Tips to Make Your Pet More "Green"

Written by Richard Tao, DVM
Americans, particularly Californians, are considered innovators and early adopters of going green.  I am sure that we can all agree that a clean environment is better for ones health and that practicing energy efficiency can help bring huge cost savings.   Yet, how can going green also be carried over to owning pets?  After a bit of research I found that pet ownership, sadly, is not the most sustainable practice and that the most carbon neutral pet you can own is a goldfish!  Let’s face it.  Every day we plop giant bags of dog food and buckets of kitty litter into our gas guzzling SUVs and head over to the dog park to take Fluffy out to breathe in the fresh air.  Then we zoom over to Animal Care Clinic to pick up Fluffy’s heartworm preventative right before dropping her off at the day spa for a pedicure.  There’s no doubt we as pet owners can all do just a little bit more to help mother earth.
Fortunately, there are some simple steps we can take to help reduce our carbon footprint and Fluffy’s carbon pawprint.

1. Scoop the poop!  The first step is hopefully a no brainer.  Not only is proper disposal of your pets poop socially responsible it’s the healthy thing to do.  Use biodegradable bags instead of plastic bags that will take hundreds of years to break down.  I discovered some kitty litters are extracted from mines using incredibly destructive strip mining techniques.  Products made from renewable resources are a good alternative.  Flushable cat litters should be avoided.  New research suggests a link between parasites from cats to recent die-off marine mammals due to sewage run off.
2. Spay or neuter your pet.  Overcrowding in shelters is becoming an unfortunate reality.  Let’s help keep this tragic thing from happening.
3. Use sustainable goods.  That new squeaky toy for Fluffy on aisle 5.  Well it’s probably made from plastics in a toxic factory overseas.  Imagine freight cars full of rubbery and smelly squeaky toys floating in a container ship across the ocean just so Fluffy can tear it to shreds in the blink of an eye.  Then recall the hours of entertainment he had crawling in and out of the cardboard box it came in.  Cardboard box wins every time.
4. Plan your pet outings.  Those separate trips to the dog park, pet store, groomer, and veterinarian all add up to lots of gas.  Plan your route to group your pet outings together.  Most pet stores allow you to bring your leashed dog into the store so there isn’t a worry about leaving them in a hot car.

These are just some simple steps you can start right away.  I’m also happy to report that at Animal Care Clinic we are also taking steps to reduce our energy and resource consumption.  We recently upgraded our radiology equipment to a digital system eliminating the need for film and processing chemicals.  We’re also two years into a conversion to a near paperless record keeping system.  Whatever you do to help green your life.  Just know that even small steps can make huge differences.

Follow-up on Max (tumor birthing video)

Written by Bonnie Markoff, DVM, ABVP

The video of Max was taken several years ago, and due to our own technological advances we only recently have shared the video of Max and his 17-pound tumor.  Here’s what happened…

Max recovered beautifully.  The mass was a benign hematoma.  Over the next few days he gained energy and weight and within just a few weeks was back to his normal, beautiful self.  Max moved out of the area several years later and I had one call from the owner when his back went out – sounded like a spinal tumor, disc or other neuro issue.  I believe he died then.  He absolutely died of unrelated issues and it was at least 2 years later.  I think he was 9-10 years old when we did the surgery.  Pretty amazing!

To see the tumor birthing video, check it out on our You Tube page or on our Videos page at our website.

Animal Care Clinic goes Into Africa

By Bonnie Markoff, DVM, ABVP

I am off to Africa this week.   After a short time at home following my Mongolian Gobi desert trip, I am heading to Zambia.  Last year `I accompanied my dear friend as she travelled to Zambia to teach at the International School.  While I was there, I met a veterinarian and spent a week riding along on her calls.  I will join up with Dr. Allison again this year and am excited to see what adventures await me!

My favorite story from last year’s trip involved a case of rabies.  While Allison and I were out working with horses one day, two young boys wandered into the clinic area without their parent’s knowledge.  They snuck into the kennels and were playing with a young puppy.  One of the boys was bitten on the finger and luckily told one of the kennel attendants who washed his hand and sent him on his way.  Two days later the puppy started showing signs of rabies.  I have never seen a case of rabies in the states.  My brain went immediately to diagnostics.  In the US we would euthanize the dog and test its brain to confirm the diagnosis.  There are no facilities for that in Zambia and there was no doubt in Allison’s mind – this was rabies and we had to find this child or he would die.

