As we surge into the New Year, I want to reflect on the Annual Leadership Conference in Baltimore that was attended by over 90 people this year. The enthusiasm and ongoing passion for the medicine discussed at this meeting is carrying into 2013.

Emma is an eleven year old female spayed Labrador who presented to High Peaks Animal Hospital on November 29th with a two day history of inappetance and lethargy. She also had a non-productive cough of three weeks duration. No S/D/V. She has been drinking small amounts of water and urinating and defecating normally. The owners recently switched her food from O/M to Purina.

Pet Partners prepares for the New Year with some excitement and with some sadness. We have together weathered a major hurricane that hit some of our practices very hard and hit my home town in Fairfield, CT with a vengeance. In fact weeks later, there are still homes without power in my town but in all, the effect was short lived and we are all back to some semblance of normal at all our veterinary locations. The practices affected found ways to keep services for the pets in need open and operational even without power. We all pay tribute to that effort and that concern. It was greatly noticed and appreciated. It speaks to leadership at all those locations.

Dr. David Puerto, of the Center for Animal Referral and Emergency Services (CARES) in Langhorne, PA did a mass removal on Friday requiring a thoracodorsal axial pattern skin flap graft to close the defect. Over the weekend the flap became extremely black/congested, due to adequate arterial supply to the flap, but poor venous drainage. In attempt to save the flap/graft leeches were employed to drain the site.

There is a lot happening at each of our affiliated hospitals and we continue to grow with performance of our hospitals strong and getting better every day. The acquisition pipeline is even stronger and since the last blog, as we have added two new hospitals. We welcome Adams Animal Hospital in Athol, Mass, Medical Director Robert Bergantino and his highly qualified practice manager, Linda Bramhall. Adams is located in the Western Mass mountains and recreation area; it has been a solid community hospital for many years. Dr. Tom Green has sold the Greenbelt Veterinary Hospital & Pet Resort, located in Midland, TX, to Pet Partners just last month. Casey Green is a very competent CVPM leading the management team there and Tom Green has passed the torch of the medical leadership onto Dr. Kristina McConaughey who has been serving as Medical Director from day one. Midland is located in central west Texas and we think of it as an oasis of oil. It is hot, but friendly and has a very strong economy at present. It, and sister city, Odessa, comprise the entire region and is the setting of Friday Night Lights where High School Football is more important than food. Both of these locations are great additions to our family and I welcome them and all the staff members associated with each practice.

Coolridge Animal Hospital kicked off spring in a hopping way! We were honored with an appearance from Peter Cottontail himself.

Since January there has been a breeze of optimism in the air regarding client and pet visits to our hospitals. That optimism has carried over into performance and it is my belief we are coming out of the worst recession seen in all of our lifetimes. I hate to say that as it has appeared to continue to be one step forward and two steps back or vice versa with business. But it has not been a straight line. As I cross the Country looking at perspective acquisition hospitals I see some areas that never knew there was a financial downturn and other areas that feel they are still in its midst. In the summary of it all I hold strong optimism for the remainder of this year. If days past have created anything positive it is in our management as a profession. We have learned to manage better than ever before. When I speak about Pet Partners being a management company first and foremost I speak the absolute truth. We are an operations organization that acquires hospitals. And in that order. Our hospitals are then empowered to be the best they can be with trained managers that almost always come with the practice and they are supported by some of the best people I have ever worked with from our offices in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Doctor Harre has a very kind and positive attitude. That was really show cased when we were down a doctor and Dr. Harre worked 10-12 hours a day 6 days a week while looking to fill the position. She goes above and beyond when duty calls. She stays late to finish up with clients and make sure her medical records are accounted for. Doctor Harre does this without any complaints and a smile on her face. Coolridge Animal Hospital really appreciates all that she does on a daily and ongoing basis to help our practice run.

A lab puppy presented with vomiting and a hard lump in the abdomen. No brainer on the foreign body, but what it was, was very surprising.

The New Year is upon us and the first weeks have been somewhat full with the Pet Partners Annual Leadership Meeting in Baltimore just after the New Year and the NAVC in Orlando this past weekend into this past week. In all a lot is happening and it is all good. The Baltimore Meeting was highlighted by Jon Ayers, Chairman, CEO and President of IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. His most informative talk to the entire team on Friday morning was not only enlightening about the “New Normal” it was totally in sync with what we at Pet Partners believe and work on every day. The address was well received and led to many questions regarding what we all realize is the “New Normal” for veterinary medicine and also life in general.