River Valley Veterinary Clinic - Small Animal Clinic

07/23/2024

07/10/2024

UPDATE: Transport has been secured!

Hello friends - a good Samaritan dropped off an injured juvenile Yellow Bellied Sapsucker at our clinic today. We’ve contacted Dane County Humane Society and they’re willing to take it in to rehabilitate it, but we need a volunteer to drive it to their facility. They’re located at 5132 Voges Rd., Madison, WI. If you can help please call the clinic (608)524-4764.

03/04/2024

After 30+ years behind the desk this wonderful lady is moving on to a new chapter of her life! ❤️ Tammy wants you all to know that she’s loved taking care of you and your pets over the years. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors, and we’ll miss her terribly.

03/01/2024

I had a great time chatting with 8th graders at the Webb Middle School career expo this morning! The students had excellent questions & I got to see a lot of familiar faces. Happy Friday, everyone!

02/16/2024

This is just a friendly reminder to get your pets back on flea & tick preventative for the year if you haven’t already. The variable weather we’ve had this month means that the pests are back in business! Ticks are out questing for hosts any time the temperature is above 32F. Baxter came in today for his annual wellness exam and to get a new Seresto collar. Seresto collars are a cost effective way to keep your pet protected against fleas & ticks, and they last 8 months. Now Baxter can focus on chasing cattle instead of creepy crawlies. 😉 See you next year, buddy!

12/14/2023

Little J.J. visited the clinic this week to spread holiday cheer with his spiffy bow tie and a plate of Christmas cookies! At just 12 weeks old, he should have plenty of time to catch up with those massive paws. 😉

12/13/2023

A special thank you to Sauk County 4-H for honoring us with the 2023 Friend of 4-H award in recognition of our work to provide low-cost RHDV-2 vaccination for rabbits. Sauk County 4-H is a fantastic organization, and we look forward to continuing to support local youth by helping them take good care of their critters, both big and small.

06/22/2023

Our patients come in all shapes and sizes. Carl came to the clinic today to have his eye evaluated. He spent a good portion of his appointment looking absolutely *FABULOUS* and serenading us with his calls. What a good boy!

05/03/2023

That's a wrap! Today we finished our 2nd low-cost RHDV-2 vaccine clinic. Thank you to all of the owners who brought their adorable fluffy friends in for us to vaccinate. If you missed the clinic but still have a rabbit you'd like to get protected against Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease, don't despair! We still have doses available. Please call the clinic at (608) 524-4764 to schedule.

P.S. An extra special thank-you to Owen and his mom Cassie, whose encouragement and support made this event possible. They even made me an official bunny shirt - I love it! Pictured below is Owen and his bunny Ginger.

Take care everyone!
Dr. Erin Murphy

04/12/2023

What a day! That wraps up our first official low-cost RHDV-2 vaccine clinic. We saw so many fantastic rabbits and met all sorts of wonderful new people. If you missed out on our vaccine day, don’t despair! We may be hosting other events or scheduling individual standalone RHDV-2 vaccine appointments in the future, so stay tuned.

04/02/2023

Only 10 more days until our first low-cost RHDV-2 vaccination clinic for rabbits! We have 27 rabbits signed up and have spots left for 3 MORE BUNNIES! Please use the link below for more information & to sign up. I can't wait to see you all there!

https://forms.gle/9AyQZ4Tq2rJCVhkz7

03/10/2023

If you'd like to sign your rabbit up for our RHDV-2 vaccine clinic please fill out the following form. Deadline to apply is March 24th! If you're not sure what RHDV-2 is, check out the recent post & video about it on our page!

In the interest of protecting as many rabbits in the community as possible, Dr. Erin Murphy is organizing a low-cost rabbit vaccination clinic at the River Valley Veterinary Clinic in Reedsburg, WI. The total cost would be $30, which would include both doses of vaccine & pain meds. Each visit would....

