A Special Bond
Many of us know the joy of having a dog in our lives. Dogs can lift our mood, provide a caring bond, and bring fun memories. For those with a service dog, that bond goes even deeper and means even more. Dom and Tammy have such a partnership.
Dom is a Vietnam veteran. He proudly wears the pins and patches to represent his service to the United States of America. We are grateful to him for his service. Like many veterans, he has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), for which Tammy is trained as a service dog. Service dogs have to go through special training courses to learn how to help their counterpart with whatever tasks may have become challenging due to injury or disability. PTSD can lead to a hyper-vigilance that makes it difficult and exhausting to navigate everyday spaces, but a service dog’s keen senses and calm demeanor provide a support and sense of safety that is crucial for well-being.
Honoring the Human-Animal Bond with Preventive Care
Whether you have a service dog or a family pet, it is important to honor the relationship by providing the quality care that the animal needs in order to be healthy and happy. That means preventative care to maintain wellness before there are problems. As the saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!”
Tammy had her wellness visit with Dr. Linda Bohn. Dr. Bohn examined Tammy from the tip of her nose to the end of her tail to look for any signs of illness. Tammy was also given her rabies and DHLPP vaccines to protect against disease, as well as blood test to make sure at the chemical level that Tammy is within normal, healthy ranges. All of this testing allows us to know as soon as possible if there are signs of health concerns before they cause pain and problems for Tammy.
