Winter Dog Activities

Slink playing in the snow.

Written by Marissa Greenberg, DVM

Though it hasn’t felt like it lately, winter is here!  As you plan any trips this winter, consider including your dog if you are going to the snow!  Most dogs seem to take to the snow naturally, and just love playing in it!  When I moved to Washington with my dog Slink, she had never experienced the snow.  But she instantly loved it and enjoyed running through it, looking for things to chase underneath it, and trying to catch snowballs! There seems to be something about it that just energizes some dogs.  The first time Mico went, he instantly loved it as much as Slink!

River wearing her winter jacket.

There are several activities you can do with your dog at the snow.  The first is just playing in it! Letting them run, play, try to catch or find snowballs, and digging through it can be very entertaining for all involved.  There are many places you can take dogs with you on trails where you can snowshoe or cross country ski.  It is important to make sure that your dog is comfortable in the cold weather-some may need sweaters or jackets if they are short haired breeds.  If running around a lot in the snow, your dog may need booties to protect their pads.  Also, make sure they have a water source that isn’t frozen over and that they have a warm place to sleep.

River jumping to catch snowballs.

Skijoring

For the real snowy condition enthusiasts, you may want to try your hand at skijoring.  Skijoring is where a dog or pair of dogs are harnessed and connected to a skier, thus pulling the skier along the trails.  Any medium to large sized dog could enjoy this sport!  The other dog snow sport is of course, dog sledding.  If you are interested in more information about either of these sports, please check out this website http://www.psdsa.org/Default.aspx. 

We would love to see pictures of you and your pets out enjoying the snow! Have fun out there enjoying winter wonderlands of snow with your pets!

Meet Zack Stout!! Our Featured Employee of the Week!

Zack joined the veterinary nursing team in July 2008. Originally from Bakersfield, Zack moved to San Luis Obispo to attend Cal Poly. He is an Animal Science major and would like to attend vet school some day. Zack is interested in most physical activities and it is very likely to come across him playing volleyball at Pismo Beach. 

Spay and Neuter Commercial

Spaying and neutering can provide tremendous health benefits to your dog and cat. If you choose to breed a pet, be sure you understand the responsibilities this entails. Dogs and cats should be screened for genetic diseases and sound reproductive health before breeding. And you need to be sure you can provide good homes for all of the offspring. Contact Animal Care Clinic for more information on canine and feline reproduction and on the benefits of spaying and neutering your pets.

Mercy, Love and Pure Christmas Joy

By Bonnie Markoff, DVM

It’s Christmas time.  A time I often reflect on how God has blessed us so richly.  One of his greatest blessings is the animals.  This morning our pastor used a wonderful animal analogy in explaining God’s mercy on us.  I wanted to share it with you and expand upon it a bit in hopes that this analogy will help you better appreciate and thus enjoy this often-stressful holiday season.

Christmas is all about God’s tender mercy on us, and His plan to save us from ourselves.  As my pastor tried to explain mercy this morning, he recalled the feeling he had as he walked through local shelters and saw the dogs & cats that needed homes.  He was not an animal person (but I think he is now!), yet the plight of these little ones tugged at his heart.  He wanted to save them all.  God has this same desire to save us all.  His love for us tugs at His heart.  Some of us gladly jump into His arms, lick His face and enter His family with tails wagging.  Others pull back, bare our teeth and bite or scratch when He tries to feed us.  It is so comforting to know that God will keep working with the reticent, hoping they will someday come around.  I just love that God has given us animals to help demonstrate His love for us.

When I come home each evening I find my dog running towards my car, wiggling and squirming with joy.  My first reaction is to feel loved and to share in the joy that my dog is experiencing.  I am often reminded that I wish I could approach God like that – with reckless abandon and pure joy.  How lovely would my life be if I could just develop that one skill?  I am so thankful to God that He has given me this daily reminder of how much He loves me.  I hope you feel that same joy, peace and love this Christmas.

(If you want to hear the entire sermon with the dog adoption story, go to Gracevine.com and under the resources tab, go to sermons.  It is the 12/12/10 sermon and will likely be available just after Christmas.)

Meet Lavella Short!! Our Featured Employee of the Week!

Lavella has been the Customer Service Manager since coming to us in July 2008.  She is a native of San Luis Obispo and has lived here a majority of her life.  She has worked for the IRS while living in Fresno, been a Phlebotomist as well as an EMT, and most recently as a Lasik Technician prior to coming to Animal Care Clinic.  In June 2010 she adopted a "brother" for her cat, Rocky, from the Department of Animal Services.  He's a Cheweenie (Chihuahua and Dachshund mix) named Petey.  Although they are different species, they get along amazingly well.  Lavella loves NASCAR, football (go Chargers!), movies, traveling, making clay figurines and hanging out with family and friends. 

First Animal Care Clinic Trip to Mexicali

Four employees of Animal Care Clinic (Bonnie Markoff, Travis Morris, Ashley Ventimiglia, and Nicole Gunkel) took a trip to Mexicali, Mexico in what we deemed a "fact finding mission." Our own Gustavo Rayas along with our new friends from the Mexicali vet school, Tomas Renteria and Julio Mercado, have a vision to improve upon the curriculum and to raise the small animal hospital to AAHA standards. We were shown hospitality by everyone we met! Tours of the university owned small animal veterinary hospital and veterinary school were given on day one, followed by a presentation to a group of students by Dr. Markoff and Ashley on "Practicing Excellence" and a discussion of goals for our future involvement together on day two. ACC was excited by the people we met and are looking forward to a cooperative exchange and future involvement in Mexicali!

