Cathy Lewis: Team Member of the Month

We are proud to honor Cathy Lewis as our Team Member of the Month! Cathy has been working at Quarry Ridge Animal Hospital for over 10 years. She greets everyone with a big smile. Cathy lives with her husband Dave in Newtown, CT. They are the parents of 5 children and one grandson. In addition to the humans, they have, 3 dogs, 7 ducks, 15 chickens and 3 guinea hens. In her spare time she loves to garden starting most things from seeds and she enjoys horseback riding. We are grateful to have her on our team!

Pets & Insects

Flying critters don't want to share the sweet aroma of spring as it blooms in your garden. Watch your pets while they are outside, because they might be getting up close and personal with a bee or other insects which may result in a nasty sting. We want your pets to enjoy their frolic through the flowers.

Cleaning Pet Toys

Playing catch, chewing on squeaky toys, and playing tug-of-war are all exciting and fun things for dogs to do. There is no need to throw away and replace dog toys just because they are dirty. Man's best friends have their favorite toys, and some tend to wear out more quickly than others. Keeping toys clean and well-maintained will ensure that they are around for a long time.

Case of the Month: "Dude" Carruthers

Dude is an 11 year old Labrador that came to us for the first time about 2 weeks ago with a history of decreased appetite, intermittent vomiting and approximately 20 pound weight loss for about a week. With two dogs in the house, and the kids feeding the dogs, the symptoms could have started even a little sooner.

Concerned for his age and the severity of the symptoms, we began a diagnostic workup, fearing serious disease of cancer. All his tests came back normal. His x-rays showed a two inch round object that was consistent with a foreign body or mass in his stomach. Because of his age and the severity of his symptoms suggesting a guarded prognosis, we started with a conservative approach of a bland diet and stomach medications, but the poor appetite and vomiting continued.

We tried inducing vomiting to see if he could bring up the possible foreign body, to no avail. We discussed possible abdominal exploratory surgery, but elected to try endoscopy to look inside his stomach first...all appearing normal, which no sign of a tumor or foreign body.

Still being suspicious and hoping for an answer and hopefully a cure, we went to a surgery and found a large chestnut wrapped in plastic that was filling a large segment of his intestines. He has recovered well from surgery, and one week later, is back to his usual self again!