What to do if your mental health is causing you struggles at work…talk to someone! 🗣️ It’s common to feel anxious or down occasionally, but if you’re experiencing mental difficulties regularly, it’s important to reach out for help. It can be difficult to talk openly with someone about your life, however, it’s critical to keep in mind that those who care about you want to help.
In honor of #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth, Veterinary Social Worker at our sister hospital in California, Alisha, is here to provide you with a few tips on how to guide the conversation about your mental health with your manager, supervisor, or fellow team member.
Remember: the bravest thing you can do is ask for help. 💚
To all our veterinarians, specialists, relief doctors, per diems, and residents – Happy World Veterinary Day! 🏥🐾 Sometimes this profession is anal glands, ear infections, and giving the pet insurance talk. But it’s also seeing your feline lymphoma patient go into remission, helping a spaniel with cataracts see again, that rewarding moment of extracting a tennis ball via endoscopy, and reuniting a dog with his owners after 6 nights in the ICU.
To all veterinarians today and every day, thank you for making the world a better place. 💚
“Why is the wait so long, it seems so quiet?” – this is something we hear a lot! 🏥🐾 Even when the front lobby is empty & there are no cars in the parking lot, “out back” in treatment can look very different. Between a crashing cat who isn’t breathing, a hit-by-car case requiring multiple team members, and hospitalized pets occupying every ICU kennel, our team behind those doors is determinedly saving lives.
We know waiting in the ER with your pet can be stressful, but rest assured we are working hard to get to you.
Something’s wriggling in this dog’s blood sample! 🔬🩸 Meet “microfilariae,” the larvae of the dreaded female heartworm. After roughly 6-7 months, these larvae will mature into adult heartworms, grow up to 14 inches long (😳), and reproduce more offspring. Left untreated, this dog could end up with hundreds of them in his body causing long-term damage to the lungs, heart, and arteries and even sudden death. Since it was caught, he will undergo treatment which involves several months of medications, exercise restrictions, and hospitalization days.
Luckily, this is preventable! 🥳 Keep your dog on monthly heartworm preventative all year round – put it in your calendar, and don’t miss/skip a dose. And if you’re rescuing a dog (especially from southern states like Tennessee, Arkansas, & Mississippi), talk to your veterinarian about re-testing them for heartworm. #NationalHeartwormAwarenessMonth #heartworm
Poison prevention week is still in the air, we have another marijuana patient case! This sweet 4-year-old Lab presented for stumbling and vomiting. Upon examination and further discussion with his owner, we discovered that Pacer ingested some of his owner’s marijuana. In our care, he was given fluids under the skin. As you can see here, Pacer was doing well…just a bit tired. 🥱 He was cleared to head back home with his owners for further monitoring and should come back if symptoms worsen.
We're so glad that this pup had a successful hemilaminectomy surgery! This surgery is performed to remove a herniated disc off of the spinal cord. The video below shows the pup getting their staples taken out as they heal. Happy recovery to this little one!
What makes you happy? 😄 We asked our veterinary staff members across the country and we're spreading some happiness for #InternationalDayOfHappiness! From dogs to snacks to rubber ducks, here's what makes us happy.
Premier Veterinary Group Grayslake: Cardiology Behind the Scenes!
Board certified Cardiologist Dr. Wessberg is available for cardiology appointments to help keep our pets safe in the Grayslake, IL area. Here's Sophie who visited for an echocardiogram (an ultrasound of the heart) and an electrocardiogram, or ECG! While her echo came back normal, her ECG showed frequent premature heartbeats. She will be started on medication and visit for a recheck with the cardiology team.
To learn more about Grayslake's cardiology service, visit the link below:
https://premiergrayslake.ethosvet.com/cardiology
Let’s walk the dog! 🦮🚶♀️ Those magic words “do you want to go for a walk?” are more important than you may think. Just 30 minutes of walking every day can increase cardiovascular fitness, strengthen bones, reduce excess body fat, and improve mental health for BOTH you and your dog! Be healthy together – you and your dog need each other! #NationalWalkingTheDogDay
Oh, and cats too. 😉
Nurse Julie showing off her moves with Milo! 💃
Milo, a 2-year-old Shih Tzu presented to the ER for acute gagging/hacking. Milo was given a raw t-bone last night and began gagging/hacking after. It is suspected that he had some esophageal irritation from ingesting some of the bone and he was treated with fluids under the skin. He will go home with medication to help coat/soothe his esophagus. Milo was a very good boy for his visit and impressed us all with his super sweet dance moves!
