Home Together Veterinary Services

21/12/2024

We had the tremendous honor of caring for a wonderful Golden, named Redford, last year. Throughout his cancer journey, he was such a resilient, sweet, and goofy guy. He got wonderful care from his owner, Mel, and when he passed away she found an incredible way to honor him: Redford's Treasure Fund.

This non-profit fund was created by Mel and CFGV to help people in the Gunnison valley gain access to hospice and palliative care for their pets. The fund is held and overseen by The Gunnison Valley Animal Welfare League (GVAWL) and any veterinarian can apply for funds on behalf of their patients. With these funds, our practice has already been able to help bring hospice and palliative services to several animal patients in need of pain management, hydration support, cancer care, and lots more. We are so grateful to Mel and all those that have donated to keep this amazing resource available for the pets of this community!

For more about the fund, its founder Mel, and her beautiful boy Redford, check out the write-up in the new edition of @ crested_butte_magazine (pages 18-21)

https://www.crestedbuttemagazine.com/blog/flipbook/crested-butte-magazine-winter-2024-25-issue/

10/12/2024

🐾❄ Meet our December Senior Spotlight: Lucy! ❄🐾

❄ Lucy, and her sister, Mina, who passed in April, were adopted from a vet in Aurora in 2008 as kittens. We were hoping to add just 1 kitten to our household, but the vet gave us a great bargain, 2 for 1, and so they came home to Leadville. Lucy and Mina were named after the two best friends in the book, and movie, Bram Stoker’s, Dracula. With cats being up all night, it seemed appropriate.

🐾 In the 16 years that we have had Lucy, she has moved many times, and lived in all sorts of interesting places. During her life, she moved from Leadville to New Hampshire to Pueblo to Granby to northern Routt County, and then back to Gunnison where we first started our careers.

❄ Lucy is a very gentle cat, who is a good companion to everyone, especially our Lab, Holly, whom she grooms daily. Holly then grooms her back. She spends most of her days lying in the sun on the deck, or the sun on the back of the couch, or the sun in her heated cat bed. She’s a routine kind of girl, letting us know when it’s meal time right on time.

🐾 This month she welcomed her new BFF, Patch, from GVAWL, and is learning again how to share a lap, food bowls, and her beds. Thank you for highlighting her as the senior of the month. In our lives, she is the “senior of the month” 365 days a year.

🐾❄ 🐾❄ 🐾❄ 🐾❄ 🐾❄ 🐾❄ 🐾❄ 🐾

03/12/2024

Fred, getting into the Christmas spirit 🎄
What a handsome fella!!!

18/11/2024

🐾November is National Animal Cancer Awareness Month🐾

If your pet has been diagnosed with cancer, what happens next?

To get more information about your pet's cancer, your vet may recommend STAGING of their cancer.

🧪Staging allows veterinarians to determine the location and extent of cancer in a pet's body.

🧪Staging may involve the following additional tests:
-blood work
-lymph node evaluation
-x-rays
-ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI

🧪Staging helps veterinarians give better guidance about prognosis and treatment options for your pet, based on their individual cancer picture.

15/11/2024

🐾November is National Pet Cancer Awareness Month🐾

To start things off, how can you tell if your pet may have cancer?

Some common signs of cancer include:
-new, changing, or enlarging lumps and bumps
-decreased energy or appetite
-rapid weight loss
-difficulty urinating or defecating
-limping or painful areas on the body
-coughing or difficulty with breathing
-foul odor or discharge from the mouth or re**um
-behavior changes, including confusion, anxiety, and aggression

*If you notice any of the symptoms above, get your pet to the vet!

07/11/2024

🐾 November Senior Spotlight: Sir Fredrick 🐾

🐾 Born one evening in August, 2012, on our couch with his 3 siblings. We never thought about having an animal until that night when their mother (our neighbor's cat, Moxy) decided our couch was to be the spot. We instantly knew we wanted to keep one, well really all of them, but that was not realistic. We knew Fred was a definite because when he came out, he crawled right over to Chris. Love at first squeak.

🐾 We really wanted to keep another, but alas there were others that wanted them too. Luckily, two went to my parents and the third to some friends. However, we were so fortunate to eventually get Fuzzy back! Turned out he did not get along very well with our friend's dog. We were so excited to have him back with Fred. For ten wonderful years Fred had his brother but sadly, we lost Fuzzy two years ago. We are so thankful to still have Fred, he is the most snuggly, spoiled, playful, wonderful, precious cat I have ever known, and he has our hearts completely. We are so grateful for that fateful night on the couch and hope to share life with him for many more years to come.

🐾 Fred’s favorite pastimes include (but are not limited to):

😺 Napping in the sunshine
😺 Hunting mice
😺 Rolling around outside
😺 Full body massages and being brushed
😺 Playing
😺 Eating
😺 Being King of the Castle

30/10/2024

Colorado folks:
Proposition 129 on the ballot this year is confusing, especially for those not in the veterinary field. While a veterinary PA (VPA) may seem like a good idea in theory, in practice it could be a total disaster. If you are not sure how to vote on this, please check out the letter to the editor I wrote in last week's Gunnison Country Times.

