AnamCara Retrievers

08/11/2024

Dr. Ai Takeuchi, the co-medical director of Eastern Maine Emergency Veterinary Clinic returned to TV5 to talk about Pet Health for the month of August.

08/10/2024

Sweet 14-week-old Golden Retriever puppy Percy is on the road to recovery after spending some time in our ICU over the weekend! He was an excellent patient and feels better already thanks to some time in our state-of-the-art oxygen kennel. In this photo he had popped his little head out to say hello to our staff during one of his treatments, and we don’t think he could get any cuter!

How Percy ended up spending the weekend with us is an important story that his caring owners allowed us to share to help keep other pets safe. Percy and his big brother were rough-housing, when Percy’s collar got stuck on his brother’s mouth. Percy panicked when he was suddenly stuck, and while twisting around trying to escape he caused his collar to become even tighter around his neck! Thankfully their owner noticed quickly that something was wrong and freed Percy before he lost consciousness. When his owners rushed him to see our ER team, Percy was struggling to breathe, drooling profusely, and very distressed. Radiographs showed that Percy had fluid in his lungs (non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema) caused by the time he spent struggling to breathe. Pain medications and oxygen support quickly helped Percy breathe more comfortably as his body worked to heal from the experience.

The strangulation hazard of dogs playing while wearing collars is a hidden danger that many pet owners don’t know about, but a story we hear with some frequency in the ER. Thankfully Percy’s story has a happy ending, but if his owners hadn’t been there to intervene it could have been tragic. Please, get your pups microchipped so they have a permanent form of identification, and then take those collars off when they’re playing with or interacting with other dogs!

08/10/2024

My name is Sue Noyes and, aside from being the Mom of the most amazing AnamCara pup named Lexi, I help Kathy with her social media and website.

I’m posting to the AnamCara family to share that Kathy has a puppy who needed life saving surgery to fix a hernia that was impacting the puppies heart and caused a collapsed lung.

The puppies name is Leidir Iris and she’s only 4 weeks old. Leidir is Irish for strong and Iris was a rainbow messenger to the Gods.

The surgery and after care is very expensive and I’m posting to ask the AnamCara family for help.

There is a GoFundMe page set up, but you can also donate directly to Kathy via Venmo:

-metcalf-25
(last 4 digits of her phone number are 3185 for verification)

Here is a link to the GoFundMe page:

https://gofund.me/42a76f8c

07/02/2024

Did you make plans for yourself for the fourth of July?
Did you make plans for your pet?
Yup, you need to plan for fire works, travel plans, medication refills etc. If your pet stresses over any of these things, you should be starting your probiotics to avoid stress diarrhea, you should be starting medications so your cat doesn't have urinary issues... today or tomorrow! Starting BEFORE the stress event by 24 to 48 hours is really helpful.

We see lacerations due to panicked pets going through window or breaking glass in the home every 4th of July.
We have hit by car animals due to getting out during the fireworks or pulling through their leash.
We have cats who have urinary obstructions from stress of parties or family leaving for longer periods of time.

Take a moment to plan ahead to avoid watching the fireworks from our parking lot this Thursday.

06/30/2024

When we work closely with our dogs, take small steps, we often forget to look back. We are so focused on our current challenges, that we don’t notice the huge progress we have already achieved.

While we want to move forwards, don’t forget to glance back every now and then to remind yourself just how great you are really doing.

06/30/2024

The cool thing ( at least we think so) in veterinary medicine is that you learn new things every single day. Some of our doctors have been in vet med for over a decade but had never seen a case of ethylene glycol from a SNOW GLOBE!. We all know that antifreeze is bad for pets. We are careful when we winterize camp or when we are opening camp. We know now to leave a spill in the garage and even purchase "pet safe" versions. But I don't know if all of our STAFF and DOCTORS would think twice about a cracked snow globe.

We had a pup come in for ethylene glycol toxicity this week due to a cracked snow globe. It may not be something common but we wanted to share what we learned this week! Immediate medical care can be the difference between life and death in this situation so when in doubt, over react! ( well just in this sort of case!)

06/30/2024

Playtime isn't just for puppies! Encourage socialization and strengthen the bond between your furry friend and your family with interactive play and positive human interactions. 🐾

06/30/2024

AnamCara means “Soul Friend.” Anam is the Gaelic word for soul and Cara is the word for friend. In Celtic tradition, an AnamCara is a teacher, companion or spiritual guide. With the AnamCara you can share your innermost self to reveal the hidden intimacies of your life, your mind and your heart....

