1st annual survey results

The results of our 1st-ever practice survey are in...

We made it through May and are skipping right on through June. We have completed our 1st annual survey of our clients and what we found is astonishing. While most clients agree that we are doing a great job, there are several who are excited about our clean lobby and and even more people were very excited about the coffee that we serve. We have a large open- air lobby in our hospital and we have found that clients feel very comfortable and relaxed when they come into the office. Often because the Hospital doesn’t smell like an animal hospital, animals feel like they are going to visit a friend’s house instead of going to the vet. We try and encourage clients to bring their pets in several times a year just to get a cookie so that every time they come in, it is not just for a physical exam. We had clients excited about the soda machine and a few were tickled that we have “engaging” magazines to read while they wait.

Almost every client that took the survey liked the constant education that we give to our clients. They like hearing about new products and what makes us different from other area hospitals. We have several clients that are “ proud” to bring their furry family members to a hospital that is accredited by AHAA. This organization is the only accrediting agency for veterinary hospitals in North American and, with only 15% of all veterinary hospitals being accredited, we are certainly glad to be one of them. We are the only AHAA accredited hospital on the BIg Island. We had countless clients who came to us as referrals from their regular veterinarians for surgeries or procedures that are not available anywhere else on the Big Island. Dr. Head is happy to help all pets, regular visitors or not, get back on the road to being happy and healthy. It is nice when other doctors refer your hospital for additional care. When your peers send their patients to you,that is a very telling marker in terms of quality of care.

Several of our surveys revealed that we have the nicest staff on the island. According to our clients, they like that our staff smiles at them and is always kind and gentle with their loved ones. That our staff remembers them by name when they come in and always calls them back after a visit. Every client gets a call back the next day by one of our staff to check in on their pets and make sure any questions regarding their visit are answered. We also call all of our clients the day before their pets’ appointments and, for a select few who, by request, need a call the day of, we make sure to remind them of their pet’s appointment in the morning, bright and early.

We’ve had numerous clients express their excitement about the yard around the Hospital and they keep telling us to keep it up that it looks great. All of our clients love PIKE’S Market. We have a small area where we put out fruit and veggies to share with clients. Clients can often pick up a star fruit or oranges and avocados when the season is right. We usually have bananas and we have clients who will take the raw ingredients and bring us back delicious treats. We also have clients who drop off extra fruit and veggies they have and we let our staff choose a few items and then we put out the rest for our clients.

Apparently, having fresh water available for the four-legged set is a big deal and we agree. Numerous clients remarked that they were so glad that the water was available for their pets. We have a set of dog bowls set out and filled several times daily for those pets in need of a drink. We also have water in the lobby for clients instead of coffee or soda if they would like. One of the features our clients really like is the bulletin board filled with all the latest news. From news of what is happening in the Hospital to photos of lost pets and pets in need of a good home, our bulletin board is featured prominently as you come in, and it is a hit. We asked clients how they heard about us and while the newspaper and the radio came in close for 2nd and 3rd, the number one way clients heard about us is from other clients. This put a smile on my face and a spring in my step. Thank you to everyone for the great referrals!

We also had clients tell us ways we could improve. While I am not sure the espresso machine and a barista in the lobby idea is going to happen, we had a lot of very positive ideas on ways to improve. Our favorite and something we have already implemented is doing dentals and small soft tissue surgeries on Saturdays instead of just Monday - Friday. We have a lot of clients who work all week and can’t get in for these things any other time. This has increased compliance and we have clients already singing their praise about this new improvement to our services. We also offer a drop-off appointment for our established clients. Instead of a scheduled office visit where the client stays and waits for the doctor to look at their pet, clients can schedule a drop-off appointment and pick their pet up at the end of the day. For those clients with little time, this allows them to take great care of their pet and still get their annual or other wellness visits done. We also had clients who would like to see us hire an additional veterinarian. At first I was not sure what to make of this so I called a client up who left her name on her survey and asked. She said, “well, you both work so much and with three children to raise, it would be nice if you had a day off.” Well, this gave me a warm-fuzzy and I was delighted to tell her, after a year-long search, I think we are very close.