I had a word limit for the op ed, so my focus was to lend context to and debunk some of the specific things cited by proponents. There are many other aspects of this proposed position that just don't make sense for the veterinary industry, pets, and the people that love them. For one, veterinary PAs would have only about 1/3 as much training (mostly online) as veterinarians and yet be allowed to diagnose, treat, and perform surgeries on animals. This makes me nervous. We just don't have enough training, support, or infrastructure in place for an entirely new position like this. As written, this proposition is not setting anyone up for success.

I'm happy to chat more about this with anyone- please reach out anytime.

A nuanced view of Prop. 129 Editor: Proposition 129 aims to create a new mid-level veterinary position called a veterinary professional associate (VPA.) Those wishing to become a VPA would complete a mostly-online master’s degree in veterinary clinical care, in order to “practice veterinary medi...

07/10/2024

🐾 🍂 October Senior Spotlight: Endo 🍂🐾

🐾 Endo was born on March 8, 2012, in Castle Rock, CO. Endo, a dirt biking term meaning to flip over end-to-end, comes from her being butt-heavy as a puppy and flipping end-over-end, chasing a soccer ball down the hill in our backyard!

🍂 Endo moved to Crested Butte with her family in 2019 and has never regretted leaving Denver. Her best days include trying to catch fish in her ponds (her excuse to stay in the water as long as possible) and running around exploring her properties.

🐾 During the day, she loves to hangout on the side of the barn in the tall grass while keeping her dad company. In the evenings, Endo loves to oversee ranch operations from her deck above the river – sunsets are her favorite! When not outside she can be found curled up in the corner of the couch, snoring with one ear in the air!

🍂 Her favorites include her boy, Brock; her very first best friend Mindy Costanzo; and her best dog buddy Francie!

🐾 When Endo was only a year old, she tore her ACL, leaving her with arthritis these days. Our sweet girl has all the old lab lumps/bumps/tumors that are slowing her down, but we are delighted to see Endo comfortable and energetic these days, thanks to the care of Dr. Ashley and Angela!

🐾🍂🐾🍂🐾🍂🐾🍂🐾🍂🐾🍂🐾

11/09/2024

🐾 September Senior Spotlight: Princess Zelda! 🐾

Magnificent Huntress; Wicked Temptress; Mountain Climber Extraordinaire.

🐾 April 30, 2013 - a tiny creature was born, and little did they know, but Princess Zelda and Angela’s lives were suddenly connected by an invisible thread that was slowly pulling them towards one another. In June of 2013, Ang was a sophomore in college, and the woes of college life were getting to her. Her roommate had the most brilliant idea to visit the local cat rescue and shelter to cheer themselves up by playing with some cats and kittens - in the background, the life-threads were slowly closing in. After concluding playtime with some of the rescued elderly cats, Ang made her way through the kitten room “just to look.”

🐾 As Ang made her way down the row of kennels, suddenly she felt a small tug on her shirt - a little paw had reached beyond the boundary of the kennels and hooked one tiny claw into the shoulder of her t-shirt. Locking eyes, Ang and the teensy weensy kitten stood, for a singular moment that felt like an eternity. Ang requested to see the kitten, to which the shelter employee obliged, and the moment the tiny creature fell into her hands, Ang knew - “this is my soulmate.”

🐾 Their lives, from that day forward, were forever and eternally intertwined, and Princess Zelda - Magnificent Huntress, Wicked Temptress, and Mountain Climber Extraordinaire -would spend her days basking in the sunlight of windows, exploring the outdoors (with supervision, of course), sneaking salt and vinegar chips and sour candies from her unknowing companion, and even having a short stint in Wisconsin while Ang chased her dreams. Zelda is the greatest sicky snuggler, study companion, and belly rub lover. She even brought Ang a mouse once, which was massively impressive due to the fact that she has no teefers left!! Zelda and Angela have spent 11 ½ wonderful years together, and Zelda continues to be the greatest supporter and best friend. Animal soulmates do exist, and Ang hopes everyone gets to experience the unabated, unadulterated, and boundless love that she shares with this wonderful, tiny, (domesticated) predator.

29/08/2024

Handsome NaKi’o, relaxing after his therapeutic laser session 🐈‍⬛💕

12/08/2024

🐾 August Senior Spotlight: Graham Cracker! 🐾

🐾 Born in August 2011 on the streets of Salida, Graham Cracker found his way to our family through Mountain Mutts in Gunnison.

🐾 Graham’s excitement for adventure has made us smile since he was a young pup. Camping, biking, hiking, car rides, and horseback trail rides were his passions. His keen sense of adventure earned him the nickname “Detective,” as he diligently ensured his family stayed safe, inspecting everything and making sure everyone was accounted for and chipmunks knew their place.

🐾 In 2017, Graham moved to a small ranch with his family and sidekick, Sage (The Cat, can be found in photo number 2). Ranching supervision took a toll on his body, and Graham underwent two knee surgeries, but didn’t let that hold him back. He continued his ranching and detective work with enthusiasm. To keep him young, he was soon assigned a young pup named Max S’mores (also found in photo number 2) to mentor. Graham has taught Max everything from detective work and proper trail ride etiquette to keeping the family safe at the ranch.