Animal Care Clinic Ventures to Mexicali!

Small Animal Veterinary Hospital in Mexicali.

Written by Gustavo Rayas, RVT

Ever since I graduated veterinary school in Mexico, I have had the dream to come back and help my school to improve and develop. Then six years ago Dr. Markoff and I were talking about an idea to visit my vet school in Mexicali. We started brainstorming about what we could do to help them. My biggest goal was to train them in leadership skills, management, and confidently developing working protocols. These are areas we work on to achieve at Animal Care Clinic to a high level and not previously focused in Mexico. When my good friend and classmate, Tomas Renteria was promoted to dean of the veterinary school, a great opportunity presented itself. Tomas shares with me a vision to work with and improve the vet school in Mexicali.  I went back to Bonnie and presented my idea again, and this time, we ran with it. 

In July of 2010, a group of school officials came to visit Animal Care Clinic during our annual Wine Gala/Open House and also to see Cal Poly University, San Luis Obispo. This opened up personal relations between Animal Care Clinic and the Mexicali vet school.  After further discussion, we agreed to focus my goal by working on bringing the school up to American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) standards. These standards encourage the best management practices, medical procedures, and customer service in animal hospitals in North America. 

Team Animal Care Clinic/Mexicali during our first visit to the Mexicali vet school.

Dr. Markoff discussing our future involvement with Tomas Renteria,
vet school staff and students.

This November, Dr. Markoff led a small team of Animal Care Clinic employees to scout out the vet school and their small animal veterinary hospital. The trip was very successful and our team members were excited by our idea after seeing the current facilities and meeting students and staff members.  The future plan is for Animal Care Clinic to act as their formal mentor.  We will follow the AAHA Mentoring Program step-by-step in order to establish a good relationship and learning environment.  We hope that our working relationship with our new friends in Mexicali will lead to not only us helping them, but new experiences and personal growth for our own team.  We will keep you posted with future updates and look forward to what the future brings!   

Meet Alex Stone!! Our Featured Employee of the Week!

Alex has been a part of the ACC lodge team since February 2008 and now also works as a veterinary nurse. Originally from Newbury Park, California, he currently attends Cal Poly and aspires to one day attend veterinary school. He is an active volunteer at the Cal Poly Vet Clinic. Alex has a lab named Buddy, he also loves to play sports with friends, especially baseball. He also enjoys working in the mountains of Idaho doing trail maintenance for the Forest Service during the summer.

Animal Care Clinic Guide Dog Update

Written by Stephanie Ruggerone

November brought two exciting “events” to ACC employees.  Dr. Evans received her long awaited guide dog puppy, “Payton”, and Practice Administrator Stephanie Ruggerone’s guide dog puppy, “Recco”, represented Guide Dogs of America at a four day Las Vegas fundraiser!

Jennifer Evans and 11 week Payton.

“Payton” is an adorable female yellow Labrador retriever proving to be extremely full of energy and running poor Dr. Evans ragged.  She is a real love bug and staff is sometimes finding it difficult to follow the guide dog rules, as they would like to hold and play with her all day.  Come on by and meet little Miss Payton or maybe you saw her in the San Luis Obispo Holiday Parade on December 3^rd.

“Recco” was one of approximately thirty guide dogs, and the only Golden Retriever, to saunter down the strip, spend a day lounging on the 18^th tee of the Angel Park Country Club and smooze with over six hundred donors at the Paris Banquet Hall in Las Vegas.  The Guide Dogs of America annual golf tournament and awards banquet is a major fundraising opportunity for the school and brings donors from all over America and Canada.  It was indeed an honor to be asked to represent puppy raisers and the dedicated work involved in bringing a well-trained dog to assist someone sight impaired.

At eleven months of age, “Recco” is showing many qualities needed to become successful in harness.  His Vegas adventure began with a long bus ride from Sylmar, CA. to Las Vegas.  Imagine a charter bus filled with twenty-five people and fifteen dogs!  Legroom was at a premium but the dogs were all on their best behavior.  The Paris Hotel & Casino was our home base and graciously even created a special “relieving” area for our dogs near a side exit.  A 7:30 AM potty call isn’t exactly easy when going from the 5th floor (for some the 33^rd floor!) to the lobby, across the casino and out to the relief area.  In the early AM many visitors wondered why all the dogs appeared to be walking like they were “dogs on a mission”!   After arrival we had some free time and decided to walk the strip.  Easy enough you might think, except when you are walking dogs wearing bright yellow jackets and weaving in and out of huge crowds of people, many of us being just slightly intoxicated.  It took us approximately two hours to walk from the Bellagio past the Mirage and to Treasure Island!  We must have been stopped at least fifty times to explain the dogs and allow for some petting and answer questions.  But that is exactly what it was all about, educating the public on these precious gifts to the blind.

The noise and heat from the Mirage Volcano were apparent to us, but Recco hardly twitched an ear.  He actually took initiative to weave through the crowds without my direction and remained focused even when bombarded with people touching him while he was heeling.  We just don’t have this type of activity and distractions in San Luis Obispo so it is amazing that Recco took so much in stride.