Overall I think our first survey went very well. We learned how we can improve and we learned that we are doing a lot of things exceptionally well. My favorite client response out of the hundreds of surveys was one that said, “please don’t change a thing. I love coming in and can not imagine ever taking my pet somewhere else.” This client’s only suggestion to us was take day off and enjoy Hawaii. After four years and countless sleepless nights, that is a suggestion I think we will look forward to making happen.

One hot dog!

                                    

My mom thinks she is so funny. DO I tell her she isn’t? Yesterday she came up front all excited about my latest fashion accessory, I know I am not sure why I need more then my collar but I guess I do. Anyway, she came up front and excitedly announced that I am officially a hot dog! I don’t know why I needed a scarf to punctuate this fact but whatever. Mom then produced this scarf that looks like it was designed by Jesse James and the crew of West Coast Choppers or Ed Hardy. It is black with flames all over it, hence the hot dog remark. Then as if one hot dog was not bad enough she produced a second scarf for Rome. Now she has 2 hot dogs. Well this whole phenomenon of the need to dress up your pet made me wonder how do other pet parents dress their four legged members of their family. Turns out this industry generates million of dollars annually, all so that people can dress there pets up as bumble bees and pirates on Halloween and as Gucci wearing, studded leather jacket wearing canines and felines the rest of time. I was online last night and I found everything from cowboy boots to swim wear for pets. I don’t know if I should feel offended by my new hot dog scarf or slighted that I didn’t get an astronaut suit complete with a full re-breathing set up in case I need a day off from the VOG.

Honestly, I really had no idea that there was so much I was missing out on. I was not excited when I got my new fancy behave collar but at least it doesn’t jingle like the 3 piece band that hangs around my neck on a regular basis. I also didn’t know that there are stores filled with every imaginable shaped animal made just to chew on. They also have hundreds of different types of treats. Sometimes it is better to be in the dark, I am allergic to beef and all sorts of other things so I get stuck with the HYPO-Allergenic adventure brought to me by Hill’s Science Diet. The other day my brother went to the giant pet super store and he said if he dies he wants it to be in the ball isle. There is a ball isle really? He said not only that but there are whole bins filled with treats and they have all sorts of different reality programs playing. They have the turtle channel, the bird channel, and two separate fish channels; fresh water and salt water for those interested in the more exotic things in life. They also have a furry critter channel, and you can watch rats sleep and guinea pigs eat. He also said they have a whole isle filled with pet clothing. He then said not to worry he didn’t see anything in my size, unless I decide to become a miniature poodle or some other small dog, I am safe. That is assuming my mom doesn’t decide to become the next Ralph Lauren and design island wear for the long legged canine set...

I wonder what I would look like in a nice crisp pair of linen pants and an a Aloha shirt and a little fedora, laying on the beach in a hammock, like you see in the Tommy Bahama catalogs..... just me wind blowing through my hair sipping a nice tall drink of water with a splash of carrot... Wait a minute, what am I saying. I am a dog, not a model for Gucci, geez Pike back to reality.

It is interesting though to think about of well dressed pets, waiting each day for their mom and dads to dress them out in the posh pet finery. I don’t want to say I feel neglected by not getting fawned over in the morning while getting dressed for the day. There is something to be said for just making sure I don’t wet my fur (sometime I fail at that). Maybe my mom does know best and realizes that despite my abilities sometime less is more and in my case that is probably true. I am glad that my “hot dog” scarf is all I have to contend with, I have so many other things to think about each day, choosing what to wear would most likely be to much for me. I have wondered when I see all of our clients dressed in normal clothes, why my parents never dress like everyone else. Everyday they put on the same thing the only choice they have is what color is clean and out the door they go. There is a simplicity to this type of lifestyle that is nice and when you consider the cost of regular clothes vs. scrubs maybe my parents are on to something. My mom has on red scrubs today and while red can be an alarming color, she wears it well. Maybe I could loan her my flaming scarf as an accessory then she could be one cool cat. RUFF!

