Small Things Make Big Difference at Little Animal Hospital

When you've been a veterinarian for 35 years, you learn something about the way animals think, according to Charlotte Little, founder of the in Port Washington.

Over the 25 years Little has spent working at the hospital she founded in Port in 1986, she has thought through every detail of the experience animals have in the office, many times over.

The window sills in the remodeled no-dogs-allowed "kitty wing" of the office, for example, are low to the ground for easy cat access, and they overlook a "kitty garden" equipped with feeders so cats can watch birds to calm down before their appointments.

"They're little things, but really important," Little said.

During an examination, Little lays down a blanket on the table, and spends some time meeting the animal.

"You need to do more than love them because it doesn’t always go well," Little said. "The more I practice the more I learn that you have to understand their psyche, and behavior, and body language. You have to get inside their heads before you can do the medical part."

Although Little said she's always learning more about animals, she credits her grandfather's genetics for her predisposition to loving and understanding them. Her grandfather had a farm in Iowa where they shared an excitement about animals. She decided at age 9 that she wanted to be a veterinarian.

"The older I get the more I understand hearing about him," she said. "That’s just the gift I got from him."

Although she values every moment, the job isn't always wagging tails and perky ears. The hardest part is when a pet is suffering so much the owner decides it is best to euthanize the animal. The veterinarians then sedate the animal and give the animal an overdose of aneasthetic until it passes away. The veterinarians often have to be just as gentle with the owners as with the pets

"You know that you’re helping the pet, but we get really attached to the patients, too, and it could be something where we go through the grieving, too," Little said. "We want to make sure the owner understands that it’s a gift to be able to euthanize a pet because they know they're suffering."

Little compared . They can be very different levels, she said, but they occupy a similar emotional niche because the owners have been caretakers.

"It's just in the heart; you can't help it," she said. "It's not natural to lose a child. Grieving for pets is the same process as with people, on different levels — depending on the relationship."

But most of the moments are sweet, Little said.

"The best part is making animals happy; that is just what it’s all about," Little said. "And if you get a wag of a tail, or kiss from a dog, or a purr from a cat, that's pretty cool."

The Little Animal Hospital was originally located on Park Street and Grand Avenue, and moved to its current location at 2590 Highway 32 in 1990 when a slimnastics group moved out.

The hospital actively sees about 3,000 pets, with an emphasis on preventative health care. The lobby is stocked with pamphlets about healthy lifestyles and packages of vitamins for animals, offering benefits such as "feline hepatic support" and "canine immune system support."

The hospital's four veterinarians and their assistants provide check-ups, x-rays and routine surgeries, and also refer patients to area dermatologists, cardiologists, surgeons, dentists and other service providers.

They primarily serve cats and dogs, although they also care for rodents and other small animals. Like most people who own a cat or a dog, Little gets a kick out of comparing the two species.

"Dogs will forgive you but cats are always suspicious," she said with a laugh. "Here's what I say. If you call a dog, it comes; if you call a cat, it takes a message and gets back to you later."