I have some wonderful news for all of you!  We are in the final stages of securing a new Doctor who represents everything that we at Knollwood stand for, and everything that I hope will make all of our clients happy.  I don't know how many of you have ever seen or heard our hospital philosophy statement or our mission statement, but our new Doctor truly appears to represents both statements very well. (And if you are curious about those statements, they appear at the end of this column.)  It has been a long, hard road searching for the right person and the right "fit.”  I've interviewed many impressive veterinarians over the past four months (along with some real duds!) but our final prospective choice was definitely worth the wait.   I could not be happier with our choice and if all works out as we hope, I think we'll have a veterinarian with whom you'll all enjoy working.   

In the meantime, Dr. Papacek is continuing to mend from the first of her two hand surgeries.  She does not have a firm date by which we expect her to be back to work yet, but she IS planning to see clients on a very limited basis for the duration of her contract.  Most of the time, you will be seeing my - and only my - smiling face in the hospital, all the hours and all the days.  We appreciate your patience during this transition time - we are trying to continue to schedule all of our clients and patients when it is convenient for them, but I can still only be in one place at one time.  We have temporarily moved all surgeries to Friday, and I have secured the services of a veterinary surgeon to replace Dr. Papacek, since it proved to be impossible for me to see patients and do surgery at the same time.   Truly, if there ever was a time to be cloned, this would be it!    

I'll close for now with the hospital philosophy and mission statements that I developed years ago and to which we require all staff to adhere: 

At Knollwood Hospital for Pets, we aim to provide complete and compassionate veterinary care.  We strive for individual attention and the best veterinary medical care possible, for each and every patient and client.  It is important to remember that unlike a family physician who only treats patients every day, we treat both patients (the pet) and clients (the owner) - and we have to meet the needs of both! 

We are oriented towards preventative veterinary care and extensive client education.  This means that we take time with our clients, making sure that we fully answer all questions, and that we are prepared to offer information in a tactful way if it is clear that the owner needs information but has not asked.  An educated client provides better pet care at home, thus reducing the chances of an illness or disease progressing to a very severe stage before the pet is presented to our office. 

We practice integrative medicine.  This means that we are knowledgeable about and continually strive to learn more about alternative methods of veterinary medical diagnosis and treatment. At the same time, we continually strive to uphold the highest standards of traditional veterinary medicine, and we work equally hard to maintain our knowledge base in this area.  When we work with a patient, we combine the best of both traditional and alternative veterinary care for the benefit of the patient. 

We always make sure to keep our hearts as well as our minds open in daily practice and in our daily interactions with our clients.  We treat each pet as carefully as if it were our own, and each client as considerately as if they were a member of our own family.  This means that no problem is too small to discuss with a client, that medical concerns are addressed promptly, and that situations which the client believes to be an emergency are treated as such by the entire staff. 

We work hard to maintain an efficient yet congenial working atmosphere throughout the hospital.  We maintain our efficiency and teamwork in many ways.  Everyone is fully trained for the job they have been hired to perform, but this is just the start.  We cross-train all employees, so that we are all competent in all areas of job performance.  This way, we can help each other as the need arises.  We hold surprise emergency drills, so that we are all prepared to cope with stressful emergency situations. Regular monthly staff meetings are mandatory.  At these meetings, we try to anticipate new challenges and work together to formulate responses and new goals.  We also discuss and try to resolve any little problems, before they become big issues. 

We are mindful to keep the heart in veterinary medicine.

We treat all pets as if they were our own.

We treat all clients as if they were members of our own family.

We work together and support each other - as a team.