much weight. We did full diagnostics including blood tests, urinalysis and x-rays. These all showed his kidneys were enlarged and he was in kidney failure. He began acupuncture appointments and weekly fluid sessions with us at Dogwood. Morey is doing very well and makes us all smile when he enters our lobby! We love you Morey!!!

Cricket

Cricket is our adorable Pet of the Month for many reasons. He will turn 18 this August and has the personality of a kitten! Cricket has been coming to Dogwood Pet Hospital since October 1993! Most of his life he has been healthy with only a few surprises here and there. In December 2008, we ran some blood work on Cricket and found his kidney values were increasing. We changed Cricket’s diet and added some supplements to help bring these values down.  During a recheck exam, we discovered Cricket’s blood pressure was high!  Yes, cats get high blood pressure too!  Lately, Cricket has been having some breathing problems, and we’ve had to supplement him with oxygen and take chest x-rays.  Currently, Cricket is doing great!