For creatures great and small

Paula Belknap spent part of her growing-up years here in Wilton and part in Australia, where she would ride horses called Brumbies and chase kangaroos.

Needless to say, life here was a little more sedate, but it had its advantages. So much so, she returned here to live and has set up shop at the Cannondale Animal Clinic, which had its grand opening March 20.

A veterinarian, Dr. Belknap offers routine animal care, including dental care, and surgery. Within a few weeks, she will also offer overnight kennel service for cats.

A graduate of Colorado State University in 1987, Dr. Belknap worked in a private practice in New Jersey for 10 years. There, she handled most of the surgical cases as well as treating non-surgical cases.

When her father became ill three years ago, she moved back to Wilton to care for him. A graduate of Wilton High School, she said, "It was nice to come home." Sadly, her father has since died, but she decided to stay here with her daughter Kaitlyn, now four years old.

On her own

After working at different practices in the area, Dr. Belknap thought she'd "like to start up my own business and do things the way I think they should be done."

That includes being available for clients after hours in an emergency. "I'll be available for them," she said.

The clinic, which is equipped as a hospital, is in a neat, white historic building on Route 7, just across the street from Zion's Hill United Methodist Church. The reception area, with its fresh white walls, dark green wood trim and country border, is bright and cheerful. A table in the corner offers toys and other amusements for children who might be waiting for a family pet to see the doctor. Rosie the goldfish is on the counter to greet customers, and a painting of a cat by Dr. Belknap graces the wall. Because the building is so old, there are fireplaces throughout, and although they seem a bit out of place, they add to the homey feeling.

The fireplaces notwithstanding, Dr. Belknap has equipped her office with the latest high-tech equipment. All records are computerized. An exam lift table can go from being just an inch or so off the floor to table height for comfortable examinations. It is also a scale.

"The table rises very slowly and smoothly," Dr. Belknap explained. She placed her dog Spanky on it to demonstrate. Spanky took a calm, quiet ride up about three feet. "The dogs can sense they're rising, but they don't seem to mind," she said. A rubber mat provides a secure grip for canine or feline feet.

Technology

Dr. Belknap's pharmacy includes an X-ray machine with a processor that allows her to look at dry films in just a few minutes, as opposed to waiting 20 minutes for a wet film.

Another machine can do a complete blood chemistry screen in just half an hour. Although she still uses a lab for some standard tests, Dr. Belknap said there are cases where she needs information right away.

For example, if an older dog comes in with an injury that requires anesthetic, she will want to know the condition of the dog's vital organs. The blood test can tell her that. "You wouldn't go into a human hospital without having blood taken," she said. "What if a dog were diabetic? It's very helpful if you suspect kidney failure or liver damage or something that needs to be treated right away."

In the surgery/recovery room, the clinic's first patient was back for a follow-up. Dr. Belknap picked up and petted a shy, white rat she had treated for an ear infection and mammary tumors.

"She had an abscess in her ear," the doctor explained, checking the tiny scar. "I had to open the ear canal to get to it all." The rat appeared robust, energetically digging her way under a towel once returned to her cage.

Behind the scenes at the clinic were Kaitlyn, who comes to visit her mother when it slows down, and the vet's dogs, Addie, a pug, Whiskers, a mixed breed stray puppy Dr. Belknap rescued on a recent visit back to New Jersey, and Spanky, also a mix. In the overflow treatment area were Dr. Belknap's two cats, Ari, a huge silver Egyptian mau, and Inky, Dr. Belknap's first rescue case.

"Inky was a kitten with a deformed leg," she explained. "It had been broken and healed wrong." The owners wanted Dr. Belknap to euthanize the cat. "I said 'no, I'll keep her.' Cats can get along very well on three legs."

Dr. Belknap and Bulga.

Kaitlyn plays with Whiskers, a mixed-breed puppy she adopted.