Category: Lipsey Clinic

SPCA Slates Canine Parvo Vaccine Clinic for November 18

October 28, 2020
By: SPCA Vice President of Veterinary Services Melanie Rushforth

Canine parvovirus (commonly called parvo) is a highly contagious viral disease that can produce a life-threatening illness in puppies and dogs. It can be transmitted by any person, animal, or object that comes in contact with an infected dog’s feces.

Puppies, adolescent dogs, and adult dogs who are not vaccinated are at risk of contracting the virus.

On Wednesday, November 18th, the Lipsey Clinic at the SPCA Serving Erie County will host a free community Parvo vaccine clinic in an effort to keep pet dogs in the larger community healthy and vaccinated against this deadly virus.

We will serve dogs 4 months and older at this clinic. This clinic will abide by all capacity restrictions and social distancing directives to keep the humans who love and care for these pets safe and limit the risks of contracting COVID-19.

Appointments are required in order to be seen at this event. The SPCA will not be able to accommodate walk-up clients at this time.

To request an appointment, please email ParvoClinic@yourspca.org . You will receive an automatic reply detailing the process to confirm your appointment. Please note, an appointment request is not a guaranteed appointment.

Due to social distancing and capacity limitations, we will be unable to serve walk-in clients on this day. If you do not get an appointment, you are welcome to schedule a wellness visit at the Lipsey Clinic at the SPCA Serving Erie County.

Masks, worn properly, are required on the SPCA Serving Erie County property. If you do not wear your mask completely covering your nose and mouth for the duration of your time at the SPCA Serving Erie County, you will be asked to leave.

We are honored to serve the pets and the humans of Erie County with dignity and with safety precautions in place.

October 21, 2020

A NOTE FROM THE LIPSEY CLINIC PRACTICE MANAGER, SHAUNA GREENE:

I hope everyone is doing the best they can to get through these trying times.  We have all been through a lot of change, and it’s not over yet. The Lipsey Clinic is also growing and changing, and with new management we are trying new things. We hope you are as excited as we are to grow and embrace these changes.

Starting in November, we will begin a solid schedule of appointments and surgeries.  We will be open for exam appointments Monday, Tuesday and Friday of each week.  Thursday will be reserved for surgery, and Wednesday for technician-led appointments only (you can call us for more details about which you may require).  Depending on need, surgery may expand to another day each week. Please note that everything will still be on an appointment basis, including medication pickups.

Speaking of expanding, what we can offer has grown as well as our availability. We still cannot provide the intensive care needed for a critical illness or injury, but we can provide the diagnostics and treatment necessary for many milder and chronic ailments like arthritis, thyroid conditions, skin and ear infections, etc.  We will also begin offering the Purina line of prescription diets in-house and a small selection of retail and over the counter items.

Another big change is our exam fee schedule.  While we have slightly increased the cost of your pet’s full and comprehensive annual exam, we’ve lowered the cost for seeing the doctor in between those annual appointments. And you can still get a la carte services like nail trims done without an exam so long as you’ve seen us within a year.

I welcome any feedback you have about the changes we’ve made, and I’d love to hear about your experiences with us, and if there’s anything we can do better or offer that isn’t already available. Feel free to email me directly or call the clinic and ask for my extension. Also, we love to see your pet being happy and healthy at home; please send us photos and updates!

Please continue to be safe, wash your hands, and stay kind to one another.

In good health,

Shauna Greene
Practice Manager, Lipsey Clinic
shaunag@yourspca.org

September 16, 2020

A NOTE FROM LIPSEY CLINIC MANAGER SHAUNA GREENE:

We’ve missed you and your fur children! The entire world has been through a LOT in the last 6 months, and the Lipsey Clinic is no exception.

We are delighted to announce our return to serving the community’s pet wellness needs with a limited opening! We have a new doctor and some fresh new faces behind the counter to greet you! You’ve become accustomed to practicing safe social-distancing out in the world, and the same will be expected here. We will have the following protocols in place:

-The clinic will not be open for walk-in medication pickups. Anyone arriving for an appointment or pickup must stay in his/her vehicle and call the clinic upon arrival. We will check you in over the phone and provide further instruction.

-Anyone entering the clinic must be wearing a mask. Only one human allowed inside per appointment. If you cannot meet these requirements, please call the clinic to see if other accommodations can be made.

