Student Lissa Wilberger helps Knife celebrate his celebrity status as the 10,000 pet to receive care at the OSU small animal clinic
When Knife trotted through the doors of the small animal clinic at the Lois Bates Acheson Veterinary Teaching Hospital (VTH), he had no idea he was setting a milestone. Knife, a Belgian Sheepdog, was coming in with his mom Joan Hagar to get a baseline checkup before going to agility dog trials. After his visit with Dr. Wendy Baltzer, Knife became the 10,000th pet to receive care at the VTH and walked right into a party named after him.
The 10,000th Pet Party was held to thank clients of the VTH by giving them an opportunity to tour the behind-the-scenes treatment areas and high-tech equipment at the hospital. Veterinary specialists were stationed in cardiology, oncology, surgery, internal medicine, and rehabilitation areas to describe the latest treatment options and answer client questions. About fifty clients took the 30-minute tour and universally described it as fascinating and informative. Everyone who attended received an ‘I am an OSU pet’ orange bandanna.
The small animal clinic was opened in 2005 and the first pet treated there was a yellow lab named Della who belonged to large animal doctor John Schlipf. Della came in to kick things off with a general health check but soon became a regular visitor and favorite pet of everyone in the hospital. “She was as sweet and kind a dog as you could want,” says Schlipf. “Everyone loved her.”
