February is typically the start of busy vaccine season, as we get to meet all the new puppies and kittens adopted from Christmas and Valentine's day.  It is also the best time to get your dog vaccinated against Leptospirosis and Lyme disease, as tick season begins as soon as the snow melts.  If your dog loves the great, green outdoors, and has not had these vaccines, please visit our infectious disease page to see if he or she would benefit from protection.  As always, we recommend year round heartworm preventative, and tick prevention as soon as the snow is gone. Please make sure you keep your pet well supplied with both.

As valentines day approaches, so does chocolate toxicity season.  A 10 pound dog that eats 10 Hershey's kisses is at risk for developing signs of toxicity.  Typically dogs will develop restless behavior or tremors within 1 -2 hours of ingesting the chocolate.  Bakers chocolate is the worst thing for a pet to eat, as it is highest in the toxin levels of theobromine.  If your pet has ingested chocolate, you can call the ASPCA animal poison control center at (888) 426-4435. Or our clinic to see if emergency treatment is warranted.  

  February is also a time when we think about keeping up with our pet's dental care.  For more information about dental disease, please visit our Common Medical Conditions Page.

Lastly, we are again sorry to report the loss of one of our family's pets. Danielle lost her ferret, Brandy, after a battle with Lymphoma.  Brandy  was seven years old, and full of trouble, as most ferrets are.  The wonderful thing about ferrets is that they are happy and playful even when they are not feeling well. Brandy was no exception.  It is never easy to say goodbye to our furry companions.  I could not imagine a life without them, but there are no words to describe how empty we can feel when we lose them.                                                     

Operation Paperback collects gently used books and sends them to American troops deployed overseas. Since 1999, we have shipped over 950,000 books to locations around the globe.

Many of our troops are serving far from home and living in facilities that provide few of the comforts of home. At the end of the duty day, the opportunity to escape into a good book is welcomed. Every week we receive thanks from troops who are glad to be appreciated and remembered.

Our service members make sacrifices every day for our country. It takes so little to let them know that we appreciate what they are doing for us. When you donate to Operation Paperback, you will let our troops know that you support them, and you have not forgotten them.

Operation Paperback is a non-profit organization incorporated in the State of Pennsylvania. As a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, your donations to our organization are tax deductible to the full extent of the l

The Compassionate Care Veterinary Clinic is  currently collecting paper back books for Operation Paperback.  If you have gently used books at home that you would like to donate, you can drop them off at our clinic during normal office hours, and we will get them shipped out to the troops.  All genres are appreciated, though there does not seem to be many requests for romance novels.  If you would like to donate books, or money to cover the cost of shipping, please email Dr. Farrington at ccvcri@ccvcri.com for more information. Any donation is greatly appreciated.