After 41 years of leading Calm Animal Care from its humble origins in a barn up Truman Creek Road to its current home, a warm and welcoming but constantly updated facility in beautiful downtown Kila, it’s time for Dr Calm to hand over the reins. We are committed to being an independently owned practice, rather than a corporation run for the benefit of private equity investors. Dr. Karen Hartle and Dr. Meg Gordon have both been integral to Calm Animal Care for over 20 and 10 years respectively. As its new owners, they will continue the level of compassion, service and professional expertise that has made Calm Animal Care what it is today.
On the last Friday of July, 2024, 200 of our closest friends gathered to celebrate our 40th year in beautiful downtown Kila. There were prizes from our sponsors, and house plants that went home with folks who contributed to the Donation Fund. The kids loved the bouncy castle, as kids do. The Kalispell Irish Session provided music, and Anna from Farm to Fork Catering served an amazing vegan barbecue buffet. You know that pulled pork sandwich you had and kept coming back for more? That was jackfruit, an exceptionally tasty vegetarian version! Thanks to everyone who came — it was a blast, and definitely not a retirement party.
Bird flu H5N1 virus has been confirmed to be present in commercial flocks in many states, and in backyard flocks as well as wild birds in Montana. Pets can be infected, and cats are especially susceptible. Pets who go outside can be directly exposed to bird flu by eating infected birds, or from exposure to the virus in an infected environment. There have been several indoor cats that have died of avian influenza by eating raw diets containing duck, turkey, or chicken that were contaminated with the virus. Barn cats have died after consuming unpasteurized milk. Avian influenza is contagious among cats, spread in respiratory and GI secretions. Humans can be infected by drinking raw milk, eating undercooked poultry and eggs, and inhaling dust or droplets from an infected environment, or from exposure to the saliva, urine and feces from infected birds and mammals, including cats. Wash your hands!
Signs of avian influenza in cats include: Fever, lethargy, heavy discharge from the eyes and nose, respiratory distress, and neurological issues like incoordination, blindness, and tremors. Symptoms occur between 2 and 10 days after exposure, and the disease in affected cats can rapidly progress to death. (We also have to consider rabies as a differential for cats with neurologic signs, particularly if they have not been vaccinated.)
How do we prevent cats from getting bird flu? Don’t feed raw commercial diets, or raw eggs, unpasteurized milk, or raw or undercooked poultry. Don’t allow cats to hunt or kill wild birds, and keep them away from livestock and poultry.
There’s not a vaccine for bird flu, and there’s no treatment except supportive care.
