Westvet is proud to offer Red Cross Certified Pet First Aid classes.

Our next class will be Saturday, June 30th, 2012. Registration is $40 in advance, $50 day of class. That fee includes Dog or Cat Red Cross Training Manual & DVD and your Red Cross certification certificate.

Click here for a printable sign up form and informational flyer.  You can phone or fax your registration in if you are paying by credit card. If paying by check or cash, you can drop it off at Westvet at any time – we are open 24 hours, Every Day.

Phone: 208.375.1600

Fax: 208.375.1606

WestVet Performs First Hip Resurfacing Procedure in a Dog

Hip resurfacing is a relatively new procedure that is currently used in people to provide a less invasive alternative to total hip replacement.  The procedure has never been used to treat animals.  The WestVet Animal Emergency and Specialty Center located in Garden City Idaho is the first veterinary hospital in the country to successfully perform a hip resurfacing procedure in a dog.

The English Springer Spaniel, named “Riggins” was the recipient of a newly resurfaced hip.  He was rescued by the English Springer Spaniel rescue group.  Shortly after acquiring Riggins, it was apparent that he had difficulty getting around and frequently seemed sore and stiff.  Riggins was examined by Dr. Jeff Brourman, and deemed a good

candidate for the procedure.  Dr. Brourman, along with other surgeons working with Securos, has been involved with the adaptation of this new human hip surgery, for dogs.  He and Dr. Sean Murphy performed the procedure on Riggins.  Riggins recovered well from the procedure and is now able to ambulate comfortably.

Additional hip resurfacing procedures will be performed on dogs in the near future. “If the procedure continues to be successful, it may become a good alternative to total hip replacement in certain dogs suffering from hip dysplasia” says Dr. Brourman.

WestVet Animal Emergency and Specialty Center is the first and only integrated specialty hospital in Idaho – recognized as one of the most progressive and innovative veterinary hospitals in the Northwest.

Click here to read this story in the Veterinary Practice News

WestVet Hires High School Student Cody Brown to Write iPhone App for Veterinarians and Veterinary Technicians

Dr. John Chandler, a veterinary surgical specialist at WestVet, a veterinary emergency and specialty center located in Boise, Idaho, wanted to develop a comprehensive iPhone application to be used by veterinarians, veterinary students and veterinary technicians to simplify many of the day-to-day, and sometimes less routine, medical calculations used in the veterinary profession.

Realizing the need for such an application, Dr. Chandler’s next step was to find a company to write the app. His search was proving to be unsuccessful until April 29, 2010 when he picked up a copy of The Idaho Statesman and on the front page was an article featuring a gifted local high school student, Cody Brown, a self-taught programmer in Objective-C, who has written his own iPhone application, “Messier,” and is currently working on two more. Dr. Chandler set up a meeting to chat with Cody. He came away from this meeting amazed and impressed with Cody’s knowledge and ability to perform the required advanced math, as well as his understanding of medical terminology and processes.

Besides being a self-taught iPhone app developer, Cody Brown, a Treasure Valley Math and Science Center and Kuna High School student, has a few other talents and accomplishments in his repertoire. At the age of 12, Cody achieved the level of Master Scuba Diver, authored a book titled Scuba for Kids at the age of 13, was a monthly columnist forNorthwest Dive News magazine for three years, currently holds a black belt in Kenpo Karate and is a student in Jiu-Jitsu under Mitch Coats. Cody is employed part-time at the Boise Scuba Center.

“Making the choice to hire Cody was not only an easy one for me to make, it was exciting,” said Dr. Chandler. “After meeting with Cody, I knew I had found the right guy to build the app and he was practically in my own backyard! Cody is one of those full ride scholarship kids.”

The iPhone application, DVM Calc, is now available for $4.99 on the Apple App Store. DVM Calc is the most comprehensive small animal veterinary medical calculator available for veterinarians, veterinarian medical students and veterinarian technicians. The app contains 26 practical calculators, 15 specific constant rate infusion calculators, ten toxicity calculators, a useful “Notes” page and a basic calculator.

About WestVet–WestVet is one of the Northwest’s most progressive and innovative veterinary hospitals. Specialties range from surgery and internal medicine to ophthalmology and emergency/critical care. WestVet is also associated with a complete veterinary diagnostic laboratory, which includes both clinical and anatomical pathologists.

What’s new: WestVet’s pet ambulance can save lives of critically ill animals

Shawn Raecke

sraecke@idahostatesman.com

Jeremy Chatelain, a veterinary assistant from WestVet Animal Emergency Clinic in Meridian, and Malorie Graybeal, also a veterinary assistant, unload Coco, a 3-year-old toy poodle, at WestVet Animal Emergency and Specialty Center in Garden City. Coco was treated at the Meridian hospital for internal bleeding and received a life-saving blood transfusion. She received a second transfusion in WestVet’s pet ambulance en route to see an internal medicine specialist at the Garden City center the next day.

