Gentle Doctor Animal Hospital has the BEST clients and patients in the world! This is true across every one of our three locations in Omaha and our Grooming Salon. We also have a very kind, compassionate and knowledgeable veterinary team.  

Please meet another of our wonderful technicians, Brooke Campbell!

Brooke Doing Dental Work on Dr. Finch's Noodle the Poodle While He is Under Anesthesia

Name:  Brooke Campbell

Position:  Licensed Veterinary Technician

When did you join the Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals team?

I joined the Gentle Doctor family in July of 2012, for my externship in school. I was asked to officially join the family in September 2012 when my externship concluded.

Tell us about the people and pets in your family.

My husband and I have been together since 1997, when we were both in high school. We have two beautiful daughters, Nicole who is 15 and Chloe who is 10. We have 2 cats, Bubba and Lucky, who are 12 year old brothers. We also have 3 dogs, Coal who is 7, Bella, 3 and Kash, 2. We have 9 chickens who run around the farm.

Kash, Bella and Coal Campbell

What do you like to do when you are not restoring and maintaining the health of pets?

In my free time from work, I like to play volleyball. I love to be outdoors, hunting, fishing, camping, and spending as much time with my family as I can. I also rehabilitate a wide variety of animals to be released back into the wild.

What do you like most about your career?

The thing that I like most about my career is the fact that it is never the same day at work. There are always new and different patients with different concerns and problems. I love the fact that it is never boring at work.

What is one of the more difficult aspects of your career?

One of the more difficult aspects of my career is that we are not able to save every patient every time. There are problems that arise that we are unable to fix. We have to be understanding when sometimes we don't agree with decisions being made.

As an expert in your field, what advice would you give people about maintaining the health of their pets?

Please, please, please use preventatives. I believe strongly in using Heartgard and Frontline and brushing your pets’ teeth regularly. These preventative measures are less expensive than the treatment of the problems that arise from not using them. If I had to pick one - USE HEARTGARD!!!

What advice would you give someone looking into a career in veterinary medicine?

It is not glamorous. You have to be able to be urinated and defecated on without freaking out. It is a lot of hard work for patients who can not say "thank you" or "I feel better now." Some of the time they try to bite and scratch you. It is a lot of tears cried for patients we have met and loved along the way.

Tell us about one of your favorite patients.

I happen to have 2 favorite patients, and they both are mine.

Kash was just a puppy when I fell in love with him. He was dropped off at the Nebraska Humane Society after his previous owner could not afford to repair both of his knees, after excessive training at a very young age. Gentle Doctor did his surgery and fixed both of his legs. He has been in our family since the day after surgery, and I can't imagine life any different. 

Brooke and Kash, Love at First Sight!

Bella, my 3 year old yellow lab, is also another of my favorite patients.  She was hit by a car in April 2014. She has had many different surgeries to help her.  She is slowly recovering and is getting stronger every day. It makes my heart melt when I see how far she has come. 

Bella Recovering

Is there anything else you would like readers to know about you or veterinary medicine?

When you take one of your pets to the veterinarian’s office, please remember that we are there to help!

Do you find it difficult to keep track of the vaccines your dogs receive? Do you wonder which ones they need and which ones can or should be waived? We see some vaccine prevented diseases so infrequently - thank goodness, that it is easy to forget how awful they truly can be!

Polly Pocket Outlaw Norman with a few of her biggest fans/healthcare providers - Amanda, Amy and Shonda!

Here is the quick explanation of the diseases against which we vaccinate with a more detailed explanation following. Every dog should be vaccinated against rabies, distemper, adenovirus (viral hepatitis) and parvovirus. Every dog in Omaha (and many other places) should be vaccinated against leptospirosis. Most dogs should be vaccinated against infectious tracheobronchitis (bordetella or kennel cough).

Rabies – Rabies causes uniformly fatal neurological disease in mammals and is a danger to humans.   Fortunately, rabies disease is completely preventable!

Bedford!

Distemper – Distemper causes a neurological, respiratory and gastrointestinal disease complex in dogs, raccoons and ferrets that is often fatal to dogs, and always fatal to raccoons and ferrets.

These beautiful littermate sisters Wrigley and Maddux survived distemper because of the diligent care of Kathi Ortmeier of Basset and Beagle Rescue of the Heartland

Adenovirus – Adenovirus 1 causes infectious hepatitis.  Infectious hepatitis is rare anymore because of widespread vaccination. 

Historical Adenovirus Fact:  We vaccinate against a virus related to the adenovirus that causes infectious hepatitis, adenovirus 2, because adenovirus 2 does not cause uveitis or “blue eye” which is an inflammation of part of the eye that we learned several decades ago can be caused by vaccination against adenovirus 1.

Baby Bella Basset

Parvovirus – Parvovirus is a disease of dogs that is most common in young puppies.  Parvo causes vomiting and diarrhea which leads to dehydration and can lead to death.

Tidus the Puppy with Travis the day of Tidus's parvo diagnosis. He was so sick! He survived and thrived and is twice the size he was here and as sweet as ever.

We vaccinate against distemper, adenovirus and parvovirus in one combination vaccine in order to give your dogs as few shots as possible.

Leptospirosis – Leptospirosis causes kidney and liver disease in dogs and can be fatal.  It is transmissible to humans.

Cammi

Infectious Tracheobronchitis – Infectious tracheobronchitis is the long name for kennel cough. It is often caused by the bacteria Bordetella or the viruses adeonovirus or parainfluenza, or a combination of the three, though other infectious agents can cause kennel cough also.  The vaccine protects dogs against Bordetella, adenovirus type 2 and parainfluenza.

