Joyce,

Joyce  Peterson:

Hi! My name is Joyce. My job is to keep the clinic in tip top shape. I am in charge of the cleaning and taking care of the animals here at the hospital after the rest of the staff has gone home. My favorite part of my job is making sure this clinic is sparkling clean and smelling good (which sometimes can be a challenge). I also enjoy spending time caring and loving the animals that are hospitalized at the clinic.

I reside in the Greenleaf area with my husband John on a small hobby farm. I have two grown children, Andrea and Adam. I have a Border Collie named "Zeke".  "Buddy" a German Shepherd mix pictured with me was put to sleep in February 2007. He has been with me since he was 1 year old. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him.

In my free time I enjoy quilting, crocheting, horseback riding, photography, and traveling to see new things.  

 

Sidney, Clinic Cat:

Howdy, my name is Sidney.  I am the 18-year-old domestic short hair mascot (I am the brains of the operation) here at the Wrightstown Veterinary Center.  I was Dr. Kusik's first cat.   She adopted me while she was a student in veterinary school.  I moved in to the clinic along with my "brother" Winston in September 2001. I was Winston's "shoulder to lean on" during his crisis.  I enjoy helping out with the computer and greeting all the clients. I am very nice to all pets, both cats and dogs, and I like children, too. I am Dr. Kusik's daughter's favorite cat.

I love a good belly rub.  Be sure to say "Hi!" to me next time you are in. 







IN LOVING MEMORY OF WINSTON, CLINIC CAT 

We are sad to let you all know Winston was put to sleep surrounded by all of us at the clinic after going into kidney failure at the end of January 2007. Some of you may remember when Winston moved into the clinic with his brother Sidney in September 2001 during his treatment for kidney failure.  He was the poster kitty for why yearly exams and bloodwork for all pets "saves lives". Dr. Kusik had noted that he was vomiting more than just an occasional hairball; blood work was run which showed he was in severe kidney failure. He had mildly elevated kidney values that were detected through annual blood screening since April 1999; however, the sudden change to failure was an unfortunate surprise. He was hospitalized and given supportive care including fluids and medications to pull him through the crisis and was put on a special kidney diet. He was not responding to the treatment, he continued to vomit and lose much weight. Dr. Kusik looked into a kidney transplant for him at the UW-Madison Veterinary Hospital. Due to the cost, transplant surgery and 13 weeks of post-op care is $8,000 - $16,000, along with $200 a month of anti-rejection medication for life, Dr. Kusik was forced to choose to continue with only supportive care here at the clinic. Shortly after Christmas 2001 he started to respond to his treatment and had been doing great. He was receiving fluids under his skin on a weekly basis and continued to have blood work and his urine checked every 2-3 months to monitor his values. We also watched his weight very closely. In the beginning of January he stopped eating his normal amount of food and was losing weight. Blood work revealed his kidney values were very elevated. He was placed on IV (into his veins) fluids to force the kidney values down. After 4 days of fluid therapy we realized his values were not decreasing and he was becoming very depressed. The decision was made to take him off the fluids and spoil him like he had never be spoiled before. On January 26th after a lot of crying and uncertainty that the right decision was being made Dr. Tracy was ready to say goodbye so Winston could be painfree. We are sure most of you have had to make that most difficult decision one time or another. We will all miss his sassy "I own the world" personality and we all know he will never be FORGOTTEN. He will live in our hearts forever.