-Appointments will be made on a very limited basis. Please understand that at the moment we can only book appointments for routine wellness exams and vaccination updates. This means you will likely need to leave a message on our answering machine and we will take your calls in the order they were received. It is not necessary to leave more than one message. You may end up waiting some time for confirmation of your call, so we ask that you have patience with us.

We will slowly phase our opening to include more treatment options and more appointment availability, so be on the lookout for future communications from the clinic.

AT THIS TIME, WE ARE OPEN TO PROVIDE VACCINATIONS, WELLNESS EXAMS, AND ROUTINE CHECK-UPS ONLY! Please understand that, at the moment, we are unable to see ill or injured patients. If your pet is ill or injured, you will need to contact a full-service veterinary clinic or proceed to an animal emergency hospital.

Please reach out to the clinic to schedule vaccine updates, yearly wellness exams and routine appointments. You can call the clinic at (716)531-4700 or email lipseyclinic@yourspca.org . If you have feedback about your experience, or what you would like to see offered at the clinic in the future, please email Shauna Greene, Lipsey Clinic manager, at shaunag@yourspca.org .

Thank you! We look forward to seeing you and your pets soon!

The Lipsey Clinic Staff

*IMPORTANT NOTE:
PLEASE DISREGARD ANY SUBMISSION DEADLINES YOU SEE IN THE JOB DESCRIPTIONS LINKED BELOW! THANK YOU!

Click one of the images below for more information on the following employment opportunities at the SPCA Serving Erie County:

   

DOMESTIC MALE RATS ADDED TO NEUTER LIST AT SPCA SERVING ERIE COUNTY

August 24, 2020
By: SPCA Shelter Veterinarian Dr. Allison Kean; Vice President of Veterinary Services Melanie Rushforth; Director of Behavior and Research Miranda K. Workman 

The SPCA Serving Erie County is now neutering male rats prior to adoption. Neutering male rats can have several benefits that result in improved welfare for the rats, their cagemates, and their humans.

Males can be neutered as early as eight to 12 weeks of age. A neuter is a less- risky procedure than a spay (ovariohysterectomy) for females, which is why the SPCA is limiting sterilization surgeries to males.

Benefits of neutering male rats include the following:

-The risk for testicular cancer is eliminated after neutering. Reproductive cancers are very common in rats; neutering can potentially increase their lifespan. The greatest increase in average lifespan for male rats is associated with early neuter (eight to 12 weeks old).

-Neutered rats can be housed with female rats (spayed or intact) without the risk of impregnating the females. This increases their potential adoption opportunities as they are not restricted to housing with males only. (Research indicates that most males are sterile by one week post-neuter, although introductions to females may be safest after two weeks post-neuter to ensure the males have completely healed from the procedure and are no longer experiencing post-operative pain.)

-Neutered rats are significantly less likely to exhibit aggressive behavior toward their cage mates, behavior that may result in injury and/or death. At sexual maturity, due to increased testosterone, it is common for male rats to display increased aggressive behavior.

-It is also easier to introduce new rats to neutered rats than intact males who are more likely to attack “intruders” to their housing space. Introducing new rats to adult, intact males resulted in death for 21% of the introduced rats in one study* (Flannelly & Thor, 1978).

-Neutered males urine mark much less often than intact males. This can help keep their housing units cleaner than if they are urine marking more frequently.

-Neutered males are also more prosocial with humans and are easier to handle due to the decreased influence of hormones on their behavior. The risk of aggressive behavior toward humans is decreased with neutering.

With all the benefits above, there is one small downside:

-Neutered males are at a slightly higher risk of obesity, which is why we encourage a good quality diet and regular exercise and enrichment.

Given the evidence provided by research combined with the experience of the SPCA’s Director of Behavior and Research Miranda K. Workman and Shelter Veterinarian Dr. Allison Kean, we can confidently say that neutering male rats increases the welfare of each individual rat, their cage mates, and their human companions. Thus, in line with the SPCA Serving Erie County’s mission, we are now neutering all male rats prior to adoption. The adoption fee for domestic rats is $15.00, and this fee includes the males’ neuter surgeries.

Web references for information above include:

*http://www.ratbehavior.org/Neutering.htm

https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/neutering-in-rats

https://ratcentral.com/should-i-neuter-my-male-rat/

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