BY Stephanie Eddy

seddy@idahostatesman.com

Edition Date: 01/10/08

Canyon, a border collie diagnosed with mediated hemolytic anemia, was one of the first canine patients to arrive by a new pet ambulance last fall at WestVet’s animal emergency center in Garden City.

The dog was stabilized at WestVet’s Meridian hospital where oxygen therapy and a blood transfusion were initiated – both of which continued during transportation via the modified traditional ambulance to the Garden City clinic.

“This is a huge difference from the past when we relied on owners to transport sometimes very critically ill animals,” said Dr. Jeff Brourman, chief of staff at WestVet Animal Emergency and Specialty Center, which owns and operates the vehicle. “You’d have to cross your fingers that the animal wouldn’t have any complications.”

More than a dozen pets have been transported since the service began in October. The ambulance which makes transfers only between WestVet centers or by referral from other Treasure Valley veterinary clinics. Pet owners cannot call for services without a referral.

“Operating a true ambulance created specifically for animals is relatively rare in the U.S., but we felt that it was a necessity given the occasional need for life-saving therapies during transport,” Brourman said.

The ambulance was modified with life-saving equipment including gurneys and a crash cart for immediate cardiac treatment, and is stocked with medications and intravenous fluids that may be needed during transport.

Dr. Wendy Madura, a veterinary doctor at Pet Care Clinic in Meridian, used WestVet’s ambulance service to transport a small dog that was attacked by a larger dog.

“As long as we maintained it on oxygen, it was stable. But as soon as we removed the oxygen, it would crash,” Madura said.

“These emergency services have been wonderful for us to be able to transfer some cases. They hooked it up to their oxygen system in the ambulance and the animal made it there. We would not have been able to keep it alive and get it there for further support without the ambulance service,” Madura said.

Many area veterinary practices do not offer 24-hour care and are unable to keep an animal overnight if it is critically ill or injured, having breathing problems, seizures or requires constant medication. Those animals may then be referred to WestVet’s main emergency and specialty hospital where ambulance transport is offered.

“The field of veterinary medicine has made tremendous strides in recent years as we have developed the means to treat once untreatable conditions,” said Brourman.

“As a leader in the veterinary industry, we believe it is incumbent upon us to stay abreast of how human medicine is rapidly being tailored for veterinary medicine in order to continue to provide our patients with the most advanced diagnostic tests and treatments,” he said.

Stephanie Eddy: 377-6481

Analyze your cat – Veterinarian studies feline psychology

Sharon Strauss

sstrauss@idahopress.com

Friday, August 1st, 2008

And you thought you had problems. It turns out cats stress out, too. In fact, your cat might benefit by seeing a specialist for a behavioral workup.

WestVet Emergency & Specialty Center’s Hazel Carney does just that, and she’s no quack: She’s a board certified doctor of veterinary medicine with 27 year’s experience getting into the minds of cats.

A published author and national speaker on feline behavior, Carney is known (affectionately) as the cat whisperer, the cat shrink and, of course, the crazy lady that talks to cats.

Carney, who founded the 13th cat-only medical clinic in the United States in 1982 in Baton Rouge, La., says a variety of common behavioral problems respond well to analysis and treatment. Solving these problems can save a cat’s life.

Consider these problems:

Your cat attacks you or other pets

Why they do it:

Indoor cats that attack your ankles may be frustrated because they have no birds or other prey to chase. Kittens can learn to be aggressive when owners use their hands or feet to play with them, because it mimics prey.

How to solve it:

Add more vertical spaces in the house for your cat so it does not have to compete with others. Provide active play choices, such as chasing laser beams or ping-pong balls, to increase exercise and decrease boredom. Push into the bite when kittens nip and tell it “no bite.” Reward the cat when it is not aggressive during grooming, if that is a problem.

Your cat grooms excessively

Why they do it:

“It’s their version of nail biting,” Hazel Carney said.

How to solve it:

Rule out medical causes by visiting the vet. Carney teaches owners a bit about massage therapy to relax their cats. She is also knowledgeable about accupressure to relieve pain. Carney says many cat owners don’t know how to get their cat to break a bad habit, so they give up the battle. Owners sometimes don’t even realize that they reinforce the poor behavior, explained Carney, an expert in cat behavioral issues. Medical problems can be the root of bad habits in cats, so Carney examines all her patients to rule out illness or injury. Her patients don’t exactly lay down on a sofa to rehash their childhood. But through their body language, behavior and the noises they make, pets send clear signals about their problems. That, combined with a question-and-answer session with the cat’s owner, helps Carney make a diagnosis.Does your cat do this?

