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About The Chronicle : Creswell & Cottage Grove. (Creswell, Ore.) 2019-current | View Entire Issue (May 7, 2020)
THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2020 THE CHRONICLE — 11 COMMUNITY c o n n e c t inspire GIFT l o v i n g care unconditional attitude NOW make a difference CHARITY generosity kindness GIVE TIME ser vice vision get involved l o v e purp o se ALTRUISM GINI DAVIS, COMMUNIT Y REPORTER CONTACT HER AT GINI@CHRONICLE1909.COM Care, with a dose of caution TRUSTED RESOURCES Online sites where you can learn more about COVID-19 and pets: Creswell Veterinary Hospital Site: creswellvet.com Oregon Veterinary Medical Association Site: oregonvma.org Search terms: coronavirus, pets OVMA Coronavirus & Pets FAQ Site: oregonvma.org Search terms: coronavirus, FAQ (frequently asked questions) CDC Site: cdc.gov Search terms: coronavirus, animals PET FOOD ASSISTANCE Donate animal food of any type and help feed the hungry animals in our community. Saturday, May 9, at the Cottage Grove Community Center, 700 Gibb St. The event is 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with contact-free dropoff. The drive is sponsored by Tucker’s Cupboard and the Humane Society of Cottage Grove. tuckerscupboard.org humanesocietycg.org Greenhill Humane Society’s year-round Community Pet Food Bank accepts any brand dry and canned dog and cat food – even open bags and food that has expired within the last six months. Cat food is in high demand. With a Humane Society of the United States grant and large pet food donations from Oregon Humane Society, Greenhill has also donated more than 7,000 pounds of pet food to Food for Lane County and others. “The need for pet food has been huge since the pandemic began,” said event and commu- nity engagement manager Megan Brezovar. www.green-hill.org/donate Pandemic can’t mask bond between vets and pets BY GINI DAVIS THE CHRONICLE E ven under stay-at- home guidelines, a n i m a l s’ u r g e n t medical needs couldn’t be postponed. So, before the Oregon Health Authority lifted the elective proce- dures ban Monday – with social distancing and PPE – Creswell Veterinary Hospital had switched to curbside care. “If we get sick, we cannot be here to take care of the pets,” Dr. Sheri Schlorman said. New protocols were put in place: Clients called upon arrival, staff took history over the phone, pets were retrieved from cars, and pets’ coats were wiped with a disinfectant-soaked towel. Between patients, every- thing touched – exam table, pen, stethoscope, clipboard, computer, mouse, slip leads used to bring dogs in, etc. – was wiped with disinfectant. Guidelines continue to evolve, Schlorman said. “We are allowing one client into one exam room at a time; they must wear a mask, or we do curbside with them,” she said. “We are allowing one person at a time into the reception area to pick up medications or food or check out; again, they must wear a mask,” noting that her team continues wearing masks. Veterinary assistant and offi ce manager Kate Weir and vet tech Lisa Gaugenmaier help care for a dog at Creswell Veterinary Hospital. DR. SHERI SCHLORMAN/PHOTO The change is welcome – for clients and staff: “A big part of being a veterinarian is the bond with both the client and the pet, and I miss the face-to-face interactions,” Schlorman said. Curbside care was also “exhausting,” Schlorman said. “We could either be on AN EMERGENCY PLAN FOR PETS Plan ahead and fi ll out an emergency care plan for your pet. To download “Best Friends Animal Society’s Pet Preparedness Plan,” visit the Humane Society of Cottage Grove on Facebook and click the COVID-19 Pet Preparedness Plan link. You can also go to support.best- friends.org and download from that website. Pet food is what ‘nearly every family is requesting’ PET OF THE WEEK This cute bunny is Bronco! He was brought to Greenhill after a sweet boy caught him hopping around his neighborhood and tried to sneak him into his room by hiding Bronco in his shirt. His Mom found out and they brought Bronco to the shelter as a stray. Bronco has turned out to be a sweet and social bunny that is easy to handle. Bronco has soft red fur with big brown eyes. He is a mixed