Gary Ruggerone (Stephanie's husband) with Recco and Watson

The golf tournament also presented a few new experiences for Recco.  Each tee is assigned a dog or two and we were stationed at the 18^th hole.  Recco can officially claim to have been fully trained with regards to loose rabbits!  Now these were not your normal run and hide rabbits, these guys are used to people and bold as brass.  I am sure a few of them had a great time just taunting the dogs all day long.  Add to the rabbits, several covey of quail, flocks of pigeons and flying golf balls and they had their share of visual distractions.  We also found out golf carts were not made to hold two people AND two guide dogs.  Somehow we made it back to the clubhouse without falling or jumping, out of the golf cart, leaving all the wildlife on the tee, and making friends with 100 or more golfers.
Saturday evening brought the banquet, the highlight for most donors.  Recco and other dogs were asked to sit still for what seemed like hundreds of photos and again were asked to remain calm and collected while being pet and talked to for hours by total strangers.  Even for dogs who love people, this can prove stressful but Recco again proved he has great guide dog potential.

Traffic noise, casino bells and buzzers, bright disco type lights, loud music, “unstable” people, not to mention having very few places to potty can really stress a dog out!  Now multiply that by four for a puppy raised on six acres in San Luis Obispo and it is understandable that Recco, and all the other dogs, came home a bit tired.  We all had a wonderful time and hope that we were able to spread information about Guide Dogs to others to ensure these programs, supported entirely by donations, continue in the future.

Recco will be with us for approximately six more months and due for his one year of age evaluation at Guide Dogs of America in January.  We will keep you posted on his progress and his upcoming evaluation score!

Animal Care Clinic is an AAHA Practice of the Year Finalist!

Your veterinary hospital will display this
image if they are AAHA accredited.

Written by Nicole Gunkel, RVT

Some of you may have seen our post a few months back that we sent in our application for American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Practice of the Year.  Well, I have some exciting news that we recently found out that Animal Care Clinic is a finalist for Practice of the Year!!!  We are all elated that we have made it as a finalist this year!  It all started last spring, when in one of our regular veterinary periodicals there was an article about the first annual AAHA Practice of the Year awards.  I read it and thought, why didn’t we hear about this?  In my mind, Animal Care Clinic should be a shoe-in for this award!  So I decided that when it was time to send in applications for the following year, we would be among them!  AAHA will announce awards for first, second, third and two honorable mentions.  We will find out where we stand in March at the AAHA conference in Toronto.  So, keep your fingers crossed that we did as well as I know we can, first!

For those that are unfamiliar, let me tell you a little more about the American Animal Hospital Association, AAHA accreditation, and what it means to you as pet owners.  AAHA was established in 1933 as an international association.  They accredit animal hospitals throughout the U.S. and Canada.  AAHA accredited hospitals undergo voluntary evaluations to be assessed on 900 standards in the areas of quality of care, diagnostic and pharmacy, management, medical records, and facilities.  AAHA is known among veterinarians and pet owners for their standards.  AAHA standards require hospitals to provide diagnostic services (x-ray and laboratory) to quickly diagnose pets, focus on quality of care in anesthesia, contagious diseases, dentistry, pain management, patient care, surgery and emergency care.  Accredited hospitals have an onsite pharmacy and must also have medical records that are thorough and complete.  You might be surprised how many places do NOT have thorough and complete records!  For these reasons, it should be important to you that your pet is seen by an accredited hospital.  There are many hospitals that do meet these standards, but have not gone through the evaluation.  However, you do not have that guarantee unless your hospital can prove they are AAHA accredited.  You can be confident that if you pet is taken to an AAHA accredited hospital they are more likely to be given top-quality care.  The AAHA standards are also periodically reviewed and updated, so consistently accredited hospitals can stay on the leading edge of veterinary medicine and give the care your pet’s deserve.

If you would like to learn more about the American Animal Hospital Association, you can visit their websites at: http://www.aahanet.org/ or http://www.healthypet.com/.  Their Healthy Pet website is built specifically for pet owners with helpful information on pet care, travel, fun stuff and even interactive pet stuff just for kids!  They have an AAHA hospital finder, so you can locate the AAHA accredited hospitals nearest to your location.  You can also connect with AAHA through Facebook!

Everyone at Animal Care Clinic is very proud of our AAHA accreditation.  We have been accredited with AAHA since 1993 and have maintained our certification since that time.  If you would ever like to talk to us about our AAHA accreditation, get a tour or have any questions at all, please contact us!  We look forward to announcing how we fared as a finalist in the coming year!

Meet Melissa Reuter-Wagoner, RVT!! Our Featured Employee of the Week!

Melissa is another smooth, easy-going addition to the Animal Care Clinic Team. She grew up near Santa Clarita, California and graduated with a B.S. in Animal Science from Cal Poly in June 2007. Melissa is a very inquisitive part of the Veterinary Nursing team, joining ACC in July 2006. We are so happy to have Melissa as one of our Registered Veterinary Technicians. Melissa’s passions include riding her jumping horse, music, ballet, and traveling.

Adopt-A-Senior-Pet-Month Commercial

Animal shelters are full of dogs and cats that desperately need homes. Most people focus on puppies, kittens and young adults when adopting. However, a senior pet may be less rambunctious and better behaved than a younger dog or cat and can still add years of love and joy to your home. Animal Care Clinic is celebrating Adopt-A-Senior-Pet Month by providing free physical exams and discounts on our wellness laboratory profiles for all senior pets adopted from local shelters before the end of 2010. Join us in celebrating life. Adopt a senior pet for the holidays.

Happy Holidays from Animal Care Clinic!

