Running a Sanctuary the right way takes a village and one of the most important aspects of the village are the veterinarians that support what we do. We are profoundly grateful to have so many compassionate professionals working to provide the Sanctuary animals with whatever they need to live long, happy and high-quality lives.

​Dr. Tom Zulandt, owner of Madison Veterinary Hospital is our small animal, general practice veterinarian. A highly experienced and respected surgeon, he not only provides them with biannual routine care such as physical and wellness exams, age-appropriate blood tests, urinalyses and fecals, he’s also our frontline vet when one of them is sick or injured, needs a dental or any other surgery. Our perennial rock, supporter and teacher, Dr. Tom continues to have the most paws-itive impact on the life of every dog and cat in our Sanctuary.

Dr. Alyson Deak, another trusted veterinarian at Madison Veterinary Hospital, performs ultrasounds and provides medical care, as needed, to the small animals in our care. 

We also employ several small animal, board-certified vet specialists to treat dogs and cats with more complex medical needs.

Dr. Neal Sivula, owner of Dancing Paws Animal Wellness Center and past president of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association, helps our animals manage chronic pain and movement difficulties through chiropractic and acupuncture, and works with those whose conditions don’t respond to traditional medical approaches.
​
Dr. Emily Conway, a veterinarian ophthalmologist at VCA Great Lakes tends to our animals’ complicated and hard-to-diagnose eye problems.

​OSU Veterinary Medical Center deals with our animals’ serious orthopedic issues.

​​The horses also receive the same species-appropriate care as the dogs and cats, and we’re fortunate in having such a knowledgeable and caring equine vet to work with them.

The vet team at Equine Specialty Hospital takes care of all of the emergency and difficult cases for the horses and donkeys in our care.

Dr. Jessica Bittner, is tasked with treating our large four hoofed friends.  Her compassion and expertise has been a godsend for the horses.  She has taught us so much about proper equine care and is always ready to answer our questions, provide sage advice, rejoice when things are improving, and provide comfort when it's time to end pain and suffering. 

Jess, of Three Tree Healing Arts is a Reiki master who helps all of our animals find relief from their immediate pain and past traumas.

Doing all we can to make animals comfortable

Ranger, saved from a kill pen and now getting relief from painful ringbone

Daphne, “talking” to Jess during a Reiki Session

​Providing Balance

​Jess has taught us that all animals require balance. And so, following her sage advice, we not only tend to our animals’ physical needs, we tend to their emotional and mental needs as well. We work through their issues in the hopes of reducing the fear and anxiety that underlie their “bad behaviors.” We accomplish this by using many species-specific calming techniques, by providing them with adequate exercise and enrichment, and a high-quality diet augmented by the appropriate supplements. We also provide them with safe and effective parasite control, and use the most recent vaccination protocols to provide them with protection from illness without over vaccinating them.

​Specialized Tools To Help Animals

​A Pulsed Signal Therapy Machine, donated by Dr. Neal Sivula of Dancing Paws Animal Wellness Center, helps alleviate pain from such conditions as arthritis and tendonitis and helps rejuvenate damaged tissue.

​A new, veterinary-grade blood pressure monitor, thanks to a very generous donor, allows the dogs to have their blood pressure monitored regularly in the reassuring environment of the Sanctuary.

​A set of cold laser and infrared light wands help heal surgical incisions, wounds and inflammation and provide relief from pain.

​Approaching the Rainbow Bridge

If you listen closely, the animals will tell you what they need.

A good death is the greatest gift we can give an animal. We approach death the same way we approach life. We do everything to make our animals as comfortable as possible, to give their lives purpose and meaning, and, above all, to surround them with love. When they “tell” us that it’s time for them to cross the Rainbow Bridge, we release them and let them go. All animals deserve to die with dignity, peacefully and painlessly, cradled in the arms of the humans who cared for them. Their ashes are revered, reminding us of their lives, while their spirits remain in our hearts forever. This is the most difficult part of running a Sanctuary for old and special needs animals, but it’s also the most important. Why? As one released soul passes over, another needy soul finds their way to us, thereby perpetuating the cycle of life.