Otterkill Animal Hospital
Newsletter Volume 14, October 2007

Which Doctor Do You Need Today?

Have you noticed how specialized human medicine has become these days? General practioners are hard to find. Most specific problems are handled by specialists treating only their small portion of a patient. We're fortunate to have veterinary internists, surgeons, dentists, endocrinologists, dermatologists, radiologists, ultrasonographers, cardiologists, cardiologists, ophthalmologists, oncologists, behaviorists, reproductive therapists and neurologists right here on staff at Otterkill Animal Hospital. And not just for one species but multiple ones!

In a sense, as your Primary Care Veterinarians, Drs. Zgoda and Keller are well versed in all of the above specialties. We're proud to be generalists. Studies have shown that generalists are able to diagnose eighty-five percent of all patients. Ten percent need to be referred to a specialist (specialists do exist for all those disciplines in veterinary medicine). Frustratingly, five percent of patients may never be able to be diagnosed. Unfortunately, that's a fact of medicine, both human and animal, as it exists today.

So you see, your companions receive an incredible level of expertise from our veterinarians drawing on a combined thirty-three years of veterinary practice experience. Our veterinarians are one of only a handful in the area treating non-dogs and cats such as birds, rabbits, ferrets, reptiles and pet rodents. Drs. Zgoda and Keller are also licensed wildlife rehabilitators and have assisted in caring for, and returning to the wild, animals ranging from turtles to hawks to deer. Both are also members of the Synbiotics Referral Network for veterinarians specializing in reproductive medicine for dogs and cats. We work with some of the nation's top breeders in maintaining and successfully breeding their champion dogs. Many people travel long distances to avail themselves of our reproductive expertise.

You can certainly see that Dr. Zgoda and Dr. Keller are truly special veterinarians. They're proud to offer their very best in caring for your companion and every animal presented to Otterkill Animal Hospital.

Patience Patients

We're still trying our hardest to add another veterinarian to our staff. It's been very difficult to find a candidate that meets our high standards, but we're still looking. It's hard to imagine, but with a limited number of veterinary colleges in the country and the world, there is actually a shortage of veterinarians. The situation is so difficult in New York that Governor Spitzer recently signed legislation allowing Canadian veterinarians to practice in the state. Haven't heard from any yet though.

This means that we still have less available appointment periods with only two staff veterinarians on duty. We know this means longer wait times for you in scheduling regular examinations. We appreciate your patience and understanding. We will always give priority to sick and emergency patients. This means we need to accommodate room for them in our daily schedule. We are always working hard to reduce your wait times once you're here for an appointment. However, delays do occur and are often beyond our complete control. Please feel free to call our front office just prior to your appointment to see if we're on schedule so you can adjust your arrival time if needed. We understand that everyone is in a time crunch these days and want to make your time with us as least stressful as possible.

Staff News

Congratulations to Rebecca on her recent marriage! Our entire staff enjoyed her wedding - many of them served as bridesmaids. We wish her the best.

Congratulations are also in order for Emily on her achieving her graduate veterinary assistant certificate as she continues her schooling towards becoming a licensed veterinary technician. We know it's hard work but will be well worth it.

Congratulations to all our staff as we prepare to celebrate National Veterinary Technician's Week Oct- 14-21! We're so lucky to have four incredible Licensed Veterinary Technicians (Jen, Sandy, Gina and Sue) and three dedicated technician students (Rebecca, Emily and Melissa) on our staff. You'll learn more about them in our next newsletter.

It's That Time of Year Again

Fall is prime tick season as deer tick larvae and adults need to feed before overwintering. Fleas also blossomed during the hot humid weather at the end of the summer. This means it's very important to keep up your flea and tick control methods until December. Remember that you can order refills on line through our website when needed.

Happy Fall! Make sure you jump in a pile of leaves somewhere!