Entire Animal Care Clinic Team!

Written by Nicole Gunkel, RVT

December is here along with all our winter holidays!  I'd like to take a moment today to wish everyone a fabulous December!  As a group each December, our entire team likes to highlight an individual charity group and offer a unique way to give a nice gift while also helping a benefitting cause.  We had such a good experience with "Women At Risk, International" last year that we decided to stick with them again this year.  "Women At Risk, International" unites and educates women to create circles of protection and hope around women at risk through culturally sensitive, value-added intervention projects.  These women and children are individuals who are at risk for human trafficking sexual slavery.  You find more information about this group, their call to action, their programs and how to get more involved at their website,WarInternational.org.

We are currently offering beautiful egyptian hand-blown glass ornaments for $15 each.  Proceeds benefit "Women At Risk, International."  There areornaments of different colors, shapes, and sizes.  They would be lovely to adorn your own home or tree and also make great gifts.  Please come and visit us to pick out your ornaments!

Adopt-A-Senior-Pet-Month Video

Animal Care Clinic's lodge manager, Julie Wilson, interview one of our great clients, Patti Holanda, about her experiences adopting "senior" pets from the local shelters. Patti tells us how they have enriched her and her husband's lives and what a joy it is to bring some loving years to their lives for whatever years they have to share left. Senior pets are often the first to be euthanized at shelters as they become overpopulated. These pets can be wonderful as many already have a fair amount of training in them and are already potty-trained as opposed to puppies. If you adopt a senior pet from a local shelter, Animal Care Clinic is offering a free doctor exam and a discount on wellness lab work through the end of the December 2010.

Meet Nicole Blevins! Our Featured Employee of the Week!!

Nikki, as known here at Animal Care Clinic, has been on the veterinary nursing team since November 2006. She grew up locally here in Paso Robles. Nikki spent her first couple college years in Massachusetts She is currently an Animal Science major at Cal Poly, after which she hopes to attend vet school. Nikki has a Siberian husky, Kokoyah, and her cat, Buddy. She enjoys taking her dog to the beach, running, music, and whitewater rafting. Nikki is also one of a couple ACC workers who are vegetarian, and has never eaten meat in her life.

Diabetes in Pets

Written by Richard Tao, DVM

Diabetes is a disease most people are familiar with. Whether it is on a personal level affecting a family member or a close acquaintance, there is no denying that it creates a strain on the physical health of our nation. However personal diabetes is in your life, it’s important not to forget that our pets can also suffer from the condition. Many pet owners are unaware that diabetes is found in dogs and cats too! It is a serious disease that deserves a serious detailed discussion with your veterinarian.

Insulin and glucose testing supplies.

Our pets have no way of communicating the presence of a serious disease like diabetes to us. Owners need to be able to recognize early signs of diabetes, because as conventional wisdom teaches us early detection can lead to early cures. The most common signs of diabetes are an increase in water intake, an increase in urination, and weight loss. Subtle signs like cataracts and muscle weakness can occur in the later stages of the disease. You can expect your veterinarian to obtain a blood and urine sample and perform an ultrasound of the abdomen to make a diagnosis of diabetes.

Diabetes mellitus is the result of the body’s inability to absorb and use a form of sugar called glucose. Without the ability to use glucose from the blood stream the cells in the body literally starve and ultimately cause the disease associated with diabetes. Insulin is the hormone produced by the pancreas that allows the cells to utilize glucose. Treating diabetes will inevitably require insulin injections. The very act of poking your own furry companion may seem difficult, yet it is something even the most needle shy person can manage. We will walk you through each and every step of treating a diabetic pet from diagnosis to treatment and management. With proper care even a diabetic animal can live a long life.

Meet Erin Hickey! Our Featured Employee of the Week!!

Erin joined the veterinary nursing team at Animal Care Clinic in November 2006. She originally grew up in Mt. View, CA and is a graduate of Cal Poly. She earned her Registered Veterinary Technician license in June 2008. Erin loves her 3 dogs, Bean, Tannin and Charlie, as well as her cats Grady and Baldwin. She loves to hike with her dogs and also really enjoys gardening, cooking, and caring for her 16 chickens. The employees at ACC also really enjoy Erin’s baking skills!

Socializing and Training Kittens

Written by Jennifer Evans, DVM

Kittens sure are fun!  I have two, twelve week old kittens at home right now and I had forgotten how entertaining they could be!  I had also forgotten how much work they can be!  These two hooligans came to me as orphans at 3 weeks old, and I have put a lot of energy into socializing and raising them to be good feline citizens.  Sometimes people think that kittens are easy to raise and puppies are the hard ones.  While it’s true that puppies do tend to require more socialization and training than kittens, kittens definitely benefit from deliberate training and socialization.  This can help prevent many behavior problems when they are adults. 

One of the most important things to teach a kitten is how to play appropriately with people.  Do not ever use your hands or feet to play with kittens, always use a toy.  It can be cute (if a bit painful) when a tiny kitten is grabbing your hand and doing the ‘bunny kick’ with their hind legs, but it isn’t so cute when a 1 year old, 12 pound, grown cat does the same thing!  Kittens have an abundance of energy and need safe ways to expend it.  Having several 10-20 minute play sessions each day where they chase a laser pointer or other cat toy, will help wear them out and keep them happy.  Providing self-entertaining toys as well will help keep them out of trouble when you are busy elsewhere.  Kittens should be kept in a safe area when left alone; otherwise they can chew on electrical cords, destroy curtains and generally wreak havoc.  A bathroom is a good place that is fairly easy to kitten-proof.  It is not cruel for a kitten to spend the day in the bathroom while the people are at work, as long as the kitten gets plenty of attention and exercise the rest of the time.  Kittens tend to make toys out of everything in the house, especially the more fragile things!  Squirt bottles usually work pretty well to teach them what is acceptable to climb and play with, and what is not.  They also work well to teach them when they are playing too rough or pouncing on walking feet! 

