Local Veterinarian Clinic Offers Services Beyond Cats and Dogs

When you bring your cat or dog to , you have to go to the right for cats and left for dogs. It avoids possible arguments between the animals, says Dr. Berrie Salbego.

Pet owners of exotic pets, amphibians and reptiles can enter either door. Bird owners may want to choose to sit on the dog side. While some dogs are not fond of or are trained to hunt birds, it’s nature that cats and birds are predator and prey.

“We treat anything that is furry, has scales or has feathers, but we do not treat venomous snakes, monkeys, pot belly pigs or farm animals,” Salbego, medical director at VCA said.

While no animal is unusual to the hospital, Salbego said a 35-pound lizard in a dog crate, a 12-foot-long snake and a tarantula have been treated at VCA.

The Channahon hospital treats wildlife, such as ducks, and will refer fish owners to the VCA in Barrington, where there is an aquatic specialist on hand, Salbego said.

The three veterinarians; Dr. Sharla Thill, Dr. Christine Hollis Frost and Salbego, all attended the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine College, in Urbana-Champaign. While there, Thill was a student assistant/leader at the wildlife medical clinic and Salbego was a team member and committee chair of the organization.

The veterinary medicine program at U of I is the only program in the state. Joliet Junior College, Fox College in Chicago and Parkland Community College in Champaign have veterinary technician programs. There are about 27 veterinary medicine colleges in the U.S.

Many students wanting to go into vet med school have a hard time getting in. Some end up going to medical school to become M.D.’s, while others will try repeatedly and may eventually be accepted to a vet med program, said Salbego, who has 22 pets in her home in addition to her husband and three children.

“There is a difference between cats and dogs and even differences between species of birds, lizards and snakes. “It’s not just studying one thing; the human body,” Salbego said. “We are the ophthalmologist, the dentist, the ENT. We are all the doctors a person goes to in one.”

At the Channahon hospital, Salbego said pet owners can bring their animals in for minor surgeries, such as urinary bladder surgery, dental work, grooming, x-rays and neutering of an animal. It is an emergency hospital, but after-hours pets will be cared for at the VCA hospital in Aurora which is open 24-7.

Salbego said prescribed medications can be easily picked up at the local pharmacy. Many antibiotics used by humans are pet-friendly she said. 

Many pet owners bring in their animals to receive their annual wellness treatments. For the first four months, puppies and kittens go through a series of exams, vaccinations and deworming. Two stool samples are needed in the first year. Starting at four months of age, the pets can be neutered. Than the pets can be seen on a yearly basis.

“It’s recommended females have it done before they are six months of age and prior to their first heat cycle,” Salbego said. “Males are recommended to be neutered for behavioral reasons and to avoid the risks of prostate and testicular cancer.”

However, for those who want to breed their dogs or cats, Thill can perform artificial insemination on the animal.

Exotics and birds are on a yearly schedule too. Salbego said because birds are prone to hide disease, it is very beneficial for yearly blood profiles.

Discounts for wellness treatments take place all day on Wednesdays and from 8 a.m. to noon on Thursdays, Salbego said.

VCA in Channahon offers boarding to animals also. She said occasionally the hospital will take in strays. 

“Legally we have to hold them for a week if they don’t have a tag or microchip to identify an owner,” Salbego said. “After the week, the animals will be taken to the humane society for adoption.

VCA is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturdays.