Animal Clinic of Kalispell - December 2021

Animal Clinic of Kalispell - December 2021

Pet Press KALISPELL DECEMBER 2021

406.755.6886 WWW.KALISPELLVET.COM

IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME ... Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and the Revolutionary War

Time travel is still the stuff of science fiction, but most of us have probably fantasized about it at some point. Personally, I’m a total nut for history — American history, in particular. Dec. 8 is Pretend You’re a Time Traveler Day, and I couldn’t resist getting in on the fun. If I could travel anywhere in time, I’d choose the period between 1770 and 1800, when our country was born. It’s amazing how many things fell into place for so many people to migrate to the U.S. and turn it into what it is today. I’d love to see that play out in real time! For the most part, people don’t go out on a limb like that anymore. Back then, for a person migrating to the U.S., it would’ve been like moving to the southern tip of South America today — without having a place to live or even an understanding of the climate. Today, some people want to travel to space. I have zero desire to do that (frankly, it sounds terrible), but I admire the chutzpah it takes to try something so adventurous. In a way, the world has gotten a lot smaller than it used to be, and it’s amazing how a whole culture grew from so many different backgrounds. The founding fathers were natural-born leaders who got people to follow them, and they managed to start a country. Then, once they had a country, the next steps of figuring out an economy and government were even more challenging. There are so many historic events I’d love to witness firsthand, but one of the most prominent is Washington’s crossing of the Delaware at Christmas, to fight the British. Throughout the six years of the Revolutionary War, that surprise attack and first major victory for the rebels was one of the most

important moments. It would be neat to see from a bird’s-eye view — but I can’t say I would’ve wanted to be a part of hiking through a blizzard and wading through freezing water. I also would’ve loved the opportunity to meet Benjamin Franklin. He was such a fascinatingly worldly person for that time period and was also incredibly brilliant. Although not an elected leader, he had influence on people all over the world. In the end, I don’t think the Founding Fathers were much different than we are — they had strengths and weaknesses just like we do. I’d love to have seen what Franklin was like in real life. The idea of time travel has been a huge part of popular culture for over a century now, and I can’t help but wonder if people have thought about it for even longer. If you could ask people alive 250 years ago when they’d like to have time traveled to, what would they say? As Americans, our history is so short, and we tend to forget everything that happened before us. With so many other cultures and historical events that happened before our country was born, I wonder where in time Washington and Franklin would have dreamed of visiting. It’s pretty safe to say that we’ll never see a time-traveling DeLorean or hot tub time machine in our lifetimes, but that doesn’t mean we can’t dream. Where and when would you travel if you could? I think the answer teaches us a lot about ourselves!

– Dr. Jevon Clark

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My name is Scarlett, and I’m here to tell you about my family. I live with my mama (Annabel), Nana Beverly, and Papa John. Nana and Papa have a golden retriever named Ivy and a golden Lab named Lily. As a cat, I have Meet Scarlett, Lily, and Iv OFF THE BEA

to admit that the dogs can be a little gross, but mostly, we’re all one big, happy family — as long as everyone remembers that I’m in charge.

The humans like to travel a lot, and because they love us so much, Lily, Ivy, and I go with them! We tend to get a little nervous when our stuff starts disappearing from the house, but once we get in the RV, we remember that it’s a lot of fun to visit new places.

Give your favorite kitty the purrfect meal this holiday season. Your Cat’s Favorite Trout Dinner

We all get strapped safely into the car when we’re driving, but when the RV is parked, it’s just like being at home. I have a nice bed on the dashboard where I can nap and look out the windshield. Not that long ago, we went to Yellowstone, and Ivy and Lily got to go outside and explore a bunch of new sights and smells. I stayed in the camper and had a great time basking in the sun — unlike them, I didn’t even get my feet dirty. One time, though, the air conditioning wasn’t working very well, so the humans took me on their walk in my carrier. I guess it did feel pretty nice getting to see some of Oregon, but I would’ve rather been napping in my sunbeam. Another time, we went to Alaska — that was a long trip. I have a tunnel in the camper, and I like playing with shiny pom-poms and chasing a feather on a stick. Lily is getting older (she’s 13 now), but she’s very loyal and likes to chew on her toys. Ivy is goofy and enjoys throwing her own balls and chasing them. (I keep telling her that’s what humans are for!) I like Ivy and Lily because they realize I’m more important than them, and they don’t try to stop me from sleeping in their beds.

