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LAKE CHATUGE ANIMAL HOSPITAL, INC.
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WHERE WE TREAT YOUR PETS LIKE FAMILY
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Go to home page and address correspondence to appropriate individual or department via email, phone, fax, or US mail.
Go to our "Newsletter / Links" page to find links including PetCare Television Network, VNN (Veterinary News Network) and GVMA (GA Veterinary Medical Association). These links are provided as excellent references that provide valuable information about pet health care.
During the month of February and March 2008, we are participating with AKC and Pfizer in recognizing February as the Canine Weight Check Month. This is a national program that is an educational outreach program to inform clients about the dangers of obesity in pets and the tools available to treat this. Participation prizes for clients are available as well as an opportunity to win a pet portrait by a famous artist. During February, the weight check appointments and assessments are free. Please call our front office for more information.
We have very exciting news. On July 31, 2007, we began offering a new treatment modality (PST = Pulsed Signal Therapy) for medical conditions that cause unresponsive and/or chronic pain in dogs and cats. PST is a non-invasive treatment that has been successfully used in human medicine in Europe for various debilitating conditions since 1994. It has just recently been approved for use in dogs and cats here in the USA. PST provides a specific physiological signal carried on a series of magnetic field pulses to the treatment site(s). These uniquely specific energy parameters are transmitted through injured tissue to target the affected area via direct induction. It induces a tiny electrical signal that mimics physiological stimulus that normally occurs in healthy tissue, thus stimulating cellular repair. In the case of damaged and/or arthritic joints, it stimulates the production of new cartilage. In human studies involving over 100,000 patients, PST consistently provided long-term efficacy with no safety issues. It is being used for various conditions including osteoarthritis of the knee, and cervical and lumbar spine, TMJ disorder (temporomandibular joint), chronic pain associated with connective tissue (cartilage, tendon, ligament and bone injury), and joint associated soft tissue traumatic injuries. In humans, PST has been shown to be an effective and harmless alternative that usually requires only one course of treatment to provide sustained relief of pain and restoration of normal mobility as demonstrated in long-term follow-up studies. PST is an established treatment modality and there are now >500 PST therapy centers worldwide for people. It focuses on using "nature's healing benefits" by stimulating the body to restore its natural rhythm and "heal itself", so that other continual therapies may no longer be needed. The best candidates for PST are pets with chronic arthritic pain or other conditions that cause unrelenting pain and have not responded to surgical or other pain management protocols. PST offers a non-invasive and painless treatment option with no known adverse effects. We will also offer it for post-operative treatment for many of our orthopedic cases. The fee for one course of treatment is $600. PST will offer substantial savings to our clients by potentially eliminating or reducing the chronic use of pharmaceuticals and may make more expensive surgical options unnecessary. The protocol for PST treatments is very simple and convenient. Each pet will receive nine 30-minute sessions of PST therapy. Pets are dropped off as day patients for Monday-Friday or Tuesday-Saturday morning. They will need to arrive by 7:30 AM and can be discharged between 4-6 PM (or at 11-noon on Saturdays), depending on their scheduled AM treatment. The pet is simply coaxed to lie down on the PST treatment platform and the treatment site(s) will be comfortably targeted for the electromagnetic pulses. For especially anxious pet, a mild sedative may be necessary. Our mission at LCAH is that we treat pets like family. Arthritis effects 20% of all dogs seven years of age and older. Although prevalence data is less available for cats, most experts feel the incidence is similarly high in senior cats. We all know how painful and debilitating arthritis can be in people, and the same is true for family pets. We are very excited about this new treatment modality because it truly offers a treatment that addresses the underlying problem (creating new and healthy cartilage, bone and other connective tissue), and does not just treat the symptom of pain. I truly consider PST to be breakthrough technology, which will allow many pets to live longer and happier lives, thus enhancing the human-pet bond and our family ties. To our knowledge, we will be one of the first animal hospitals to offer this exciting treatment modality in the southeastern US. PST offers a non-invasive and painless treatment option with no known adverse effects. Some pets begin to show improvement within the first 2-3 weeks of treatment. There are many reports of dogs where euthanasia was being considered and PST essentially resulted in a cure of the debilitating pain. Research shows that most pets will begin to show the most significant improvement in 8-12 weeks following treatment and this is probably a more realistic expectation. In people, the success rate is described as 80-85% where success was defined as good to excellent improvement. In pets, the success rate appears to be higher and approaches 90%. At LCAH, we have treated about 30 patients with an efficacy rate exceeding 95%. For some pets only one course of therapy is necessary in their lifetime. Other cases have shown benefit from 6 months to 2 years. Additional treatment can be done if necessary. Not only is PST effective and safe, it represents a significant costs savings by eliminating or reducing the chronic use of pharmaceuticals and will most likely make more expensive surgical options unnecessary. Please contact us if you have a pet that requires ongoing pain management treatment for evaluation as a candidate for PST treatment. We are very pleased to announce a new premium diet for dogs and cats that we are launched 12/07. It represents a major breakthrough in research and development and is the first diet of its kind to be brought to market. Royal Canin Innovative Veterinary Diets provides specific diets for each breed of dog based on their needs. All purebred dogs are predisposed to certain disease conditions strictly based on breed. Some have skin, orthopedic, urinary, metabolic, obesity, etc. predispositions. The new Royal Canin diets are specifically designed to help prevent these problems. Regarding mix-breed dogs, if certain breeds are clearly a predominant portion of their genetic makeup, then these dogs will have the same predispositions. Although these diets will be more expensive than other diets, I am convinced there will be a significant overall savings to clients in that more expensive medical and/or surgical treatment costs will be avoided by using these diets as a preventative tool.