Teaching kittens to accept nail trims by handling their feet and rewarding gradual step-by-step trimming will make life much easier when they are grown.  Handling them and touching them all over in a calming way will also make it easier to handle them when they are adults.  Taking kittens for car rides, and teaching them to enjoy it can help lessen the trauma later in life when they have to travel to the vet or elsewhere.  Just be sure to put them in a carrier or other safely confining method when traveling.  Visiting friends’ houses where they can interact with different people and surroundings can also help create a calm, mellow cat that can handle whatever life dishes out.   While raising a kitten may not be as simple as just feeding and vaccinating them, the extra effort is well worth it when your feline friend is calm and unafraid as an adult!!

Holiday Pet Tips

Written by Richard Tao, DVM

Have you all noticed the chill in the air?  Fall colors and shorter days mean that 2010 is winding down and a new year is around the bend.  These next few months we’ll spend time visiting family, friends and enjoying the tradition of the holiday season.  The October to December blur comes so fast that it’s sometimes easy to lose track of our furry friends.  Let’s take a moment to consider some important points about our pets. 

Daylight Savings Time:  These days it’s hard not to notice the short amount of daylight we actually get to see!  Now that we have just adjusted our clocks to “fall back” the evenings will also get darker much earlier.  Keep this in mind when taking Fluffy out for his or her walk in the evening.  Rush hour starts just before or around dusk.  With those cars hitting the road it might be a good idea to accessorize Fluffy’s collar with a visible reflector or LED light.  If your kitty is allowed outdoors bring them in before sunset. 

Winterize your buddy:  San Luis Obispo is blessed with a temperate climate nearly year round.  Yet when those storms do come it’s important to provide shelter for any pets that live outside.  Those living above the grade know that nights easily dip below freezing.  Older pets or those with arthritis may have a harder time coping with the cold weather.  A warm and supportive bed can often help these critters tremendously. 

Watch the tummy:  We’re in the midst of the trifecta of gastronomic holidays:  Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas/Chanukah.  Let’s keep the Reese’s, butterballs, and latkes above the foraging noses of our dogs and cats.  Of course, Fluffy and Kitty are part of the family but their stomachs may not be prepared for the barrage of Paula Dean that comes with the holidays.  Fatty foods may mean a few extra pounds for us but it can mean gastroenteritis or pancreatitis for our pets. 

Home Alone:  During the holidays we take trips to visit family and friends.  It might mean leaving Fluffy with our fine lodge facility or hiring a house sitter.  For day trips it might even mean leaving Fluffy home alone.  Our pets are our loyal companions.  They love our company as much as we love theirs.  However, you celebrate the holidays why not take a moment to spend some quality time with them.  Include your pets in your family photos.  Give them special toys as gifts.  And most of all, give them a hug, a pat, and a smile.

Radiation Therapy

Written by Marissa Greenberg, DVM

Radiation therapy is used to treat many forms of cancer in humans and our pets.   Radiation may not cure all cancers, but it can also be used to decrease the size of a tumor, to make future removal less invasive.  It has also been shown to reduce the pain associated with bone cancers.

There is a lot of planning that goes into radiation therapy to ensure that the area being radiated can be very focal, thus decreasing the side effects.  Veterinary radiation oncologists do this planning.  The specialist not only decides on the area that will be radiated, they also decide on how often the treatments will be done and what level of radiation the patient will get with each treatment.  Some cancers may require higher doses of radiation over a shorter period of time, or lower doses of radiation over a longer period of time.  A radiation oncologist takes factors like the type and aggressiveness of the tumor, the location, and what treatments have previously been performed into consideration when making these decisions.  The most common side effect to radiation is radiation burn, which is the equivalent to very severe sunburn.

Khy was a dog Dr. Greenberg cared for during treatment.  You can see the shaved area on her back, which is the surgical area where as much of the tumor was removed before radiation.

Radiation therapy in dogs and cats requires them to be anesthetized, since they aren’t very good at holding perfectly still for very long.  Though radiation treatments are very short, it would be too risky to do it with them awake.  Sometimes this means that these patients may need to be anesthetized every day for several weeks in a row.  In these cases, very fast acting anesthesia is used and these animals recover very quickly.  Though the idea of daily anesthesia may sound very scary, I can testify through my experience with these patients, that they handle it quite well.

I  attended Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine and worked closely with several dogs that were being treated with radiation.  WSU is one of the few facilities in the Pacific Northwest that can do radiation therapy.  Because of this people came from far and wide to seek treatments for their pets.  As a student, I opened my home to several dogs that came to WSU for treatment from Canada.  These dogs needed daily radiation for over three weeks, and their owners were unable to spend that much time away from their jobs and homes.  So, their dogs came to live with me during that time.  Every day I would drop them off at WSU’s Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital and they would be anesthetized for their radiation.  I would pick them up when I was done with classes for the day.  I was skeptical myself about how they would handle daily anesthesia, but was pleased to learn that they didn’t seem to care that they had been anesthetized or that they had cancer!  They led completely normal dog lives; hiking and walking with me in the evenings and on weekends, playing with my own dog, swimming, and always loving their meals.  Though their owners missed them while they were away, I enjoyed being their foster home while they received the treatments they needed.

