Summer 2021

What a difference a few months makes! Since the prior edition of our Compassionate Clients eNews last spring, we are delighted to have you accompanying your animals on their visits to the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center again. There are so many facets to our teaching hospital team, which you can read about here, but please trust me when I say we all missed the wonderful owners who care year-around for the animals we feel so privileged to treat.

To that end, the next couple stories highlight the bonds that often form in the work we do. I hope you also enjoy reading about a handful of surgical care case that illustrate the life-changing and life-saving work in our Hixson-Lied Small Animal Hospital. And don’t forget our healthful hint about keeping your pets cool no matter how hot things get this summer.

A simple gesture continues to touch Mary Taylor years later. Taylor had brought her dog, Aspen, to the Lloyd Veterinary Medical Center for cancer treatments. After one treatment the Des Moines resident knew it was time to make an end-of-life decision for Aspen. But it was what happened afterwards that continues to have an impact on Taylor’s life. “The students on the case sent me a condolence card and gave $100 in Aspen’s name to the Companion Animal Fund,” Taylor said. “I thought that was just the sweetest thing anyone had ever done.” In response Taylor started her own contributions to the Companion Animal Fund.

Summer has arrived and so has the Iowa heat. Here are eight things any dog owner should do to make sure your furry friend stays healthy in the summer.