06/30/2024

06/30/2024

This is an other episode of " what are we seeing at EMEVC". Sadly we are seeing some hemoabdomen or blood in the belly cases. This can happen for a variety of reasons ( hit by car, rat poison, ruptured tumor etc) but all patients present for not acting right and weakness. Sometimes owners will catch it in the early stages and they can be very stable. Histories typically include a history of on and off weakness or lethargy. Sleeping or not moving for a couple hours and then seeming normal but after the 3rd episodes... they run out of the blood and won't get better. They can look bloated and their gums can start to look very pale. In severe cases, there will be NO color and just be white. Depending on the cause, medical or surgical intervention is typically needed. This can happen to young dogs with anaphylaxis too so it's not just an old dog disease.

Ruptured tumors are common in Goldens, Larger Doodles ( golden or bernadoodles) Bernese Mount Dogs, German Shepards and Labs.We would rather be safe than sorry so if you are worried, come see us. We can use our ultrasound to check for fluid in the belly, chest and around the heart. Fluid around the heart can also cause sudden collapse or vomiting and collapse similar to anaphylaxis. We hope by getting the word out, you can recognized it sooner in your pet and seek immediate medical attention!

06/29/2024

AnamCara retrievers has a 3 year old female chocolate labrador that is looking for an active home. She is UTD on her shots and monthly worming, is crate trained and house broken. LOVES to play ball! She has good recall and knowledge of basic commands... A very loving dog to her humans, she does not do well with other dogs in her space. She would make a super family dog, fishing/hunting buddy, camping partner, and good friend.
new owners must commit to her daily exercise, and formal training classes, and you must be an experienced lab owner. MUST have a fenced in yard no electronic fencing! Serious inquires ONLY ..NO facebook surfing... you would like more information please go to the AnamCara website at www.anamcararetrievers.com and fill out my buyers questionaire and submit it for review.
Questionaires will be accepted until the best home for her is found.

AnamCara means “Soul Friend.” Anam is the Gaelic word for soul and Cara is the word for friend. In Celtic tradition, an AnamCara is a teacher, companion or spiritual guide. With the AnamCara you can share your innermost self to reveal the hidden intimacies of your life, your mind and your heart....

06/27/2024

Did you know that there is something called, "bloat" in dogs? It can happen to cats too but is very rare. Bloat is the common term for gastric dilation and volvulus. Medical terms like to sound like Harry Potter enchantments/curses so we call it a GDV to make it simple.

We are not sure what comes first: the flip or the bloating. Some how the stomach can get large, distended and be flipped on themselves. This is bad for multiple reasons.

1) you know how a kinked garden hose won't let you water your plants? Well a kinked artery feeding the stomach can't bring oxygenated blood to your dog's stomach either. Even if there is no twist, if the stomach is distended and filled with enough gas, it can squish the stomach blood vessel flat and cause the same issue. This would be like the gas being similar to a foot stepping on a garden hose that is NOT kinked. Still no water for the plants.

2) Sometime the stomach will take the spleen for a ride. The spleen is an organ that helps hold red blood cells and can be important in certain infectious diseases. When it gets rotated, flipped etc, it can also loose it's blood supply and die.

3) the spleen and stomach being large and kinked can also make the heart angry. ( yes it's the perfect storm of badness) The heart can get angry from ALL the different insults and start having arrhythmias which can lead to a FATAL one called Ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation.

4) As the stomach gets more and more dilated it puts so much pressure on the aorta ( up the MAIN huge artery that carries blood to ALL destinations in body) and the vena cava, that brings blood back to the heart.

This is typically a surgical correction. We can decompress the stomach but passing a stomach tube or using a needle but without checking the viability of the stomach and checking on the spleen, we leave the patient with potentially fatal complicaitons. During the surgery we also tack or suture the stomach to the abdominal wall so it has an attachment point to PREVENT it from flipping. You can actually have this surgery done on high risk breeds at the time of spay or neuter. It might add a little bit of cost to your bill but compared to a GDV surgery with its more than $4,000 AND you risk losing your pet... it seems like a no brainer. You can even ask for referral to have it done laprosocpically or laproscopic assited if you don't want your puppy to have a long abdominal incision. Remember, skin heals side to side, so a 2 inch incision or a 12 inch incision will heal in the same 10 to 14 days.

Breeds that we see this in include standard poodles, doodles, German Shepards, Bernadoodles, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Great Danes, Basset hounds and even Golden retrievers and Labs. It can happen to any breed but a deep chested dog with a skin abdomen are at higher risk.

