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We are proud to announce that Otay Pet Vets AAHA Accredited Referral Hospital will celebrate our 5th Anniversary on November 19, 2011!

Otay Pet Vets is owned and operated by Dr. Kevin J. Anderson DVM, MPH, DACVPM, Medical Director and his wife Deborah L. Anderson, Practice/Marketing Manager. They have a staff of 30 registered veterinary technicians, veterinary assistants, administrative and front desk staff, groomers, boarding attendants, and maintenance and cleaning teams, as well as a new veterinary associate, Dr. Elizabeth Gilbert, DVM. As a team, Otay Pet Vets provides quality veterinarian medicine you can trust.

During the past five years, Otay Pet Vets has seen much change and all for the good! During this past year, we worked hard to pass AAHA accreditation requirements and we are now an AAHA Accredited Referral hospital. AAHA accreditation has raised the level of care provided to companion animals, increased loyalty among veterinary staff members, and promoted excellence to our community and clients (only 15% of veterinary clinics are accredited across the United States and Canada).

To further raise our operational excellence, during 2011, Otay Pet Vets was honored to receive an award for going green – the “Clean Business Chula Vista Award”. The clinic uses laminate cards for client files, paperless files, and encourages all employees to participate in green initiatives.

During the past five years, we participated in a number of initiatives and special projects including:

 School Volunteer programs (We helped to increase knowledge in veterinary medicine among local schools. We even hired some students; in fact, we hired our receptionist four years ago – who is still with us!)
 We worked with PIMA for last 5 years with their Veterinary Assistant Program and Registered Technician Program.
 Otay Pet Vets actively supports the Otay Ranch Town Center’s activities and participates in the Annual Christmas Marching Parade, the Tuesday Market, and Dr. Anderson volunteers as a doctor on-call for local Pet Fests and Agility events held in the Otay Ranch Town Center mall.
 We added new equipment to modernize the clinic and ensure top notch medical care for our patients including a digital X-ray machine, Ultrasound machine, Dental X-rays, and laser therapy, as well as brand new laboratory equipment for immediate in-house results, toxicology testing equipment, and patient monitoring equipment. We also introduced CPR training.
 We launched a Brand New website and HealthyPet.com; and incorporated Vetstreet nation’s leading provider of online communications, connecting with pet owners through our veterinary practice.
 Two of our veterinary assistants were accepted into Veterinary School.
 Otay Pet Vets donated gifts to the Chula Vista Animal shelter in December of 2010; and we support Animal Shelter adoptions by offering free Doctor Exams.
 The hospital introduced tri-weekly Vaccination Clinics to support clients through the tough economy during the past five years.
 Otay Pet Vets has remained the Number 1 Veterinary Clinic in San Diego County on Kudzu for the past 4 years, and the Number 1 Veterinary Clinic in Chula Vista for the past three years consecutively.
 Otay Pet Vets introduced the popular blueberry facial, started by a local company in San Diego, which has become a fad introduced by other local veterinary clinics.

We have accomplished much, and will continue to strive for operational excellence in providing the best possible medical and preventative care to our furry clients and their people.

“I am excited to see how we have grown, knowing we have served more than 7,500 clients in the past five years. As the practice manager and co-owner, I know that attaining the AAHA Accredited Referral Hospital status really distinguishes us as a premier veterinary clinic and shows our continued commitment to offer the highest quality and most caring veterinary medicine possible, creating a gold standard across the United States,” stated Deborah Anderson, as she reflected on the past five years of Otay Pet Vet’s history.

How are we doing?  We appreciate hearing from you and how we can serve you better next time.  Thank you for the taking the time to do our survey.http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RJFKMWB

A resource for Pet Owners by AAHA Press

What to Expect

Grief experts will tell you that the process of grieving is necessary, unavoidable, and essential for maintaining emotional health.  They will also say that how you experience loss is unique to you.  It can take weeks, months, or even years to work through your feelings.  Most pet owners who have grieved report that the passage of time helps.  You will always miss your pet and feel sadness about his or her death.  But as time goes by, the intensity of your grief, and the pain associated with it, should lessen.  Grief responses occur on multiple levels.  Following are those most commonly experienced:

Physical: crying, shock, dry mouth, stomachaches, fatigue, exhaustion, and sleep or appetite disturbances.

Intellectual: denial, confusion, inability to concentrate, feeling preoccupied by the loss, thinking you see or hear the deceased pet, rationalizing feelings about the loss, and experiencing thoughts about not wanting to go on without the pet (however, truly suicidal thoughts are not normal and should be discussed with a mental health professional).

Emotional: sadness, anger, guilt, anxiety, relief, loneliness, irritability, self-doubt, blaming others for the loss, feeling overwhelmed, and feeling hopeless.

Social:feelings of withdrawal, isolation, or alienation; an increased dependency on others or a complete rejection of others; a reluctance to ask others for help; and a need to find distractions from the grief ( such as staying busy and overcommitting to activities).

Spiritual: feeling either blessed or punished, searching for meaning about the loved one’s death, wondering what happens after death, and planning an appropriate way to “say goodbye” (such as holding a memorial service or ceremony).

All of these reactions are normal, though they come in different combinations for everyone who is grieving the death of a pet.  Whatever the combination may be for you, accepting these feelings as a healthy part of the grieving process will help you heal.

For more information and or resources contact Otay Pet Vets for a phamplet on The Loss of Your Pet , please call:  619-421-1698

DANA DURRANCE is a veterinary grief specialist and consult. She is also co-owner of an AAHA – accredited veterinary hospital.

2010 by American Animal Hospital Association