CEO Sheryl Blancato offers a glimpse inside Second Chance

Day after day, a similar scene plays out.  Our veterinarians and vet techs go about their day, seeing pets for checkups and sick visits, or performing scheduled surgeries while reception staff greet pets and pet owners and schedule future appointments.  They may have plans after work, even if it’s just to put their feet up and relax.  When a phone call comes in of a very sick pet, all those plans change.

It was already midafternoon recently when Second Chance received a call about a dog that couldn’t pee due to a blockage of stones.  An emergency facility had temporarily unblocked him, but this was just a temporary fix.  Without immediate surgery the dog would suffer in pain, unable to pee, and die.  Emergency hospitals are stretched to the limit, just like the owner’s budget.  Second Chance was this dog’s only chance.

Suddenly those afterwork plans changed.   Schedules were quickly shifted. A vet and two surgery techs agreed to extend their already long day to perform the surgery after their regular day ended.

The dog arrived late afternoon and was prepped for surgery. The surgery began and it didn’t take long to see that the dog was a lot sicker than originally thought.  There weren’t just a few stones…there were hundreds of tiny stones.  The expected one- to two-hour surgery continued for nearly five hours.  Exhausted, the team plugged along.  The vet carefully removed the stones while the surgery techs monitored the dog’s vital signs.

The hospital director had left for the day just as the surgery began, expecting the staff to be there just a couple of hours.  When the surgery continued into the night, she left her family to provide support.  She picked up snacks and Chinese food on the way back to the hospital.  It was now after 9 PM and the surgery had to continue, there was no stopping.  They had to be sure that no stone was left behind, risking another blockage.

The surgery finally ended a little after 10 PM.  Now it was time to monitor the dog’s recovery.  The staff could finally sit down and have something to eat.  The dog recovered well, the family was ecstatic, and the weary team headed home just before midnight.

This is not an isolated story.  It happens more often than you think.  This dog is alive today and with his family because three staff members gave up their time and their plans to save a life.  I am in awe of the work our staff does at our hospitals and adoption center every day, going above and beyond when necessary to help a pet in need if possible.

Last month, we adjusted the surgery schedule at our largest vet hospital in North Brookfield in response to the current emergency veterinary care crisis that’s affecting pets in Massachusetts and across the country.  We reduced spay and neuter surgery capacity to allow our doctors to provide critical care and surgeries, saving an average of 25 pets every week.  While spay and neuter services are temporarily limited at this location, our Springfield and Worcester hospitals are running at full capacity.

Second Chance answers the questions we hear the most about pets and grooming.

Why should my pet be groomed?

• Grooming is an important aspect of healthcare for many dogs and cats, especially long-haired breeds. Pets can become at risk for skin and ear infections, urinary tract infections, pain, trouble defecating, or even develop restricted blood supply if mats become too tightly wound around limbs. 

• Grooming is not just important for long haired pets, however. Short-haired animals can benefit from grooming as well, but may need it less often. Groomers may be able to help identify if your pet has a problem such as a flea or tick infestation or if your pet is not grooming itself as well as it should be, which could indicate an underlying health problem.

When should I start grooming my puppy professionally?

• Most professional grooming salons will begin grooming puppies and kittens at 16 weeks of age with the recommendation that they are fully vaccinated to help keep them safe when in the salon with other animals.
• Getting your pet started early can help them get used to the grooming process, which makes it much easier on them and their groomer.

How often should I be getting my pet groomed?

• Depending on breed, your pet may need to be groomed every 6-8 weeks. You may request the same groomer every time so that you and your pet will begin to build a relationship with your groomer who should come to understand all your pet’s quirks and preferences. It makes the experience safer and more enjoyable for everyone.
• We also recommend visiting the salon between trims/baths to help your pup get used to all the sights and sounds. 

How can I get my puppy used to being groomed?

• Touch your pet frequently to get them used to what will happen during an actual grooming service. This can help desensitize them, making the process much easier and safer.
• Top areas to handle are feet/nails, ears and face. You may try the following to help your pet get used to grooming:
  • Rub/hold their feet often (use caution with cats). 
  • Practice holding their face still and touch around their mouth if tolerated.
  • Run the bottom of an electric toothbrush around their feet & face to help them get used to the feeling & sounds of clippers & nail grinders

Is there anything I should do between salon visits?