Blast OFF!!!

T–minus 10 seconds and counting. 10, 9, 8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 blast off!!!!!

Every day he blasts out of his kennel rolling and yawing out into the yard, where he manages  to complete his morning maneuvers with the grace of a ballerina strapped to the back of a London bendy bus going 60 miles and hour in four lanes of traffic. He comes back in doing his best to defy gravity despite gravity beating him at his own game, Rome is never one to quit trying. He races back into the house to the open front window where he barks out to the other neighbor dogs that he is the master of this domain and the ruler of his destiny. He stops briefly to survey the days bounty at the bottom of his bowl filled with kibble and gets distracted by the bright yellow ball he spies under the sofa. Forgetting his bounty he wedges him self under the couch to the retrieve the ball. Success! He returns to the bounty only to find that the bowl fill with his morning meal has been moved to higher ground so that his faithful companion Pike doesn't eat it.

Then he is distracted again by his dad. His dad has his work shoes in hand which means Rome is going to leave soon. He bounds around the house in excitement and jettisons himself towards the door and out into the rocket ship(car) with dad behind the wheel. This is the moment he has been waiting for all morning as he stand ready by the window just waiting for dad to roll it down. Rome thrusts his head out the window head long into the wind, ears flapping and nose poised to receive the crisp morning Intel. He smells his dog friends from the neighbor hood and the rain from far off places. He tastes the pollen and an occasional bug as his lips flap in the breeze. Rome knows he has to take it all in quickly and as dad approaches the highway the window will go up and he will be left with all of the delights of his morning  swirling in his head.

 

When he arrives at work he greets his staff with a happy bounce, he will trot through the treatment area and out into his yard where he can gobble up a morning snack of cockroaches. He will come in and settle into his kennel and sleep for a few hours, dreaming of the places his nose has just taken him. Is he dreaming of far off lands and friends he knows, is he playing in the ocean and running on the beach? When he wakes up mid- morning he will stretch and bark for his dad to come and play with him. Dad will oblige sitting on the floor tossing the ball and the rope back and forth through the treatment area. Rome will go outside for a little time in the sun where he will lay on the hill and rest his weary eyes. When he comes back in he knows he is free to roam around the hospital for the the next couple hours while his dad and the staff perform surgery and procedures. He wanders around checking on their progress wishing just once he would be allowed into surgery( it is strictly prohibited) and making sure they are not missing anything. He peeks in on all the patients sleeping or resting in their cages, knowing to avoid certain ones and welcoming the chance to see other. He waits for his afternoon treat and then settles back in for a nap before his next car adventure home.  

Rome waits while his dad prepares to leave the office for the day. He knows as soon as dad picks up his satchel that the day has come to an end and his journey home is only moments away. He bounds back out to the car and climbs in, turning quickly to rest his head on the window seal. Dad starts the car and Rome starts his senses, capturing the event that have transpired during the day. He points his head out into the air, hot and warm from the day. He taste the traffic and the bustle of the Kona as it lingers in the heavy thick air. His dad rolls up the window and he settles into the evening drunk on the last smells of the long day and excited about seeing the smallest members of his family. He checks in with Pike when he gets home making sure the household was safe and barking out from the front window to let everyone know the big dog is back in the house. He settles in for his dinner and lays by his dad keeping a watchful eye in case he is needed. 

As night draws the day to a close Rome picks himself up off his bed and goes down stairs to his kennel. He climbs inside and rest his weary head. Soon dad will come down and close the door protecting the shoes in the house from his "sleep chewing episodes". He drifts off and dreams again about the what the morning light will bring when he blasts off again into the great beyond.