Wow, what a rollercoaster we have had!

We are flying through the first portion of 2020 and quickly approaching our one year anniversary in May.

It's crazy to think that some dog-walking chats between Jen and I have turned into a fully fledged small animal clinic. Every day is a joy, getting to do the job we love and to spend our time with some amazing people - both staff and clients.

Our days are busy (which is fantastic), and our team is positive and dedicated (which is even better!). We have been so fortunate to have received so much support.

Getting to this point has us reflecting on how far we have come since our first few weeks, bumbling through new practice ownership. We started with no paper towel dispensers, empty cupboards in every exam room and an ordering delay on microchips and Rabies tags...

Within our first few months, we stocked up on supplies and organized our workspaces. We got to know each other and our workflow. With the help of a truly inspiring team of people, we now are well set-up to perform most of the services we intend on offering:

* Vaccination and preventive medicine *

* Dental Procedures in a dedicated dental suite *

(including dental x-ray & surgical extractions )

* Full soft tissue surgery in our surgery suite *

* In-house diagnostics *

* Separate dog and cat/exotic waiting areas and wards *

* Home visits for end-of-life care *

* Urgent care during our office hours *

Through this blog, we are hoping to share some insight into our clinic and our team, help with some education posts, and connect with our clients and community.

We are so excited to be a part of Dexter, and we cannot wait to see you!

- Dr. Anna

A Day in the Life: Veterinarian, Wednesday edition

7.30am - Roll out of bed, drink coffee, walk dog

8.30am - Roll into work, drink coffee, pet dogs, greet the team

8.40am - Check and report external lab results that have been received. Using an external laboratory makes heartworm tests, fecal screens and wellness profiles a lot more cost-effective for our clients. So, although it means we have to wait until the next day for results, this makes a lot of sense for healthy pets and screening tests.

Arthur here had a 'Young Wellness' panel, so that we can start tracking liver and kidney values as he ages. Thankfully, he passed with flying colors!

9am to 10am - Morning appointments: these appointment slots are usually kept for patients that urgently need to be seen on the same day, or that may require further work-up. Think: vomiting dogs and missing socks, raspy-sounding kittens, bunnies that didn't eat their breakfast.

We have an extensive in-house laboratory, digital x-ray and a large and fancy (second-hand, donated!) ultrasound machine. We use these tools to help us diagnose illnesses sooner and to get us on the right track for our main goal: making animals feel better.

10am to 1pm - Surgery: This is usually our time to perform soft-tissue surgeries (spays, neuters, mass removals, abdominal surgery) or dental procedures.

Our Licensed Veterinary Technicians and Veterinary Assistants set-up EVERYTHING we could think of (and often things that we haven't even realized we need yet). Our LVTs are also responsible for monitoring anesthesia on our multiparameter monitors.

One of out patients today was an adorable young dog for a neuter procedure. Though it sounds like a "regular" or "routine" surgery, we are still talking about a full general anesthetic and a surgical procedure. Risks include drug- or anesthetic- related complications, wound infection/breakdown, and hemorrhage. No surgical procedure is ever treated lightly, and so thankfully these complications are extremely rare. All our patients, except for certain tiny species and very rare exceptions, have an intravenous catheter placed and receive fluid therapy (an IV "drip") before and throughout surgery. This improves safety and help us keep them stable more effectively.

1-2pm - Lunch: We would love all our staff to get a proper daily lunch, ideally with a walk or a true break, as this is so helpful for our mental health. On the occasions that we all end up eating a sandwich (or a donut!) while typing or in-between procedures, we are lucky to be surrounded by such supportive team members!

2-6pm - Afternoon appointments: Around half of our appointments are "Well" visits. We are passionate about preventive medicine: aiming to pick up signs of disease early, screen for future problems, and help you to make choices that maximize your pets' health and longevity.

Another 40% will be "Sick" appointments: stinky ears, accidents found in your house, frustrating coughs! The remaining appointments may be urgent - things that cannot wait until another day.

5.45pm-6.30pm - Finish our notes and tidy up! Sometimes a staff dog gets to sniff around the treatment room as we finish up. Sometimes, we sneak a last slice of cake from the break room. But, always, we give ourselves a hefty pat on the back for getting through another day in our crazy, new clinic!