Vergi 24/7

03/23/2025

Stop and stay a while. We are really glad you’re here ❤️‍🩹

03/22/2025

Hi, I’m Magic! My mom brought me to VERGI because she noticed I was vomiting, but not just that…I guess I had performed a little bit of a “magic” trick a few days prior by making a string disappear, so when my mom noticed that my vomit had pieces of string in it, she knew how dangerous this could be and brought me to the ER. The team at VERGI gave me fluids and ordered 2 separate x-rays to compare over time and once again, I did a magic trick and they found no obstruction! My body had not failed me and everything was moving along like it was supposed to. I had even stopped vomiting. I was able to go home on a food trial and was told to come back if I was continuing to vomit or refused to eat food. They thought they should specify food and NOT string. I know I am very lucky because cats and string are not a good mix. The string could not only have caused so much damage to my body, but could have been life threatening.

Abracadabra - the show is over. I will no longer be making string disappear. My career has come to an abrupt end.

Love, Magic 🐾🪄

Oh waittttttt…or maybe not. I think I just duplicated myself. There are definitely two of me in this photo!

03/21/2025

How do you make the Critical Care Team at VERGI 24/7 smile? Send them a “Thank You” card!

That is just what happened yesterday. This bright, happy orange envelope appeared in our mail, addressed to “The VERGI Team.” Yes, we are just that – a TEAM who works together 24 hours a day, 365 days a week giving our all to help the patients who are brought through our doors get better from their illness or injury.

This kind and caring client took the time to find the Thank You card, write us a nice note to express their gratitude and put it into the mail to us.
We want you to know how much that meant to us. It is always nice to receive validation that we made a difference. It is why we do what we do, day in and day out❤️

Happy First Day of Spring 2025! 🌸🪴🌺

03/20/2025

Hi- I’m Vinny!

I love to go out in the backyard and enjoy nature! There are some concerns pet parents have in the spring, and a big one is fire ants! Those mean little things are painful when they bite! A lot of people put ant poison on the mounds but that can be bad if other cats like me, or dogs like my big sister, go through the poison and lick our paws, or just end up eating some. Hey, you never know what happens out in the jungle - we might get hungry but this can make us sick. There are safer options now. My mom uses ant stakes to keep us safer in the yard. They look like the second picture.

There are other insecticides that we can get into, too, so please be careful with what you use. These are some of the ways we can ingest the insecticides: Walking on the grass right after application, eating the grass or weeds after recently applied, getting ahold the insecticide containers, eating dead or dying bugs or rodents.

Dogs do this more than cats because they are not as smart and discerning as cats! Haha. I said what I said.

Bye for now🌱☘️🪴

I will be back for more yard hints soon!

03/19/2025

Charcuterie boards have become very popular these past few years. A serving board covered with a variety of cured meats, cheeses, fruits and nuts, along with just about anything your heart desires, is surely a temptation to a pup like me (and I just bet a human like you, so no comments from the peanut gallery, Larry.)

My name is Butters – am I not a handsome guy?! I can also be a hungry guy, and I really wanted to be part of my family’s charcuterie party so I helped myself and ate as much as I could, as fast as I could. My mom was not especially happy with me because I have had issues with pancreatitis in the past. She was worried that my charcuterie celebration would cause me GI problems since these foods typically have a high fat content (and are also high in sodium, which can lead to other medical emergencies, in addition to further GI symptoms.) So, off to VERGI 24/7 we went.

After checking my vitals, the doctor agreed that the best approach was to induce vomiting. I really did not need all of that rich food going through my digestive tract and causing my digestive system to get upset. You will see from the photo that I had ingested a fair amount of food – I told you I ate as much as I could!! They gave me some medicine to help settle my stomach and sent me home for monitoring. Mom was told to especially watch for signs of loss of appetite, diarrhea and/or vomiting, pain or discomfort, respiratory distress, weakness or collapse. If she noted any of these, she was instructed to seek out immediate medical care.

The team at VERGI 24/7 treated me like I was a member of the family – they were so caring and friendly. I hope I do not have to come back here for another emergency but I would not mind visiting just to say hello to everyone.

Love, Butters 🐾

PS 1) Grapes and even raisins are often found on charcuterie boards. These foods are very toxic so I was lucky we just had meat and cheese, because my taste buds are not terribly discerning and I totally would have eaten those, too.

PS 2) I can already hear my mom going through the house singing, "That's just my crazy dog" when she reads this post. She isn't wrong.

03/18/2025

🩵

03/18/2025

❤️

The truest of words and purest of love💙 Walks with our dogs are magical.