If you dog is retching but not bringing up food. Acting like it's stomach hurts, won't lay down and looks like a bloated tick... please jump in the car for x-rays with us. We would rather check and say NOPE than have a patient show up with a dead stomach. No blood flow to an organ is time sensitive.

We don't know what triggers it but be mindful of:
-dogs that eat super fast and inhale a lot of air while eating. Raise their food bowls, feed them in slow feeders.
-Don't do any exercise or hard play after eating for at least 30 minutes.
-monitor your pet closely if they get into the trash or eat something that they are NOT suppose to.

When in doubt give us a call. The heat + swimming+ lake water and drinking more water has us seeing some more GDV's so just be mindful! We are here if you need us!

06/14/2024

Apparently our repeated messages still aren't hitting home for people. Maybe this will...

Last night at 10:30pm, we received a call about TWIN fawns that the finders had brought home and had been "caring for" for 3 days. THREE DAYS. They separated the twins and one person was taking care of one, and someone else taking care of the other, which in of itself is a big no-no.

They sent photos of the fawns sitting on the couch, wrapped in blankets, hanging out next to the humans. We explained the criticality of getting them into care and gave them the name of a rehabber just under an hour away to get them into that would take them last night. But they said "I need someone to pick them up, I can't take them there". We pleaded that these animals needed help asap and that what they were doing was harming these babies. They were adamant they couldn't bring them in and someone would need to pick up. We arranged for someone to drive there this morning and pickup the fawns.

They texted us this morning to tell us the fawns "aren't doing well". The transporter arrived and one baby cannot even stand. They both have bloody stool and will likely die by the end of the day. All because people think it's cute to keep a fawn. People bring them into their homes and treat them like pets for a few days and then call us when they crash. Our transporters & rehabbers are the ones who have to struggle so hard to save their lives and then watch them die in their arms. The fact the people who took them won't even drive them to someone for help after the harm they caused is the icing on the cake.

Let me say it louder for the people in the back.
STOP ABDUCTING FAWNS. THEY LIVE OUTSIDE.

You don't know what to feed this animal, how much to feed it, how often to feed it. Does it need IV fluids or does it need milk? YOU CAN PASS ILLNESSES TO THE FAWN. Having them in your house with your pets and your kids can make the animals sick. So many things can go wrong. DO NOT PICK UP A FAWN AND TAKE IT HOME WITH YOU. If you have found a fawn you think needs help, reach out to a licensed rehabber IMMEDIATELY and wait for instructions BEFORE intervening. And if it does actually need help, be prepared to get it to a rehabber immediately. Don't wait on us to find transport for you and don't take it home for selfies and a snack. If you really want to help that animal, then help that animal by getting it into someone who knows how to take care of it from the very beginning. We are sick of watching these animals die.

It's ironic that people tell us "I don't want it to die in the wild" when they usually die after being taken care of in someone's home who wasn't qualified. The "wild" isn't the problem, the people are.

It is ILLEGAL to raise wildlife in the state of Georgia without a rehab license.

Maybe if we make these posts every single day with a photo of the ones we lose, people will actually start paying attention.

~We are GWN

06/14/2024

Last weekend was the weekend of bite wounds. We had multiple canine vs canine and feline vs canine. As you can imagine, the smaller pet did not do well in the fight. Many of the small dogs were actually on leash and larger dogs OFF leash came and bit them. Some bite wounds were due to new family members ( puppies and kittens) in the home with the older four legged family member.

Remember to keep your dogs on leash when outside of a fenced in yard. You never know what can trigger them. Loud noises and other stress can cause re-directed aggression towards smaller pets ie I heard a weird noise and now I'm scared and stressed and don't know what to do... so I am going to bite this small thing instead. Bite wounds can be very serious and not just a skin lacerations. Dog jaws can create a lot of pressure to cause bruising and even skin and tissue death from crushed blood vessels. When larger dogs shake little animals, they can cause tearing and shearing wounds to the skin, muscle, and internal organs. A big tooth can go through the abdominal or chest muscles and into the body cavities as well. Needles to say, teeth are very clean either and risk for infection is high.

Most bite wounds require sedated wound exploration and sometimes even drain placement. It can take several hours for us to care for a critical bite wound patient.

Head trauma in small dogs and cats is also another consequence of bite wounds. A big dog can crush a kitten or puppies skull. If you have a new puppy or kitten in the household, don't leave them unattended for several weeks. Keeping all play time supervised can avoid accidents as well ie just a big goofy dog accidentally hurting the smaller pet. If you need us we are here this weekend but prevention, like keeping your dog on a leash outside, can reduce emergency room visits by avoiding bite wounds, hit by car events, and porcupines!