Dr. Greenberg with her own dog, Slink, on the left of the picture and a radiation patient, Cito, on the right of the picture.

If you have a pet with cancer, and need referral to a veterinary radiation oncologist, please let us know. There aren’t any facilities locally, but we can help find a referral center that is right for you.

Meet Ginger Oliver! Our Featured Employee of the Week!!

Virginia joined our Lodge Team in October 2010, but is known as Ginger to all of us at Animal Care Clinic.  Ginger came to San Luis Obispo from Santa Clarita, California and is currently attending school at Cuesta College.  She has applied to several universities in order to attain her Bachelor's degree in Animal Science and subsequently would like to attend veterinary school in New Zealand.  Her end goal is to practice veterinary medicine and  specialize in  exotics, working  primarily with big cats.  Ginger has grown up with dogs, a cat and horses.  She enjoys volunteering with animal rescues, as well as getting active with hiking, rock climbing, wake boarding and snowboarding.  Ginger loves riding horses from riding cross-country to roping!

Dawson Swimming Video

Dawson was one of our very special cancer patients that was diagnosed with a painful tumor in his left humerus (left front leg).  After a consultation with a veterinary oncology (cancer) specialist, it was decided Dawson would benefit from a leg amputation to eliminate the source of pain.  Dawson did fabulous with only 3 legs as he continued to play in the water, play with his family, fetch ball, and play tug-of-war.  Dawson started swimming only 3 weeks after getting his leg amputated!  Dawson's cancer eventually spread to his lungs and he was euthanized, but amputating his leg gave him a few months more to live a high-quality, pain-free existence.  Dawson reminds us of the simple things in life and those of us at Animal Care Clinic and his family will always remember him!

Tribute to Dawson

Dawson before his leg amputation

Written by Marissa Greenberg, DVM

The first day I met Dawson, I knew that he was a special patient. And I knew that his owners were very committed to his care and comfort. Dawson first came to see me at the beginning of March 2010. He had been diagnosed with a tumor in his left humerus, the bone between his shoulder and elbow. The tumor in his bone was very painful, and he was limping a lot. After consultation with a veterinary oncology (cancer) specialist, it was decided that Dawson would benefit from having his leg amputated in order to eliminate the source of pain. This was a very difficult decision for Dawson’s owners, as they were concerned about how he would adjust to walking on three legs and whether he'd maintain his enthusiastic spirit & a high quality of life. But on their visit to the oncologist office, they saw another dog, approximately Dawson's age & size, walking around energetically on only three legs (same front leg missing that Dawson would have amputated). They were so impressed with how happy that dog was without being in pain and how quickly the dog had adapted, that they made the decision to have Dawson’s leg amputated.

Dawson after his leg amputation

Dawson did amazingly well after his amputation. With the pain of his tumor gone, he was a much happier dog! He still could run around, play in the water, play with his family, fetch his ball and play tug-of-war. Amazingly, three weeks to the day after his amputation he was even swimming. You could remove his leg, but you couldn't remove his Golden Retriever desire to play in the water. Though it was likely that Dawson’s cancer had already spread to his lungs, we treated him with chemotherapy to try and slow the progression of the disease. He handled all six of his chemotherapy sessions well, and never really seemed to suffer any side effects from it.

Dawson’s owners always seemed very happy with their decision to amputate his leg, because they were able to enjoy his company for several more months without him being in pain. In early June 2010, Dawson began to have decreased energy & ease of breathing from the spread of his cancer to his lungs, and was eventually euthanized on July 1, 2010. Though he only had a few months to live after his amputation, we were all relieved that those months were without pain, and with a high quality of life. And he was always a brave, happy patient. He is a great example of how well our 4-legged-patients do in handling chemotherapy and cancer. They get out of bed every day with a smile and a tail wag, and because they don’t really know they are sick, they don’t feel sorry for themselves. They enjoy the simple things in life, something we should all do more of. Thank you to Dawson for reminding us of these things, he will be missed, but always fondly remembered by all of us.

Dawson swimming in pool with 3 legs

Meet Sharon Caddy! Our Featured Employee of the Week!!

Sharon started with the veterinary nursing team in September of 2009. Sharon grew up in Paso Robles before moving to Chico where she graduated from Chico State in 2009 with a B.A. in Geography and a certificate in GIS. She is now working and concurrently taking classes at Cuesta College with hopes of eventually going to vet school. Sharon is glad to be living near family again with her parrotlet, Stella. Some of her hobbies include hiking, skiing, traveling, swimming, drawing and music.

Puppies and Kittens Commercial

There may be nothing more fun than having a new puppy or kitten in your home. The doctors at Animal Care Clinic will help you be designing a customized preventative medicine plan for your new puppy or kitten. Let us help you with nutrition, vaccinations, and communicable disease decisions. We even hold puppy kindergarden classes. Our focus on veterinary family practice is just what you need.

