Joyous Kwanzaa!

Habari Gani?

A very joyous first night of Kwanzaa from our 

family here at Endoscopy Support Services to yours!

Merry Christmas!

A very Merry Christmas from our family here at

Endoscopy Support Services to yours!

Happy Hanukkah

Hanukkah Sameach!

Happy first night of Hanukkah from our family at

Endoscopy Support Services to yours!

Reminder!

We will be closed Monday 12/26/2016.

We will re-open Tuesday 12/27/16.

A Festivus for the Rest of Us!

Happy Festivus!

Enjoy your holiday dinner of meatloaf followed by the Airing of the Grievances and Feats of Strength around your aluminum pole.

Please consider making a donation to The Human Fund.

Santa’s Reindeer Cleared for Fight After Annual Veterinary Exam, AVMA Says

By Jessica Pineda

Veterinary Practice News

"In a statement, Santa thanked the AVMA and said, "Without my reindeer, there simply would be no Christmas."

Tom Meyer, DVM, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and official veterinarian of the North Pole, checks in on one of Santa's reindeer in their annual exam prior to Christmas Eve.

Traveling the world in record time means Santa's reindeer don't get a lot of time to sight see, but it can expose them to various viruses and bacteria. That's why, before takeoff, Tom Meyer, DVM, president of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and official veterinarian of the North Pole, came in to check on each reindeer to ensure they were up-to-date on their vaccinations, were disease-free and healthy enough for the annual journey.

The results, as always, were spectacular. "After a thorough examination, I can tell you that Santa's reindeer are perfectly healthy, in great shape and ready for their upcoming flight," Dr. Meyer said.

You can watch his inspection below:

Meyer always performs a health check on the reindeer about a month prior to Christmas Eve. Not only do they want to ensure they aren't susceptible to disease, the veterinary team wants to make sure the reindeer don't pass on diseases either, such as brucellosis, tuberculosis or chronic wasting disease.

"Santa's reindeer need to be in tip-top shape to complete their Christmas Eve flight on time, so it's vital that they receive a pre-trip veterinary exam to make sure they are free of any injuries that might slow them down," Meyer said. "Because the reindeer will be visiting all corners of the globe, we need to make sure they are up-to-date on their vaccinations and free of disease so they don't pick up or spread any infections to other animals around the world."

Meyer also had to ensure Santa's "North Pole Certificate of Animal Export," which allows him to freely cross borders and ensure health officials that his reindeer are no threat to animal or public health, was up-to-date.

Santa, in a statement, thanked Meyer and the AVMA for their work. "Without my reindeer, there simply would be no Christmas. Proper veterinary care ensures that, year in and year out, my team and I are able to deliver presents to boys and girls around the world. It's safe to say that Dr. Meyer is on the 'Nice List' this year."

This won't be Meyer's only trip to the North Pole. On Christmas Eve, he'll give the reindeer another pre-flight checkup, and then check on them when they return Christmas morning.

The AVMA, in a press release, said that Meyer's work is consistent with roles veterinarians play every day to "ensure the health of animals, people and the environment around the globe."

Veterinarians can help other Christmas pets too, the AVMA reports. "While only one veterinarian can be official veterinarian of the North Pole, every veterinarian can help the cause by volunteering to be part of Santa's emergency veterinary staff on Christmas Eve. AVMA members can download a badge to let their clients know they are part of Santa's Emergency Landing and Veterinary Expert System (E.L.V.E.S.) support team. Veterinarians are invited to help spread holiday cheer by displaying their official E.L.V.E.S. badge on their clinics' social media channels and educating clients on the various ways that veterinarians help keep all animals healthy - even reindeer."

To find out more about the E.L.V.E.S. badge and download it, members are encouraged to go to the AVMA website."

You can find Dr. Meyer's Official Certificate of Inspection for the reindeer here.

Click here for the original article.

Poinsettia Day!

It's Poinsettia Day!

"The plant's association with Christmas began in 16th-century Mexico, where legend tells of a girl, commonly called Pepita or Maria, who was too poor to provide a gift for the celebration of Jesus' birthday and was inspired by an angel to gather weeds from the roadside and place them in front of the church altar. Crimson blossoms sprouted from the weeds and became beautiful poinsettas. From the 17th century, Franciscan friars in Mexico included the plants in their Christmas celebrations. The star-shaped leaf pattern is said to symbolize the Star of Bethlehem, and the red color represents the blood sacrifice through the crucifixion of Jesus."

