Kiss My Knits!

Our troop arrived at Atrium Animal Hospital promptly at 4:30. The friendly folks at the counter didn’t balk at the Brownie invasion. Practice Manager Kathy Currlin and Dr. Laura Lathan greeted us. The boys in some of these pictures are Dr. Lathan’s sons and nephews, a last minute addition due to child care issues. As I said to Dr. Lathan, “No problem! It’s not like it’s a girl’s club. Well, actually it IS like it’s a girl’s club, but it’s fine!” So, with a few words from Dr. Lathan about the clinic and what we were going to see, we were off!

Check it out! That black bear has a sign on it that says, “Welcome Girl Scouts! We are happy to have you!” It was very welcoming and made our girls smile. Ms. Currlin is showing the cages to the girls. They have blue mats in the bottom, and Ms. Currlin asked the girls if they knew what they were for. We guessed for comfort, for cleanliness, and other things. All of our answers were partly right, but the mats are also heated to keep the animals warm. How thoughtful! The girls asked questions about what kinds of things they could do here, thinking about their pets. One girl who has a hamster asked about taking care of their teeth, and also whether they take care of guinea pig claws (which they do). We learned that they could also neuter very small pets. I had no idea!


After that, we got to see their surgical arena. Dr. Lathan showed us that there was a hose to carry away the breaths of the pets so that the surgeons don’t breathe in the anaesthesia that the pets exhale. Nobody wants a sleepy surgeon! Then Dr. Lathan and Ms. Currlin got out some really neat X-rays. We got to play medical detective when Dr. Lathan told us the dogs’ symptoms and showed us the X-rays. What I learned: dogs will swallow anything. Also, in the words of one of our Brownies, “Some dogs can vomit a lot.” Truer words were never spoken.

We went further back into the clinic to the kennel. The dogs were excited to have so many visitors and barked a lot, prompting some of our girls to cover their ears. The dogs settled down pretty quickly once we moved away from them and they realized we weren’t there to give them treats. In the back area of the clinic, Ms. Currlin showed us something really cool. It’s a water therapy treadmill for dogs! Dogs have knee surgery and other problems just like people do, and sometimes they need rehab too. Atrium Animal Hospital is very active in Animal Rehab, medical massage, and alternative medicines for animals, and Ms. Currlin works a lot with that branch of medicine within the clinic.


Ms. Currlin filled the tank with water, to the oohs and aahs of the girls. She even turned on the treadmill to demonstrate how it works. She showed us numbers along the side of the tank and asked us what we thought they meant. Turns out they’re for different size dogs, to show how much water to put in. A chihuahua might have a tank filled to 5, but a Great Dane might have it filled to 16. You can see these numbers on the yellow decal on the corner of the tank in the picture to the right.

She also showed us other tools used in water therapy. There were “pool noodles” to narrow the space in the tank so the dog doesn’t drift to the sides too much when they’re walking, and doggie life vests to give more support to dogs needing extra help, or that have spinal injuries which would require more stability. The girls were amused by the idea of a dog in a life jacket.

Then we got to see the “canine condo” deluxe accommodations. A dog staying here has all the luxuries of home, including a TV. The dachsund we saw had it tuned to the Discovery Channel. Perhaps it was dreaming that it was a wolf on the prairie. Dare to dream, little wiener dog! One of our girls had had a dog stay in the canine condo before, and she was glad to see how nice it is.



After a pretty complete tour of the facilities, we all trooped up the spiral staircase, a thrill ride in itself. The girls thought this was pretty nifty. The staff had thoughtfully provided grapes, cookies, and juice boxes for us.

We all sat down in the staff room for a snack and a demonstration from Dr. Lathan on brushing a dog’s teeth. Don’t worry, she didn’t grab a random dog from the hospital, she actually brought her own dog in to work to demonstrate. Dr. Lathan showed us a model of a dog’s heart and lungs and taught us about heartworms, too. Our Brownies and parents all learned a lot about proper pet care. I know I’ll be extra vigilant from now on about being sure my cat gets her heartworm preventative!



Dr. Lathan had a pulse oximeter, although she used kid-friendly words to understand to explain what it was and what it did. Then she put it on a Brownie’s finger to see what it said. Uh-oh – no reading. This Brownie’s a ghost! No, no, wait, the device was just low on batteries. The girl with her finger in the clamp, by the way, wants to be a vet, so Dr. Lathan unknowingly chose very well.

At this point, it was 5:30, time for us to go. We gave a big Brownie THANK YOU to everyone and signed a card for the staff. The hospital staff sent us home with some lovely parting gifts. Wasn’t that generous? Not only did they provide their time, energy, and expertise to educate the girls, but they also provided food and drink and gave us gifts too. I’m just overwhelmed by how kind everyone was.

Our girls definitely finished up their Animals Try-It, and I’d say they learned enough about what a vet and a vet tech do that they’ve finished up their Careers Try-It, too. We also got special “vet tour” patches for the girls to display on the backs of their vests.

All the moms came to me separately and said, “This is fantastic!” And I know the girls had a wonderful time too. I’m deeply indebted to Dr. Lathan, Ms. Currlin, Dr. Hombs who owns the clinic, and all the staff at Atrium Animal Hospital. They really made a difference in the lives of ten little girls.