Inspired by Cats.LoveToKnow.com

Ingredients

• • • •

1 cup cooked trout (remove all bones)

1 egg yolk, cooked

Next year, the humans say we’re going to Vermont. It’ll be great because I’ll get a whole

1 tbsp broccoli, steamed and chopped

2 tbsp sunflower oil

new view from my window without ever leaving home. I

Directions

guess we’re not a normal family, but then again, I have always been very special.

1. In a food processor, combine all ingredients and blend. 2. Refrigerate for up to three days.

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A TRANSFUSION CAN HELP ATEN TRACK BAD BLOOD? vy!

Many humans make a habit out of donating blood, knowing that

one day, it could be them who needs a transfusion. But what about our pets? Yes, they sometimes need transfusions, too — but veterinarians around here don’t have the luxury of using a blood bank.

Though you might assume blood transfusions are generally needed due to trauma, that actually constitutes a minority of the cases in our practice. Dogs most commonly need blood because

of anemias caused by their immune systems. Citing a recent case, Dr. Clark explains, “Their

bodies destroy their own blood cells or platelets,

or sometimes both. We don’t necessarily know why their immune system does this, but after a few days, they’re in dire shape.”

Luckily, most dogs begin feeling better right after their transfusions. Dr. Clark also has a background in transfusion medicine. “I was on the transfusion team in vet school,” he says. “We had a specific set of blood donor dogs we would draw and process.” In practice today, he relies on the dogs of his staff or even his other patients to be donors.

Blood transfusions for cats occur rarely, being necessitated by red blood cell parasites. The vast majority of cats have type A blood, so finding a donor is usually quite simple. Dogs, however, have varying blood types just like people do, and determining a dog’s specific blood type generally takes 3–4 days. Unfortunately, dogs in need of transfusions often can’t wait that long. We can do a cross-match and check if there are any negative reactions, and thankfully, transfusion reactions are uncommon. Whole blood is a wonderful tissue. It saves dogs’ lives and is rewarding to give an anemic dog that is sick a boost, and they feel like a completely new dog in a few hours.” We hope your beloved animal will never need a blood transfusion, and they probably won’t. We only have to do about three per year. But you can rest easy knowing that if the day ever comes, our team is always standing by to provide expert care.

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Inside

1 Dr. Clark’s Favorite Time in History 2 Your Cat’s Favorite Trout Dinner 2 Meet Scarlett, Lily, and Ivy! 3 Blood Transfusion for Pets 4 Helping Hands Monkey Helpers for the Win

No Monkeying Around HELPING HANDS MONKEY HELPERS FOR THE WIN

You’ve heard of service dogs, but

to navigate major household appliances and electronics as well as basic items within the home. They can even retrieve a canned beverage from the refrigerator, open it, and put a straw in it! A service monkey can also assist with retrieving things that are dropped or out of reach, turning pages in a book, scratching an itch, pushing buttons on electronic devices, and performing other menial tasks within the home. Each human applicant and the capuchin monkeys undergo a pairing process to find the best fit for placement! A social worker and placement specialist work together to sift through applications and determine which monkeys will be the right choice for the applicants based on lifestyle preferences and the tasks that will be most helpful to the person with disabilities. Plus, Helping Hands Monkey Helpers ensures that the monkeys are completely free of charge to the recipients! The human-animal bond created along the journey after placement is absolutely beautiful. Helping Hands Monkey Helpers brings love, companionship, and laughter to many who are fortunate enough to work with the organization. These monkeys are the best, hands down. And, monkeys, thank you for going to monkey college, and thank you for your service!

what about service monkeys? For many years now, capuchin monkeys have been lending

helping hands to people with disabilities!

Helping Hands Monkey Helpers,

located at Monkey College in Boston, Massachusetts, is a nonprofit organization designed to help people with disabilities and mobility issues, such as quadriplegia, by pairing them

with a monkey service animal. These simian helpers are specifically trained to help with daily tasks while providing companionship, happiness, and a renewed sense of purpose that many struggle with when navigating an injury or disability. When monkeys graduate, they will have developed the ability

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