breed rabbit and weighs a little over 5 pounds. Bronco needs to be adopted to an inside home and does not liked to be picked up. Bronco is a very sweet, cute bunny that will make a wonderful family so happy! the phone or working with a pet; everything took twice as long to accomplish. I never realized how much I talk during an examination and explaining medications as I enter them in the medical record,” as opposed to enter- ing notes fi rst, followed by conversation or “voicemail tag” with clients. One unanticipated posi- tive: since they weren’t feel- ing protective or picking up on their family’s nerves, “Many pets that are usually nervous or even nippy during their exam were much better without their people with them,” Schlorman said. Caution is still in order with the reopening. “OHA guidelines state that non-compliance can result in the entire order being rescinded, so we are going to be doing our best to keep that from happening and to keep us all safe,” Schlorman said. Staying informed is also still important, as a handful of documented cases exist of domestic cats and dogs getting sick from COVID-19; but while pets may (rarely) contract the virus from humans, there is currently no evidence of pet-to-human transmission. “I think there is good information coming out now, but we really are learning about this virus every day,” Schlorman said. “Normally we see very few animals that have communi- cable diseases, whether it be to us or to other pets, and we have guidelines for testing should any animals come down with symptoms after being exposed to a known COVID-19 case, she said. NAME: BRONCO Gender: MALE breed: MIX If you are interested in adopting some of our wonderful rabbits or just want to learn more about bunnies as family pets, please call Greenhill for a free rabbit care packet today. Greenhill Humane Society is conducting adoptions by appointment seven days a week, 11 am – 5 pm at 88530 Green Hill Rd in Eugene. For more information call (541) 689.1503 or visit www.green-hill.org. Both the Creswell Food Pantry and Community Sharing organizations are accepting dog and cat food donations. Creswell Food Pantry, 364 Cobalt Lane, distrib- utes pet food during regular food distribution times, 12:30 to 3 p.m. Thursdays. Quart-size resealable bags also needed. “A volunteer has been donating 100 pounds of dog and cat food each week; she bags it in quart- sized bags,” said pantry manager Susan Blachnik. “We could use another 100 to 200 pounds per week. Pet food has been an item that nearly every family is requesting.” More info: 541-246-9117. Community Sharing, 1440 Birch Ave. in Cottage Grove, operates a food pantry from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. More info: 541-942-2176. Cattery manager Hannah Washington bottle-feeds a tiny kitten at Greenhill Humane Society. MEGAN BREZOVAR/PHOTO Sheltering pets in the pandemic BY GINI DAVIS THE CHRONICLE Amid the hardships of COVID-19, there’s at least one bright spot: animal adoptions and foster volunteers have not decreased, and intakes have not increased at Greenhill Humane Society of Eugene. “We have had 100-plus foster applicants, which has been so great – espe- cially since Kitten Season has begun,” said event and community engagement manager Megan Brezovar. “We have not experienced an increase in animals coming in, but we have experienced many more phone calls and inquiries about resources and services.” During the pandemic: Adoptions, returns to owners and surrenders by appointment only: 541-689- 1503. Strays accepted with attempts made to fi nd their family while on stray hold. “If a fi nder is willing to hold onto the animal, we will assist in fi nding the owner,” Brezovar noted. Take cats found in Cottage Grove or Creswell to Humane Society of Cottage Grove; take dogs to Cottage Grove Police Department (in Creswell, check with City Hall). Animals transferred to Greenhill if owners not found. Intake assesses shelter inventory levels, with staff prioritizing animals unsafe in their current situation. Cat and rabbit intake priori- tizing sick, injured, bottle-ba- bies, visibly pregnant or in-danger animals. Animals known to be exposed to COVID-19 are quarantined for two weeks, SEE SHELTER – 21