Husband and wife team, Dr. Chris Rocchio and Dr. Debbie Chew, with their combined 20 years of veterinary experience, are proud to offer the people and pets of the Capital District a choice for quality and compassionate veterinary health care.

The East Greenbush Animal Hospital is a 7200 square foot, state of the art facility with an open floor plan designed to maximize comfort and minimize stress for both the patients and their owners. Read more about why the East Greenbush Animal Hospital is the perfect choice for your pet’s veterinary care.

Introducing: Pet Portal and Online store

EGAH is very excited to introduce PET PORTAL. This service will allow you to view your pets vaccine records, make appointments, request prescriptions, read pet health articles, get email reminders and more! The Pet Portal online store is now up and running as well, allowing you to purchase any medications or diets your pets may need and have them shipped directly to your home! Fill out a card at the office, click the link or call to activate your membership.

Because pets are part of the family.

A credit card for my pet? Well, yes, for his healthcare needs — and yours too. You can use the card over and over either for follow-up visits with your veterinarian or to pursue the pet dentistry you’ve wanted. Whether it’s an everyday checkup, or an emergency surgery, CareCredit offer you convenient monthly payment options, so you can worry about the important stuff. You know, like playing fetch and learning new tricks.

Thank you for helping Lucy!

Dr. Chris Rocchio and Dr. Debbie Chew of the East Greenbush Animal Hospital have decided to discount Lucy’s bill by over 80% to just cover the drug expenses incurred by the hospital. Any donations received above that amount will be donated directly to Lucy’s family to help with their losses in the fire. At this time, the East Greenbush Animal Hospital will forward $1,300 of donations to the Darcy family.

This is the story of Lucy: A fire broke out the morning before Thanksgiving in a New Lebanon home. The father made sure his children and wife made it safely out. He went back for the pets. His body was discovered in the kitchen next to the family dog. Lucy was the only pet rescued, found in a stream, clinging to life. Lucy suffered severe burns over most of her body, the most painful covering her face and paws. Every other day, Lucy needed to be sedated so the diseased tissue could be removed from her face and paws. Despite her painful condition, Lucy’s spirits stayed up. She brightened the day of anyone she met. Thank you for helping Lucy! For anyone interested in assisting Lucy’s family, a trust has been set up for the children. Donations can be made at any First Niagara bank location to the account of Adam Crawley Children Fund Trust or at the East Greenbush Animal Hospital.

To follow Lucy’s story, visit us on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/LucyFund

http://www.facebook.com/pages/East-Greenbush-Animal-Hospital/94370345735

Here’s What’s New!

This summer, our hospital was able to  assist the Capital District’s Habitat for Humanity with it’s goal of providing homes to lower-income families in need, not only once, but twice. For more photos from the construction site, check out our Facebook page to see which of your favorite veterinarians and technicians lent some helping hands!

Healthy Pet, Healthy You- During cold winter nights, it is nice to cuddle with our furry companions. While it may be hard to say no when your pet is giving you it is best set of sad eyes as you pull the covers over yourself, keep in mind that even healthy pets can carry parasites, bacteria and viruses that can cause mild to moderate life threatening illnesses in people. There are more than 100 zoonotic diseases that are derived from domestic pets. The February issue (2011) of the public health journal ‘Emerging Infectious Diseases’, made examples out of two cases: A 69-year old man who came down with meningitis after his dog licked an open wound while under the covers, and a 9-year old boy that contracted the plague after sleeping with his flea infested cat. Other infections transmitted to people after sleeping with their cats or dogs, kissing them, or being licked by pets include hookworm, ringworm, roundworm, cat scratch disease, and drug-resistant staph infections. Scary, considering that 77% of pet owner are “not very” or “not at all” concerned with contracting a parasitic disease from their pets according to the Companion Animal Parasite Council study. It is extremely important to maintain good hygiene habits to ensure a healthy you, so wash your hands and any areas licked after handing pets. Tips for a healthy pet? Prevent, prevent, prevent. We know that fleas and ticks have been a major struggle in our area so we can not stress enough the importance of using a flea and tick preventative year round, as well as one for heartworm and intestinal parasites. If you need advice or information to better protect your family (pets included), do not be afraid to ask-we are here to help!

Baby, It’s Cold Outside- We have covered the importance of winterizing your pet, including limited outdoor time, proper fitting garments and the dangers of road salt. It is time to cover the dangers lurking inside your home when your pet becomes bored and mischievous during the long winter months. Common household items can cause serious harm, so here are a few quick items to keep an eye on: lilies and poinsettias,  xylitol (sugarless gum, candies, mints, flavored multi-vitamins, desserts), chocolate (the darker and more bitter, the more dangerous), human medications (acetaminophen, anti-depressants), sweet scented cleaners and fragrances (sprays, carpet cleaner, potpourri, toilet bowl cleaner). If your pet has ingested something alarming, please contact us or the Pet Poison Helpline at 1-800-213-6680 (there is a $39 charge) immediately.

The Rabies Vaccine- With a confirmed case of rabies in Rensselaer County this year, we can’t stress enough the importance of keeping your pet current on this vaccine. There were over 7,000 confirmed cases of rabies in the United States last year. Not only is it required by New York State law for all dogs, cats and ferrets to be up to date on rabies, it is pertinent to ensure the safety of your family (2 and 4 legged) and your peace of mind. If your pet is not current, and has an unexplained wound or bite mark, you will be facing a mandatory 6 month quarantine period in which your pet must be behind two closed doors and have limited contact with visitors (i.e. a basement, spare bedroom, or kennel). New York State is taking this threat seriously, and has begun to crack down on owner’s who have pets that are past due with suspect exposure. Unfortunately, cats are brought to the vet half as often as their canine companions. Even though your cat may be an indoor pet, it does not mean yearly visits and vaccines are not important. There is always a chance that this issue could affect your family, so please, take a moment and make sure your beloved 4 legged family members are up to date-it is less stressful than taking chances.

Dog Training Classes- Sign up your pooch for our next training class with our new certified trainer, Teri Rudolph. Teri’s mission is to help you and your dog enjoy many happy years together. The dog training package includes 6 classes with Teri, and is offered for two different age groups. The initial class in the series is informative and for parents only. Our next class will begin Tuesday, February 21, 2012.