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An animal affair

Staff photo by Clay Schuldt Meryl, a nine-week-old kitten, was a recent patient at the New Ulm Regional Vet Clinic. He was found abandoned with a crushed leg. He has since been adopted by Dr. Greg Windschill.

NEW ULM — On a typical day, the New Ulm Regional Veterinary Center is expected to see a lot of animals, but Wednesday really went to the dogs.

The vet center hosted a special open house, Animal Affair. The community was invited to bring their pets to the clinic to tour the facility.

Certified veterinary technician Denise Kuester said the event gave people a chance to learn about what goes on at the clinic and learn pet health advice.

Outside in the clinic parking lot were special booths with activities for people and their pets. One booth was offering pet microchips at a 50-percent discount. A pet agility course was set up on the west corner of the clinic. Inside the clinic, the staff was on hand to demonstrate how the equipment worked and give examples of animal medical cases.

The ask-a-vet booth was popular. Pet owners could ask any question of the veterinarians. The most popular question was how to deal with fleas and ticks. A variety of products are available. Some flea and tick treatments are now available in chewable form.

Dr. Katie Schroepfer gave demonstrations of animal dentistry. A pet’s teeth are often overlooked but can be a serious source of health problems. Schroepfer said, like humans, animals teeth should be brushed once a day.

Three of the biggest stars of the event were the young goats Sirus, Tuesday and Marti. At less than a year old, the goats were still larger than most of the dogs attending the event.

Goats are becoming a popular alternative pet on farms. The animals work well as 4-H exhibit pets due to their size. They are also valued for their milk, which is used for soaps, lotions, and candies.

The New Ulm Regional Veterinary Center is located at 401 S. 20th St. Hours are from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m to 1 p.m. Saturday.

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