Animal Haven Clinic

03/21/2025

This is Toby. He was hit by a car and found by some Good Samaritans who have gone out of their way to get him better. He had a diaphragmatic hernia ( his abdominal contents could go into his chest cavity) and road rash on the inside of both legs to the bone. He was also very skinny. His legs were cleaned and have been healing under bandages as you can see in the photos. The hernia required a somewhat dangerous surgery to repair. He’s made it through all that. He’s been living with cats, kids and another dog and has been great with everything. Unfortunately, the dog doesn’t like him. While these wonderful people love and want to keep Toby, they don’t want the dogs to hurt each other. Toby’s already been through enough. So they are looking for a caring home for Toby.

Toby is about 5-6 months old. Probably an Aussie cross. He’ll get his last shots next week. He will need bandages a little while longer so he’s wearing a plastic cone. The current owners said they will pay to have him neutered as well. We expect him to be over 50 pounds when he’s fully grown. If you have a home that would be good for this boy, please contact Debbie with inquiries. 505-860-3884.

02/12/2025

Look who we met yesterday! Her name is Viola and she is a 55 year old Asian elephant. She was very sweet. She kept looking for treats. They were in good health, we were just checking them over and seeing to some paperwork.
It was a unique chance to say hello to a magnificent animal.

01/28/2025

The first kitty is our resident kitty and hero, Smitty. The rest were visiting today. It took a moment to realize Smitty now has a gang or a bunch of minions today. Not often all the pets look so similar. 😀

12/04/2024

This year Animal Haven and our staff will be giving back by donating some money to Four Corners Home For Children. We invite our clients to give a little back this year as well. Anyone interested can give money to us to go along with all our donations or of course donate directly.

Merry Christmas to all our clients and their Four legged Friends and family members!!

11/01/2024

Halloween at Animal Haven!! We enjoyed seeing our patients all dressed up.

10/11/2024

For anyone who is in Colorado or knows of anyone in Colorado, have them read the link below. They are having the public vote on creating a new veterinary position that will lack the education of the physician assistant that they compare it too. Most vets feel this won’t help the vet shortage and it will funnel students ( with more debt) into a dead end position that most vets won’t support and the degree will mean nothing out side of Colorado. Decide for yourself. Please vote. 😄

Veterinarians in Colorado are opposed to Proposition 129 and they are speaking out about it. Hear a local vet explain why adding a mid-level position will endanger animals and not result in better clinical outcomes for animals. Gain a new perspective on this critical issue and understand what is at....

06/19/2024

It’s getting hot! Dogs can’t sweat like humans do, so they overheat fast. Avoid being out in the heat of the day. All pets need shade. Careful walking your dogs on hot streets, sidewalks and sand- they can burn their feet!

If your pet starts showing signs of heat stroke DON’T saturate them in cold water. Use cool or tepid water and put it on their necks and chest. A drenched thick coat can actually insulate them more. Fans on damp skin can help cool faster. Don’t cool beyond 102-103 degrees or you start running the risk of hypothermia. IV fluids are often needed to help if they are more severely affected. The sicker they are the more danger they are in of dying! Heat stroke can be fatal. Take carry of your furry friends (and yourself) this summer. 😀

06/16/2024

https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/heroic-new-mexico-dog-receives-global-praise-after-saving-family/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2dRS9Iliz1BjwVXOUF7gthLOup4-2TVcYBiI0SCKt1sOIIOgR8StW0UXs_aem_ZmFrZWR1bW15MTZieXRlcw

A dog who lives in northern New Mexico is capturing hearts around the world. His story is going viral after he risked his life to protect his family.

06/14/2024

We have light again! Hopefully it lasts.

06/14/2024

Power is still out. We can do basics but we can’t do bloodwork. We can’t admit patients. If anyone has a serious emergency please call the other clinics or Riverview in Durango.

06/14/2024

Our power is out at Animal Haven. The power company is working on it but we don’t know when we’ll have power. We may have to cancel and move appointments. We’ll keep this page updated as we see how it goes.

05/23/2024

Our internet is down for the next 4 hours on 5/23. This will affect our phones. Please leave messages or text when you call and we’ll work on getting back to you. Thank you

04/16/2024

This little Frenchie learned the hard way he should always chew anything he puts in his mouth.

The owners came home and found little Roofus with foam coming out of his mouth and nose. There were also piles everywhere! The owners called us right away that night because they suspected he was choking.

When they brought him in he was having a hard time breathing. We took a quick X-ray and found the obstruction. We outlined it in red on the x-ray. It was too big to go down but we weren’t sure how we would get it out without a scope. The owners had faith and wanted us to try.

We anesthetized Roofus and this immediately allowed him to breath better. We put him on his back with him out and getting oxygen and gas. We were able to feel the obstruction and gently push it up to his head. Frenchies have excess tissue in back of their mouths and it was swollen so it wouldn’t pop out but we were able to feel the chew either a finger and blindly grip it after several tries with hemostats and remove it all the way.
We started him on medication for possible infection and for any ulceration or irritation if the esophagus. Then he was ready to wake up.

As you can see in the picture he liked the breathing tube in so much it took a while before he even wanted it out.

A couple days later you couldn’t even tell he ever had an issue. He looked great!

03/12/2024

Two bobcats test positive for rabies in southwest New Mexico

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) Scientific Laboratory Division has confirmed that two bobcats, one in Grant County and one in Sierra County, have tested positive for rabies.

One bobcat attacked a man near his house in Grant County. The man is now receiving shots to prevent him from getting rabies. A dog in Sierra County was attacked by the second bobcat; the dog was up to date on his rabies vaccine, and his condition will be monitored for 45 days.

Animal rabies cases in New Mexico usually occur in wild animals like skunks, bats and foxes. Three rabid bobcats were identified in 2022, one in Catron County and two in Grant County.

Rabid wild animals may show no fear of people and be aggressive, or they may be quiet and appear tame. If you see a sick wild animal, or a wild animal acting abnormally, report it to your local animal control officer or your local New Mexico Department of Game and Fish game warden at https://www.wildlife.state.nm.us/download/enforcement/NMDGF-Conservation-Officer-Map-12-21-2023.pdf.

“State law requires all dogs and cats be vaccinated against rabies, a deadly viral disease that can be prevented but not cured,” said State Public Health Veterinarian Erin Phipps, DVM, MPH. “Unvaccinated pets exposed to a rabid animal must either be euthanized or put into strict isolation for four months to prevent them from exposing people to rabies.”

The NMDOH recommends the following to keep you and your family safe from rabies:

Always keep pets on a leash. Pets should be up to date on rabies vaccinations and wearing current license tags on their collar. If your cat or dog has been bitten or scratched, especially by a wild animal, call your pet’s veterinarian even if the wound is superficial.
Horses and other livestock should also be considered for rabies vaccination to protect them from rabid animals that may attack them.
Stay away from wild or unfamiliar animals. Do not attempt to feed, approach or touch wild animals (alive or dead). Teach this important message to your children and always keep a close eye on your children.
If you or someone you know is bitten by an animal, or comes into contact with an animal’s saliva, wash the exposed site immediately with soap and water. Be sure to report the bite to local animal control and seek medical care as soon as possible.
If you or your pets are bitten or otherwise exposed to the saliva of wild animals, seek medical care immediately and contact the NMDOH Helpline at (833) SWNURSE or (833) 796-8773.

For more info about rabies see the New Mexico Department of Health website at: https://nmhealth.org/about/erd/ideb/zdp/rab/.
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NMDOH