Save Thousands of Animal Lives in Oregon

Winter has been busy at DLEAH! Here is a sampling of some of the activities happening at the hospital:

• PACTT at Share Shelters: On Christmas Eve, Limon and Sherbert of Portland Area Canine Therapy Teams (PACTT) visited families at Share homeless shelters in Vancouver, Washington. “It’s truly heartwarming to see how these incredible dogs can lift a person’s spirits in a matter of minutes,” said Kathy Loter, PACTT Program Coordinator with DoveLewis.

• Service of Remembrance: DoveLewis’s Pet Loss Support Program and Dignified Pet Services hosted their annual Service of Remembrance event in December. This special gathering— which honors pets who are no longer with us—was free and open to the public. Attendees heard inspirational stories, listened to live music and lit candles in memory of their furry family members.

• Pet Loss Support Program Director Enid Traisman was interviewed in AboutFace Magazine: "I don't try to 'fix' people. I don't analyze their grief. My therapeutic technique is to to be a gentle, non-judgmental guide; to reassure those who seek my help that the grief they are feeling is a natural and normal response to the death of a loveld one."

• Spot Magazine named DoveLewis #1 Emergency Veterinary Hospital in a landslide public vote!

• Dove Talks About Safety on National Dress Up Your Pet Day: While it can be entertaining and funny to dress up pets, it can also be dangerous if not done with safety in mind. DoveLewis was in the KATU studio on January 14 to share safety tips for dressing up your pet.

• We also talked to Oregonlive.com about pet safey on Valentine's Day, sharing tips about common Valentine's Day hazards like chocolate, xylitol, alcohol, flowers, and gifts. Oregonlive also shared our story about Eleanor: "Kenny and his wife had brought their seven year old Puggle, Eleanor, to DoveLewis for chocolate toxicity. Eleanor was out of sight and itwasn’t until later that they realized she had ingested chocolate. ”We noticed Eleanor was throwing up and even defecated in the house, which wasn’t normal for her” said Kenny. “She was also displaying signs of distress like heavy breathing and panting.” They found that their sweet Puggle had snuck into the kitchen shelf and pulled out a basket to retrieve a bag of chocolate chips. At first they weren’t sure how much she had eaten, but they ultimately found she had eaten almost the entire bag of chocolate chips. Eleanor spent a night in the ICU being treated for chocolate toxicity at DoveLewis and was able to return home on Wednesday, just days before Valentine’s Day with her loved ones."

Enjoy some of our recent DoveLove!

“One fruitcake, one phone call, one ride to DoveLewis and I knew all would be well for our Zola Beagle pup (she’s 2 1/2). The staff immediately triaged her, saving her life from the nasty raisins and fruitcake ingredients. She spent 48 hours in treatment to make sure she was 100% safe. Thanks for saving her life!!!” ~Kristin F.

“Thank you for your kindness and compassion during a very difficult time for my cat Dickens and me. And thank you for your touching sympathy card. God bless Dr. Siefken, Julie, and the entire DoveLewis family.” ~Larry H.

“Our German shorthaired pointer “Jefferson” was a patient in ICU for 5 days, we brought him in convinced that we would lose him and the incredible staff saved his life. They are so skilled and knowledgeable and so wonderful to work with and spent so much time communicating with us. We are so grateful!” ~Dr. Sean F.

“The care DoveLewis provided for my kitty was quite literally lifesaving. Miraculously, despite a very grim prognosis, Pixie continued to improve. After five days of intense, aggressive treatments, we were able to bring her home. As I write this, Pixie is laying in my lap with her head on the keyboard, making it difficult to type—but I wouldn’t have her anywhere else.” ~Katya L.