MSAH



Dear Friends,


Welcome to Metairie Small Animal Hospital`s First E-Mail Bulletin .

The format you see will hopefully be very fluid. We will keep you updated on happenings at the hospital and pertinent medical news.

Construction

of the Metairie Road bridge is progressing ahead of schedule. The pleasant surprise is the convenient pick-up and drop-off it has created. For the most part the end of Orpheum Street by the hospital is dedicated to client parking. In inclement weather the patio overhang can be pulled up to as a shield from the weather. There is a silver lining in every cloud.

Planned construction of a new hospital

is progressing very well. The Zoning Board has granted us the new zoning thanks to our many friends. A petition of over 500 names was presented to our councilman asking that the proper zoning to build a new hospital on Metairie Road be granted. Our immediate neighbors, Mr Morrison and Mr Centanni spoke and wrote the council on our behalf. One councilman noted that not one person had appeared to speak against us, which is extremely unusual in this day and age. Financing has already been secured and our present project is selection of an architect.

A number of excellent local architects have been interviewed and a prominent Boston architect, Warren Freedenfeld has flown down to talk with us. Warren has built over 200 veterinary hospitals, a number of which have been award winners. We are trying to build a hospital that will allow us to progress as veterinary medicine changes but remain the community hospital that it has always been.

Evening Office Hours

As most of you are aware, we have recently extended office hours to 9 PM On Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Dr Stacey Anderson has handled the evening hours in her usual excellent manner. This new service has been working out very well. Appointments are recommended.

Pick Up and – Delivery

Is another service our clients really Appreciate. This service is offered Monday through Friday and is usually done by our long time employee Herbert Mack. Medications and food can also be delivered. Please contact Julie Plauche, our head receptionist, at the hospital (835-4266) to coordinate pick-ups and drop-offs.

Reservations

are also handled by Julie (835-4266). She has done her usual out standing job of balancing space for hospital cases and accommodating as many boarders as possible * Hint * please make reservations as early as possible, particularly if your pet requies daily medication. Every pet in the hospital is seen by a doctor every day. This is not something usually found at most boarding kennels.

Employee

of the month

award

Tina Waldron has received the employee of the month award. Most of you will recognize her as the technician that is constantly petting the animals. In her astute manner she noticed a geriatric boarder that was acting differently than he had been. A quick check by a doctor revealed a serious underlying problem that the owner had not been aware of. Tina was given a gift certificate by the doctors but turned it in for a new veterinary technician textbook. Keep it up Tina!!

Pet Care Library

is sponsored by the American Animal Hospital Association General information can be found at www.healthypet.com

Pet friendly Lodging

Can be found by calling 1-800- 496-2665 for vacationing with your pet. This is a national listing of pet friendly hotels and motels.

Lymphosarcoma

can usually be successively treated in dogs. Nettie was presented 8 weeks ago with lemon size masses throughout her body. Her life expectancy was

but a week or so. Thanks to a dedicated owner and a combination of chemotherapeutic drugs, she is now in remission. The drugs do not usually cause hair loss or nausea as seen with humans. Nettie's response was immediate and within a week or so she was normal again. She may go months or years before coming out of remission.

See our web-page at

www.msah.com for services, hours,Dr's Bios etc. or contact us by e-mail at vets@msah.com

Case Study #1

Sudden death in a six month old cat: A young neutered male cat was presented after dying suddenly. The only signs immeadiately prior to the kitten's death were a couple of minutes of respiratory distress. Previous to this, he had been a very active totally normal kitten and had eaten a full meal an hour before. On autopsy, he was found to have had Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. This is a disease that causes the heart muscle to become thicker and thicker, which decreases the size of the heart chambers. Soon there is no room for blood to flow into the heart and the animal dies. The usual age this disease is diagnosed is about six years. Signs can include breathing difficulty, exercise intolerance, not eating, collapse, and vomiting. Sometimes, as in this case, sudden death is the only sign. Diagnosis is difficult at times, but an echocardiogram is usually definitive. We are fortunate to have that ability and also do a referral service for other practitioners in the Greater New Orleans area. If diagnosed in time, this silent killer of cats can sometimes be completely reversed.