We knew this was a white child and therefore could narrow down the possibilities of where he went to school.  A letter was sent to every principal, but we heard nothing.  The child had 7 days to start preventive vaccines.  After a few days of no word, Allison and I drove to every school and talked to the principals.  I was talking about the story every night at dinner with the teachers from the school where my friend was working.  Finally, on Friday (the sixth day!), we found the boy in the school where we were working!  He had not told his parents about the bite.  He got his vaccines in time.

Few Americans think about rabies.  In fact, most people see rabies vaccination and licensing of pets as an intrusion from our government.  I am certainly no proponent of over-vaccination, but I do believe that vaccines for horrible diseases like rabies are one of the greatest medical advances ever.  Over 50,000 people die of rabies every year.  The vast majority of these people are infected by the bite of an unvaccinated dog.  I hope to see broader use of the vaccine during this trip to Zambia.  Keep an eye on this site for an update from my trip when I return!

Presenting Amico's Firecracker, UCD

written by Marissa Greenberg, DVM

For those of you who read last week’s blog, you know that Mico and I were showing in obedience this weekend at the SLODOG United Kennel Club Show in Santa Maria.  Good news to report- Mico and I did well and received the last qualifying score we needed for him to earn his United Companion Dog Title!  We received the highest score we’ve gotten since we started showing a year ago.  Because his title was finished, I showed him once more this weekend just for the practice.  In this picture you’ll see him showing off his ribbons!  The small blue ones are the most important-they mean that we received a qualifying score.

Now that Mico is done with his United Kennel Club Novice title, we’ll be working on finishing the equivalent in the American Kennel Club.  We will show at the San Luis Obispo Kennel Club Show at the Paso Robles Event Center the 3^rd weekend in November.  We need one qualifying score there to finish his Companion Dog Title (CD).  Then we’ll spend the winter perfecting the skills we need to show in 2011 in the Open classes.

We hope everyone enjoyed the weekend and did something fun with their dogs, like Mico and I did!  And hopefully managed to stay cool, too!

Meet Ashley Ventimiglia! Our featured employee of the week!

Ashley grew up in Maui, Hawaii and is currently attending Cal Poly and Cuesta and majoring in Animal Science, concentrating in pre-vet and zoo/exotics. She has joined the veterinary nursing team at Animal Care Clinic in June 2010. Ashley has a Maltese, named Pilikia. She enjoys the beach, hanging out with friends, surfing, hip hop dancing, hiking and bowling. As Ashley is only 5 feet tall, she often referred to by friends as “short stack” or “fun size.”

Dr. Greenberg visits San Luis Obispo High School

Marissa Greenberg, DVM demos sterile surgery techniques

written by Marissa Greenberg, DVM

I’ve been given the opportunity to be a guest lecturer at Mrs. Anna Bates brand new veterinary science class at San Luis Obispo High School. Mrs. Bates' and I attended Cal Poly together, and she is now a very popular teacher in the Agriculture Education department at SLO High. When she started planning this class, she asked for my input on how to make it fun and exciting for the students. We have enjoyed working together to come up with ideas for this class. I’ll be visiting their class several times this trimester to give lectures or demonstrations. On my first visit, I brought my dog Mico with me to demonstrate some of the equipment we use to monitor anesthesia at Animal Care Clinic. On my second visit, I demonstrated sterile techniques used during surgery. Future visits will include lectures on wound healing, first aid, suturing, and bandaging, just to name a few!

By visiting the classroom, I hope to spark interest in the veterinary profession in these young minds. I also hope to educate them on other professions that are available to them if they don’t want to be a vet, but still want to work with animals. I also hope to help them realize the importance of their science and math education. In addition, I hope to share with them how much of my job is about working with people, not just the animals. The Agriculture Education Department and Future Farmers of America (FFA) do focus on teaching communication skills, and I hope that I can emphasize the importance of these skills in the veterinary profession as well.

The Dangers of Xylitol: Keep the Chewing Gum out of Reach!

Some common people products that contain xylitol

written by Marissa Greenberg, DVM

As many of us try to make healthy choices at the grocery store, there is one that is potentially very toxic to your dog.  If you are one who grabs for the sugar-free chewing gum or buy packets of sugar substitute sweetners-beware! The sugar substitute that is in most of these products is called xylitol.  Though xytliol is safe in humans, it is very dangerous in dogs.  Make sure you don’t leave your gum in a place that your dog can get to it, as the sweet smell of it can be very tempting. 

There are two major side effects that we see in dogs that ingest xylitol containing products.  The first is a drop in blood sugar, called hypoglycemia.  In dogs, xylitol causes the pancreas to release large amounts of insulin.  Insulin is the hormone that helps to regulate your blood sugar levels.  If there is too much insulin, the blood sugar levels drop.  Each piece of chewing gum contains 1-2 grams of xylitol.  In a 20 pound dog, ingesting 1-2 pieces of gum could cause hypoglycemia.  Hypoglycemia can lead to seizures, coma, and even death if left untreated.  The other side effect of xylitol can be damage to the liver.  This can happen if a 20 pound dog eats about 16 pieces of gum-that could be one pack of gum. 

