VeTouch

08/27/2024

One Health in Action: VeTouch (Veterinary Treatment Outreach for Urban Community Health) and PNC (Phillips Neighborhood Clinic) joined forces for the first time on July 14th and provided care to both veterinary and human patients in the same setting.

Last month, faculty and student volunteers jointly provided care to both animal and human patients in the same clinical setting.

08/20/2024

The Animal Humane Society (AHS) is interested in learning about your experience and needs as a pet owner who has been to VeTouch! They are requesting input through an online survey -- see attached fliers for more details. This is completely optional and a chance to connect directly with AHS about what your pet means to your family and how they may be able to better support that bond.

01/15/2024

VeTouch is having a fundraiser at the Panera in Roseville tomorrow, Tuesday, January 16 from 4 PM to 8 PM! 25% of proceeds will go to VeTouch! Be sure to show this flyer or use the code FUND4U when purchasing on the app or kiosk. Hope to see you there!

12/10/2023

NOTICE:
VeTouch is switching to appointments instead of walk-ins for the foreseeable future. This will begin at our next clinic on January 7, 2024. Please email us at [email protected] for scheduling.

11/09/2023

Thank you to all of those who joined us at our November VeTouch Clinic. We saw a total of 50 pets!
This was our first clinic at our new location and we are so thankful to all of our volunteers and clients who made the transition so smooth and positive. Our next clinic will be held on December 10th from 9am-1pm at 2501 Minnehaha Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404 (Chuck and Don’s Pet Wellness Center).

10/27/2023

Last weekend some of our VeTouch board members had the privilege of presenting research at the Society of Student Run Free Clinics Conference in Minneapolis. Their research regarded the impact of student run free clinics such as VeTouch and SIRVS on student preparedness to practice a spectrum of care approach and understand the social determinants of health.

10/26/2023

VeTouch saw a total of 51 pets at our October clinic!

Our October clinic was the last VeTouch clinic held at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church. We are very grateful for their partnership over the years, and are excited to begin hosting clinics at our new location! The next VeTouch clinic will be on Sunday, November 5th from 9am - 1pm at 2501 Minnehaha Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404 (Chuck & Don's Pet Wellness Center).

10/05/2023

Attention: VeTouch is moving!

We would like to extend a tremendous thank you to the Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church (HAUMC) for welcoming our organization and our clients with open arms over the last 15 years. Our ongoing partnership with HAUMC has allowed us to effectively serve our community's veterinary needs and protect the human-animal bond (performing over 5,500 exams) and we are very grateful to them.

Beginning with our next clinic on November 5th, we will be hosting our clinics at the Chuck & Don's Pet Wellness Center. We are excited and hopeful about this location change - it is an opportunity for VeTouch to partner with local veterinary outreach organizations, enhancing the experience for our clients and their pets.

Our new clinic address is: 2501 Minnehaha Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55404 (Chuck & Don’s Pet Wellness Center)

09/29/2023

VeTouch and SIRVS, two University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine outreach clubs, collaborated together with Little Earth of United Tribes in Minneapolis. We were able to examine 32 pets!

This was just a small portion of the clinic though. Secondhand Hounds, Minnesota Spay Neuter Assistance Program, CARE Givers Circle, and Chuck & Don's Pet Wellness Center were also there to provide veterinary care. We are very grateful for their collaboration, and for Little Earth of United Tribes for welcoming us to serve them and their beloved pets.

09/16/2023

If anyone has seen this lost kitty please contact her owner (info below). Last seen at 27th and Broadway N. Hoping she will make it back home soon💛

06/09/2023

Our June clinic was last Sunday. We examined a total of 44 pets! Thank you to all our volunteers!
A special thank you to Banfield Pet Hospital too, as several of their vets and summer job students volunteered with us!

06/05/2023

Thank you to our vice-president Anna Hedger for going the extra mile for Zeus, and thank you CARE! We are so happy to see Zeus doing well now!

06/04/2023

Shoutout to our 2nd grade friends at The Blake School for the donations for our June VeTouch clinic! Thank you so much, we were taken aback by the amount of wonderful treats and toys for our patients! 😀

05/23/2023

Hello VeTouch clients! As we head into summer, this will be our last post in our monthly client education series until we resume in the fall. (Don’t worry, our clinics will still be running throughout the summer!) We hope this series has been helpful and informative, and if there are any topics you’d like to see in next season's posts, please let us know! With that, we’ll get into May’s topic, which is positive reinforcement.

Positive reinforcement is a training style that involves the use of rewards like treats or toys to encourage desired behaviors; for example, giving your dog a handful of kibble when she sits quietly. There are many schools of thought when it comes to training pets, but more and more trainers are coming to find that rewarding good behaviors is more productive and promotes a better pet-parent relationship than punishing bad ones. Check out The Humane Society of the United States’s tips on positive reinforcement (linked below) to help with your training needs!

https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/positive-reinforcement-training

04/23/2023

***IMPORTANT INFO REGARDING MAY CLINIC***
With recent outbreaks of canine influenza virus throughout the Twin Cities, we want to minimize possible exposure of your pets to other dogs showing symptoms.

Please be respectful of the distance between your dog and other dogs, please do not bring your pet to the clinic if they are showing symptoms of respiratory signs including coughing and nasal discharge.

After checking in please wait in your car if you came in one, or outside (weather permitting), to avoid crowding.

Please note, the threat of transmission from dogs to people is extremely low. Canine influenza virus has existed for a long time and there are no known cases of transmission to people that have been documented.