03/10/2023

Attention all rabbit owners! We will be hosting a low-cost vaccine clinic for RHDV-2 this spring on April 12 & May 3. Check out the video to learn more. If you’re interested, head to our page and click on the link to our Google Form. Deadline to sign up is March 24th!

03/10/2023

Attention all rabbit owners! We will be hosting a low-cost rabbit vaccination clinic for RHDV-2 (Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease) this spring. Not sure what RHDV-2 is? Check out the pictures for more information. If you'd like to sign up please use the Google Form link below. Deadline to sign up is March 24th!

https://forms.gle/9AyQZ4Tq2rJCVhkz7

06/21/2022

Storm came in for her very first “pawdicure” yesterday. Adolescent Guinea pigs have super sharp little toenails (even after they’re trimmed!) so we went the extra mile and smoothed out her edges with a file afterwards. She’s feeling herself and ready to rock the rest of this week!

- Dr. Erin

05/26/2022

As many of you probably already know, we’re allowing people back in the clinic with their pets!

In order to keep things quiet and less stressful for our patients we ask that you wait outside or in your car until our staff come get your for your appointment. This helps keep inter-dog drama and noise at a minimum in our clinic, which makes critters and staff happier 😉.

Masks are optional for those of you who feel safest masking up. Additionally, we are still offering “pets only” visits if you prefer to wait in your car during the appointment (due to health concerns, mobility troubles, kids in car seats, etc.).

We look forward to seeing you!

03/16/2022

Pumpkin Patch the kitten was very involved in her wellness exam today. She had itchy ears so we prepared an ear cytology to check for any parasites, yeast, or bacteria that could be causing the irritation. Science cat doing science stuff!

03/08/2022

Sometimes the most important part of a puppy wellness visit is creating a positive experience. Nanook is a 21 week old German Shepherd puppy who is pretty nervous about new places and people. Today I spent the first portion of his appointment just letting him warm up to me, and eventually came over and laid his head on my lap. After that, his physical exam and vaccinations were a breeze. What a good brave boy!

-Dr. Erin Murphy

02/04/2022

Tiny puppy, big yawn.

01/28/2022

The Sauk County Humane Society has had a major influx of rabbit surrenders over the past few months. In fact, they had so many that bringing them to our clinic one at a time to be spayed/neutered wasn’t feasible. Instead, I decided to go to the bunnies!

Today we had our first ever rabbit spay/neuter day at the Sauk County Humane Society. Dr. Casey Walter and the rest of the amazing volunteer team made sure the day was a success. We had a great time!

If you are considering adding a bunny to your family now is a great time to adopt one. They have bunnies in all shapes, colors, and sizes. They all have unique personalities and they’re fluffy too. You really can’t go wrong.

Stay warm and snuggle your critters!

Dr. Erin Murphy

01/21/2022

Very frequently I see owners reprimand their dogs for growling when they’re here at the clinic. I understand why it happens - as humans we perceive growling as bad behavior and we want it to stop. Please, let them growl! Growling is your dog’s way of communicating that they’re uncomfortable with a situation. I would much rather have a dog that gives me a warning - that way I can take steps to de-escalate the situation and make everyone safer.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Dr. Erin

Growling IS acceptable behaviour.

Not only is it acceptable, but it’s a behaviour we can be thankful for and appreciate our dogs for.

A growl is a way for our dogs to tell us that they aren’t comfortable with something. It’s a way for them, as non-verbal animals, to communicate with us in hopes we will listen and help them by giving them space, moving away, or removing something in the environment that is worrying them. Sometimes it may also be a sign of pain or discomfort and we can help them by getting them veterinary care.

A growl is a form of communication that doesn’t do harm or damage. It’s a vocalisation, at the end of the day. And if we listen to their growls, they don’t have to escalate to a snap or a bite.

But if we don’t listen to their growls, they may learn that in the future, growls don’t work and the only way to have people listen when they are uncomfortable, is to bite. When people talk about dogs who “bite out of nowhere”, sometimes it’s the result of a growl having been punished or ignored so much that the dog’s only option left is to snap or bite.

