MSPCA-Angell

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When your pet is in need of urgent care, Angell Animal Medical Center offers convenient afternoon and evening appointments at our Angell West location in Waltham. Whether it's a sudden injury, illness, or an unexpected emergency, our team of board-certified specialists, certified veterinary technicians, and dedicated support staff are here to provide one-on-one, compassionate care. Jameson, an active and outdoor-loving dog, came to us this morning for urgent care after his mom noticed he was limping. Dr. Pakravan and Carley quickly discovered that his paw pad was swollen and had discharge—he was diagnosed with a paw pad abscess, likely caused by a nature walk over the weekend. Jameson’s treatment plan includes a bandage for the day, followed by Epsom salt paw soaks, antibiotics, and pain meds to help him recover. His mom is relieved that he’ll be back on his paws soon and can continue enjoying his outdoor adventures. Jameson is also a regular at Angell’s Dermatology and Internal Medicine departments, receiving collaborative care from Dr. Painter and Dr. Ackley. At Angell, we pride ourselves on providing seamless, comprehensive care across all departments, ensuring your pet receives the best treatment every step of the way. Urgent Care is available Monday through Friday, from 8 am-6 pm, and can be accessed by calling 781-902-8400 for dogs and cats, or 617-989-1561 for exotic animals. Oue collaborative approach ensures that your pet receives the most comprehensive and efficient care, no matter where their treatment takes them.?

We recently celebrated Advocacy Director Kara Holmquist and her 30 years of animal advocacy at the State House! Legislators, friends, and colleagues gathered to award Kara with MULTIPLE honorary citations, congratulating her on her 30 years of fighting for animals in The Commonwealth. Great work, Kara! Thank you to Senator Becca Rausch, State Representative Brian Ashe, and State Representative Jim Hawkins for awarding citations, and to Rep. Jack Patrick Lewis and Senator Jason Lewis for celebrating with us!

It's National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week! We want to take a moment to celebrate all the hard work our staff and volunteers do each and every day. Our shelter personnel are the lifeblood of the MSPCA and we’re so proud of them! Over the past several years we’ve expanded our programs to find new ways to make sure we’re helping the largest number of animals possible – because that’s why we’re all here – and our staff have stepped up and exceeded expectations with each new turn taken. They are taking in seizures of animals through Law Enforcement. They are doing health and behavior checks, surgeries, and wellness on multiple transports of animals a week in our constantly expanding transport program. They are creating behavior plans and building trust with struggling shelter animals. They are administering daily medical care to those who need it. They are having compassionate conversations with members of the public on some of the best and worst days of their lives. They are traveling to help other regions. Above all, they are helping animals, so many animals - and each other through the highs and lows of our work here. Whether they’re giving an animal an extra treat or a cozy blanket to make their stay a little easier, helping an owner find resources for their pet, supporting an owner who had to make a tough decision to relinquish a beloved pet, or celebrating an animal adoption, it’s the small things they do day in and day out that make a positive impact. Please join us in celebrating just how inspirational they are – they don’t get recognized enough!

We were thrilled to join Boston City Council at their Lunch and Learn to discuss the work we do in the community and our resources available to Boston residents. Thank you to Councilor Ben Weber for hosting us and to all the Councilors and staff for your warm welcome and interest in what we do!

Yesterday was a wonderful ending to 22 years of hard work. We joined Governor Maura Healey, coalition partners, advocates, and legislators at the ceremonial signing of legislation to prohibit the use of elephants, big cats, primates, bears, and giraffes in traveling shows in Massachusetts! Thank you to the advocates across the state who worked so hard to make this happen — your calls, emails, meetings, testimony, lobby days - it all mattered! Thank you to all of our coalition partners over the years - The Humane Society of the United States, Animal Legal Defense Fund, FOUR PAWS, Berkshire Voters for Animals, Franklin Park Zoo, Massachusetts for Elephants, Western Mass. Animal Rights Advocates (WMARA), Animal Rescue League of Boston, and so many more. And a tremendous thank you to sponsors State Senator Bruce Tarr, Senator Adam Gomez, Representative Carole Fiola, and State Representative Brad Jones for your leadership and championing this legislation across the finish line.

Now there’s something our team doesn’t see every day! Five-year-old horned goat, Schroeder, visited our team at Angell last week to have a mast cell tumor removed from his left cheek. While Angell doesn’t usually operate on goats (sticking with small mammals, avians and exotics), we are lucky enough to have specialists with experience anesthetizing and operating on large animals. Shroeder is a male, neutered goat (known as a wether) who lives with 3 other goats at his home north of Boston.?Here’s to a baaaa-right future for Schroeder!

We are grateful to the?Office of Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey?for signing into law a bill to remove dog breed as factor to determine whether a family with a dog can adopt or foster children in Massachusetts. The law will take effect in December. Currently, no child under age 12 can be placed in a family with a Rottweiler, Pit Bull, or German Shepherd dog (or a dog which mixes at least 2 of these 3 breeds). When originally advocating for this bill, we didn’t realize how close to home this issue was for a lot of our supporters and staff. Many have shared their stories with us since news of its movement through the legislature was made public, and we are so proud to be able to help. “During the process of being licensed for adoption and foster care, we worried that our wonderful family dog – a pitbull mix – would disqualify or affect our application, despite being great with kids. She’s one of the most docile and sweet dogs we’ve ever had. As a lover of historically misunderstood breeds, this was really disheartening… I am so proud of the MSPCA team for recognizing this issue and taking it on!” – An MSPCA-Angell Family Thank you to sponsors?Rep. Jack Patrick Lewis?and?Senator Adam Gomez Sr. for your advocacy to let families stay together while adding new members in our state.

This handsome guy is Batman! Batman is a super sweet cat who came into Urgent Care to see Dr. Pakravan and Carley last week after experiencing symptoms associated with Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease, or FLUTD. FLUTD is very common in male cats, regardless of whether or not they are neutered. Common symptoms include straining to urinate, blood in the urine, frequent trips to the litter box, inappropriate urination in the home, and agitation due to pain, which Batman was experiencing. It's important to note that FLUTD is different from a urinary blockage, where no urine is produced at all. If a male cat is seen straining and not able to produce urine, it is considered a possible emergency, and he should be evaluated by a vet right away. Regardless, it's always best to have your kitty evaluated by a veterinarian to determine the underlying cause and develop the best treatment and prevention plan. We sent Batman home with medication to help ease his symptoms, and we hope he’s feeling better in no time! Afternoon and evening Urgent Care appointments for dogs and cats are available at Angell West in Waltham Monday through Friday, 8 am-6 pm by calling 781-902-8400. Urgent care appointments for exotic animals can be made by calling 617-989-1561.

Last Friday, the Animal Control Officers Association of Massachusetts (ACOAM) presented Lynsey M. Legier, Staff Attorney for MSPCA-Angell Animal Protection Division, with The 2024 Richard “Dick” Stein Distinguished Service Award. As Staff Attorney for the last 3 years, Lynsey has been dedicated to advocating for animals in Massachusetts and training animal control officers, law enforcement officers, and prosecutors on how to investigate and prosecute animal cruelty cases. She was honored to receive the award and will continue to work tirelessly through the legal system to help ensure animals are protected and are not returned to cruel and neglectful situations.