AHC News - Expanded

Dental Hygiene students visit
Dental Hygiene students from Valdosta State University and Valdosta Technical Institute spent a morning with Dr. Richards at Animal Health Center. Their teacher is Margaret Frailey, who has been a client of AHC for many years. She thought it would be a great learning experience for her students to see the veterinary side of dentistry. The students took turns cleaning the teeth of Hillary, Dr. Richards' three legged dog. They took dental x-rays and asked lots of questions about the procedures being done. They left the office with a greater understanding of the importance of a healthy mouth for the furry members of their families. We thank Margaret for the opportunity to spread the word about good dental health in pets.

Staff meetings in April

In April, 1998 we had two in-house staff meetings to learn the newest information on flea control. Harvey Wilson from the Butler Company came to tell us more about the topical flea control called Top Spot TM. Sue Steppe from the Bayer Company and Suzanne Fredrickson from J.A. Webster Company gave us information on Advantage TM. We had fun as well as a time of learning during both meetings. We know you can never have too much information about products that you carry. Both these products are for the control of the adult flea population but each has its special features. We try to find out the most about your flea problems so that we can provide you with the best product for your particular situation.

Back to the basics
May 1998 finds us "going back to the basics". We will have a series of staff meetings over the next few months that remind all of us about the importance of the little things. Dr. Richards blind-folded the staff and we played follow the leader. He was making the point that we don't just depend on the person who is the leader; we must depend on each other to get a great job done. We will be discussing each area of the hospital to come up with ways to make things work more smoothly for great client service.

Tracey
Tracey, our receptionist of 3 years, has taken another job where she has more time to further her education. She really wants to go on to graduate school and so needs the afternoons free for classes. She has been one of our family and the staff and clients will miss her a lot but we wish her success in all her endeavors.

Moody Appreciation Month
July is Moody Appreciation Month at Animal Health Center. Any Moody personnel can come by the office for a certificate that gives them 10% or $10.00 off any one paid visit during the remainder of 1997. This is the third year Animal Health Center has given these discounts.

Home Study Course
The staff is taking a home study course sponsored by DVM Pharmaceuticals. The topics covered are "Ear Disease", "Insecticides", "Topical Therapy" and "Fatty Acid Supplementation". There is a booklet on each topic and comprehensive test questions for us to answer. When we are finished we will mail in the answers and we will receive a certificate to show we have completed the course. This is only one of the ways we are "Caring Together" to make your pet's lives better.

Cryosurgery
AHC is offering a brand new service - cryosurgery. Cryosurgery has been around for a long time but the interest in veterinary medicine is increasing. Cryosurgery involves application of liquid nitrogen or other cryo agents to freeze growths. The growths, usually on the skin, will die and fall off with new skin replacing the old. The process takes about 3 weeks so there is usually not an ugly open area, only a scab is visible. The exciting part of cryosurgery is that it can be done while the owner's wait and requires no anesthesia or incision. There are situations where anesthesia is required such as mouth tumors. For those ugly moles on your pets body, there is nothing safer and quicker than freezing the growth with no blood or anesthesia to worry about.