Our surgical specialists, Dr. Crowe, has been offering laser surgery on a per request basis. We will now have it available as a routine service with the purchase of a new Cutting Edge CO2 laser unit. It can be used for most surgical procedures, however it is especially useful for feline declaws, skin tumor/growth removals, and oral surgeries such as periodontal disease, epulis and elongated soft palates. We will also be offering laser for routine elective surgeries such as OHE (spays) and neuters. Laser surgery is an advanced technique offering several advantages over the use of scalpels. Instead of cutting and traumatizing tissue, it uses a laser beam to vaporize cells to a precise level. The laser seals blood vessels and nerve endings that eliminates most bleeding and greatly reduces postoperative pain. There is also less postoperative swelling due to less trauma. In many cases, it reduces or eliminates the need for general anesthesia which has obvious advantages especially for older and/or less healthy patients with pre-existing medical problems. For minor surgeries, only a local anesthetic with or without mild sedation is necessary. We will be routinely offering the laser option for most surgical procedures.
Dr. Crowe has recently introduced another cutting-edge diagnostic and treatment modaliy called BICOM 2000. It also uses electromagnetic energy to provide diagnostic information and treatments. BIOCOM 2000 and acupuncture using photonic (light) energy are specialized holistic type treatments that have provided remarkable results in several of our patients.
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Major Milestone:
On Saturday, August 27, 2005, we saw our #1000 new client who was Kevin Miller with Stretch his 11 year old neutered male Dachsund. This was amazing because Kevin used to manage Mountain Shelter Humane Society, that does a wonderful job of placing homeless pets in Towns and Union county. Mountain Shelter is one of our largest clients that we work with on a regular basis in their effort to provide healthy pets up for adoption.
On 8/4/06 our 2000th new client brought their cat in for a wellness exam and to be groomed. Her name is Snowball and she is pictured above. From left to right on the front row is Becky our groomer, Snowball's proud people parents John and Suzanna Barrett of Hiawassee, Lisa our original managing receptionist and Laura one of our receptionists. Back row front left to right is Corey who is the kennel manager at the humane society, Dr. Burr and Justin our managing veterinary assistant. Incidentally, Snowball was referred to us by Simon who is a neutered male Tonkinese of David and Dorene London's family. This seems especially appropriate as Simon is a very special patient.
On 9/20/07, we had our 3000 new client/patient (pictured here) who is Harriette Murray and Tank, 8 year old spayed female Singapura, which is a very rare breed of cat. Justin, managing veterinary assistant and Beth, veterinary assistant are also shown in the picture. We are very proud and fortunate to have such a large and fantastic clientele.
2007 Easter Benefit for the Humane Society Mountain Shelter (HSMS):
We had our 1st Annual Easter Bunny Benefit to raise money for the HSMS on 4/8/06. The 2nd annual benefit that was held March 24, 2007. This is a great celebration of the pet-human bond honoring the wonderful relationship we all share with our furry family members. In 2007, we raised $1200 which was donated to the HSMS (see picture below). We are planning a 2008 benefit to coincide with July 4th.
Good Samaritan Fund:
We are excited to announce the formation of a Good Samaritan Fund that is used to help families who encounter a pet health-care problem yet lack access to sufficient funds to cover the medical costs. A very generous client provided seed money to establish this fund, which is named John Todd Jr. Memorial Fund, in honor of his son who recently passed away. John Jr. is like his Dad by being an avid animal lover. This a perpetual financial account that is funded predominately by donations provided by LCAH , its employees and clients. In addition, other broad outreach efforts will be used to help grow this fund. All profits from a memorial garden that remember exceptional pets is in the planning to help this effort. We are very grateful to John for providing the initial funds to kick this off.
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Here's a close up view of the entrance. Come visit and we will be happy to give you an individual tour!!!
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This is one of Dr. Burr's cats, Tango. He loves the mountain sunsets too.
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Here are the big stars of the 2007 Easter Bunny Benefit for the Humane Society Mountain Shelter. From left to right is the Easter Bunny leaning on falconer Ed Figueroa and his hawk Skylar, then local groomer and obedience/behavior instructor Becky Harwood who coordinated the benefit, and manager of HSMS Helen Abercrombie with an adopt a pet candidate.
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Here is the Easter Bunny making the check presentation to the Humane Society Mountain Shelter (HSMS). From left to right is Susan Burr, LCAH Hospital Administrator , Helen Abercrombie (HSMS Manager), Donna Williams (HSMS President), The Easter Bunny, and Dr. Burr.
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