• Brush! No matter if you have a long-haired or short-haired pet, they all need brushing. Long-haired pets tend to mat very easily, especially as puppies and kittens when their fur is super fine and soft. Matting can be very painful for your pet, so frequent brushing can help reduce the chance of fur becoming matted. Don’t forget mat-prone areas behind the ears, on their backside, or around the armpits.
• It’s recommended you brush your short-haired pup weekly to help keep dead hair from clogging their pores and to keep their natural oils spread evenly throughout their coat to promote shine and healthy fur.

To help get your pet caught up on their vaccines, we are holding additional mobile vaccine clinics in Dudley & Southbridge on June 7th and 28th. At this time we are accepting registration for June 7th – you must pre-register to attend.

Woofy’s Grooming: Monday June 7th ~ 9AM to Noon
17 W Main Street, Dudley
Pre-Register for Woofy’s Mobile Veterinary Clinic

*NEW LOCATION* Southbridge Community Veterinary Hospital Parking Lot: Monday June 7th ~ 1PM to 3PM
700 Worcester Street, Southbridge
Pre-Register for Southbridge Mobile Veterinary Clinic

To help get your pet caught up on their vaccines, we are holding additional mobile vaccine clinics on May 10th and 24th, as well as June 7th and 28th in Dudley & Southbridge. At this time we are accepting registration for May 10th – you must pre-register to attend.

Woofy’s Grooming, 17 W Main Street, Dudley: 9AM-Noonhttps://www.secondchanceanimals.org/woofys/

Southbridge Community Vet Hospital* Parking Lot, 700 Worcester Street, Southbridge 1-3PM
https://www.secondchanceanimals.org/southbridge-vaccine/

*Watch for more news on the Second Southbridge Community Vet Hospital opening later this summer.

We are humbled! Thank you for voting Second Chance Animal Services BEST NON-PROFIT in the 2020 Best of Central Mass.

Congratulations to our very own Dr. Jackie Celmer, finalist for BEST VETERINARIAN. 

We are so proud of the work Dr. Jackie and all our caring and compassionate veterinarians do each day, providing access to world class veterinary care for all.  Your support helps our doctors keep pets in their homes with the people who love them.  Thank you!

FITCHBURG — Second Chance Animal Services returned to Fitchburg last weekend for the first time since the COVID-19 outbreak canceled a scheduled spring vaccine clinic.

The low-cost community vaccine and microchip clinic offered Fitchburg-area pet owners an opportunity to get their pets up to date on life-saving vaccines using Second Chance’s new pre-registration format developed to safely resume vaccine clinics.

Second Chance CEO Sheryl Blancato said she is grateful to the North Central Community Foundation of Massachusetts, which underwrote the vaccine clinic with a generous grant aimed at helping pets in the Fitchburg community.

“North Central Community Foundation was understanding when the spring vaccine clinic could not be carried out as planned. They recognized the clinic’s importance in preventing the spread of rabies and parvo, which is a serious concern with so many pets now overdue,” Blancato said.

Many vaccine clinics throughout the state were canceled in the spring in response to COVID-19.

Second Chance, determined to resume its hospital weekly vaccine clinics safely, developed a pre-registration process that can now be used for clinics in the community.

Pet owners complete clinic paperwork and pay in advance to limit contact on clinic day. Each pet is assigned an arrival time and pet owners remain in their vehicle while pets are brought inside for vaccines and microchips, and quickly returned.

The Fitchburg clinic marks the first time the new process was used for a community vaccine clinic on location.

Blancato said the new process has received high marks from pet owners.

“We planned this as a temporary process, but it’s been such a positive experience for both pets and their owners. No more waiting in lines, no more filling out paperwork while holding a squirming pet, and much less stress for pets. We’ve decided to keep our pre-registration process permanently,” she said.

Second Chance hopes to resume community vaccine clinics next spring.

In the meantime, pet owners looking to update their pet’s vaccines can visit the vaccine clinic page at secondchanceanimals.org to pre-register their pet for an upcoming clinic at a Second Chance Community Veterinary Hospital in North Brookfield, Springfield or Worcester.

Full-service veterinary care is also available at each location by appointment following a curbside process where pet owners remain in their car and can speak directly with veterinarians via their cellphone.

Sentinel & Enterprise Story