A Message From Dr. Crowley

Happy Spring! In this issue A Message From Dr. Crowley Read the article. Animal Weight Watchers: 5 Steps to a Healthier Pet Cat Safety: Top Reasons to Keep Your Cat Indoors In Memorium News Archives Happy Spring! Hopefully it should be here any day now. It will be great to get some fresh air and be able to enjoy walking the dog. I think everyone could use some clean fresh air and the sight of crocus poking through the snow. Any extra pounds that out four legged friends may have put on during this long cold winter will quickly be shed with some regular exercise. Soon we will be talking about the heat and the humidity. Words we just haven't heard in a very long time! There will be mosquitos again but probably not til April or May this year. The weathermen have spring running about two weeks late this year. For our canine patients, plan on having them start on the monthly preventative by May at the latest. The heartworm preventative in Heartgard as well a Interceptor works retroactively, killing any heartworm larvae for the previous thirty days. Make sure your pet has had a heartworm test in the last twelve months and is healthy. Any questions or concerns about starting your dog on preventative, please call the office to discusss with a staff member. As always, the doctors also have the call-in time between 1:30 and 2 pm weekdays. Mia is doing very well with Madeline and the cats, assisting in feeding and TLC. Thanks to training of Madeline when we first got her, she has been very gentle with Mia with things as little as Cheerios! For any expectant parents out there, be sure to brush up on all your training to help with good relationships down the line. We recommend area trainers such as Canine University in Malden and Good Dog with Glenn Goldman. Please check out our training link. The dental unit has arrived and is a precision machine to take dental x-rays of both cats and dogs. We recommend dental x-rays for most patients undergoing dental procedures to help evaluate the degree of periodontal disease. With the spring, we have a renewed excitement in continuing our website education as well as some outreach programs. Dr Ricketts just spoke to 8th grade girls at the Salem State Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program. This is a yearly event that encourages young girls to pursue careers in science. I had been speaking for years but Dr Ricketts has done a great job with the help of her dog Jenny. Other programs include educating elementary school kids and sharing fun stories about their animals. As time permits, we also have special days when a student can shadow the doctor. Some projects may be to fufill a school project or a Girl Scout badge. We also encourage any one who is interested in the field of veterinary medicine to spend a day with us. Call Dr. Crowley if interested.