Dangers of Slug Bait!
Beware of this deadly health threat...

It's that time of year again! As many of us are spending more time in our yards and gardens so are slugs. Before you grab your slug bait and head to the garden, beware. Common forms of snail and slug bait contain Metaldehyde, which can be deadly not only to snails and slugs but to your pets too! Slug bait mainly affects the central nervous and gastrointestinal system resulting in vomiting, diarrhea, hyersalivation, tremors and seizures. Other signs may include anxiety, panting, increased heart rate, tearing and temporary blindness. Symptoms can occur within minutes of ingestion. If there is a possibility that your animal has come in contact with slug bait, regardless of if they are showing any signs, contact a veterinarian immediately. Early intervention is the best way to ensure your animals full recovery. Without treatment, animals are likely to experience convulsions, high fever and eventually organ failure or death. It is important to know that there are alternatives to slug baits that use Metaldehyde. One brand of slug bait is that safe for your pets is called, Sluggo. It is available at many local stores including Denson's Feed Store and Bi-Mart.

Summer Safety

v Never - even for short periods - leave your pet unattended in your car. When it's only 80 degrees outside, a car can heat up to 120 degrees in just minutes. At such temperatures, your pet can die in just a few minutes.
v Keep you outside pets in well-shaded and well-ventilated areas.
v Always make sure your pet has access to plenty of fresh water
v Beware of heatstroke: panting, drooling and rapid pulse. Should heatstroke occur douse your pet with cool water and obtain veterinary assistance quickly.
v Avoid excessive exercise on hot days. Over exertion can lead to heatstroke.
v Beware of bee stings. Curious puppies and kittens are frequent victims of bee stings. Bee stings may only be a mild irritant for your pet or lead to the more serious conditions of vomiting, depression and shock, which requires immediate veterinary care.

Pet Owner Compliance-
A key to treatment success

A significant "buzz-word" in our field of family pet veterinary practice is "compliance". This is most simply defined as the measure of whether the pets we see in our practices actually receive the care that we, as veterinarians, know they need and deserve.

We want successful outcomes for our patients and pet owner compliance to a recommended treatment schedule; parasite prevention program or vaccination program is critical to your pet's well-being, future health and happiness.

Pet treatment non-compliance is most often defined as the failure to administer medication as prescribed. Forgetfulness and a demanding lifestyle are the most common reasons pet owners give for not complying with their veterinarian's treatment plan.

To what extent do our patients receive the services and/or products we recommend? Well, several reliable nationwide studies have shown the following statistics:

As you can see, in some areas (e.g. vaccines) we're doing pretty well, while in others, much improvement is needed! And please note that improved compliance leads directly to improvements in our pets' health, which, after all, is the goal we have in mind!

We count on our clients to implement our recommendations in a timely and consistent manner that will provide the best opportunity for treatment success and the well-being of your pet. Without the full cooperation of the pet owner, prescribing any treatment becomes at best a gamble. A treatment plan for any pet can be as much as an art as it is science. We know the science well; the art is in matching a treatment plan to our client's abilities and the behavior challenges of some pets when you come after them with a pill or tube of ointment for an infected ear.

We want successful outcomes for our patients. We understand lifestyle pressures and pet behavior issues that can make a treatment plan ineffective. If at anytime you believe that you are not capable of implementing a treatment plan our staff recommends that you advise your veterinarian so that we can formulate a different approach that will work for both you and your pet.

Mark You Calendar!

Come join us for our 6th Annual Open House on September 9th from 10am-2pm. This is a great opportunity to come meet the staff, tour our facilities, collect free samples from our distributors and share in the celebration of the human-animal bond. Feel free to bring your family, friends and pets for a barbecue lunch. We hope to see you!

As well as our Open House we will have our 3rd Annual Silent Auction to benefit the Good Samaritan Fund on September 9th from 10am-2pm. If you are a business owner and/or you have a service item you would be willing to donate for the auction please contact Dr. Kristina Cox at 753-2223. Your business will receive free advertising on the day of the event as well as in our next newsletter that is mailed to over 3,000 local community members. Due to the support we were able to raise almost $2,000 last year and as a result we have helped many homeless, ownerless animals become healthy and adopted into loving homes.

Staff Highlights

Congratulations! Jamie Spaulding (left) and Erin Barker (right) on their new arrivals. Jamie gave birth to her baby girl, Hayden on May 16th and Erin gave birth to her baby boy, Gabriel on June 25th. Best Wishes to both families.

Best Wishes to Jenni (LaRocca) and her new husband Isacc Marshall. The two were married on the beach July 22nd.

New Employees

Our new doctor!!!

Welcome to WVC! Dr. Justin Vaughn joined the Animal Emergency and Critical Care Center in June. He grew up in Grants Pass, Oregon but attended veterinary school in Colorado. He spends his free time fishing, scuba diving, cooking and playing rugby.

Please welcome our newest receptionist!

Lauren Robles - she grew up in Hawaii and moved to Corvallis to attend OSU to study pre-veterinary medicine. Lauren enjoys surfing, reading and horse related activities.

And now our new nurses!

Jessika Lais has recently been hired as a veterinary nurse after spending a few months volunteering her time here at WVC. She is applying to the veterinary program at OSU this year. Jessika is interested in feline medicine.

Amber Kuehnast joined our team after she completed her externship from the Linn-Benton Veterinary technician program. She spends her free time swimming, gardening and hanging out with her family.

After 16 years Carol Bundy has relocated back to Corvallis from West Virginia. She enjoys shopping, traveling and visiting Starbucks!

Employee of the Month Recipients

left to right

Dr. Joey Goldthorpe (April 2006)
Shauna Smith (May 2006)
James Schomus (June 2006)

SPECIAL ALERT - Leptospirosis an old disease, and a new threat!!!

In veterinary school, veterinary students have been trained for many years about leptospirosis, a bacterial disease that can have serious effects on the kidneys and liver in various species, especially livestock and dogs. We are trained that the disease is spread primarily through contaminated water, and that dogs who spend time around livestock would be especially vulnerable to exposure. The zoonotic potential (that is, transmission of the disease from animal to people) of leptospirosis has also been emphasized.

'Lepto' has long been considered a rare disease in dogs living in urban areas, to the extent that many small animal veterinarians in cities have never seen a case, and the early vaccines have fallen into disuse. But nationwide, leptospirosis is making a come back. It is now known that several common species of wildlife, such as opossums, raccoons and rats can act as carriers of infections, and that dogs, even in their own yards or on walks about the neighborhood, can be exposed through contact with the eliminations of such animals. While 'lepto' can be treated successfully, it is a very serious disease, and can be fatal if early diagnosis is not made.

As mentioned above, people can contract leptospirosis, and thereby become seriously ill, either via contact with the urine of an infected animal, or through such recreational sources as swimming, wading or bathing in contaminated water. Ingestion of the bacteria from such sources can also occur. Among the people most likely to be exposed are veterinarians and the other animal health workers, and we try to carefully educate our staff about this potential health threat.

We will be recommending vaccination of many of our canine patients against leptospirosis, using a vaccine containing the most current serotypes of the organism. The health and well-being or our patients and their families is always uppermost in our minds. If you have any questions about leptospirosis, please be sure to let us know.

Willamette Veterinary Clinic, P.C.
650 SW 3rd Street
Corvallis, OR 97333
(541) 753-2223
(541) 753-5750 Emergency