Special care for special clients

Caring for a sick pet isn't easy. So when the team at Animal Hospital of Ashwaubenon in Green Bay, Wis., noticed the special challenges their clients who owned cats with kidney disease shared, they decided to bring this community of clients together. Receptionist Kate Briggs approached clients and team members who owned cats with kidney disease to help create a scrapbook. Pet owners submitted pictures of themselves with their cats and wrote short notes about their experiences with feline kidney disease. They talked about how they decided to treat their pet, the challenges throughout their pet's treatment and recovery, and results of the treatment.

"The completed scrapbook resides in our waiting room. It helps owners currently going through treatment with their cats to know they aren't alone," says CariAnne Ninaus, a receptionist at Animal Hospital of Ashwaubenon. "It also gives inspiration to owners whose cats have recently been diagnosed with the disease. And it serves as a testimony to the effect a change in diet and regular subcutaneous fluid therapy treatment can make in improving and extending the lives of these pets."