Telos Companion Animal Services, LLC

12/26/2025

Animal Care Olby Leads Successful Effort to Define Diagnostic Criteria for Dogs with Dementia Dr. Natasha Olby’s research — in partnership with Dr. Margaret Gruen — has led to ways to measure mental decline in dogs, and in August she convened an international group of experts to develop guidel...

12/24/2025

Hi there! 👋

Holidays are prime time for pet emergencies!

If you’ve a pet that’s your responsibility right now, & you feel like something isn’t quite right or they’ve eaten something they’re not supposed to, you already know pivoting *might* be needed.

There’s nothing wrong with calling ahead to your local emergency vet (or urgent care) with your concerns & asking their guidance. My families have found this to be helpful, reassuring & affirming. Also, ask their wait times & check-in procedure. They’ll be glad you did.

Greater Ann Arbor area folks, here’s your guide to local vet hospitals (scroll to the bottom).

Locate mobile/housecall and hybrid veterinary practices in southeast and central Michigan for general vet care, physical rehabilitation, palliative, hospice, end-of-life and euthanasia care.

12/24/2025

I fully admit to taking the bag of mixed nuts that contained macadamias & was sitting on one of my families’ kitchen counter this past week & putting it in their closed pantry. 🤣

12/24/2025

Dont be this person—writing a frivolous nonsense review about this.

I’ll also say that a waitime of several hours is not unusual. That is one reason why I work very hard to educate my animal hospice families on:

1.) What to expect with their pet’s late-stage progressive/terminal status as time moves along

2.) what the associated symptoms/signs are with it/them & how to access those

3.) the importance of being adherent to what the vet has prescribed/recommebded for pet’s comfort care

Doing so reduces the need for after hours vet care, saves lot of money & frees space for critically ill & injured pets. IYKYK

https://www.threads.com//post/DSoFPNVjTRH?xmt=AQF0y0TsAwEsqNEPGwpDrGG0FY8IhQ2XMVKNHmlylFPI95krMh89sxxpdjnOxAgHOYeEDhE&slof=1

12/21/2025

Dan Regan, DVM, and Breelyn Wilky, MD, are teaming to study a new drug combination in dogs and humans to stop osteosarcoma from spreading to the lungs.

12/21/2025

Hi! 👋

Don’t:

❌ hop on social media to ask for advice

❌ listen to ‘influencers’ or others who lack qualifications

❌ wait

Do:

✅ ✅ IF you know what the pet ingested, immediately contact ASPCA Poison Control at (888) 426-4435 for guidance & open a file number that you’ll need for next steps.

Regardless…

✅ call your nearest urgent care clinics or emergency vet hospitals to check wait times, explain situation, give ASPCA file number (if you have one), then heed that vet’s guidance

✅ drive calmly to that facility & let the vet professionals do their job

12/20/2025

Emma told me she’d no idea about this.

Do you have a dog with airway issues? It’s a really good idea to mitigate the effects of forced air heat in the colder months by fitting the spaces they spend the most time in with an ordinary humidifier—even if you have a humidifier on your furnace. Doing so keeps dogs with assessments like tracheal collapse, laryngeal paralysis/GOLPP & primary or metastatic lung masses breathing comfortably by offsetting the dry indoor air quality.

And, clean those humidifiers frequently!

12/20/2025

My hope is that this move will help fuel more research into how mariijuana can be of benefit in vet med, especially for pets who are experiencing the effects of age-related decline, cancer & those who are benefiting from the program of care that is hospice.

This change won't legalize recreational use nationwide but may alter regulation and taxation.

12/18/2025

A CEO was talking about what’s ahead for the company they lead during an interview I was listening to earlier, & they repeated the phrase ‘our best customers’ several times. What does that mean? Who are those ‘best customers’? Is their participation with the business any more meaningful? Is their money different?

It reminded me of this ad that was in an industry-adjacent publication awhile back. Equally cringeworthy & gross. Is the suggestion here that families who book last-minute are less valuable than those who book their reservations weeks to months in advance? Are they not ‘good customers’, or another phrase, ‘best customers’? For Pete’s sake, not everyone is able to book that far in advance. And let’s face it, last minute things come up: family emergencies, last-minute opportunities for a getaway, what have you.

This is my philosophy: I’m only as good as the people I’m surrounded by. I mean that. And I’m surrounded by awesome families. They’re all my ‘best customers’. That’s because I insist on giving them the autonomy to participate in the work we do together by setting them up for success with a framework that supports that. That gives me the autonomy to do my best—the most careful work I’m known for.

Be just be assured that so long as there is availability on the schedule (& a pet’s wellness exams, medical records & vaccinations are up-to-date), I’m all-too-happy to book requests overnight stays, respite care or any other services that I offer—even onboarding for animal hospice & palliative care support—no matter when its needed, any time of the year. No eye rolling here, no complaining, no placing a higher value of one family over the other.

I think about all of this a lot & it seems natural, as 2025 is winding down, to highlight this. I’m so grateful for all of the families I serve—to have opportunities to make big & small positive impacts. And grateful for this little community of humans, their pets & other veterinary interdisciplinary team members. 🩵

12/17/2025

With New Year's Eve approaching, it's important to remember that the sound from fireworks is a common sources of fear and anxiety for our feline friends. With some advanced planning, you can help your cat feel safe during this stressful time. Set your cat up for success with the following tips in the graphic below.

12/17/2025

Was just talking about this—I see this frequently in vet medicine—& over the years I’ve identified multiple things that fuel it.

☠️ mortality salience

☹️ poor past experiences & outcomes with the medical system

🙅‍♀️ destabilized trust with medical professionals

🤔 pet guardians lack of trust in their own decisions

🗣️inadequate advanced communication skillset

🫨inflating impact of *possible* side effects, which overshadows known benefits of treatment or symptom management

😟 fear

⚖️ power dynamics (perceived or real)

👂not feeling heard

Do you find this relatable?

I work hard to hear & understand the perspective of pet guardians, their understanding of their situation without judgement or snark, & to be a balm so that the gap can be narrowed.