Season's Greetings!
It’s strange how fragile life can be. One moment someone is there and the next moment they are gone. The holiday season is a time to reflect on the past year and make plans for the year ahead; it’s a time to laugh and love and enjoy spending time with the ones you love. No one can ever be sure how much time they have left so be sure to spend the time you do have letting those around you know how much you care about them.
This holiday season the staff at SVH suffered a great loss as our own clinic kitty, Cleo (or ChiChi as we called her) was put to sleep. Cleo was an amazing little girl whose 14+ years on this planet were filled with as much love as we could give her and we all miss her dearly. She had not been herself for a little while and we tried everything we could to make her better but in the end there was nothing we could do. She stopped eating and we discovered a mass in her abdomen. It was with great difficulty that we all made the decision to end her suffering and give her the dignified ending that she so deserved.
This holiday season I, too, was forced to deal with my own personal loss at the passing of my father on December 7th. My Dad was an amazing man and I was so fortunate to have such a wonderful and close relationship with him. It has been challenging dealing with losing him but I know that as long as I carry the memory of him in my heart he will never be far away.
I was originally planning on writing about all the fun and festivities of the holiday season, but it’s amazing how losing someone special to you can put things into perspective. The holidays are not about gifts and shopping and preparing extensive meals. They are about being with those you love and appreciating the gifts you already have in your life.
The holiday season is a time to be thankful for what we have and to help out those who are less fortunate which is why SVH will once again be holding our Holiday Treats, Toys & Blankets Drive to help collect supplies for our local animal shelter - Kennel Inn. Every year hundreds of dogs and cats are forced to spend the winter holidays in a cage while they await their forever home. And while they may not have a home to call their own they are never far from our thoughts. At SVH we believe that every pet deserves to have a happy holiday -- Please help us give these pets a holiday to remember by bringing in your donated treats, food, new toys and blankets.
New this year we will be selling funky Catnip Pads for your furry feline to enjoy. I personally have about 4 of these scattered throughout my house and all of my kitty critters LOVE them! It's great to watch them roll around and paw at the catnip filled mats and it helps keep fur off my chair at the same time!
In thinking about what topic to highlight for this month's SVHNews I started thinking about the holidays and the inevitable weight gain that they often bring. Sadly, we are not the only ones experiencing expanding waistlines; obesity is becoming an epidemic for our pets as well. While chubby pets might seem harmless and cuddly being overweight puts them at risk for a whole range of diseases, the most common being Diabetes which is the focus of this month's SVHNews. To learn more about Diabetes please click here.
With the New Year brings a whole new range of opportunities for growth and development. Life is in constant motion and you cannot expect things to stay the same for long. It is a constant evolution. In keeping with that trend I am excited to announce that 2010 will bring with it the launch of a brand new www.svh.ca! I am so thankful for all the feedback I get on our website and I take every word of it to heart. It is my hope that the new design will make it even easier for you to keep abreast of what is going on at SVH as well as give you easier access to the informative features that have become so popular.
Some other new and exciting projects on the horizon is the introduction of W8 Informative television in our reception area and the transformation of our x-ray room into a split x-ray and dental suite.
On behalf of everyone at SVH I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy Chanukah. May the New Year be filled with love, friendship and happiness!
~Jennifer Febel