06/14/2024

Pup and dog owners
There are several obedience training courses opening up this summer
Make sure they are Karen Pryor certified!

05/27/2024

Summer has started! Time to grill!’

05/27/2024

AnamCara retrievers has a one year old chocolate male available to the right owner. Must have experience with dogs he must be neutered.
Loves people
Kids. Utd on shots microchipped house broken crate trained.

Has retrieving drive learns quickly!

PM only!

05/08/2024

Is your dog on heart worm prevention? We recently had a dog test positive for heart worms in our clinic. Historically, Maine is not known for heart worm disease in dogs. However with the increase in southern rescue dogs as well as the high volume of tourism... we are seeing more and more cases. One hospital in Cumberland county reported SEVEN born and raised in Maine/never left Maine dogs in their clinic tested positive in 2023.

Heart worm disease is transmitted to dogs by mosquitoes. I know I just found a mosquito in my car and in my house this week! When a mosquito feeds on a positive dog, they now can infect YOUR dog. Heart worms can cause life long complications and even kill your dog. Cats can also get heart worm disease but are less susceptible but there are cats in Maine who have tested positive for heart worm disease too!

Treatment for heart worm disease is scary, painful, and expensive. We literally have to kill a worm in your pet's heart and hope ,when it dies, we don't cause a fatal complication to your pet.

If you are adopting a dog from the south, even if they are heartworm NEGATIVE at the time of adoption, they COULD be incubating heart worms. Continuing their monthly prevention ( even if it's winter and frozen outside in Mainei will prevent the microfilaria in their blood stream from maturing.

Prevention is much cheaper and safer! Make sure your dog is on monthly prevention ALL YEAR AROUND. It also kills intestinal parasites so it's a really good thing to do! There are now products that can help with flea/tick AND heart worm prevention so call your regular vet and get your routine care done.

05/08/2024

It's that time of year again... Black fly season.
Every year those little annoyances come out and cause a ton of issues for us and our pets. One of the tell tail signs of a black fly bite in a cat or a dog is a red ring on the skin. But as we know, living in Maine, they can look an awful lot like the notorious Lyme bullseye we have all grown to recognize. Both photos with this post are of Black Fly bites.
Black flies have a hard time getting through fur and so usually you'll only find these red round or oval spots on the hairless belly or ears. Of course if you have any worries, contact your veterinarian. We hope in sharing this, it may rest some worried pet parent's minds going into the season.
We at Kindred Spirits hope you all have a wonderful Summer.

03/21/2024

Did you know grapes and raisin can cause kidney failure in dogs?
The way the toxin works is still unknown but damage can occur in the kidneys. Dogs will devleop vomiting and diarrhea, typically within 4 to 6 hours ingestion. In 1 to 3 days, these animals can go on to develop kidney failure.

If your pet ingests grapes or raisins, immediate decontamination, blood work, and potential IV fluid therapy may be needed. Prompt response by making your dog vomit can mean the difference between out patient care and in patient care.

Often times, exposure is accidental. If friend's with kids come over, make sure they don't have any chocolate or yogurt covered raisin treats in their snack bag. If you are buying trail mix, maybe opt for one WITHOUT raisins for the road trip or hike with your dog.

This is a common toxin we see at EMEVC on a monthly basis. Only a couple grapes can be enough to warrant medical attention.

03/20/2024

Situated in the peaceful countryside of Conyers, Georgia, Old Dogs Home sprawls across 11 lush acres, a sanctuary envisioned and brought to life by 35-year-old Melissa. What started as a personal dream to rescue senior dogs needing love and care, quickly evolved into an extensive operation known as ...

02/26/2024

THIS is a true service dog!

"See this moment? I've never experienced a moment like this. Yesterday was the first day my 5-year-old Autistic son met his new Autism Service Dog, Tornado. We are Americans that live overseas in Japan and have prepared for nearly two years to meet Tornado.”
This mother can't hug, wash, dress, snuggle and touch her son freely. But he is laying on the new service dog of his own free will, with a purposeful, unspoken attachment. This is the face of a mom who has seen her son experience countless failed social interactions on the playground in an attempt to have a friend. Any friend. But he has a friend now.

Credits goes to the respective owner `✍️
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02/17/2024

Fantastic opportunity to gain some insight into the HRC Retriever Hunt Test. We will be meeting and viewing this seminar as a group on the 24th at the Peconic River Sportsman’s Club on River Rd, Manorville,NY. This seminar is open to anyone considering entering an HRC Hunt Test or maybe just wants to see what hunt tests are all about. If interested please contact me either through this page or the club website…LIRFTC.com