Pet adoptions are becoming increasingly more popular. There are endless lists of organizations for all types of pets. Austin and surrounding areas alone offer many nonprofit shelters and breed rescues. Adoptions save lives.

I was here at Manchaca Road Animal Hospital. We opened July 8, 1974 on a Saturday. It was Dr. T.F. Martin and I, eagerly waiting to greet our first clients. Looking back over the years, the advancements in Veterinary medicine since the 1970’s is mind boggling. Our lab equipment was a microscope, a centrifuge, and a spectrometer. The spectrometer consisted of a small gray rectangular box with several holes for lab tubes in which you measured different chemicals with blood. These specimens were heated and timed to check out the kidney, liver, and other bodily functions, which were very important in dogs being treated for heartworm disease or in elderly patients.

Americans throw away 84,000 tons of alkaline batteries a year. That is 38,640,000 AA batteries that will be dropped at the landfill.

Now, there are things everybody should know about pet insurance. First, the pet owner still has to pay the veterinary bill in full and then submit a receipt to the insurance company to get reimbursed for a portion of the charges.

May God bless you and protect you. May God grant you long lives, love, and good health.

In my years of working at Manchaca Road Animal Hospital I have been asked many times, “When is it the right time to say goodbye to my beloved companion?” The answer depends on the nature of the disease and the health of your pet. I was faced with this last week. 

Yuki is a 3 year old female English Pointer. In April of this year she came into Manchaca Road Animal Hospital with the complaint of weakness, weight loss, squinty eyes, and not eating much. We last examined her in March and at that time she weighed 54 pounds. In one month’s time she lost 10% of her body weight, down to 49 pounds.

Lizzie Hughes is a six year old Great Dane. She was adopted from a Dane rescue group in Fort Worth. She had been abandoned at the age of 5 months, at an animal control building. She was left tied to a pole, was malnourished and had mange. After much love and tender care, she now has a wonderful life as part of the Hughes family. During her visits to Manchaca Road Animal Hospital, we love finding excuses to help spoil her.