If you know that your dog has ingested xylitol containing products, seek veterinary assistance immediately.  Likely, they will make your pet vomit what it has eaten.  To be sure that anything they have already digested won’t cause a problem, your pet will likely be hospitalized for intravenous fluid therapy.  This helps to get any of the xylitol that may have been absorbed through their system quicker.  They will also monitor your pets blood sugar, likely for at least 24 hours, to be sure that there is no hypoglycemia.  A blood sample will likely be evaluated to be sure there are no liver problems as well.

If you are ever concerned about something your dog may have ingested, please don’t hesitate to call us at Animal Care Clinic at 805-545-8212, or if we are closed, call Central Coast Pet Emergency Clinic at 805-489-6573.  You can also call the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at 888-426-4435.  There will be a charge for this call.  You can also visit their website ( http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/ ) for more information about toxic substances and toxic plants.

Show-Time at Animal Care Clinic!

Dogs and trainers preparing for sit-stays.

written by Marissa Greenberg, DVM

It’s show time!  This weekend is the SLODOG annual United Kennel Club (UKC) obedience and rally obedience show at the Santa Maria Elks Lodge!  If you are interested in learning more about SLODOG, UKC, or rally and obedience trials, please come out on Saturday or Sunday morning to see what it’s all about.  We ask that you leave your four-legged friends at home to limit the distractions to the dogs that are showing.  The UKC registers all breeds of dogs, even mixed breeds, so anyone can get involved.

Mico watching for cue from Marissa.

Some of you may recognize Mico from my last article about going back to school.  He is an Australian Cattle Dog (also called a Queensland Heeler or Blue Heeler) and is almost 3 years old.  I’ve had him since he was 7 weeks old.  This will be the second year that Mico and I have competed in obedience.  We will be showing in the entry-level obedience classes, called Novice Obedience.  In this class, we will demonstrate the skills that Mico and I have been working on since he was a puppy.  We will perform a heeling pattern both on and off leash, including walking in a figure eight around two strangers.  He will also have to stand and stay while I walk away from him and the judge comes up to him and does an examination.  Mico will have to sit and stay as I walk to the far end of the show ring, with a jump placed in between us.  There will be strangers on either side of the jump.   When I call him, he will have to come to me, going over the jump and ignoring the strangers.  He will have to stay in a down position with me across the ring for 3 minutes, and will have to stay in a sitting position, lined up next to other dogs, for 1 minute.  When entering the ring, everyone starts with a score of 200, and points are deducted as the dog and handler go through the different exercises.  A qualifying score is considered anything greater than 170 points.  Mico and I currently have 2 qualifying scores from last year’s show. If we get one more qualifying score, he will earn the title of United Companion Dog (UCD), and we will move up to the next level of obedience where the exercises get more challenging.  Mico is already starting to learn some of those exercises-for example, he has learned to hold a dumbbell in his mouth-which is how we got him to pose for his picture holding the lunch bag for the back-to-school article!  If we continue to move up in the different levels, he’ll even learn how to pick out a dumbbell that I have touched from a pile of different dumbbells. And we’ll have to transition from verbal cues to non-verbal signals for different commands. 

Mico jumping during recall towards Marissa.

Training Mico to show in obedience has been a great way to form a very special bond with him.  In addition, since he is a herding dog, it’s a great way to keep his very active mind busy and challenged.  We’ve also met a lot of great friends of the two- and four- legged variety. Wish us luck this weekend as we hope to add that UCD title to the end of his official name-Amico’s Firecracker.

Meet Katy Baker, our featured employee of the week!

Katy started working on the veterinary nursing team at Animal Care Clinic in June 2010. She came to San Luis Obispo from Bakersfield and is finishing up her bachelor’s degree at Cal Poly. Katy has several pets including her dog Riley, cats Zuko and Marley, and python Ringo. Vet school is a goal for down the road, so for now Katy is looking for widening her experiences and doing some traveling. Katy also loves running and hiking and enjoys working in her garden.

Mongolia 2010

Bonnie Markoff watering camels in the Gobi Desert

By Bonnie Markoff, DVM, ABVP

I am home and recovered from my trip to Mongolia.  2010 brought unique opportunities and challenges as I left the capitol city of Ulanbataar and headed into the Gobi desert.  This trip did not bring the usual interesting and often frustrating medical cases, as I was not focused on veterinary medicine.  The purpose of this trip was to teach “servant leadership” and coaching skills to educators, government workers and military staff in the countryside.  I had a new set of hurdles to jump and new types of situations that still taught me the same lessons – people of all cultures are basically the same, and when we are stressing out we need to lean on God!