Chemotherapy in our Pets

Written by Marissa Greenberg, DVM

For many people, the word chemotherapy conjures up horrible images of friend or family members during their treatments.  But, in our dog and cat patients, chemotherapy is handled very differently.  Though we use many of the same drugs that are used in people, our pets do much better.  Pets don’t usually lose their hair, though longhaired dogs may have a little thinning of their hair coat or may loose some of their whiskers.  Hair may not grow back very quickly if it has been shaved or clipped.  Because our patients can’t tell us if they are nauseas or not feeling well from their chemotherapy, we are very proactive in making sure they don’t suffer from these side effects.  We give them anti-nausea medications before and after every chemotherapy treatment. 

If you saw one of our chemotherapy patients in the waiting room you would likely see a dog that seems very excited to be here! These patients end up being excited to come in for their chemotherapy because they like all the attention they get from our staff.  If you saw them at the dog park, you probably wouldn’t believe they were being treated for cancer!   Most of them feel so good, they are still out playing, running, exercising, hiking, swimming, or anything else they enjoy doing.

Hannah swimming in the Tule River, September 2010, in midst of second course of chemotherapy treatment.

 If your pet is diagnosed with cancer, please contact us to discuss options for chemotherapy; there are many different options that may help treat your pet’s cancer, and things we can do to assure they enjoy a good quality of life.

Meet Julie Wilson! Our Featured Employee of the Week!!

Julie is our Ancillary Services Manager, basically meaning that she works in the lodge keeping our dog and cat guests happy. She grew up in La Crescenta, CA and studied Biology at Portland State University. Julie came to Animal Care Clinic in February 2001 and now lives in Cayucos very happily, with her 3 daughters and 3 dogs. Julie has her hands full with 3 girls at all ends of the teenage spectrum, but still manages to spend lots of time at the beach and work out at Kennedy Club Fitness 3-4 times per week.  Julie has one of the biggest hearts and has been enjoying volunteering as a "Cuddler" at the neonatal intensive-care unit (NICU) in Sierra Vista and taking care of our hospice program.

Halloween Pet Tips

Meisje and Maya as doctor and nurse for Halloween

Written by Nicole Gunkel, RVT

Halloween is a fun and spooky holiday!  With pumpkins, candles, decorations and costumes there is so much going on, and much to go wrong for your furry friends.  Here are a few tips to keep in mind this weekend.  Please be safe and have fun!

• Keep candy and sugary sweets away from dog’s and cat’s curious appetites. Halloween candies are not meant to be digested by our pets and can cause gastro-intestinal problems.  Chocolate, and sugar-free candy containing xylitol, can be especially toxic!

• Be careful when dressing up your pets, so that they don’t chew on costumes.  Ingestion of small parts of a costume could require surgical removal of the object!  Make sure that pet costumes allow your pet to move around and see clearly.

• Decorations around your home are fun, but may represent one more thing for your pet to chew on or consume.  Keep decorations in places where they can’t be reached or knocked over. 

cat jack-o-lantern with LED light

• Candles are a must for Halloween and popular for fall and winter holidays.  Keep them in places where they can’t be knocked over by wagging tails or slinking kitties. Consider using fireless (LED) candles.

• Pumpkin is a seasonal favorite that is a great treat for pets!  Use either canned or cooked pumpkin, staying away from sugary pumpkin pie filling.  Pumpkin is a high fiber dietary filler that can be used year-round as a snack or as an addition to meals to help pets feel full.  It’s great for our chubby friends needing to slim down.

• If you live in an area frequented by trick-or-treaters on Halloween night, you may want to keep pets safe in a back room.  A knock on the door or the ring of a doorbell can get dogs excited and feeling the need to protect their owners.  Also, be careful that your dog or cat doesn’t sneak out through the front door as it frequently opens and closes.

We wish you all a safe and fun Halloween and hope it is an excellent beginning to the holiday season!

Itchiness and Hair Loss Commercial

Itchiness and hair loss in your dog or cat can be the result of fleas, inhaled allergies, hormonal disease, seborrhea, food allergy, infection, and many other things. The key to controlling skin disease is to find the primary problem. Neither you nor your pets should have to endure hours of scratching and licking.

My Zambian Experience 2010

By Bonnie Markoff, DVM, ABVP

My travels to Zambia this year involved renewing friendships, helping with teaching elementary students, assisting in a small animal practice, and enjoying a wonderful safari in the South Luangwa Valley.

My friend Barbara had been asked to return to Lusaka to continue training the teachers at the American International School.  It was fun to spend time with the teachers we had met last year.  One of them even let me drive her car to church one Sunday (opposite side if the road and just a little different “rules of the road” than here at home!)  One day I was called to a classroom for a veterinary concern.  Some young African boys who traditionally believed that owls were bad luck, had shot a baby owl with a slingshot.  One of our students had brought him to school.  After I anesthetized the owl, I determined his injuries were too severe for him to survive and thus euthanized him.  This gave me the opportunity to talk to the entire 3^rd grade class about animals, superstitions and euthanasia.  I was also privileged to get to visit a school on the outskirts of town.  The Makwashi school is more typical of the schools that native black children attend.  These children stayed after school just for the opportunity to have Barbara teach them math!

Kids at Makwashi School

Most of my time was spent with Alison, a native Zambian veterinarian who I met last year.  It is such a joy to ride in her truck as she drives around Lusaka to various ranches to treat horse and other livestock.  I can’t think of a better way to met the people of a country and see the countryside.  I had the opportunity to mentor some younger veterinarians at her practice, to teach ultrasound and to work with Alison on some practice management techniques.  She and I will be communicating by e-mail to help her to set up a smoother running, more efficient practice that can better serve her patients, clients, employees and herself.