We usually give the “intranasal” (in the nose) form of the kennel cough vaccine, again, to minimize the number of shots your dogs receive.

Joy the Puppy with her BFF Frank

Please call Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals today to check if your pets are due for any of their vaccines or other wellness care!

Do you find it difficult to keep track of the vaccines your cats receive? Do you wonder which ones they need and which ones can or should be waived? We see some vaccine prevented diseases so infrequently - thank goodness, that it is easy to forget how awful they truly can be!

Zsa Zsa, the kitty our vet tech Becky Christ rescued (twice!) is now thriving in her forever home.

Here is the quick explanation of the diseases against which we vaccinate with a more detailed explanation following. Every cat should be vaccinated against rabies, feline viral rhinotracheitis (feline herpes), calicivirus and panleukopenia. Cats at high risk of exposure should be vaccinated against feline leukopenia.

Rabies – Cats are infected with rabies at three times the rate that dogs are infected with rabies!  All cats should be vaccinated against rabies.

Sassie the 23 year old (!) Cat of Kathi Ortmeier of Basset and Beagle Rescue of the Heartland

Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis – Feline viral rhinotracheitis or feline herpes is a respiratory virus of cats that also often causes conjunctivitis – inflammation of the soft tissue around the eyes.  Vaccination decreases the incidence of feline viral rhinotracheitis and lessens the severity of symptoms, but does not always prevent infection.

Salem - Isn't he gorgeous?

Calicivirus – Feline calicivirus is a respiratory virus of cats that also often causes oral ulcers.  Vaccination decreases the incidence of calicivirus and lessens the severity of symptoms, but does not always prevent infection.

Vet Tech Becky's Hommie Cat

Panleukopenia – Panleukopenia is a viral disease of cats that affects their cerebellum – the part of the brain that helps coordinate motor movement.  Panleukopenia can be fatal, especially to kittens infected before they are born.  If kittens survive infection, they often go on to have a great quality of life.  They have physical limitations, but learn to adapt well, and panleukopenia is not progressive.

We vaccinate against feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus and panleukopenia in one combination vaccine in order to give your cats as few shots as possible!

Vet Tech Allison Parker's Frank in his Formal Attire

Feline Leukemia – Feline leukemia is a viral disease of cats that affects their immune systems.  A cat with feline leukemia will often die of a secondary infection or cancer that their immune system is unable to protect them against.  Because feline leukemia is spread through the transfer of fluids, we mainly vaccinate cats against leukemia who spend time outdoors or are exposed to known or potential feline leukemia positive cats.

Our Team Member Laura Drew's "Pride" - Left to Right - Figero (who has passed away), Oreo, Nala and Lestat

Please call Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals today to check if your pets are due for any of their vaccines or other wellness care!

Our Veterinary Assistant Shonda Jenkin's Rescued Kitty and her own Kitty Echo

Cats are prone to developing infectious respiratory disease, especially if they are in close contact with other cats.  Infectious respiratory disease in cats can be mild and self limiting or very serious. 

Many different conditions can cause respiratory symptoms in cats, among them, infections, feline asthma and heart disease. 

The following tips are five ways to keep a respiratory infection from harming your cat.

1

Signs of respiratory infections include sneezing, watery eyes, a snotty nose, sometimes difficulty breathing, sometimes lethargy – abnormal tiredness – and sometimes reluctance to eat.  If you notice any of these signs, schedule an appointment to have your cat seen as soon as possible.  We will determine if your cat has a respiratory infection or a different condition, and treat them to get them back to feeling well as quickly as possible!

2

Have your cat vaccinated against the two most common infectious causes of respiratory disease – feline viral rhinotracheitis and calicivirus.  Do not worry about remembering the long names!  Just make sure your cat is up to date on his or her vaccinations!  If you are not sure, call us!

3

Keep your cat separate from cats and kittens you do not know and cats and kittens who may not be vaccinated.

4

Keep your cat indoors.  Even indoors, cats are susceptible to respiratory infections, but they are at a lower risk of respiratory infections and other infections and dangers.

5

Keep your newly adopted kitten or cat separate from your resident cat for one week!  Modify the “quarantine” based on our recommendation and the health of your new family member.

By following these five recommendations, you should be able to prevent or limit infectious respiratory disease in your cats!

Nala Resting

Every month at Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals we choose a breed to highlight online.  Sometimes we choose the breed of the month based on rescue groups we love, sometimes we choose the breed of the month based on the pets we have in our own families and sometimes we choose the breed of the month because, in our professional opinions, the breed we have chosen to celebrate is just a great breed! 

Lestat Standing

This month we chose Bengal Cats to celebrate because they are so gorgeous and have such neat personalities! We also chose Bengal Cats because our own Laura Drews has two wonderful Bengal Cats, Nala and Lestat.

Lestat (left) and Nala (right)

Bengal Cats

The breed we have chosen to celebrate during September 2014 is the Bengal Cat.  We will spend the rest of the month celebrating this breed with you! 

Lestat in a Bag!

Joining the Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals Breed of the Month Online Conversation:

Make sure to join us on whatever online forum you like best –

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

or right here on our blog in the comment section of this post.  What questions do you have about Bengal Cats?  What do YOU love about Bengal Cats?  Let us know why YOUR Bengal Cat or Bengal Cat mix is great! 

Left to Right - Figero (Who has passed away), Oreo, Nala and Lestat

Send us your pictures, your health questions and your stories.  We are looking forward to this month with you!

Lestat Strutting