Urinating outside the litter box

Why they do it:

When cats urinate outside of the litter box, they’re telling you that something is wrong in their world. “They may have encountered difficulty with another cat, or they’re ill and feeling vulnerable,” Carney said. The box may be too dirty for them.

How to solve it:

One cat really needs two litter boxes. If a home has more than one floor, additional litter boxes may be needed on the other levels. Cats need more and larger litter boxes than we normally give them. Place litter boxes in a “safe” place, away from noises (like the washer and dryer) and high traffic areas (toddlers, other pets). Get a new box twice a year.

Urinating on the bed

Why they do it:

Your pet may have separation anxiety. Your bed is where your smell is the strongest, and your cat does not want to leave it.

How to solve it:

Put the litter box close to or on your bed (protect bedding with a clear plastic shower curtain). Praise the cat for using it and gradually move the box further away from the bed. Develop a leave-taking ritual, even if you leave the house for a few minutes. Don’t make homecoming a big deal.

What’s your cat trying to say?

Cats have 23 words — or distinct vocal sounds — in their vocabularies. They also use their bodies to communicate. Hazel Carney listens for the number of “me’s” and “ow’s” and the emphasis on each sound. Chirping: Cats will trill a chirp-like greeting to say hello. That indicates friendliness.

Purring:

Cats have three types of purrs, Carney said, and all three mean something different. The classic happy cat purr is rhythmic and deep. The frightened purr is a lower pitch and monotonous. Then, 24 hours preceding death, cats are known to make a low-pitched, constant purr.

Ears and whiskers:

Forward-pointing ears and whiskers indicate interest.Feet: Any cat that allows you to readily handle his feet tends to be a very good-natured cat, Carney said.Slow blinking: This is the equivalent of a kitty kiss, Carney said. “It’s the main compliment a cat gives to his owner.”Staring: A cat that stares at you has a greater aggressive tendency than one that averts his eyes. “In the wild, a cat fixes his eyes on the guy he’s gonna nail,” Carney said.

Kneading:

Cats do this when they are relaxed and content. “That’s going back to the happiest time of his life when he was nursing.”

Facial surgery on black bear deemed successful

Idaho Statesman

Dr. Jeff Brourman checks on the stitches he inserted on a 3-year-old male black bear during a two-hour facial reconstruction surgery Wednesday at WestVet Emergency and Specialty Center. The bear has been in rehabilitation since being shot in the face. His nasal passage was exposed, making surgery necessary for his survival.

BY KATY MOELLER

kmoeller@idahostatesman.com

Edition Date: 01/17/08

The patient lay sound asleep on the surgical table as if in hibernation, the pads of his upturned paws peeking out from under a blue sheet.

“He’s got long claws,” said Susan Gale, a technician at WestVet Emergency & Specialty Center in Garden City.

The 150-pound black bear had surgery for a months-old gunshot wound and drew a small crowd of vet clinic onlookers Wednesday.

The nearly 3-year-old bear had been walking around with a 2-inch hole in his sinus cavity since late summer, when he was shot in the face.

Dr. Jeff D. Brourman, a small-animal surgeon, performed a two-hour skin-flap procedure that closed the hole. It required 35 to 40 stitches and left a curving 6- to 8-inch track on the bear’s shaved face.

“It looks tremendous,” said Sally Maughan, founder of Garden City-based Idaho Black Bear Rehab, which is caring for the bear until it can be released into the wild. He was one of 53 bears the group took in during 2007.

The black bear’s fur was a mixture of colors, few of which were black. John Beecham, a rehab volunteer who will release the bear when he’s healed, said brown-haired black bears are common south of the Salmon River.

“Sixty-five percent are black north of the Salmon River,” said Beecham, explaining that climate and age help determine hair color.

Beecham said the wound in the bear’s face had to be closed to prevent infections. “With that open hole, we were afraid an infection might go into his brain,” he said.

The bear was trapped near Stanley by a U.S. Fish & Wildlife official who was tipped off that the animal was near a campground. He noticed the bear’s injury and contacted Idaho Black Bear Rehab.

In late August or early September, Dr. Tim Murphy in Boise cleaned the bear’s wound and removed the shrapnel.

Brourman said the surgery was planned for the bear’s natural hibernation period, when he’d be less likely to pull the stitches out. The stitches will be removed in about two weeks.

Maughan was in the operating room during the more-than-two-hour procedure Wednesday.

“He’s won everybody’s hearts – he’s just a big, old mellow bear,” she said.

Katy Moeller: 377-6413