Val Verde Animal Hospital

06/23/2025

🌼 Welcome, Daisy! 🌼
Everyone, meet Daisy — an absolutely adorable 12-week-old miniature Goldendoodle who’s already stolen our hearts! 🐾💕

This beautiful girl is as brave as she is cute. Whether it’s a quick check-up or her puppy boosters, Daisy shows up like a champ every time. The moment she walks through the door, our staff lights up — we can’t get enough of that fluffy face and sweet personality! 🐶✨

Welcome to the Val Verde Animal Hospital family, Daisy! We’re so happy you’re ours. 💛

06/23/2025

🐾 Welcome, Macaroon! 🐾
Say hello to Macaroon — an absolutely adorable 5-month-old Lab mix who stopped by for a visit today! 💙🐶

With one ear up and one ear down, and a face full of charm, Macaroon brought so many smiles to our faces. This sweet pup is full of wiggles, wonder, and a whole lot of love.

We’re already obsessed and can’t wait to watch this little cutie grow! 🐕✨
Welcome to the Val Verde Animal Hospital family, Macaroon! 💚

06/21/2025

I guess that it is time for our annual Heat warning post.
This weekend and for the remainder of the Summer months we will see periodic outdoor temperatures that simply are way too warm for our pets to be outside. Below are a few points to keep fresh in our pet owner's minds:
1. Pets do not sweat therefore they can only dissipate heat by convective and evaporative loss from their bodies, primarily by panting. Panting becomes very inefficient when the surrounding temperatures climb to within 20 degrees of our pet's normal body temp of around 102 degrees. This means that as temperatures climb into the 80's and above our pets quickly lose their ability to cool themselves.
2. Have you ever walked barefoot on hot concrete or sand on a sunny day? It hurts right? However, with our shoes on, this factor becomes inapparent to us. Not so with our pets. Every year we see pets come in with severely burned foot pads where the skin of the pad is sloughing off, usually involving all 4 feet. This is obviously painful and there is little that we can do to speed the healing of the pad, and diminish the pain.
3. Avoid car rides completely unless it is imperative that they travel with you. Never, leave the pet in a car, even with the windows cracked open. This does not allow enough air circulation for us or a pet and temps can easily climb into the 120 degree range within a short amount of time.
4. Water must be available to enable better cooling of the animals body. For humans dehydration is the main need for fluids due to sweating losses. For Dogs and cats cool water in the mouth enables panting to be slightly more efficient, and the cold fluid helps to cool the internal organs. Dehydration does occur but slower in pets due to lack of sweat production.
Takeaways:
1. Do not walk your pets while the sun is out. Wait for the concrete to cool or only walk in grassy areas after sunset and around sunrise. Keep the walks short and take water along. Certain breeds like Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, Boston Terriers, Pugs are especially prone to heat stress - save yourself the worry and keep them inside the AC areas and only let them out to relieve themselves.

2. Do not leave any dog outside in the yard unattended and for longer than 15-20 minutes, and that is too long for breeds mentioned above. Make sure that they have shade and water even for those short durations.

3. Finally a note on fireworks. Some dogs have little to no issues with them, others can become so frightened that they follow one of their most basic instincts - run. Even indoors may dogs and cats will hide and show extreme anxiety symptoms such as trying to escape the house, bolting out of doors, tearing-up furniture and doorways. If you have one of these types of dogs then it would be wise to have recommended antianxiety medications on hand to help calm the fireworks storm. Your Veterinarian can help you choose what is best for your pet but now is the time to have that discussion, as firework purchasing begins later this week.

It is our desire that you and your 4 legged family members have a safe and trouble free Summer and remember - snow is probably only 5 months away.
The VVAH Team

06/18/2025

06/17/2025

When Bella came in for her visit, her mom showed up in the perfect outfit—totally unplanned! 😂 It’s official: this spoiled pup has her own fan club. We love seeing our favorite diva and her amazing mom! 💕🐾

06/13/2025

You're about to go for a swim when you notice the water:

❌ has a neon green, pea green or blue-green color;
❌ emits a bad odor; and
❌ is covered with foam, scum or a thick paint-like substance on the surface.

