Taking a break from winter and veterinary medicine to enjoy some family time. I haven’t shared much lately about my family. As all grandparents know, hanging out with grandchildren is the best part of growing older. I remember people saying how amazing it was to have grandchildren and so much better than raising their own kids. I questioned if they loved their kids? I loved raising our 4 kids and would do it all over again if given the chance. Then about 5 years ago, I experienced being a Nene for the first time. As that little girl grew up and started to say Nene, I melted. I understood what others had told me for years. My husband and I are all in on being available whenever called upon to watch our 2 granddaughters July and Vienna. We had a trip to Arizona in November to enjoy time together as a family. It was wonderful to be all together since that rarely happens anymore.
The one thing I heard was my granddaughters missed the ocean. So that is where we are now. Already had this trip to the Florida gulf planned for my husband and I, why not bring the granddaughters. I know from experience how quickly the years fly by. Why not take this opportunity before July starts school to enjoy the ocean and all its wonder.
Our quiet vacation has now turned into 5 adults and 2 children for a week on the gulf shores. I sure hope they will have a warmer February like we have been experiencing here in Iowa. The girls will want to be on the beach and wind, rain, and cooler temperatures can hinder that. Whatever the weather we will be making memories to last a lifetime. I may need a vacation after our Florida vacation to rest up and recuperate.
I will return next month with more veterinary information but for now I just want to enjoy the warm weather and time with family. Our days are getting longer, and we move the clocks ahead on March 8th. All great signs of turning the corner towards spring. Watch for the trees to start budding and spring flowers popping out of the earth. Take time to appreciate the warmth of the sun. Look for the baby calves and lambs in the pastures as you drive by. Spring can be a time of new beginnings not only for plants and animals but for people too. Find those little things that you can be grateful for and realize how blessed we are to experience the changes of the seasons in such dramatic and beautiful ways.
Why do we encourage neuter and spay procedure? Why not let our furry friends stay intact? There are so many schools of thought on performing these procedures. Overthe years I have heard many logical and many illogical reasons for people not to spay or neuter their pets. Since I graduated in 1988 the theories have changed numerous times. I feel that our pets are more bonded with the family If they are spayed and neutered. We have fewer marking issues associated with the circulating hormones that trigger behavior problems that many pet owners are annoyed by. For instance, when female dogs come into season during certain times of the year, the intact males sense those pheromones and wander off in search of those females. This creates challenges for owners to keep their male dog’s home. It also puts dogs in harm’s way because they are focused on the instincts of breeding and not looking both ways before crossing a busy road. During the breeding season there are several intact dogs that go missing because they are acting on their instincts.
Intact dogs have a strong desire to protect the environment around them. This can lead to behavior concerns that stem from circulating hormones. Some dogs will become aggressive and difficult to manage in their homes. Intact dogs require more exercise to help deal with excess hormonal influences. Many hunters like to keep their dogs intact because they feel it gives them more drive when hunting. Many men have difficulty neutering their male dogs because of humanizing their dogs. When having conversations with women in the home about neutering or spaying, it often seems to be the man’s decision not to do the procedures. The women are frustrated but feel they cannot contradict their partner. It is important to have discussions about spay and neuter procedures before you even get your dog so you can work through these challenges before the dog comes into your home.
Meet our case of the month. This is Moose. He is a 10-year-old Labrador Retriever who presented for his annual exam. During the exam the testicle size was noted to be different. The owner was unaware of the changes. The left testicle was enlarged causing the right testicle to atrophy (get smaller).
We shared our findings with our client, and they elected to have a neuter done to remove the tumor as soon as possible. Once the tumor is removed it can no longer create issues for the dog. Both testicles were removed at the time of the surgery. The owner declined to send the testicle off for pathology due to extra cost. In the photo you see the size of the noncancerous testicle being much smaller than the one that had the tumor in it.
If you have an older intact male dog, please be aware that tumors can develop in the testicles. Make a habit of noting the size of the testicles so if they change you can have surgery done as soon as possible. Your veterinarian only gets to see your dog once a year and tumors can get quite large in that time. If you know you are not going to breed your male dog, then have them neutered. This will allow them to more easily bond with the family. They will no longer be so worldly and distracted by all scents and sights. If you are frustrated that they mark certain times during the year it is probably related to when the females come into season and they are triggered by those airborne pheromones circulating. If they seem less interested in food or will not eat at certain times during the year, that can be related to their hormones and frustration that they cannot act on their breeding instincts.
Most people are not prepared to deal with the behaviors associated with intact male and female dogs. We have done such a good job of encouraging spay/neuter procedures to avoid these unwanted health issues and behaviors. I feel our profession is doing a disservice by encouraging pet owners to postpone or avoid doing them all together. We are headed for many more health issues and behavioral problems if we continue to promote these trends. People in general are looking to do all natural diets, treatments, training, etc. That can have some concerning trends when it comes to the nature of animals and their instincts. I am seeing more aggressive dogs whose owners have no ability to control them in unfamiliar situations. Often, they are shocked by the behaviors they see. We have more dog bites of humans and other dogs because dogs have become more entitled and have not been trained to respect humans. There is not one correct solution for some of these issues but starting with early spay/neuter procedures before negative behaviors begin should be considered. Also new puppy owners need to invest in training their puppies from the very beginning. The cost of puppies has increased significantly in the last few years. People pay so much money for the dog they do not have money left for training and veterinary care. This does not start them off on a good track record. In a perfect world all puppies should come with puppy classes that are prepaid and if owners do not attend the classes the puppy would be returned to the breeder. It is important and should have as high a standard as a spay/neuter contract.
