Cabinet Veterinaire International on the Web
Animal Hospitals Geneva, there are quite a few but I decided to try Cabinet Vétérinaire International based on the fact that I was impressed with the website. Fortunately for my dog and I the website was a good indication of what this Geneva animal hospital was like. Dr. Nortey Omaboe and his staff were attentive to my Bulldog named Jake. Jake has only had one visit with the veterinarian but it was pleasant and we will return shortly for a follow-up. Thank you Dr. Omaboe and staff!
- Madame Connell
Relocation to Switzerland Made Easier With the Cabinet Veterinaire International
Relocating to Switzerland was an exciting adventure for me. I’m not so sure my dog Bo felt the same way but he’s here nonetheless. Contacting the Cabinet Vétérinaire International prior to our arrival was one of the best things I did. Dr. Omaboe informed us about the necessary vaccines and paperwork for Swiss entry. We even scheduled our first appointment with Dr. Omaboe before we arrived in Switzerland. We have received outstanding service and the clinic is huge too. I highly recommend this Geneva area animal hospital.
- Monsieur Burns
What do People Have to Say About Cabinet Veterinaire International?
Over the many years we have collected stories from our clients. We have decided to share these stories on our blog. Please check back often as we will be adding to this post on a regular basis. If you would like to have your story included please send us an email.
Finding an English speaking veterinarian in the Geneva area was of utmost importance to my husband and me. We went to other English speaking Geneva animal hospitals but were delighted when we met Dr. Omaboe. We need to be able to communicate clearly and effectively with our pet’s veterinarian as he has health issues which require constant monitoring. We are able to communicate well with Dr. Omaboe and are so pleased to have found the Cabinet Vétérinaire International.
- Madame Johnson
WHY IS MY DOG BARKING?
Sometimes we want our dog to bark – when he senses that there is a prowler about the house, for instance. Barking is a natural reaction to canine sensations such as fear or anxiety. If a dog is agitated or uneasy in a particular situation, he is likely to bark. But a dog’s constant barking can cause a lot of irritation for his owner, not to mention the neighbors. If your dog is barking for attention, be sure not to reward him with food or attention while he is barking. This will only reinforce and prolong the problem. If you raise your voice or physically punish a barking dog, it will only heighten his anxiety level and cause him to bark more. To calm a barking dog with long-term results, he must be properly socialized and exposed to new experiences through habituation.
Gradually exposing a dog to the situations which may make him anxious will quiet his fear and demonstrate to him that new stimuli are not necessarily dangerous. An anxious barking dog will react to new sights, smells, and sounds in a negative way, so it makes sense to make these things commonplace for him. Proper communication between a dog and its owner is crucial in the understanding of his behavior. A dog’s perception of the world around him is very different from that of a human’s.
Training your dog to stop barking should begin before the problem seems insurmountable. Creating distance between the dog and his motivation to bark by using a barrier like a crate or fencing is a good start. You may also want to distract the dog with another engaging activity. In the beginning, reward him with food or attention immediately after he stops barking. You may want to employ a common obedience command such as “stop” in conjunction with the reward. Then, as he progresses, increase the amount of time between his stopping barking and his reward. When you’ve noticed significant improvement, or that he’s getting the concept of no bark = reward, gradually move him closer to, and eventually introduce him to, the things that have caused him anxiety. By using socialization and habituation methods, you will show your dog that the stimuli for which he expressed so much anxiety are really nothing to worry about.
You may also choose to utilize a remote leash with a head halter. When the dog barks, a tug on the leash will pull the muzzle closed to stop the barking. The dog can then be rewarded if he remains quiet.
Remember, it may be necessary to consult with a professional obedience trainer or your veterinarian, should your efforts in calming your dog’s barking be unsuccessful.
The myth that debarking surgery is acceptable needs to be debunked. Your dog’s ability and need to bark are a necessary part of his nature. To take it away would be cruel and inhumane.
Trilingual Geneva Veterinarian Salutes Spaz’s Urgent Message, Owner’s Reception
Dog saves owner’s life with cross-species communication. An animal doctor sites happenings as a fine example of language barrier hurdling.
Mies, Switzerland – June 7, 2009 – It was 3:00 a.m. in Florida, USA when Spaz, a Chihuahua mix, woke his hearing impaired owner with an urgent plea for what she thought was an outdoor potty visit. After the two arrived outside, she realized that her home was on fire.
She would have never heard the smoke alarm. She wasn’t wearing her hearing aid.
Ms. Miller acted as a keen receptor for her dog’s message – because she had learned his language. Had she not been sensitive to her dog’s body and verbal language, she may have dismissed his need to go outside as a plea for attention or a testament of hunger. Thankfully, she was fluent in the language of dog.
A similar situation recently arose in Majorca, Spain. A Pomeranian named Tschuti discovered his owner’s husband unconscious in the garage, with what doctors would later determine to be a ruptured aorta (a deadly condition). Tschuti alerted his owner, a nurse, who called an ambulance. The man was rushed into surgery, and his life was spared. Had it not been for Tschuti, he would likely not have made it…
And if it hadn’t been for Dr. Nortey Omaboe at Cabinet Vétérinaire International, Tschuti would not have been able to perform his life-saving feat. Only a few years prior to the incident, Tschuti was tetraplegic. He couldn’t walk; couldn’t even lift his little head. After an extensive stay in intensive care, the expert care of Dr. Omaboe, and fluent communication with Tschuti’s owner, the dog recovered, and proved himself man’s best friend.
Dr. Omaboe sites both dog hero stories as prime examples of how the elimination of language barriers can save lives – whether the barrier exists between humans and animals or between two humans speaking different native languages. When he sees clients in his Geneva veterinary clinic, he’s able to converse fluently in English, German, and French. He sums up the seriousness of language barriers in animal hospitals when he says, “If I were not able to communicate freely with dogs’ owners, then crucial questions, answers, information, and instructions would be missed, placing dogs’ wellbeing and lives in jeopardy.”
Switzerland is a country without a single national language. Instead, it has taken on the language of its bordering countries, including English.
Rather than limit himself to ministering to only a small portion of the Swiss population’s dogs, Dr. Omaboe has chosen to expand his practice, and his ability to heal, by tripling his language capacity. Not only does he speak the language of dogs, reading their subtleties for valuable diagnosis information, but he can give and receive valuable information from their owners…the ones with the keys to the preservation of their best friends.
“Kudos to Spaz and Tschuti,” says Dr. Omaboe, with a sprinkling of pride and a flood of understanding. “Dogs and owners have demonstrated gives-and-takes that not all relationships can accomplish.”
But, Dr. Nortey is working on changing that.
To see the original version of this press release click here.
