The word is out! If you have a pet - PocketVet™!" should be in your pocket.
(It's the perfect way to raise funds for your organization!)

Here's the history on our newest flipguide: PocketVet™©

Back in November 1996, my daughter Devon's cat Smokey had a disagreement with a passerby and returned home with a nasty bite on her shoulder. Flush with parental wisdom, I patiently showed Devon how to clean the wound and her cat seemed fine. I also dismissed, as normal, the swelling that followed. A week or so later it became apparent, even to me, that something was terribly wrong with Smokey. She was listless, whining and not eating. The swelling around the original bite area had turned into a gaping wound with the muscles and tendons visible beneath. We immediately took her to a local veterinary emergency hospital.

The vet, Dr. Kevin Sheehy quickly recognized the original swelling signaled an abscess and explained that puncture wounds from bites often leave bacteria that a surface cleaning won't touch. He clipped and cleaned away the diseased skin and gave Smokey an antibiotic for the infection. Poor Smokey was left with a saucerlike hole in her side. We spent the next six weeks applying warm compresses, four times a day, until Smokey's skin grew back.

Dr. Sheehy patiently told us that if we had brought Smokey in soon after she was bitten, an antibiotic would have taken care of the infection. If we had only known...

Even though we've had pets in our family for generations, it was clear that we all needed to know more about helping pets in an emergency. We searched the bookstores and the public library for pet first aid information but everything we found was either too technical or confusing - nothing concise and simple - nothing that would help someone decide whether a particular situation needed immediate veterinary care, or could be safely treated at home. That's when the idea for PocketVet™© was born.

PocketVet™©, our first aid flipguide is available online now. If you share your life with animals, you should have a copy of PocketVet™©. I wish I had it back in 1996 - I'm certain our cat Smokey does too. Check it out. You can order it online now. It makes a great gift for a new (or seasoned) pet owner - and Dr. Sheehy agrees.

Be well,
Bill Hafferty

PS - Don't forget to take a look at PocketDoc© - our first aid guide for humans.

Feel free to call or email us if you have any questions or suggestions and thanks for your interest.
Bill Hafferty, Publisher (800.552.0487)