Moose recovered extremely well from his neuter procedure and is back to being his happy go lucky self. He has not missed those hormones and certainly is less distracted by pheromones now that he is neutered. He will now enjoy his senior years!
Why not help our society reduce unwanted behaviors and litters by doing your part? Spay and neuter your pets. You will not be disappointed.
We are coming to the end of 2025 and wanted to take this time to thank you for choosing us. We know you have many options to receive veterinary care at other locations. Many of you travel past several practices to make your way here. We do not take that for granted. Our clients have certainly become friends over the years, and we look forward to seeing each of you in the years to come. I wanted to share some of the google reviews that we have had in the past year. I feel they speak louder than anything about Winterset Veterinary Center and the staff.
This vet clinic and all the staff is amazing. We are new to farming and have had two experiences we couldn’t handle on our own, we got the assistance we needed immediately at a beyond reasonable price. I honestly didn’t believe this type of “small town” feel places still existed.
10/10 the best Vet Center! I make the drive from Ankeny because the care they provide for my dog is exceptional!
Dr. Jim and Dr. Lonna are the best!!! Dr. Lonna took a great deal of time to discuss our puppies issues we are having and showed us handling techniques to help. She answered all our questions and concerns and never makes us feel like she’s in a hurry. Our pup’s welfare is her greatest concern. The entire staff is wonderful!
So very pleased with all of the staff!! It was our first visit and could not be happier! So friendly and welcoming and appreciated Dr Jim talking WITH us as opposed to just talking down to us! So happy we switched vets! Thank you! Update 4/11/25: These guys are still just as awesome as they were a year ago! The staff are amazing! The front desk gals make scheduling pain free and get you checked in and out in no time. Drs. truly care about your fur babies and take the time to explain what’s going on with your pet. It’s worth the drive and I’m glad we found them!
The vet clinic staff is amazing, especially the ladies up front!! I thought I had made an appointment for Wednesday morning, but I didn’t and still showed up. They were able to get our 3 dogs in right away! Dr. Jim did an amazing job with all 3 dogs, clipping nails and giving vaccines. Everyone in the clinic is always so sweet and welcoming. They don’t try to upsell you on services or products which is refreshing. We will be back soon! 🙂
These comments are appreciated. Our google rating is 4.8. We do not solicit these responses and have had only 14 people rate us at 4 and 7 people rate us at 1 out of the 212 reviews. The rest have been 5 stars. THANK YOU TO OUR CLIENTS NEW AND OLD FOR THESE REVIEWS.
We use an online resource called Allydvm to send reminders about appointments. They also send out random follow up requests for reviews on a 1 – 10 scale. We have been using their system since the fall of 2017. Before the text and email reminders we sent out reminder cards. Anyone remember them? I think they got lost before they even got to your mailbox. Anyway, in the last 8 years we have had 1705 (9,10) ratings, 28 (7,8) ratings, and 14 <6 ratings. That gives us an average of 9.87. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THAT FEEDBACK. We strive to listen to our clients needs and respond to their concerns as best we can. If you feel we have failed, we want to know. We would like to have a conversation with you to determine where our lines of communication broke down. We are all humans. Misunderstandings will happen and we want an opportunity to make things right. It is so easy to send out a post or a rant criticizing people or businesses these days. What does that accomplish? Certainly, your issue is not resolved. Contacting that person or business and showing kindness and respect will get you much farther. Maybe even get the resolution that you were hoping for. Let’s work hard in 2026 to find a way to show kindness to people and businesses.
We are thankful for each of you sharing your positive experiences at Winterset Veterinary Center so friends and family will come with their critters. Social media presence has changed how people find the businesses they frequent. Yet Dr. Jim Potttebaum and I are old school and still feel a personal referral is the best complement we can receive. Our staff do an excellent job of welcoming new and seasoned clients alike. Dr. Jim and I would be lost without our staff. We hope you let them know that you come to Winterset Veterinary Center because they are awesome too.
Cheetoe is approaching 6 years of age. He is a constant presence at Winterset Veterinary Center. Several clients do look forward to seeing him when they come to our practice. His Facebook page is Hemmingway Winterset (named after our first polydactyl cat). Feel free to like his page or that of Winterset Veterinary Center. We post dogs found within the city of Winterset on our site and my monthly blogs. Sometimes we post photos or videos of Cheetoe being the cute cuddly guy he is. Our website wintersetvet.com has been a good source of information for prospective clients. We attempt to keep it updated and pertinent for all clients that are looking for information. If ever you have suggestions on our social media sites, please feel free to discuss those with us. Dr. Jim and I never learned these skill sets in college so we do the best we can. We are excited to be offering grooming once again at Winterset Veterinary Center. Ashley has posted some of her grooms on our website and Facebook page but feel free to call and set up an appointment with her in the New Year. Many have indicated they wished we had grooming again. We listened. Now you can drop your dog or cat off for grooming and update vaccinations or preventions at the same time. Convenience is something we all get excited about.
As we wind down our 2025, we just want our clients to know how much we appreciate them. Whether you have been here since the very beginning in 1984 or have joined us in the last month, you are all important. We thank you for choosing us and look forward to seeing you in the new year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