The last 3 days of our trip were spent on safari.  We stayed at a lovely lodge alongside a watering hole where puku, baboons, warthogs, impala, hippos, elephants and giraffe could be seen as we ate our meals.  Each morning at 5 am we were awakened by African drums, ate a light meal and then headed out in the Land Rovers to see the animals at sunrise.  We would return to the lodge for lunch and a siesta (which was tough when it was so hot!) and then we were back out in “Landies” at about 4:00.  We would stay out to 8pm so we could do night safaris and see the nocturnal species.  We have wonderful photos of lions, leopards, many types of antelope, porcupines, mongoose, hyena, water buffaloes and more.

 I am so grateful to get to go on these wonderful trips.  Thank you so much to my staff for being so competent that I can leave the practice without a worry.  And thank you to my clients who recognize that every doctor at ACC is equally qualified.  And of course, thank you to God for blessing me so richly and allowing me to share what he has taught me all over the world.

Breast Cancer in Pets

Ventana goes pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Written by Jennifer Evans, DVM

There has been a lot of pink around town lately, promoting breast cancer awareness month, but did you know pets can get mammary cancer too?  It is one of the most common types of cancer in female dogs, and female cats can also be affected.  Mammary tumors can be benign or they can be malignant and spread, most commonly to lymph nodes and the lungs.  Surgery to remove either a single mammary gland or the entire chain is the treatment of choice and sometimes chemotherapy can help. 

The really awesome news is that this type of cancer is totally preventable!!  Dogs that are spayed before they ever come into heat will never get mammary cancer.  If they are spayed after their first heat cycle but before their second, the chance of them getting it decreases by 50%.  After their second heat cycle, spaying them doesn’t help prevent mammary cancer but it does prevent other life-threatening diseases including uterine infections.  This is one of the reasons we strongly recommend spaying pups around 4 months of age, before they can come into heat.  If you think you may want to breed your dog, have a discussion with your vet about the pros and cons.  Whenever you decide you aren’t going to breed her or you are done breeding her, please keep in mind it is in her best interests to be spayed. 

We would love to talk to you about the benefits of spaying your dog!  

Meet Gustavo Rayas! Our Featured Employee of the Week!!

Gustavo currently works as a Registered Veterinary Technician at Animal Care Clinic, and has been here since May 2002. Gustavo grew up in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. He graduated with his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine in Mexico from the Autonomous University of Baja California. Gustavo is studying now, so that he may eventually be boarded as a DVM in California. He loves living in San Luis Obispo County and is glad that his children have had the opportunity to grow up here. Gustavo has 3 teenagers, whom he is always involved with in their activities and schools. Aside from being a busy, working family man, Gustavo is developing a website, petsatinternet.com.

Pets and Your Health Commercial

Did you know that interacting with a well-behaved pet changes your chemical physiology and lowers your blood pressure, decreases stress, and leads to an increased sense of energy and elation. It's true! People who own pets makes fewer visits to the doctor. Dogs and cats are good for us and we are good for them.

Breed Rescues

Written by Marissa Greenberg, DVM

Marissa and Cramer

Many of you read Dr. Evans’ article about fostering pets until they find their “forever home.”  Dr. Evans’ foster kittens came from one of the local shelters, but there is also something called breed rescues and they are often in need of foster homes.  Let’s face it, though many of us like mixed breeds, there are those of us out there who have a particular breed they are fond of or prefer.   Or we may like a certain breed but don’t want to purchase one from a breeder.  Breed rescues focus on rescuing a certain breed of dog or cat out of shelters.  They then place these animals in foster homes until they find permanent homes.  Breed rescues also receive pets from homes where that particular breed may not have worked out very well for the owners.  They often advertise the pets they have up for adoption on petfinder.com, where you can search for a particular breed, or through their own websites.  This allows people who are searching for a particular breed of dog, but aren’t interested in going out and purchasing a puppy, to find dogs in need of forever homes. 

As many of you know, I have an Australian Cattle Dog (ACD) named Mico.  But what you might not know is that he is my third cattle dog!  My first was named Tallou, and my family adopted him when I was in high school from a friend who couldn’t keep him anymore.  I fell in love with the breed!  I then adopted Slink from our local animal shelter while I attended Cal Poly.  When I went to vet school at Washington State, I met a fellow vet student who was also an ACD fan.  In fact, he and his wife had started their own ACD Breed Rescue organization called Heeling Hearts.  They worked very hard to find ACDs that had ended up in shelters and got them out and into foster care.  These dogs came from all over WA and adjoining states, as well as from across the country.  I was fortunate to provide foster care for several wonderful ACD’s, and was even more fortunate to be able to watch them go to their new owners. By getting these dogs out of the shelters and into foster homes, we were able to learn more about each dog’s personality in a home environment, which helped to place them in the right permanent home.  I thought it would be difficult to say goodbye to these dogs after opening my heart and my home to them.  But, I was always so excited to meet their new owners, and knew that they would bring someone else as much joy as they had brought me in the short time they lived with me.  And whenever one went to a permanent home, it meant that I had the opportunity to foster another. 

Tango at home

Like most breed rescues, Heeling Hearts has a selective process to be sure that these dogs are placed in homes appropriate for the breed.  If you are interested in a particular breed, contacting a breed rescue would be a good way to gain more information about it and see if it might be the right one for you.  Or if you already share your home with a pet, but think that you might provide a good foster home, consider looking into breed rescues.