You may have noticed some new faces and new options for treatment and diagnosis here, so let’s break them down a little bit! Our staff has also grown and changed a bit! Dr. Sarah Finney has been here full-time since the beginning of the year and has enjoyed expanding our services. Mariah and Hope are our two newest assistants and they both bring some wonderful experience and knowledge to the clinic! Tom works part-time as our bookkeeper and also helps with the reception area. The staff work hard to complete medication refills and return calls throughout the day but they also assist with many other tasks, so please continue to be patient and courteous as they help your animals. We now offer x-rays and expanded in-house blood work. X-rays typically require several views and may require light sedation of an animal to get the best views possible. Our x-rays are reviewed by board certified radiologists at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine Radiology Department to give the best possible interpretation of your animal’s x-rays. While we will always give you our interpretation, we typically receive the official report within 24 hours and will do our best to get the results to you the next business day. Our in-house lab work typically includes ear and skin cytology samples, urine analysis, and blood work. The blood work we can run in-house includes liver and kidney panels, thyroid monitoring, and red and white blood cell counts. Blood work is very helpful when animals are sick because it gives us an idea of what is going on inside the body. It can also be a useful tool before any anesthetic (surgical) procedure. As animals age, blood work can be very useful to monitor internal organ function. The reference labs we use also offer a wide array of comprehensive blood work that we can request. Many of you may have heard about our new record system, Shepherd. We can track exams, vaccinations, and other records all in one place. Shepherd offers a client portal that allows you to access vaccination records, request medication refills, and request appointments. This system is replacing Pet Desk as our reminder system, so if you receive any reminders from Pet Desk, please ignore it as the two systems are no longer synced. You can access the portal through our website, the QR codes posted at the clinic, or the link below. When you are entering your information, it has to match exactly what we have in our system, so if you have any trouble, please contact us so we can ensure all of your information is correct and you can access the portal for your pets. Portal link: https://petportal.vet/finney-veterinary-services If you have any questions or want to learn more about our services, please call or email us at 330-855-2391 or finneyvetclinic@gmail.com .

Fall Fun: Pumpkin Pie Cookies for Your Furry Friends!

I am including some suggestions to help keep your pet safe and comfortable as they accompany you through the cold winter weather. A sweater or coat can help keep your pet warm while they are outside. Booties can help protect their feet from mud and ice melting chemicals. If they do not or cannot wear booties, be sure to wipe their feet off when they come inside to both keep them from leaving footprints and to clean off anything they may have stepped in while they were outside. If you have an outside pet, be sure they have protected shelter from wind and wet weather and unfrozen drinking water. In extreme cold, bring them inside. Prepare for an extended power outage by having an emergency kit with food, water, any medications they need and blankets to keep them warm. When your inside pet goes outside for exercise during the winter months, be aware of how much cold they can tolerate and remember they will be using more energy and you may need to shorten your walks so they do not get too fatigued. On your walks, stay away from ponds, lakes, and streams so your pet does not get into trouble in the water. Be alert in case they may decide chasing a duck or goose onto an icy pond. They might think it is fun but can be deadly for them if they break through ice. Antifreeze will cause kidney failure and result in death if it is taken internally so clean up any spills or pooling of it immediately. It has a sweet taste and the animals do not know it is harmful to them. A warm engine can be attractive to outdoor cats (and other critters) so check under your car and make some noise before starting your engine to be sure nothing is trapped under the hood. Never leave your pet unattended in your vehicle. You may be away from it longer than planned and the cold is dangerous to them just as leaving them in a hot car in the summer can be dangerous.