-Wikipedia

While these well-recognized symbols of Christmas are beautiful, don't forget to keep them away from your pets this holiday season, as they can be toxic if ingested!

CVC!

Are you at CVC San Diego?

Make sure to stop by Booth 214

 and speak to Jim about all your endoscopy needs!

Can't make it to the show?

Check out our online store or contact us!

AAEP!

Are you at AAEP 2016?

Make sure to stop by

 Booth 905 

for all your endoscopy needs!

Can't make it to the show?

No worries!

 Stop by our online store or

 contact us for more information!

Throwback Thursday!

Throwback to past AAEP conferences!

Are you going to AAEP 2016? 

Make sure to stop by Booth 905 

to see everything we have to offer!

 2010

 2010

 2010

 2012

2013 

2014 

Tim and Jim at our "Selfie Wall"

 2014

Rich and Jim at our "Selfie Wall"

 2014

Can't make it to the show?

Contact us or check out our online store 

to see all we have to offer!

Thanksgiving!

A Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving

 from our family at ESS to yours!

We will be closed
Thursday and Friday,

 November 24th and 25th 
in observance of the holiday. 

We will re-open Monday, November 28th.

"The first Thanksgiving was celebrated between the Pilgrims and the Indians in 1621. The first feast was a three day affair. Life for the early settlers was difficult. The fall harvest was time for celebration. It was also a time of prayer, thanking God for a good crop. The Pilgrims and the Indians created a huge feast including a wide variety of animals and fowl, as well as fruits and vegetables from the fall harvest. This early celebration was the start of today's holiday celebration. Like then, we celebrate with a huge feast.

Today, most of us enjoy Turkey with "all the trimmings". The "trimming" include a wide variety of foods that are a tradition of your family. Those traditional foods often replicate the foods at the first Thanksgiving feast. While others, are traditional ethnic or religious group recipes, or a special food item that your family always serves at Thanksgiving dinner. Then, to top it off, pumpkin pies, apple pies, and even mince meat pies are bountiful around the table.

Did you know? Potatoes were not part of the first Thanksgiving. Irish immigrants had not yet brought them to North America.

After the first Thanksgiving, the observance was sporadic and almost forgotten until the early 1800's. It was usually celebrated in late September or October. In 1941, Congress made it a national holiday and set the date as the fourth Thursday in November."

-Holiday Insights

Sesame Street: Welcome to Vet School!

The Great American Smokeout

It's time for the

Great American Smokeout!

"Every year, on the third Thursday of November, smokers across the nation take part in the American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout event. Encourage someone you know to use the date to make a plan to quit, or plan in advance and then quit smoking that day. By quitting - even for 1 day - smokers will be taking an important step towards a healthier life and reducing their cancer risk.

About 40 million Americans still smoke cigarettes, and tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the world. While cigarette smoking rates have dropped (from 24% in 1965 to 17% in 2014), cigar, pipe, and hookah - other dangerous and addictive ways to smoke tobacco - are very much on the rise. Smoking kills people - there's no "safe" way to smoke tobacco.

Quitting smoking has immediate and long-term benefits at any age. Quitting is hard, but you can increase your chances of success with help. Getting help through counseling or medications can double or triple the chances of quitting successfully."

To learn more about the 

Great American Smokeout

 and get tools and resources, 

check out the

 American Cancer Society's website!

The Importance of Having a Clean Scope

Are your scopes being cleaned properly?

Roughly 300 patients have been sickened by life-threatening infections linked to contaminated medical endoscopes.

According to a memo released by U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu, more than 41 hospitals worldwide (mostly in the U.S.) reported bacterial infections linked to the scopes, affecting 300 to 350 patients between 2010 and 2015.

Endoscopy Support Services can help you make sure your equipment is correctly cleaned and disinfected!

We have brushes, leak testers, solutions, and gas sterilizers available to make cleaning and disinfecting easy and done the right way.

You can also learn more about our Leak Testers and the Importance of Leak Testing Your Scope.

Want to know even more?

Visit our online store or contact us today!

Veteran's Day

"Veteran's Day honors all members of the Armed Forces who served this country valiantly, and in a very big way. They served and fought to protect us, to keep our country safe, and to preserve our way of life. Veterans gave their time, and risked their lives for you and me. In some cases, they made the ultimate sacrifice.

This holiday originally was called Armistice Day and was first celebrated in 1921. In 1954, President Eisenhower changed it to Veteran's Day, in honor of those who served and died from all wars. 

