In The News
HATS, HATS and more HATS
12 Jan 2012
The last visit to the Dominican Republic, Dr. Franklin brought some ball caps along that had been given to him by two young boys right here is Hagerstown. The kids there were overjoyed to be given a hat! He witnessed them play "ball" on the streets barefooted and with baseballs made of dirt-filled socks. You can imagine how grateful they were to be given such a special treat- something that, to us is trivial. This time around he has planned to take along more ball caps to distribute.
We would like to THANK all who have contributed, especially COPYQUIK, who have donated a big box of red hats that read, "Jesus is the Rock!" in Spanish. (Thanks, Dr. Turfle!) We also want to thank Jeff Martin Specialty Advertising for their generous contribution!
visit our FB page for more cute pictures
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mid-Atlantic-Veterinary-Hospital/118557458253?ref=nf#!/pages/Mid-Atlantic-Veterinary-Hospital/118557458253?sk=wall
Chemotherapy IS an option for your beloved Pet!
27 Dec 2011
Harley gives Dr. Sollenberger an exuberant "two paws up" for her diligent management of his customized Chemotherapy Plan!
Read more about this important care available @MAVH by reviewing our "Chemotherapy Overview for Petparents".
Canine Influenza Info for Petparents
17 Nov 2011
“Canine Influenza” was first reported in 2004 in Florida and now has been detected in 30 states and the District of Columbia to-date.
This virus is highly contagious among dogs— and is spread by direct dog-to-dog contact; coughing or sneezing; or contact with contaminated surfaces. etc. Additional clinical signs of infection include lethargy, fever, loss of appetite, and/or wheezing.
Coat Drive 2011
01 Nov 2011
WALK YOUR PETPARENT!
17 Oct 2011
WALK YOUR PETPARENT!
By Emma Franklin, DFD*
I don’t know about your house but my petparents are always busy. In the hustle of our everyday lives it seems that “walking the dog” has often been relegated to the chores list right along with taking out the trash.
I am a recognized trash thief—being particularly proficient in making confetti out of almost anything. So while both are important tasks in their own ways I want to personally encourage you to consider “dog walking” in a different light, especially this time of year.
My family looks forward to the seasons changing and autumn offers exhilarating weather and unique reasons to set out on adventures!
Even though I’ve heard that catparents often take leash-in-hand and go for walkabouts with their favorite felines I’m really thinking more in terms of brisk, strong-stepping treks at this moment.
I’ve had the most fun on such treks when they weren’t planned—we just set off on them spontaneously to take advantage of a great day, afternoon or evening.
The chance to be “walked” is always exciting for me because I love to explore and I somehow feel better afterwards thanks to all of that walking and occasional trotting.
Likewise my two-legged companion slowly but surely mellows out with each step and that brings me to my point. Let’s look at this supposed chore from a different perspective.
I believe that we canines have a very important job to do when walking our petparents!
One way or another we must “force” them to slow down a little and catch up with the natural world around them. It’s inevitable that their thoughts will wander back to their current challenges and/or worries so if their pace slows down you should speed up just enough to change the subject.
Remember this time of year provides a perfect backdrop for what could seem to be an impossible mission—getting your beloved petparent to relax.
Paying particular attention to details can be most helpful. The following sights, sounds and smells are some I’ve experienced firstpaw and some that have been shared with me by friends of the canine persuasion. One or all should do the trick for your petmom or petdad!
A beautiful full moon that can be seen during the evening and into the night is still quite evident early the next morning before sunlight. No need for a cold, impersonal flashlight, just walk in the bright of the moon! It casts interesting shadows and allows even the little dogs to run with the big dogs.
Early morning is really a neat time to walk because homes and their families are just awakening to the new day. Some are already heading off to work, other dogs are out walking their petparents and even the hint of an aroma from a clothes dryer sheet wafts through the air.
Obviously more interesting things can be seen in the light of day. For instance—gaggles of geese gleaning fallen grains from a recently combined field. Squirrels scurrying about gathering food for the upcoming winter, rabbits beginning to look fuzzier (me too!). Leaves of varying shades lazily falling to the ground. Big colorful mums blooming in abundance. Walnuts, buckeyes, pine cones and the like dropping out of trees to hopefully continue their kind in spite of the above-mentioned squirrels.
