Community is important to us at WVAH. We work to provide care for pets in every venue possible, and we are very blessed with a great community that supports our efforts to help provide care for animals in need. Now, we are reaching out for help with 2 of our wonderful *human* friends and their respective families. Wednesday, October 4th - WVAH Keizer will be providing a special Vaccine Value & Nail Trim special during which 100% of our hospital income for the day will be split evenly between two very deserving causes. Sarah Storey and Alma Garibay are two of our WVAH employees, as well as active volunteers for our outreach efforts in the community. Both families are raising funds to help get them through some difficult challenges. Visit us on Wednesday, October 4th for all of our Thursday and Tuesday special prices all day, and to show your support for our extended WVAH family. They both have GoFundMe pages, with provided links below, if you would like to donate directly to their fundraisers. The Garibay Family - www.gofundme.com/leonardogaribay Alma's younger brother Leonardo was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy at a young age. His family is raising money to help to provide him with more mobility and freedom. They dream of having better accessibility to their home, a remodeled bathroom for his use, even a modified vehicle to help Leonardo get around. As he gets older, it is becoming more difficult and dangerous to manage his illness without these upgrades. The Storey Family - www.gofundme.com/don-elznic-accident On August 19th an explosion shook a quiet neighborhood; At the center of the blast was Sarah's father. With extensive 3rd Degree burns on at least 30% of his body, he was taken via life-flight to the burn center in Portland. He will likely spend several months there and will need to undergo multiple surgeries in order to heal. Meanwhile, the blast which caused such severe injury to Sarah's father, also utterly destroyed their garage and caused severe damage to their home and belongings. A long road awaits them as they work to heal and rebuild. Thank you for reading and for all of your support for what we do. Please share this and get the word out! Let's work together to help these two very wonderful families!

Our thoughts go out those being evacuated and every person and pet being affected by the fires.

Reminder: Willamette Valley Animal Hospitals will be CLOSED on September 3rd (Sunday) & 4th (Monday) for Labor Day.

We will remain operating during normal business hours throughout the Solar Eclipse weekend. Please be patient as we may experience extended wait times during these next few days.

The heat is hitting hard this week and temperatures in our area are rising rapidly. Weather reports are indicating we'll see temperatures above 100 further in the week. This means increased danger to those traveling with pets. An often overlooked danger due to the heat is Hot Asphalt. Temperatures above 77 degrees can quickly result in asphalt hot enough to damage skin, especially the pads of your pets paws. When possible, leave your pets home or with a friend; perhaps find a local boarding facility. If you must travel with your pet, be sure to consider just how quickly the temperature can rise in your vehicle. Even with the windows cracked, what seems like a moderate temperature can turn deadly in a very short period of time. Do not let pets die to preventable causes for the sake of convenience. Help us spread this information and warning to all pet owners. http://www.avma.org/petsincars

Community partners help us to make happy endings happen! Today we have Mercy, the 18 week border collie puppy that needs an amputation of a badly broken leg, and Oscar, the 15 year old dachshund in dire need of a dental cleaning with multiple extractions. Both patients belong to owners with extremely limited finances, and for whom euthanasia was being considered. In some cases like these, we can team up with non profits like PAL - Prevent a Litter and Operation DOG to get these guys the care they need. Please consider making a donation to one of our non profit partners. They help us in our mission to save lives and give back to our community. ❤️

Health advisory issued for areas of Lake Billy Chinook High toxin levels found in Jefferson County Lake A health advisory was issued today for Lake Billy Chinook, located approximately 12 miles west of Madras, in Jefferson County. Advisory boundaries are different for each arm of the lake. The boundaries are as follows: · The Metolius River Arm – From Perry South Campground to the northern tip of Chinook Island. · The Deschutes River Arm – All areas in and around Cove Palisades State Park, the day use areas and boat docks. · The Crooked River Arm – All areas in and around the Jefferson County day use area past Cove Palisades Resort and Marina to the confluence of the Deschutes River Arm. A harmful algae bloom advisory for areas of Lake Billy Chinook is being issued today. The advisory is being issued due to elevated levels of cyanotoxins that can be produced by different types of blue-green algae as well as visible scum that can potentially be harmful. When water quality monitoring samples show toxins at levels over established guideline values, an advisory is issued. OHA also has protocol in place to issue advisories based on visible scum until water sampling can confirm the level of toxins in the area. OHA advises the public when a harmful algae bloom is detected in a lake or river. Not all blooms are harmful, but blooms caused by cyanobacteria can produce toxins that cause serious illness in pets, livestock, wildlife and humans. Only a fraction of Oregon waterbodies are monitored due to limited resources, so remember "when in doubt, stay out." You can also find an electronic copy of the news release here: http://www.oregon.gov/oha/ph/newsadvisories/Pages/RecreationalAdvisories.aspx

Willamette Valley Animal Hospitals will be CLOSED on Tuesday, July 4th, 2017 for the Holiday. Please be sure to pick up any pet medications before this closure, especially those needed for pet anxiety due to fireworks. If you believe your pet may benefit from medication to help anxiety related to the holiday evening, there is still time to see a veterinarian and discuss options for your pets. Have a Safe and Happy Fourth of July!