AMC's February 2012 Newsletter

Quick Links to AMC’s February Articles

1.   Announcements (see below)

2.   “Staff Spotlight” - Dawn Kelly DVM, Relief Veterinarian 

3.   A Blast from the Past

4.   "Ask the Vet"- Dr. Susan Barrows - The Benefits of Bringing in a Fecal Sample

5.  Feature Article - Spaying and Neutering Exotic Pets by Dr. K

6.  Product Spotlight of the Month - Iverhart and Profender Dewormers 

7. Closing Thoughts...

Announcements –


Effective immediately AMC can no longer offer credit to our valued clients; we will require payment at the time of services and/or pet supply purchases.  AMC takes Visa, Master Card, Discover and Care Credit cards as well as checks and cash for your convenience.  Please respect this decision and allow us to operate our practice optimally.

§       Staff Celebrating Anniversaries in February Diane, AMC’s Practice Manager, is celebrating her 5^th year anniversary this month; how time flies when you’re having fun, and we certainly are!!  And Michelle, a Vet Assistant at AMC, is celebrating her 4^th anniversary.  (Michelle works part time while finishing up her pre-vet studies at MSU.  Congratulations Michelle!!)  And not to miss out…Laura, Vet Tech, celebrated her 8^th anniversary in December and Julie, Sr Certified Vet Tech, celebrated 9 years in November and also became a new “mommy” in December!!  Congratulations to all!

§         Our very own Noah Lindgren, Vet Tech here at AMC, will have his photographs on display at the Sola Café for the months of February and March.  This event will benefit the Bozeman Nature Conservancy.  An artist’s reception will be held on Friday, February 3^rd from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m.  The subjects of Lindgren’s art mirror his diversity in interests and evokes a feeling of wonder and adventure unique to the wild areas of these United States.

Peet's Hill

Staff Spotlight - Dr. Dawn Kelly - Relief Veterinarian

Dr. Kelly graduated from the University of Minnesota with her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. Prior to going to vet school she spent a year at the University of Glasgow in Scotland where she studied Veterinary Science after graduating from MSU with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology.  Dr. Kelly has a large extended family here in Montana and enjoys spending time with family, reading and going to movies.

The following will give you a little more insight into Dr. Kelly’s personality:

What is the most exciting change you’ve seen in veterinary medicine?  Better pain control methods with fewer side effects.

Who was your most memorable patient?  Cole, a golden retriever…HBC with femur and pelvic fracture…sweetest dog ever!


What makes a good veterinarian?  Common sense, empathy and patience.

What was the best professional advice you ever received?  Document communication with owner.

What would you advise a new graduate?  Stay calm but efficient in an emergency.

Are you a cat, dog or exotic person?  Dog and cat.

Do you have a bad habit?  Impatience.

What do you consider the greatest threat to the profession?  Rising school debt.

Which animal health needs are currently unmet?  Inexpensive, comprehensive diagnosis.

What changes in veterinary medicine do you hope will occur in the next 100 years?  Veterinary hospitals set up more like human hospitals.  Central lab, radiology with surrounding individual doctor offices.


What part of your work do you enjoy most?  Interpreting diagnosis and problem solving.

What would you have liked to do if you hadn’t become a veterinarian?  Human Doctor.

Key to balancing your roles in personal, family, career and health matters:  Say no every once in a while.

Dream job:  Travel guide around the world.

To relax:  Go to movies in almost empty theater, massage, reading.

Are roller coasters deadly or exciting:  Exciting.

Thunderstorms cool or scary:   Cool.

Favorite quote:   “Breathe, life is not an emergency”.

If you could meet one person in the world, who would it be:   Ann Rice.

As a child, desired career:  Doctor.

Greatest experience ever:  Traveling around Europe by myself.

Most humiliating moment:  Falling in front of gym full of people.

Favorite thing to do on a weekend:  Read and go to a movie.

Are you a morning person:   No.

Are you a righty, lefty, or ambidextrous:  Right.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live:  Victoria, BC.

I don’t want to go anywhere without my:  Book.

Nickname:   Dawny.

Pets:   2 cats – Ink and Mobe.

Hobbies:   Reading, Skiing, Movies.

Book you’re currently reading:  The Hunger Games Series, Abraham Lincoln – Vampire Hunter.

Favorite meal:  Alaskan King Crab & Steak.