Not only is the channel always changing as our walk continues but also we can experience nature’s surroundsound in the midst of the refreshingly crisp air. Once in a while we even catch that special smell of wood burning to take the chill off of some homes. Ahhhh, autumn.
Yes I’m a bit partial to fall but any season offers plenty of reasons to just get out and walk your petparent! Don’t consider it to be a chore fellow canines—consider it to be your honorable duty as human’s best friend!
After all those beloved two-leggeds work hard to keep us healthy and fed with a comfortable roof over our furry heads and the least we can do is walk them on a regular basis.
It’s that simple. Exercise is good whether you have two legs or four and walking your petparent has benefits galore!
(*DVD=Dr.Franklin’sDog)
Be Fair to Your Pup!
05 Oct 2011
Be Fair to your Puppy!
Food, water, a cozy home, and lots of love is not enough.
Consistent, well-timed veterinary care is important, too.
What's wrong with this picture?
04 Aug 2011
What's wrong with this picture?
Kindergarten Class Trip 2011
21 Jun 2011
Grace Academy Kindergarten Class Trip 2011
Each year we have the privilege of hosting a group of kindergarten kids from a local private school. This year we welcomed a large group of very bright, energetic students. They’re tour consisted of several learning stations- the x-ray room, the surgery room, the dental & lab areas and the exam room. We were able to capture a few pictures to share with you.
A wolf in sheep’s clothing- Don’t Be Fooled!
17 Mar 2011
A wolf in sheep’s clothing... just not as obvious!
YOUR FIRST “BABY” HAD FUR, NOW WHAT DO YOU DO?
25 Jan 2011
Recently there have been some BIG changes for three team members at MAVH. Dr. Sollenberger started the baby trend when she announced her pregnancy last year- then a few months later I and another long time technician found out we too were expecting our first 2-legged babies!
All of our stories are unique in their own way- and we’d like to share some tidbits of our experiences with you. Read on...
"Cooper's" Bad Break
28 Sep 2010
“Cooper,” a typically hyper yellow lab who has led a very adventurous life came to us a few weeks ago with a broken leg. After an initial evaluation Dr. Franklin performed orthopedic surgery to reconstruct the leg. In conjunction with the surgery, “Cooper” was also treated with Laser therapy. So far we have seen outstanding results! The owners are thrilled that their 7 year old “pup” is on the road to recovery and really happy they received good medicine with great results right here in our community!
"Cooper's" Timeline
- Injury occurred September 4th
- Brought to us September 7th
- Surgery performed September 8th follow by Laser therapy 24 hours post surgery
- Laser treatment September 16th
- Laser treatment September 23rd (he is now walking with about 30% force to the injured leg)
- to be continued...
Initial X-ray- September 4th
Post Surgery X-ray- September 8th
September 9th- Post surgery
Little Brother helping at Sept 16th check-up
September 23rd- check up & laser treatment (note: area is illuminated by Laser... it is not bleeding!)
September 23rd- healing is right on track!
get outa my face!!!
12 Aug 2010
wow—lots of catnip mice are scattered everywhere around here and
i’m trying hard to have some fun but my head really hurts.
not that (cute!) 6-week old kittens like me can’t get into some mischief and take a few bumps, it’s just that my head really hurts—especially my nose. it feels stuffy.
uh oh, here comes my petmom. she seems to want something.
she wants me! yikes! i’ve just been scooped up and put into a fancy box with a small wired door and some wired windows.
hmmm. wonder what’s up? at least wherever i’m going she’s going, too, because we’re in the car and it’s moving…
now it’s stopped and my petmom is carrying me in my fancy box into a building of some sort.
we’re inside now. my whiskers are twitching and my (sore!) nose is telling me i’m not the only cat around and i’m seeing some other big animals who are sitting around with their tongues sticking out.
how uncivilized.
well. here we go. down a hallway. i’m out of my fancy box and onto a big something or other and a new person says “1.2 pounds”.
another new person. she says her name is dr. seroka. she’s very nice and quite gentle. she must have some cats of her own—i like her.