That’s definitely something we want to avoid.

Every dog is also capable of growling, and a dog that may currently growl more than another isn’t a “worse” dog or a more “misbehaving” dog.

If we change our perspective of a growl and see it for what it is, just a form of communication from our dogs to let us know they are uncomfortable, then we will no longer see it as something unacceptable or something to be punished away or corrected.

Instead, we can have compassion for our dogs when they are growling and the discomfort they are in, listen to them, and appreciate the fact that they are trying their best to let us know how they feel. From there, we can help them with their worries and discomfort, and help them feel safe, so they no longer feel the need to growl in certain situations.

ID: A brindle and white dog growling on a blurred green, grassy background. There are 3 lines near the dog’s face to indicate noise. On the left is a translucent text box and the text says “Growling is acceptable behaviour”. The word “is” is underlined.

12/23/2021

Just a bit of puppy love - this little guy is named Diesel and he was a total snuggler today for his appointment!

10/01/2021

Does your pet experience unexplained lameness, muscle weakness, or pain? Perhaps you have an active dog or horse that has sustained a sport injury, or an elderly pet that struggles with urinary or f***l incontinence. If so, your pet may benefit from Veterinary Spinal Manipulation Therapy (VSMT)!

Dr. Sam, one of our large animal veterinarians, is now providing VSMT (aka animal “chiropractic”) for small animals, large animals, and small ruminant patients. Dr. Sam is a member of the College of Animal Chiropractors. She has completed the Veterinary Spinal Manipulative Therapy certification program at the Healing Oasis, the only nationally accredited institution for VSMT.

VSMT is a therapeutic assessment and treatment of an animal’s musculoskeletal system. It is similar to the chiropractic assessment and treatment done on humans. The goal of VSMT is to ensure motion within all vertebrae or to bring back motion to fixed or hypo-mobile vertebrae. This is accomplished by applying a directed force at a specified anatomical location. Performing VSMT allows the release of entrapped joint or disc tissue, stretches and breaks up adhesions (scar tissue) and stretches the muscles. This stimulates the brain as well as specific muscle receptors that can dampen pain, increase range of motion of the joint and, therefore, improve mobility.

Please call the office if you would like more information or would like to book an appointment with Dr. Sam. She is able to make farm calls, house calls, or in-office appointments (small animal only) at this time.

09/28/2021

The small critters just keep coming in! Honey the rat stopped in today for a mysterious lump in his inguinal area - it was a cuterebra larva! Cuterebra (also known as “warbles” or “botflies”) are a species of fly that lay their eggs on vegetation near animal nests & burrows. When eggs find their way onto animals they hatch and the larva tunnels into the skin, where they hang out for approximately a month before they fall out of the skin to begin the next portion of their life cycle. We commonly see them on cats and dogs, but this is the first one I’ve seen on a rat!

Thankfully cuterebra are not life-threatening, but they are pretty gross. We removed Honey’s unwelcome hitchhiker and cleaned up the area. He should be right as rain in a week or so!

09/28/2021

Even the tiniest little critters need to see the vet sometimes. Everyone say hello to Tater Tot! She weighs 25 grams, but don’t let her small size fool you - she’s big on personality. The most difficult part of her exam was getting her to hold still for it. We hope she continues to feel better!

08/03/2021

Exciting news: Scooby the Guinea Pig is expecting babies any day now! The look on her face says it all.

For those of you that don’t know, our clinic offers ultrasound pregnancy diagnosis for a wide variety of species, from guinea pigs to dogs to horses to cows and everything in between.

03/10/2021

The best thing about our job is being able to help keep your furry family members healthy and happy. We love our patients and our clients - thank you all for trusting us to provide healthcare for your pets!

03/03/2021

Look at this goofy little lovebug! Indigo came in today for her routine wellness visit and vaccination boosters. She chatted up a storm and asked for ear scritches the whole visit. 10/10 would see again ❤️

- Dr. Erin