Servant Leadership is a concept that is luckily taking America by storm.  The old style of “top down” leadership has proven to be poorly effective.  Rather than having a few “bosses” who make all decisions, tell others what to do and then wait for results or mistakes, servant leaders put their front line people on the top of the hierarchy.  Servant leaders help to develop goals and ideals that everyone embraces and then do all they can to help their people succeed.  Mongolia has most recently been occupied by Russia and still identifies greatly with the “old Russian” style of leadership and education.  The idea that a good leader actually serves his staff was a bit foreign, but amazingly well accepted!

Since my trips are part of the Christian Veterinary Mission, sharing the love of Christ is an important part of what we do.  Servant Leadership is modeled after Christ’s example and in some circles is called “leading like Jesus.”  The 3 Mongolians who accompanied me were wonderful examples of this servant behavior.  We seemed to touch base with every family in town, as we drove and drove and drove and drove on non-existent roads to small little villages and towns, usually 3-4 hours apart.  We had people join us for meals and were hosted for tea every day.  The love that was shared was truly amazing.  Even people we had never met before would welcome us into their homes and share what little they had.  It was very humbling.

Of course, I did my usual crazy stuff.  I got to ride a camel in the Gobi and was able to pull water out of a ground well to water a herd of camels.  I was finally served one of the favorite delicacies in Mongolia – sheep head.  This coveted item was prepared especially for me.  Despite our American revulsion to the idea of eating a head that is served intact (with eyes, ears, tongue and teeth), it was really quite yummy.  I was awed to see my Mongolian friends’ knife skills and their ability to get every morsel of food from this animal.  This meal was no more unusual to the foreigner than was the sea scallops and artichokes I served to my Mongolian friends when they visited California earlier this year – it is all just a matter of what you are used to!

So Mongolia 2010 was a great success.  I spent endless hours bouncing along the heavily rutted roads of the Gobi, traveling hundreds of miles in just a few days, but my back recovered quickly.  I slept on the floor, ate boiled mutton and have bathroom stories to rival any traveler.  Language issues were a big challenge, but I communicated and made new friends.  We cannot learn if we are not challenged.  We cannot grow if we are not stretched.  I thank God for challenging and stretching me while allowing me to serve Him every day.

Back-to-School Tips from Dr. Marissa Greenberg

Mico with his lunch sack

written by Marissa Greenberg, DVM


It’s back-to-school time, and you may not think so, but this can affect your dog too!  You and your family may have spent more time at home with your critters throughout the summer.  But with school starting, your dogs might be missing their playmates!  There are a few things you can do to ensure that your dogs handle this transition well.

1)   Start leaving your dog at home a little more often to get them used to more alone time.   Make sure that you don’t make a big commotion about your leaving or your coming home, and wait to greet your dog until he is over the excitement of your presence.  This can help decrease his anxiety about your coming and going.

2)   Consider leaving music on for background noise if you will be gone all day.

3)   Leave your dog with something to keep him occupied- interactive toys that you can stuff with some food can help keep him busy for a while.  An example would be a Kong Toy.  Try stuffing with some treats and some peanut butter and then freezing it, this will help it to take just a little longer to get all the good stuff out of it!

4)   If you are going to be gone long periods of time, consider using a crate.  Leaving piddle pads out isn’t a good idea-these teach your dog that it is ok to go to the bathroom in the house!

5)   Make sure your dog still gets as much exercise as possible.  Start a routine that includes exercise before and after school/work, and schedule in extra time to play ball, go to the beach, or go on a hike.  If your dog won’t be able to get as much exercise as he did during the summer, then it’s a good idea to cut back on his food a bit so that he doesn’t gain weight.

6)   Quality time with your dog will help them to handle your absence better.  Consider taking your dog back to school-enroll in obedience classes, agility classes, or other fun dog sports!  Visit http://www.canineacademy.org/ or  http://gentlepets.com/ to learn more about different classes in our area that are fun for you and your dog!  Also consider doing therapy work with your dog-visit http://www.deltasociety.org/ for more information.  SLODOG is a local group that can be a good way to get out and involved with dog activities. Check out their website http://slodog.com/slodog.com/about_SLODOG.html.

If you have any other ideas for ways to help your dog transition back-to-school, we’d love to hear them!  And if you have any problems during this time, we are here to help you.

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