I pulled this news article from Statesmanjournal.com. With today’s economy I am noticing that people are having to get rid of their beloved animals and are facing hard really times. The impact HAS to be showing with the healthcare of animals at the vet’s office as well. I have three horses and two dogs…and I treat all injuries/sicknesses that I can myself, but I do still take my animals to the vet when it is needed…however, there have been many times I cringe when I get the bill! Are fewer checkups the answer to spending less? Or does it create more problems in the long run?

Financial hardships can extend to animal care
Veterinarians schedule fewer annual checkups as clients spend less.

As U.S. Census data released Monday confirm, the economic downturn is altering Americans’ lives and behaviors in many ways, from homeownership trends to commuting habits.The pinch even extends to the realm of veterinary care, and some Mid-Valley vets are reporting a change in demand.

Dr. Kim Erbes of Salem Veterinary Emergency Clinic said traffic is down about 10 percent to 15 percent in the past year. More clients also are capping their expenditures; when they do come in with a sick or injured pet, they also come with a clear idea of how much they’re willing to spend, Erbes said.

The clinic treats 200 to 300 animals per month and has the equivalent of three full-time doctors and about a half-dozen other staffers.

Erbes said she has noted a trend of pet owners waiting longer to seek treatment for their animals. “They’re thinking and hoping their animal is going to get better,” Erbes said. When they finally come to the clinic, the animal’s illness or injury often is worse than if the owner had sought treatment earlier, Erbes said. “People think they’re saving money by nursing the animal at home, but they’re not,” Erbes said.

Still, she emphasized that pet care remains a priority for many people. “It’s something people have (some) budget for,” Erbes said. “People will always care for their pets.”

Dr. Julie DeMarco of Whole Pet Veterinary Care in central Salem said what people are willing to spend on their pets in a tough economy depends on whether they see animal spending as discretionary or not. “For some people, their pets are like children,” DeMarco said. But overall, her clients are spending less, she said.

VCA Salem Animal Hospital reports that during a period of about four months earlier this year, fewer clients were coming in for annual wellness care for their pets.
The clinic reports more stable traffic now, however.

Dr. Richard Hillmer of Oak Hills Veterinary Clinic said this is the first year in his career — which spans more than 20 years — that he has noticed a downturn. “People used to say veterinary medicine was recession-proof,” he said. “It’s a little different this year.” Oak Hills cares for about 120 dogs, cats and birds each month. He said his clinic hasn’t seen growth this year, and clients are looking for cheaper options and holding off on treatment such as diagnostics.

Alternative savings

New office Whole Pet Veterinary Care puts the focus on alternative treatments, but DeMarco cautions against the thought that naturopathic treatments are always less expensive. She said in the long run, alternative treatments can reduce medical bills because animals are healthier.

Whole Pet integrates modern technology with acupuncture, herbal therapies and other Eastern remedies. “People want options; they don’t always want a pill,” she said.

Dr. Don Howard of Twin Oaks Veterinary Hospital in southeast Salem said some clients looking to save money seek animal acupuncture as an alternative to surgery. The cost for a series of three to five treatments is $500 to $700, Howard said, which he said can be a savings of thousands of dollars over surgery options.

MADISON, Wisconsin (Reuters) – Some stories don’t fly. This one doesn’t even breathe.

The city council of Wisconsin’s capital voted on Tuesday to designate the plastic pink flamingo its official bird, honoring a college prank committed 30 years ago.

In 1979, University of Wisconsin students planted roughly 1,000 of the pink plastic birds on a grassy incline outside the dean’s office.

Alderman Marsha Rummel told the Wisconsin State Journal the council’s 15-4 vote ensured the event was “captured in our imaginations forever.”

(Writing by Andrew Stern, Editing by Sandra Maler)

I pulled this story from our Nurses Station blog. It was written by one of our RN’s, Deanna, who sends us stories. I felt it was appropriate for you animal lovers too! Enjoy!

This morning while in my bathroom, attempting to comb down my well-slept upon hair, I heard a strange fluttery sound. I thought at first it was my husband, choosing his shirt from our tiny closet on the other side of the wall. This idea was negated when he walked past the bathroom and the sound continued.

I looked out the bathroom window to see what the commotion was. We have a large group of finches who spend the majority of their morning in our maple tree out in the back yard, and their cacaphony seemed louder than ever.

Imagine my surprise when I found one of the finches, apparently stuck to the window screen. The fluttery sound was the little guy attempting to fly away, with his feet firmly clamped around the mesh of the screen. Every few seconds, a couple of his flock-mates would come swooping near him, chirping and fluttering around him in encouragement, but the small bird didn’t budge.

Cooing words of encouragement to him, I gently touched his claws on my side of the screen, trying to determine where he was stuck. He responded by hopping along sideways. Hmm, I thought. He obviously isn’t stuck. By this time my daughter and husband had come into the bathroom to see what was going on. The finch hopped on the screen again, up a little higher but still apparently unable to fly away. He’d flutter his wings, but held tight to the screen. His friends continued their periodic swoop-and-chirp campaign, attempting to help him let go of the screen, but to no avail.

Birds are hard creatures to read. They have no facial expression to show how they feel, and I am completely unfamiliar with avian body language. However, I felt that this little guy was really and truly scared. After all, he could let go the screen, but he just didn’t. Even with the encouragement of his flock, he still held on there for dear life.

I put on some gloves and went outside to the back yard, leaving my family in the bathroom. I approached the little guy gently, touching his back in what I hoped was a soothing motion, all the while sending him a gentle swoosh of Reiki energy, to help him with his innate fear of all things human. Gently I wrapped my hand around his soft and tiny body and lifted him from the screen. In a flurry of feathers, he was away from me, chirping to his friends who had settled in my neighbor’s yard when they’d heard me come outside.

Just like that he was free. He could fly, his feet were not stuck in the screen. There was no physical reason that he couldn’t have let go the screen. Even with the encouragement of his peers, the little bird was scared to let go. Being perched vertically on the screen, I can only surmise that he was frightened to let go because of the strange angle and perhaps a fear of falling.

Drinking my coffee later on, and listening to the cacophony that is finches in the morning, I realized that we all need a little help and encouragement now and then. It’s so easy to hold on, to stay with what feels secure and familiar–even if it is slightly scary–because the unknown is always scarier than the known. We need to listen to our flockmates, take the plunge and find out that scared or not, we can soar after all.