Dear Clients:

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Wood has purchased Crossroads Veterinary Clinic from Dr. Miller, effective January 1, 2010. Dr. Wood looks forward to many years of helping you care for your canine and feline family members. Dr Miller has complete confidence that she will provide you with the same high level of care for your pets as he has for the past thirty-six years. He will continue to work at Crossroads and has no immediate plans for retirement. We are also pleased to inform you that the current staff is remaining, so you can expect to see the same familiar faces when you come in with your pets.

In an effort to cut down on mailing costs, we are trying to do away with month-end billing. To help this effort and to hopefully keep prices stable for you, we are respectfully requesting that you please pay your bill when you are in with your pet rather than asking us to send you a bill at the end of the month. If you have any concerns or need other arrangements, please call the office prior to your appointment and ask to speak to Kathy, the office manager. We also accept Care Credit, and you can get details on this program by calling us or by checking online (http://www.carecredit.com).

We are excited about this change in ownership and have great expectations for the future. As always, if you have any problems or concerns, give us a call and we will be happy to address them.

Sincerely,

Dr. Elizabeth R. Wood

Dr. James A. Miller

The American Academy of Feline Practitioners has created a booklet filled with information on caring for your senior kitty.  I have put the link in the links section, but here is the link, as well.  Right click on it and "Save Link As" to download it.  We also have hard copies available at the office and if you want a hard copy, please stop in to pick one up.  I hope they are useful to you.  I thought it was an excellent resource.

Senior Care Guidelines

Here are our holiday hours:

Christmas Eve, Dec. 24th: 8-12.  Dr. Wood will be off.

Christmas, Dec. 25th:  Closed

Dec. 26th:  Closed

New Year's Eve: 8-12.  Dr. Miller off.

New Year's Day, Jan. 1:  Closed

Jan 2:  Closed

Otherwise, hours will be normal.  I hope everyone enjoys a safe and happy holiday with your pets!

Some of you probably knew our housecat, Sammy.  She passed on yesterday, at the old age of almost 21.  She mostly hung around out back and wasn't up front very often, but she was a good old girl and we will miss her.

Some of you have heard on the news that some cats and some ferrets have been infected with H1N1 virus.  So far, it appears that they have gotten the virus from their families and they have not spread the virus to anyone else.  I've been getting alerts in my email from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) about the cases that have been reported so far.  Here's the link to the public health information page that I am reading.

AVMA News Releases

These are the most important points to remember, as recommended by AVMA:

    *  This is not cause for panic, but underscores the importance of taking pets to a veterinarian if they are showing signs of illness.  This is especially important if someone in the household has recently been ill with flu-like symptoms.
    * Ferret and cat owners should remain vigilant.
    * To date, all of the sick pets became ill after a person in the household was ill with flu-like symptoms.  There is no evidence to suggest that pets have or will spread the virus to humans or other animals.
    * Proper hygiene and sanitation measures should be followed to limit the spread of the influenza virus.

If you're worried about your pet, please call us.

Dr. Wood

I found this online today and anyone who is somewhat crafty should find it fun to make and I think your cats will find it fun to use!

http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/01/diy-project-recycled-cardboard-kitty-pad.html

I've created a Facebook page for Crossroads.  Please feel free to become a fan!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cortland-NY/Crossroads-Veterinary-Clinic/314072085607

Flea season will soon be upon us.  We recommend treating your dogs and outside cats for fleas from May to November.  If you have any problems with ticks or your dog or cat spends a lot of time in areas with heavy brush or in the woods, you may want to use Frontline monthly on your pet.  Otherwise, Advantage is a good option for fleas only.  We do not carry or recommend Advantix.  Advantix (for dogs only) has harsher chemicals in it that do kill ticks and repels mosquitos, but if it is inadvertently applied to cat, it can kill them.  Some dogs also have reactions to it.  If you'd like to pick up Advantage or Frontline, stop in or call anytime.

If your cat has been diagnosed with chronic kidney failure, you might find this resource very helpful.  There's a video here that explains kidney disease, from why it happens to how it's diagnosed and how to help our cats diagnosed with this problem.  It's a much-too-common problem in older cats, and I'm glad to see this great resource become available.  I hope it helps you understand what's happening with your kitty.

Cat Owner's Guide to Kidney Disease

The website is currently a work in progress.  If you have suggestions for the site, please call the office or drop in.  Expect to see photos of more of the staff soon, as well as health-care related articles.