On November 11 at 11:11, 1921, U.S, France, and England each buried an unknown soldier in honor of those who died in World War I. This began the annual Armistice Day holiday. The time and day was picked because fighting ceased in WWI in 1918 on November 11 at 11:11. In keeping with this tradition, work stops on this day and time each year for a moment of silence."

-Holiday Insights

Reminder!

Don't autoclave non-autoclavable trays and other products or this can happen!

Thankfully the expensive Laparoscope wasn't damaged.

U.S Election Day

It's the Presidential Election Day!

Whether you're a Republican, Democrat, or third party supporter
exercise your right to vote!

"Our founding fathers had the wisdom to create a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. It is every American's right and privilege, to vote for our government officials. So, we hope you exercise your right on this day, to vote for the candidate of your choice. 
While apathy and discontent can creep into even the best of societies, we believe that makes it even more important for us TO VOTE.
Please exercise your inalienable right and go out and vote!"
-Holiday Insights

Daylight Savings!

It's Daylight Savings this weekend!

Don't forget to turn back your clocks 1 hour!

(Don't) Give a dog a bone...

Do you or someone you know still insist on giving dogs real bones to chew on?

Fragments of bones can very easily break off and be swallowed by the dog. Broken bone fragments can end up causing damage to the esophagus and stomach. If the fragments are sharp enough, they can pierce the stomach or intestines, causing infection or in serious cases, even death.

Take a look at these photos and decide if it's what you want your dogs esophagus and stomach to look like!

Bone stuck in esophagus

Damage to esophagus from bone after removal.

Ouch - sore, red stomach from bones

Big bone being removed. Yup, they will eat them whole sometimes and yes, we can usually get the out with endoscopy

Another big bone being removed

See the sharp edges the bones can have!

Erosion from bones

Sharp shards can penetrate stomach or intestines and cause infection and even death.

Sharp edges and ulcers

Big bone stuck in esophagus

Lesions after removal of esophageal bone

Look how sharp the pointed end is - like a razor blade. Scary!

Nearly full thickness ulcer from bone in previous photo. Lucky for this dog, his owner and veterinarian were progressive in getting him scoped before this perforated.

Any kind of bone can cause damage - raw, cooked, beef, pork, etc.
 Dr. Amy Allen from Animal Internal Medicine has suggested that instead of bones, you can give your dog Kongs (bone and original) or Nylabones. She says no antlers - while they don't cause foreign body issues very often, they can break teeth. No raw hides either, unless the dogs are supervised and the pieces that break off or become too small can be removed. 

There's no bones about it, bones cause damage wherever they go! Thankfully, most fragments are able to be removed via endoscopy. You can learn about our retrievers at our webstore. 

All pictures and captions were graciously shared with us from the 
Animal Internal Medicine Facebook. 
Animal Internal Medicine is a mobile veterinary endoscopy unit for the San Francisco Bay area.

If you're a vet, share this with your clients to help save a dog's life!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween!

AVMA Vet Clinic Live!

Our very own Jim Mosley demonstrating one of our Smartphone Endoscope Adapters at AVMA's Vet Clinic Live!

To learn more about our Smartphone Adapters, visit us online at Endoscopy.com or give us a call at (845) 277-1700!

Columbus Day

We will be closed

Monday 10/10/16

in observance of Columbus Day.

We will re-open Tuesday 10/11/16 at 9 am.

"For decades and decades, American history books and school teaching, told us Christopher Columbus discovered America. What those books and teaching did not give credit to was the fact that Native Americans were already here. Native Americans truly discovered America. It also gave little mention to the fact that Nordic explorers had traveled down the eastern cost of Canada thousands of years earlier.

Today, we celebrate Columbus Day for what it accurately is. Columbus did discover the existence of the New World for Europeans who until then, believed the world was flat and ended somewhere in the Atlantic. And, the focus is more upon the discovery of the "New World", and less upon Columbus himself.

Did You Know? 

-Columbus Day is sometimes referred to as "Discoverer's Day".

-Columbus discovered America in 1492. He originally set sail on August 3, 1492, but had trouble with the ships, stopping at the Canary Islands for a month. The ships left the Canary Islands on September 3, 1492.

-He traveled with three ships: The Nina, The Pinta, and The Santa Maria.

-While Columbus was Italian, he could not find funding in Italy, so he turned to the King of Spain. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella provided the funding.

-Christoper Columbus did not land on the U.S. mainland. He landed on an island in the Caribbean. While many believe he landed on San Salvador, there is still debate on which island he originally landed on."

National Golf Day!

It's National Golf Day!

Our resident golfers, 

Anthony and Rich,

 will be celebrating today!