🐾 Some of Graham Cracker's favorite things in life are: meat bones, watching sunsets from the picnic table, long walks, barking at the horses to behave, playing with Max S'mores and snuggling with his best friend, Sage the cat. Graham makes our lives better and filled with happiness.

🐾 Thanks to Dr. Ashley and Angela, Graham Cracker has regained his energy and excitement for life, and he now acts like a 9-year-old pup again. My heart is full knowing that he’s happy and comfortable in his golden years, thanks to their exceptional care.

08/07/2024

🐾 🐱 July Senior Spotlight 🐱🐾

🐾 Meet our ‘ol man Ace Of Spades. He was my daughter’s and husband’s “grocery” shopping surprise June 2006 at 8 weeks old. Ace came from the Norberg family’s litter born April 2006 in Gunnison. It is our understanding Ace is the last surviving kitty of the litter. At the age of 18 years, he is still pretty active; demanding his meals twice a day and swatting the younger kitties reminding them- he’s still King.

🐾 He spends most of his day lounging around his sunroom amongst various pet friendly flowering plants enjoying his pension; gazing out the window watching the flocks of birds, dreaming of his younger glory days when he was a whopping 18 lbs of muscle, as the mighty hunter leaving his trophies at the front door for us.

🐾 Ace is very unique with the longest canines on a cat seen by most vets! They all would comment; “He’s a black panther!” His favorite food is a can of tuna “With the juice please” he commands. Now, in his golden years, he enjoys sitting on my lap having his chin continuously rubbed, while he drools and looks sheepishly up at me.

05/07/2024

You know it’s summertime in Gunnison when….

05/06/2024

🐾🌞 June Senior Spotlight: Benny!🌞🐾

🐾🌞 Read about Benny here:

🐾 We got Benny when he was “just a little puppy” - he was only 5 weeks old (or so). We got him at The Boulder Humane Society. They said he was a lab/boxer mix. . . but upon his first visit to the vet they said “ohhh, what a cute little pitty!” Benny has been the sweetest, most loving dog we have ever had!

🐾 He grew up in Boulder in the mountains. My daughter, Molly, has a horse named Kamungee and Benny would go to the barn every day to “help” with the horses. He loves horses and especially Kamungee! Benny’s favorite things to do are chase and retrieve tennis balls, go for walks, and lay on the couch. He loves people!!! He does not like all dogs, (just a few special ones!)

🐾 Benny moved to Gunnison 3 years ago. He is so happy he is living his senior years here because he has met the best vets EVER here, Dr. Ashley and Angela!!

29/05/2024

🐾 💊 Can we get a HECK YEAH for palliative care!? 💊 🐾

💊 Meet Frances! This lovely girl was recently our patient for palliative care, to help fuel her recovery from severe frostbite and liver injury. Frances was found in a barn in the dead of winter, covered with frostbite and infection. Soon after, she developed inflammation of the liver and became very ill. Her family jumped into action and got her immediate, life-saving intervention at a local clinic. After a few hospital stays for intensive care, she was released home, but she was still struggling to eat and thrive. In comes palliative care! With the extra support of in-home fluid therapy, anti-nausea medications, and wound management, we were able to help Frances fully recover. She is now bouncy, bubbly, sassy, and ready for the world!

🐾 Frances is a wonderful example of how palliative care can provide the extra support needed for animals to recover from or live well with illness. The focus of palliative care is comfort, rather than cure, aiming to manage symptoms and relieve pain and discomfort. While palliative care is part of a hospice care plan for patients with a terminal illness, it can also be used for patients who are expected to recover and just need a little additional support to do so. This type of care can happen at any stage of illness or injury and is often used alongside curative care or care that prolongs life.

💊 We are so happy to see Frances thriving! The deep love and care of her family, skill of her local clinic veterinarian, and in-home support from our team, all came together for a truly wonderful outcome.

20/05/2024

🐾✨Memorial Monday✨🐾

❤️ Inca (first photo): Big sister to Loki and the love of our family. She loved to swim, chase and retrieve toys and snuggle in bed. Never an “early morning“ girl, but always ready for a walk.

❤️ Loki (second photo): Sister,
side-kick, and constant companion to Inca. Always happy, loving, and ready to make us smile. The consummate hunter of critters large and small.

Both born in Riverland just outside of CB and lived their best lives on Red Mountain Ranch. Forever in our hearts.

🐾✨ Be sure to check out these lovely memorials and more at www.hometogethervet.com

🌈

17/05/2024

🐾 TGIF! Who else is ready for some well earned rest this weekend?!

Here is Benny to remind you that it's never a bad time to take a nap, or give yourself a break. 😴

Happy weekend, everyone! 🐕💕

15/05/2024

🐾 Can you tell how excited Penny is about getting her laser therapy this week?!

🐾 This is her "I just got laser therapy" (and a yummy snack) face!

🐾 Call or email to find out more about our laser therapy offerings, and the benefits/treatments available with our high power laser!