Dog owners should avoid dog parks and public places if their pet is showing symptoms. If your dog is healthy and has not had recent respiratory infection feel free to visit dog parks although be aware not every pet owner will know this information. Unfortunately, VeTouch does not offer canine influenza vaccines but clients should reach out to their local full service vet to see if they have any available. We do recommend vaccination when possible.

For more information please see info sheet (credit to University of Minnesota CVM)

04/20/2023

It’s the start of kitten season! With lots of Spring babies around, it’s natural to start thinking about spaying or neutering your pet. These procedures can have many benefits for you and your pet, including reduced risk of certain cancers and fewer behavioral issues. The AAHA recommends spaying/neutering cats before 5 months of age and dogs at 6-15 months of age, depending on the breed. Only you can decide the best time to spay/neuter your pet, but we are happy to have a conversation at one of our clinics to provide resources and help you make the most informed choice. Check out the links below for more information!

NOTE: In our efforts to reduce pet overpopulation, our clinic policy is that animals older than 1 year must be spayed or neutered after their first visit to VeTouch to be seen a second time.

ASPCA: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/spayneuter-your-pet
AAHA: https://www.aaha.org/your-pet/pet-owner-education/ask-aaha/spay-or-neuter/

04/11/2023

04/03/2023

A big thank you to all of our volunteers who made our April clinic possible! We had a lot of fun and were able to see 37 pets!
For more information, please visit vetouch.umn.edu

03/21/2023

Happy beginning of Spring! With everything thawing out, this month’s education post will focus on flea and tick control. Did you know fleas and ticks can survive at temperatures just above freezing? For this reason, we strongly recommend using flea and tick control year-round, but with warmer weather on the horizon, using preventatives is especially important as fleas and ticks can transmit diseases to your pet.

There are lots of different products available, so it’s important to read the label to figure out what the product protects against, if it’s suitable for your pet’s weight, age, and species, and how to use it. We dispense free flea and tick control products at all of our VeTouch clinics, and we would be happy to discuss any questions you may have about how to best protect your pet.

For more information about fleas and ticks and how to check for them on your pet, check out Banfield’s handy pdf guide linked below!

https://www.banfield.com/-/media/Project/Banfield/Main/en/Parasites/Flea_and_tick_mini_hub/Tick_mini_hub/Home-Flea-and-Tick-Control.pdf?rev=7c43988953f24f55bcc3d58b96ac11b4&hash=F0EF7F736BD88C63601BB9434B2762C6

03/13/2023

2023 has been a great year for VeTouch so far. Check out some of our cute patients!
For more information, please visit vetouch.umn.edu

02/19/2023

At VeTouch, we love educating clients on simple things that can be done at home to support pet health. With that in mind, this month’s education post will be on evaluating body condition score (BCS). BCS is a way of determining whether your pet’s weight is appropriate for his or her frame, and to measure it you only need your hands!

The easiest trick is to start by feeling your pet’s ribs, taking note of how easily you can feel them and how deep the valleys are between them. Then compare that to how the knuckles on your hand feel when you are 1) making a fist, 2) laying your hand flat, and 3) feeling the palm side of your hand. Ideally they should feel like Scenario 2, where you can easily feel the individual rib bones covered with minimal fat. Scenario 1 would be too thin, with deep valleys between the ribs, while Scenario 3 would have too much fat, as the ribs can no longer be felt easily.

At our clinics we measure BCS on a 1-9 scale, with 5/9 as ideal. For more information on BCS, check out the article from VCA Animal Hospitals and the easy reference handout linked below. If you have any concerns about your pet’s BCS or need tips on weight management, we would be happy to discuss this with you at your next visit!

VCA link: https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/body-condition-scores

Reference handout (and image source):https://files.brief.vet/2018-10/Evaluating%20Your%20Pet%27s%20Body%20Condition%20Score%20Handout.pdf

01/08/2023

Experiencing the post-holiday winter blues? Your pet might be too! This month’s education topic is enrichment. Enrichment is essential to our canine and feline companions to help reduce boredom and frustration that may lead to problem behavior. There are lots of simple and affordable ways to help keep pets entertained, including food puzzles, toys, and tunnels. Check out the links below for more information! Our students and doctors would also be happy to discuss enrichment ideas at your next clinic visit.

Ideas for cats: https://www.preventivevet.com/cats/cat-enrichment-for-bored-cats
Ideas for dogs: https://www.preventivevet.com/dogs/dog-enrichment-toys-games-and-more

11/11/2022

As winter approaches, it’s important to talk about paw health! Did you know that salt and other deicers can dry out, crack, or even burn your pet’s paws? Fortunately, there are some things you can do to prevent this, like getting booties for winter walks, avoiding salt-treated sidewalks, and washing and moisturizing your pet’s paws after a walk. Additionally, keeping the fur that grows between the paw pads trimmed short can help prevent painful ice buildup and matting. For more information on these and other paw pad care tips, check out the article from Preventive Vet linked below!

https://www.preventivevet.com/dogs/how-to-properly-care-for-your-dogs-paw-pads

10/16/2022

Welcome back to our monthly client education series! October’s topic—dental health!

Just like we need to go to the dentist for regular cleanings (especially with all the Halloween candy coming up), our canine and feline friends do too. Regular dental cleanings at a veterinary clinic can help prevent tartar buildup that causes disease.

While there is no replacement for a cleaning at a clinic, there are things you can do at home to support your pet between cleanings—one is to brush your pet’s teeth! There are lots of ways to get your pet used to having their teeth brushed (see link below for some tips), but one thing that’s important to know is to use a pet-specific toothpaste, as human toothpaste can be toxic to animals.

If you have any questions about your pet’s dental health, please let us know at your next appointment!

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/brushing-teeth-in-dogs