Summer is prime time for blue-green algae blooms at Nebraska's waterbodies. When health alerts for toxins are issued, people (and pets) are advised to stay out of the water.

Nebraska's beaches are regularly sampled for harmful algal blooms and E. coli throughout the summer. Find weekly updates here: https://brnw.ch/21wTlK9

📸: Eric Fowler

06/10/2025

World Pet Memorial Day – June 10th 🌈

Today, we take a moment to honor and remember the beloved pets who have touched our lives and crossed the rainbow bridge. Each paw print they left on our hearts is a testament to the love, loyalty, and joy they shared with us every day.

Whether they were with us for a short time or many wonderful years, their memories live on—in every walk, every cuddle, every quiet moment of companionship.

From your friends and family at Val Verde Animal Hospital, we send our love to all who are remembering a cherished pet today. May their spirits continue to bring you comfort and peace.

🐾 Gone but never forgotten. 🐾

Please feel free to share your memories below in comments.

05/20/2025

Happy Veterinarian’s Week! 🐾
May 19–25

This week, we proudly celebrate Veterinarian’s Week, a time to recognize and honor the incredible dedication, compassion, and expertise of those who care for our beloved animals.

We want to extend our deepest gratitude to Dr. Hord and Dr. West for the unwavering love and commitment they show every single day. Your gentle hands, wise hearts, and tireless efforts make a world of difference to every pet and every family who walks through our doors.

From emergency visits to routine check-ups, you bring comfort, healing, and hope—not just to our animals, but to all of us. Your impact goes beyond medicine; it’s felt in every wagging tail, every purr, and every grateful smile.

Thank you, Dr. Hord and Dr. West, for your care, love, and compassion.
The staff, pets, and families are truly lucky to have you.

Let’s all take a moment this week to show appreciation to the amazing veterinarians who keep our furry loved ones happy and healthy. 💙

05/12/2025

Welcome Dr. Lauren West to Our Team!

We’re excited to welcome Dr. Lauren West as the newest associate veterinarian to our practice!

Dr. West grew up in West Omaha and graduated from Iowa State University in 2020. She earned her veterinary degree from Ross University, where she completed her pre-clinical training on the beautiful island of St. Kitts and Nevis before finishing her clinical year back at Iowa State.

This Friday, Dr. West will be flying to Miami to celebrate her official graduation from Ross University—congratulations, Dr. West!

She brings a genuine passion for veterinary medicine, with a focus on building strong relationships with clients and their pets. She’s especially driven by the challenge of problem-solving and finding the best ways to help animals live healthier, happier lives.

Outside of the clinic, Dr. West enjoys reading, listening to music, and snuggling with her black lab, Maverick.

We’re thrilled to have her on board—please join us in giving Dr. West a warm welcome!

05/07/2025

Tom, our purrfessional paw-scription specialist, has officially taken over the Val Verde Animal Hospital schedule today! He’s feline good about being top cat in charge — all ap-paw-ointments must now be paw-sonally approved by His Meowjesty. Don’t worry, he’s got a paw-sitive cattitude and meow-velous bedside manner!

04/26/2025

Happy World Veterinary Day from Val Verde Animal Hospital!

Today, we celebrate the incredible dedication, compassion, and expertise of veterinarians and veterinary teams around the world. At Val Verde Animal Hospital, we are proud to be part of a community that works tirelessly to protect the health and happiness of our beloved pets.

Thank you to our amazing team and to all veterinary professionals for the care, love, and commitment you show every single day. Together, we make a world of difference—one paw, hoof, or claw at a time!

Give your pets an extra hug today in honor of those who help keep them healthy!

04/26/2025

Celebrating Jess for Veterinary Receptionist Week!

Jess joined the Val Verde Animal Hospital family as a client back in 2011, and we were lucky enough to have her officially join our team three years ago. She currently works part-time, rotating between veterinary receptionist and veterinary assistant on Saturdays—and no matter what hat she’s wearing, she brings positivity, passion, and a can-do attitude.

A true lover of dog training and all things Border Collie, Jess is a wealth of knowledge and always willing to jump in and help wherever needed. Her energy, dedication, and love for animals shine through in everything she does.

We’re so grateful for everything you do, Jess—thank you for being such an important part of our team!