dr. seroka starts to look at all of me. she is concerned because i sound like i have a cold. that can be bad news for me because i am so young and tiny.
when she cleaned off my goopy face with a warm cloth she noticed something in my really sore nose.
dr. seroka then explained to my petmom that there was a cuterebra larva burrowed into my nostril!
that’s why my head has been hurting!
i had to stay in the hospital, have some blood tests, and then that nasty cuterebra larva was surgically removed from my nostril while i was safely “sleeping”.
turns out that nasty cutrerebra larva had been living in my nose for half of my life—about 3 weeks!
i’m glad it’s moved out! my head doesn’t hurt anymore and i’m home and ready to play.
thank you for taking such great care of me, dr. seroka!
BEFORE AFTER
Amazing Story showcases Laser Treatment
26 Jul 2010
Pffffttttt. Sorry, had a tennis ball in my mouth
I am a puppy. I eat, sleep, and play, play, play.
Unfortunately, I also fall down stairs.
That’s bad for any dog but especially for me because I was born and bred to be a Service Canine.
My Caretaker took me to MAVH and X-rays showed I had broken a bone in my left hind leg. It really hurt; but it would get better and the long term outlook was great. Hurray!
That nice Dr. Seroka gently put a splint on my leg and said it had to be checked about every 7 days for 8 weeks…and I needed to be strictly confined with cage rest.
Obviously she hadn’t noticed I am a Labrador retriever pup and I must play hard to learn how to work hard!
So I played hard with my brothers and sisters. It was a lot of fun and that yucky splint was ruined. Bonus!
Maybe not. It was back to MAVH for me, and Dr. Franklin explained I now had a non-union fracture. He looked very, very sad and concerned.
My young bones were not healing by growing back together. I might not be able to ever use my leg…or be a Service Canine!
This was serious.
But I was @ the right place @ the right time.
MAVH had just invested in a Therapeutic Laser.
I heard Dr. Franklin and my Caretaker talking about how the Laser would Energize! the cells in my broken bones to promote healing.
H-E-A-L-I-N-G? Healing, he said? What fantastic news!
My very first Therapeutic Laser session felt warm, a little tingly, and quite relaxing.
Then just 12 days later Dr. Franklin took some more X-rays of my leg. He noted “fracture site nearly completely healed—no evidence of non-union at all. Beautiful.”
He was stunned—then quickly took even more X-rays of both my legs to confirm his findings and that he was evaluating the correct leg. Yes to both!
I was acting like a normal pup again because my broken leg was nearly normal again, too!
Wow--my future as a Service Canine was looking very bright once more thanks to state-of-the-art Laser therapy @MAVH.
Amazing and true.
This x-ray was taken 6/14/2010- right after the break
.
This was taken 6/28/2010- after just ONE laser treatment
Big Dog + Bloat = Really Bad News
16 Jun 2010
Do you have a purebred or mixed Golden Retriever? German Shepherd? Labrador Retriever? Great Dane? St. Bernard? Rottweiler? Doberman? Or any other large deep-chested breed?
Then this petparent Update is for YOU!
Toxey's Tattoo Saves the Dog!
16 Mar 2010
Toxey’s Tattoo Saves the Dog!
Toxey, a happy yellow lab mix, went missing this past weekend. Of course, his mom and dad were worried sick- it wasn’t like him to run off like that! They made posters and distributed them throughout their town, they called neighbors, local shelters and veterinary offices.
Two days had passed and still no sign of Toxey-boy. Monday evening we received a call from the lady who had found Toxey late Saturday night. She noticed a marking on his inner thigh- when she took a closer look it was a phone number and an identification number. She called the number which, of course, directed her to MAVH. From there we were able to get Toxey’s mom and dad in contact with the kind lady. They were reunited that same evening- and are living happily ever after!
What a great return on a $30 investment!
Dealing with Separation Anxiety
15 Sep 2009
Separation Anxiety
by Petra Wittsell
Is your dog destroying your house, "messing" on the floor, or barking and whining when left home alone? Doeshe follow you anxiously from room-to-room and get upset as you get ready to leave? If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions- read on for some expert advise!