Favorite snack:  Rice Krispie Treats.

Favorite beverage:   Iced Tea.

Chocolate or vanilla:   Vanilla.

How do you eat an oreo:  Take apart and eat the middle first.

Dream car:   Atudi TT.

What is your favorite book?  Anything by Sara Douglas.

What is your favorite song(s)?  Nights in White Satin – Moody Blues.

Favorite tv shows:  Bones.

Favorite movies:   Singing in the Rain.

Favorite type of music:   Anything except Rap.

Favorite holiday:  Thanksgiving.

"A Blast From the Past"

“Blast From the Past”- As AMC celebrates it’s 20^th Anniversary in business this year we’d like to share a little of our history with you each month. 

In 2003, Whittier School’s 4^th grade teacher, Ellen Anderson, asked each student to draw an ad for a Bozeman business.  Julia Petroff drew one for AMC and it appeared in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle on March 5^th, 2003.  She chose AMC because of her love for animals.  That same year she helped raise money for the Heart of the Valley animal shelter.  Julia is currently attending MSU and still has a house full of pets, including cats, dogs, a turtle and chinchilla.  We’d like to thank Julia for sharing her 9 year old advertisement with our clients.

"Ask the Vet" - Dr. Susan Barrows

The Benefits of Bringing In A Fecal Sample

During the month of February AMC is offering fecal sample testing for $28 versus $40.  That’s a 30% discount.


Parasite screening is a very important part of a thorough health care program for our precious pets and for us and family members that live with them.  Internal parasites such as roundworms and tapeworms infect our dogs, cats, rabbits, birds and other animals, which then shed parasite eggs in the environment through the feces.  (Photo at right from wellsphere.com)

Humans can become infected by parasites by ingestion of infective eggs and by penetration through skin by larvae living in the soil. Children, elderly people, and people who are imunocompromised are at greatest risk of infection by parasites carried by pets.

Most cases of infection in humans can be prevented by washing hands after handling pets and their feces, keeping children out of uncovered sandboxes, and picking up pet feces on lawns.  In addition, regular deworming of outdoor dogs and cats is advised. 

Fresh fecal examinations help us determine if a pet harbors parasites.  Many animals appear normal yet are often infected by roundworms, tapeworms, coccidia, or giardia.  Infections usually result in parasite eggs being passed in the feces.  One female roundworm can produce 100,000 eggs per day which may remain infective in the environment for years to come.  We perform a specialized test on fecal samples that help us determine if parasites are present, what type they are, and the severity of the problem. 

When we request a fecal sample from your pet please make sure it is as fresh as possible and put a teaspoon or more in a closed container to keep it moist. If you cannot bring the sample in right away refrigeration is best.  Drying or freezing of a sample can destroy any eggs and invalidate the test.  Bird feces can be collected on saran wrap placed on the bottom of the cage and placed in a zip lock bag for transport.  If your bird is being seen by our veterinarian we can usually collect a fresh sample at the time of the visit.  If your pet has intermittent diarrhea, a sample of the loose stool is best for testing.  A fecal screening test for parasites may be done at your request without a doctor’s visit.  Samples should not be submitted on Saturdays.

Intestinal parasites can cause vomiting, diarrhea, poor hair coat, itching, weight loss and lethargy in pets.  Infections in humans may lead to serious health problems including gastrointestinal, visual and neurological disease.  Fecal testing and regular dewormings are recommended to prevent health problems in our animals and transmission of disease from pets to humans.

And remember this test checks for certain parasites (ie. coccidia), parasite eggs and giardia, as well, that the regular dewormers don’t eliminate.

Spaying and Neutering Exotic Pets

Catching Up With Dr. Klaphake “Dr. K”

As most of you know Dr. K left AMC at the end of November 2011 to pursue one of his life long passions.  He is currently working as an associate veterinarian at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, Colorado.  From time-top-time we’d like to share some of his archived articles with you.

Exotic Animal Spays and Neuters by Eric Klaphake, DVM, DABVP (Avian), DACZM

As with dogs and cats, many exotic pets can be neutered or spayed.  Often this can be for the same purposes of dogs and cats for behavior modification, reproduction avoidance, and specific disease prevention. Likewise, spays and neuters are MAJOR surgeries, so anesthetic and surgical complications can occur (though rare), including death. These procedures and post-operative management recommendations need to be taken seriously. We recommend a new pet examination for all exotics, and particularly with rabbits and rodents, this can be helpful to have a professional definitively determine the sex of your pet by examination or more advanced techniques to avoid (or promote) successful reproductive activity.