03/18/2025

Meet Caelum - His case hightlights the dangers of the highly toxic sago palm!! Caelum is a 4-month-old male Maltipoo who was transferred to our hospital from his regular veterinarian for overnight monitoring since he had eaten parts of a sago palm plant. Cycad palms, or sago palms, are known to be dangerously toxic to dogs. ALL plant parts of the plant are toxic, with the seeds containing the greatest concentration of the toxic compound. Dogs that consume this plant can die from liver failure! The onset of observable symptoms arising from sago palm toxicity can vary, with symptoms beginning anywhere from within a few hours after ingestion, to a day or so. The most reported symptoms are vomiting and diarrhea (with or without blood) followed by lethargy, depression, liver failure, and death.

Caelum’s primary veterinarian was able to induce vomiting, where Caelum vomited 3 leaf points of the plant. His vet had blood work results ready and liver support medication begun before transferring to us. At VERGI, Caelum received supportive care, including fluid therapy and medications to protect his gastrointestinal tract and liver. Caelum was a good boy for us and was able to go home the next day. He will need to have his bloodwork checked every 24 hours for a few days to make sure there are no changes to his liver values.

03/17/2025

Xylitol is popping up in unexpected places these days, from coffee to cough drops to baby wipes. Check out this infographic that sheds light on some of the xylitol-containing products that may be lurking in your home!

03/17/2025

Pull out your green clothes and shamrocks, St. Patrick’s Day is right around the corner! While typically filled with fun and exciting festivities, St Patrick’s Day can unfortunately pose some unlucky hazards to our furry friends.

03/17/2025

Happy Sunday!

03/16/2025

Have you heard of whisker fatigue? Cat whiskers are highly sensitive, finely tuned sensory tools that our cats depend on to give them cues about their environment. Think of them as a sophisticated radar system!

Now imagine having whiskers that notice space and vibrations and changes in the environment. Just like humans, some cats will get overstimulated while others will not, and those who do will appreciate eating and drinking from bowls that are wide and shallow to keep the whiskers from always touching the bowl. Consider a raised feeding station as well. This can help with digestion, and also with muscular and skeletal pain.

And never, ever cut your cat’s whiskers!

03/15/2025

This awareness video needs to always be shared. Please help us share what a cat experiences when a mere drop of dog flea preventative makes contact with their skin.

03/15/2025

Meet Goldie! Goldie is a 5-year-old female domestic shorthair kitty who was brought in by her worried mom because she was vocalizing and not only having abnormal potty habits (peeing outside the litter box), but urinating blood. After diagnostic testing, Goldie was diagnosed with a significant Urinary Tract Infection (UTI). UTIs are common in cats and occur when bacteria enter the urinary tract and multiply in the bladder, causing inflammation and infection. This is more common in female cats, but can be seen in both male and female cats.

It is important to keep an eye on your cat’s potty habits because changes in these habits may be alerting you to an infection: changes in urine (frequency, urine appearance), abnormal urinating and potty habits (urinating outside the litter box).

*Note – cats may drink more water as they feel the need to clean their system, and they may also lick their ge***al area excessively.

Goldie received antibiotics and anti-inflammatories, though some cats with UTI may receive fluids as well.

UTIs can sometimes be prevented by increasing your cat’s water intake (cats often don’t drink enough water in general- water fountains tend to encourage water consumption), keeping a clean and sanitized potty station and at times, changing to a prescription urinary food.

Your cat will be very painful and uncomfortable if they have a UTI so it is important you take them to a veterinarian immediately. We wish Goldie speedy healing and a happy life!

03/14/2025

Today, we are thankful for people who bring magic into the lives of their pets, and anyone lucky enough to be a part of that! Spotted this in the Heights ❤️

Houston Heights

03/14/2025

03/13/2025

Some people see stray dogs and think to themselves “it’s just a dog.”

Dogs are domesticated animals. Many of them cannot survive on their own. Many of our Texas strays were once someone’s pet but they became unwanted for whatever reason. Unwanted pets are familiar with humans, and think they can trust humans or rely on a human to help them. But they find themselves being ignored, and are left to continue fending for themselves. Sometimes they come across humans that inflict pain, as if these dogs don’t suffer enough.

It’s sad, really.

But these dogs grow to be so strong. They have to find their own meals as well as their own shelter and safe place. They have to endure life as companions without companionship. They may come across other dogs or animals that attack them. They have to learn how to avoid traffic. They have to exist in a world that they’re unwanted in. All of that takes true strength.

Yesterday was this sweet girls day to stop being strong. It was her lucky day, and she came into our care and is finally resting. We can’t wait to learn all about her!

Welcome, Fiona 🩷

Donate to Fiona’s care:
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this-is-houston.org/ways-to-help/donate/
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**All donations are tax deductible**

03/13/2025