A little tip tap for some treats! 😍
This handsome older fella is Moose, a 10-year-old Labrador that presented to the ER after he was having difficulty getting up. On the car ride here he improved dramatically and is seen here tippy-tapping/dancing for treats. His owners elected to monitor him at home overnight given his speedy improvement and follow up with their veterinarian the next day. Moose was a charmer and will hopefully continue to do well at home!
Time for a quiz! Can you guess what this is under the microscope? Answer will be posted later today in the comments!
Zinnie is pretty happy to have her torn paw pad repaired! This 7-year-old Pit Bull presented to the ER for a swollen front paw. The area was cleaned and soaked in dilute antiseptic. Zinnie will need to wear a cone of shame while her foot heals, and will take some oral medications for pain/inflammation and infection. She was a very good girl for her visit! She is seen here begging for what she thinks are treats, but is really just a bootie to keep her foot clean 😉
We love seeing the way our Ethos teams from across the country bond! Check out the team from our sister hospital in New Hampshire showing off their moves 💃
"Jo, one of our amazing and lovely ER technicians for our triage team, happens to also be a workout & dance instructor. So, naturally, a group of Port City staff dressed up as her and she led them for some exercises in between appointments! Jo is incredibly encouraging for anyone who needs help along their journey, and we're so proud of her work here and outside the hospital. Sometimes, you just need a good dance. 🕺"
“A port in a storm”. 💉 Placing an intravenous catheter is one of the first steps in urgent and emergent care. It allows us to safely & cleanly treat our patients. The catheter allows us to draw blood, administer fluids, and medications through one port. The process for veterinary catheter placement looks a bit different from a human. Take a peek at how we do this for our canine patients, demonstrated by one of our sister hospitals in MA!
Fun fact: placing your first catheter as a veterinary professional is a big achievement in developing clinical skills. It's one of those celebrated milestones!
This sweet girl visited our Chicago location in style recently!
"That’s one happy pup! Penelope, an 8-month-old Labrador presented for a bandage change after having her dewclaws removed a couple of weeks prior by Dr. Fryer. This was recommended due to the risk of them getting caught and causing pain or injury in the future. Here she is waiting patiently for her bandage change so that Dr. Fryer can assess her healing. Penelope loves all of the attention she gets with us at VSH and are happy to share that she is recovering well and no longer in bandages!"
What a year it has been! 🎉
As you can see, we’ve had some pretty great patients this year! Our Ethos team members and all in the veterinary community have been dedicated to keeping pets happy and healthy all year long. Cheers to 2023 and another year of being there for pets who need us 💚
Nothing like a wiggly puppy from our Orland Park location!
Deuce a 6-month-old, male American bully that presented to the ER after ingesting Motrin. ASPCA Poison control was contacted and they recommended 48 hours of hospitalization with IV fluids, medications, and checking his kidney values by doing bloodwork.
Deuce's kidney values did become slightly elevated along with some vomiting and diarrhea. With medications, his vomiting and diarrhea ceased and by the end of the 48 hours of IV fluids his kidney values returned to normal! We were very fond of Deuce during his time with us, and based on this video, we'd say he was fond of us too!
What a sweet boy! Thor, a 3-year-old Cane Corso presented to our Orland Park location after he sustained a laceration on his hind leg from a piece of sheet metal. Thor was given some pain medications and the wound was clipped, cleaned and bandaged.
Here’s a video of Cheri, CVT, checking his gums! Part of getting vitals on every patient is checking their gums which shows us their mucus membrane color, whether they are dehydrated, and their capillary refill time. All of those things give insight on a patients health! We love you Thor!
The scariest thing we can think of? Puppy teeth! 🐶🦈
Wishing you and your furry friends a happy and safe Halloween filled with sweet treats and fun costumes! Speaking of costumes, post your pet’s costume in the comments below 🎃
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