It took Cindy Pischke over an hour to sew her first golden retriever-themed face mask. Now, after sewing more than 85 masks for Facebook friends across the country, Pischke can sew a mask in under 20 minutes. The project began at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a request for a face mask from an immunocompromised friend. It has since gained momentum as a fundraising effort to benefit the UW School of Veterinary Medicine, where Pischke and her husband Peter brought their golden, Patience, for advanced surgical care.
In these dog days of summer, knowing the health risks that warm weather poses to pets -- even on days that don't seem that hot to you -- and being prepared can help keep your pets safe. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) offers warm weather pet safety resources online. Ask your veterinarian how to recognize signs of heat stress and seek emergency veterinary care if you observe any of these signs, which include anxiousness, excessive panting, restlessness, excessive drooling, unsteadiness, abnormal gum and tongue color, and collapse.
Related: Did you know that current AVMA President Douglas Kratt is a 1998 graduate of the UW School of Veterinary Medicine? Kratt began his term as president this month.
The Vaccination Against Canine Cancer Study continues to recruit dogs to evaluate a vaccine strategy for the prevention, rather than the treatment, of dogs with cancer. Healthy dogs of numerous breeds, 6 to 11 years old, will be randomized to receive either a series of vaccines or placebos. Dogs will live at home and be checked 2-3 times yearly for 5 years after enrollment. In addition to potentially providing a new strategy for cancer prevention in dogs, if successful, this study could provide important justification for eventually looking at a similar approach in humans.
Related: Read about the "cancer crusaders" helping to advance better cancer therapies for both pets and people through School of Veterinary Medicine oncology clinical trials.
UW Veterinary Care is currently open for business; however, staffing is limited due to COVID-19's many effects on the personal and professional lives of our clinicians and staff. For hospital operations, this means that we cannot manage the same caseload that we could before the pandemic. The number of appointments and ER cases that we can care for is currently lower than pre-COVID.
We are doing our best to accommodate clients' needs. Our Primary Care Service is currently scheduling routine wellness exams, vaccinations and more urgent cases; has expanded its telemedicine services; and is now providing some basic surgical services. Several of the hospital's other specialty services also continue to increase their number of appointments.
At this time, UW Veterinary Care is continuing with curbside appointments. Our staff will always be wearing a mask in accordance with the Wisconsin mask mandate and our clients are asked to do so as well.
In addition, the hospital pharmacy remains able to ship prescriptions to clients. Pharmacy curbside pickup is now also available Monday through Thursday from 4:30-5:45 p.m. A specific medication pick-up time must be scheduled with the pharmacy staff; they are available by phone Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. at [email protected] or (608) 263-9950. Prescription medication and food refills can be requested through the hospital's online refill portal.
As always, our veterinarians remain available to consult with other veterinary medical practitioners.
We are committed to providing the very best care possible while keeping our clients and staff safe. Your continued flexibility and understanding in this time of uncertainty and change is deeply appreciated. Thank you.