·         Ferrets—98% of all ferrets in the pet trade are already spayed or neutered and de-scented too. The ones from Marshall Farms have two blue dots tattooed in one ear to indicate this. Other ferrets should be assessed by your exotic animal veterinarian to determine the likelihood of having had the procedure done. Vulvar (reproductive area) swelling in females, less than one year of age, suggests lack of or incomplete spaying and is an immediate health hazard if she is not bred or brought out of cycle. Older females with vulvar swelling suggest adrenal gland disease and need a veterinary visit soon, though it is not an emergency.

·         Rabbits—we recommend all females be spayed due to the high incidence of uterine cancer. Neutering and spaying can also help reduce or avoid behavioral problems. Some testicular cancers have been seen in older rabbits by Dr. Klaphake, but generally are rare.

·         Rats—we recommend neutering to reduce or avoid behavioral problems between males and to avoid unwanted babies. Spaying females at a very early age has been shown to greatly reduce their risk of breast cancer.

·         Guinea Pigs, Chinchillas, Sugar Gliders and other small rodents—we recommend neutering to reduce, or avoid, behavioral problems between males and to avoid unwanted babies. We do not recommend routine spaying, as these are not generally good anesthetic candidates for this longer procedure, since placement of a tracheal tube is usually not possible.

·         Reptiles—the only species we routinely recommend prophylactic spaying in, is Green Iguanas to prevent egg-binding. Neutering male iguanas has helped curb aggression in some individuals but may take time to reach full effect in mature adults; sometimes 1-2 years after surgery. Female turtles are often reported to have egg binding issues in other parts of the country, and world wide, but it does not seem to be an issue in Montana.

Product ☼ Spotlight of the Month

Profender and Iverhart Dewormer for Cats and Dogs 

Profender Dewormer for cats is a fast-acting, topical dewormer used to treat and control intestinal parasites in cats, such as hookworms, tapeworms and roundworms. Not only is Profender easy to use, safe and effective, it also works in a single-dose capacity so there is no need for that pesky second dose! Once Profender encounters your cat's skin, it rapidly enters the bloodstream and travels to the intestines, controlling and eliminating unwanted parasites.

Iverhart Dewormer for Dogs - For years, dog owners have protected their pets from heartworms, and roundworms with IVERHART PLUS^® Flavored Chewables. Now, IVERHART MAX^® takes this powerful, proven treatment to the next level to give your pet the most complete protection available against heartworms and roundworms and now, tapeworms. Easy to give. Once a month will keep your dog safe and healthy...for life.  Before starting your dogs on IVERHART they must have a heartworm blood test (HWT) to ensure they aren’t already infected with heartworms.  It’s usually cheaper, even with the extra cost of the HWT, to have your dogs on IVERHART, year-round, than using a dewormer given every six months.

Closing Thoughts...

AAHA’s Newsletter “PetsMatter” – You can click on the following link to view the monthly newsletter “Pets Matter”.  http://www.healthypet.com/petcare/PetsMatter/Default.aspx?type=AA

Facebook Specials – Become a Friend and check out AMC’s Monthly Specials on our Facebook Page.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Animal-Medical-CenterBozeman/443974645440

AMC Becomes AAHA Accredited Once Again – Only 15 percent of all small animal veterinary practices in the U.S. have achieved accreditation by the American Animal Hospital Association. “Animal Medical Center belongs to a select group of practices that are committed to meeting the standard of veterinary excellence,” says Gregg Takashima, DVM, AAHA president. “AAHA hospitals pass a stringent evaluation of over 900 standards covering patient care, client service and medical protocols. In order to maintain accredited status, Animal Medical Center must continue to be evaluated regularly by the association’s consultants.  By attaining accreditation, Animal Medical Center is demonstrating its dedication to offering the best care to it’s patients and clients.”

CareCredit’s Payment Plans Are Now Even Better – No-Interest Plans are available for either six months (under $300.00) or twelve months (over $300.00) as long as the required minimum monthly payments are made, on time. Ask our Front Office Assistants for additional information. Or you can go directly to http://www.carecredit.com/  and apply online.