Tri-County Animal Clinic

12/05/2024

It came to our attention that our phone answering system was still set to Thanksgiving holiday hours from last week. This issue has been fixed. We apologize for the inconvenience.

11/27/2024

Thanksgiving is swiftly approaching. Let's keep our best friends healthy and safe this holiday season. If you plan on hosting or attending Thanksgiving dinner, please be mindful of what hits the floor for Fido. Some foods can be very dangerous to our furry friends.

-Turkey bones: no, no, NO! These can cause severe damage to the GI tract or even blockages

-Turkey skin, drippings or anything high in fat or butter: these foods can cause serious GI upset or severe pancreatitis.

-Cherries, raisins or grapes: kidney damage

- Cheese: this is very high calorie for dogs and can cause diarrhea in large amounts as dogs do not metabolize dairy well.

- Avoid feeding anything off the dessert table. Desserts can contain chocolate, toxic nuts, raisins or artificial sweeteners that can be harmful to pets.

** As a general rule, never feed a dog anything without the owner's express consent. Dogs can have individual allergies and sensitivities. Just because your dog can eat it, doesn't mean every dog can**

I hope everyone has a happy and safe Thanksgiving.
Dr. J 👩‍⚕️

11/25/2024

Thanksgiving schedule

Wednesday: closing at noon
Thursday: closed 🦃

10/11/2024

We have recently had an update to our appointment reminder system. If you receive a reminder that seems incorrect or are not receiving your reminders, please don't hesitate to reach out and let us know.

09/10/2024

Friendly reminder to call the office to make appointments. Our receptionists do not have access to our Facebook messenger. It is also not managed by somebody that makes appointments or checked regularly. We do not make appointments, diagnose patients or discuss patients via Facebook messenger.

08/31/2024

We will be closed on labor day

08/24/2024

Policy updates and reminders regarding payment for services.
Reminders:
1. Payment is due at time of service. This has always been our policy and there is a sign at the front desk stating this. Payment for inpatient care is due at pickup.
2. We DO NOT offer in-house payment plans(and never have). Our staff does not have authority to do this. We accept all major credit cards and carecredit. Telling us you have no intention of paying after receiving services is not us agreeing to a payment plan. You are stealing. Your account will be flagged for non-payment.
3. If you have an unpaid balance, you will not receive any further services until it is paid.
4. You will be asked to provide a good phone number to reach you if your pet is hospitalized. We cannot update you on your pet or bill if you do not leave us accurate contact information or ignore our calls.

Updates:
1. If your account is flagged for non-payment, you will be required to pre-pay for services and sign estimates for hospitalized pets.
2. Medications will be dispensed at checkout.
3. We will be raising the deposit required for intake patients for hospitalization. Deposit will be roughly half of estimated cost of care.
4. You must give us a budget. We ask for a budget for each pet we intake. This budget is on the treatment agreement that has to be signed at intake. We will stay within the agreed upon budget to the best of our ability.. We monitor cost of care daily while your pet is hospitalized. If the cost is going to exceed the budget, we will contact you. If we are unable to contact you and your pet is left with us significantly longer than the estimated cost of care was meant to cover, your bill will continue to increase as your pets' inpatient care continues.

Please know that this post is not aimed at any single individual. This has to be made because of a pattern of behavior that we are dealing with lately. We have had many instances of abandoned pets, non-payment and expectation of payment plans in the past several months. We are a small, family owned business that cannot continue to serve this community without being run like a small business.
A few bad apples have not changed the fact that we have some of the best clients around and love our patients. We appreciate you and hope to continue providing quality veterinary care to your pets.
If you are in need of financial aid for care, there are several organizations online that help with this, however, it is the responsibility of the pet owner to reach out to them in a timely manner.

07/25/2024

Dr. Jamie is now offering cytopoint allergy injections. Please contact the clinic or message her page for additional information or inquiries on pricing and appointments.

07/21/2024

How about a fun case for this lovely Sunday!

This is Skeeter. He is an 11yo chihuahua. He was adopted as a stray at a year old and been with his current owner ever since. Skeeter has an unknown history before being adopted. He was seen for the first time by our clinic last week. His owner did not bring records but did explain that he has had no pertinent medical history beyond preventative care and mild ailments.

He presented for a general exam due to coughing after activity. On exam, it was found that the left side of his heart was severely muffled and almost impossible to hear on auscultation. We did some radiographs to screen for heart and lung diseases (pictured below).

Radiographic findings:
To even the untrained eye, it is very clear to see that the left side of the chest is abnormal. This is due to a diaphragmatic hernia. His intestines are currently residing in the left side of his chest. His heart also appears enlarged.

What is a diaphragmatic hernia?
The diaphragm is a thin wall of muscle that separate the chest and abdominal cavity, aids with breathing a d maintains a negative pressure in the chest. Skeeter's has a hole in it.

How does this happen?
1. Congenital (born with it)
2. Abdominal trauma, typically hit by a car
In Skeeter's case, this was likely either congenital or caused by an accident that occurred in the first year of life as he has no know trauma since being with his current owner.

Why is it an issue now?
Probably due to his heart. The heart and lungs work closely together for oxygen balance. When 1 is compromised, the other "picks up the slack". The heart is no longer able to compensate as it has been.

What can be done?
In short, surgical repair. However, this case would need to be referred to a surgical specialist. This is a delicate procedure that will be complicated by the chronic state. A chronic diaphragmatic hernia will involve adhesions, altered architecture of both body cavities and possible need for grafts.

For Skeeter, his owner is opting for treatment of the heart condition and no surgery. This is very fair decision due to Skeeter being a high risk anesthetic patient because of his heart and the inevitable high cost of veterinary specialty care. Skeeter is feeling pretty well overall and likely has a lot of life left in him.

If you enjoyed this case or have questions, please leave a comment. If like seeing cases, I'll try to post them more often.

Dr. Jamie 👩‍⚕️
*all photos posted with owner's permission

07/02/2024

4th of July hours!

The 3rd: closing at 3
The 4th: closed

07/01/2024

06/22/2024

Crates are a wonderful tool when utilized properly. Every dog should have some degree of crate training.

Crates are not mean when used properly! A lot of dogs love them! You are only benefitting your dog when you crate train!

06/05/2024

We do not have a doctor in the office today. We are open and able to dispense prescribed medications and perform services that do not require a doctor.

03/15/2024

Don't forget about the coggins clinic tomorrow! Come see us at the Bridle and Saddle Club for discounted coggins testing.