Guide Dogs of America: Recco's Second Evaluation

Stephanie and Recco

Written by Stephanie Ruggerone, Practice Administrator

Many of you are already aware of Animal Care Clinic’s association with Guide Dogs of America, as a portion of the donations received at our annual Wine Gala Open House benefited this wonderful organization.  What you may not know, is just as it “takes a community to raise a child” so it also takes the help of many people to properly socialize and raise a puppy to be the eyes for a blind individual.  While I may be the official “puppy raiser” for “Recco”, my sixteenth guide dog puppy, the entire clinic as well as our clients are instrumental in his education.  Successfully learning to remain calm and quiet, following commands given by a variety of people and exposure to life’s sights and sounds would never be accomplished without all of you!

Stephanie and Recco at work

Recco recently returned from a week of evaluations at Guide Dogs of America in Sylmar, California; and I am happy to report he passed with flying colors.  All puppies must be returned to the school several times during the “raising” period to insure they are developing into the type of dog that can handle the stressors of guide work.  At 6-months of age he was evaluated to determine if he should be considered for the school’s breeding program.  This recent evaluation was performed at 9-months of age and he was observed for his reactions at a busy indoor mall as well as for his response to obedience commands.  His hips and elbows were x-rayed to rule out dysplasia and he had exposure to unfamiliar dogs in the community runs and kennel.  His next evaluation is scheduled for his 1-year birthday in late December.  We are also honored that Recco has been chosen as one of several “puppies in training” to attend the Guide Dogs of America annual gold tournament and awards banquet being held in Las Vegas next month!

Our Dr. Evans is scheduled to raise a female yellow lab for GDA.  Her puppy was born recently and can be seen on the “puppy cam” at the Guide Dogs Of America website.  I will let you know how Recco does in Las Vegas; perhaps he will bring home a jackpot!

Adopting Pets - What to Know Before You Bring Fluffy a New Friend

Written by Jennifer Evans, DVM

Kitten with Upper Respiratory Infection (URI)

Getting a new dog or cat is always exciting, and getting one from a shelter is a wonderful way to help an animal in need.  Getting a new pet when you already have a dog or cat has its own set of complications.  Many dogs and cats appreciate a new friend but it is our responsibility to make sure our new friend doesn’t make our old friend sick.  Any animal from any shelter or pet store has the potential to have some sort of infectious disease they could pass on to your current pets.  Whenever many animals are housed together, or even just have contact with each other like at a dog park, there is a chance they could catch an upper respiratory infection or possibly something more serious.  Just like kids get colds at pre-school, dogs and cats get upper respiratory infections anywhere they have contact with multiple others.  The environments of shelters are just such a place.  Many dogs and cats that have been adopted from a shelter either come home with an infection, or develop one within the first two weeks of being home.  Cats typically have upper respiratory viral infections with sneezing, runny eyes and runny noses.  Sometimes they are very sick and other times they seem to feel fine.

Dog with Kennel Cough

Dogs most typically have some form of ‘kennel cough’- a broad term for many different infectious causes of coughing or upper respiratory infections.  There is also the possibility that your new friend could have something even more dangerous such as parvo, feline leukemia (FeLV) or feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV).  Because of this possibility, a veterinarian should see all newly adopted pets as soon as possible.  New cats should be screened for FeLV and FIV, all pets should be checked for giardia and any new pet should be kept separate from other pets in the household, ideally for 2 weeks.  I realize this is difficult to do and may seem unnecessary, but it really is in the best interest of your whole four-legged family.  Elderly pets are especially susceptible to infectious diseases and if they catch something it can become much more serious.  Just like a cold in a 10-year-old kid is much less dangerous than one in a 90-year-old person, a case of kennel cough is just an annoyance for a 3-year-old dog but can become life-threatening pneumonia in a 13-year-old.  Shelters are excellent places to find a new companion, but just be aware that they shouldn’t instantly be integrated into the family.  If you have any questions about bringing a new pet into the family or you have a new family addition that needs a check-over, we would be happy to help!!

Check out Wood’s Humane Society or San Luis Obispo County Department of Animal Services to find a new furry friend.  There are also several other local humane groups who can help you find a good match!

Meet Jeff Larsen!!! Our featured Employee of the week!

Jeff is another local to the SLO county area. He grew up in the Five Cities and joined our Customer Service Team in August 2010. Jeff has his two little dogs P-nut and Buddy (which including himself makes PB&J!) Becoming a Registered Veterinary Technician is one of Jeff’s goals along with earning degrees in accounting and dance. Jeff enjoys all performing arts, but is especially passionate about dance and choreography. He’s been dancing and putting together shows, dance concerts, and various other performances since the age of 15. Equally, he has developed the same love for marching band and colorguard. Jeff has performed with and taught several scholastic and independent marching units, including Arroyo Grande High School Marching Band and Colorguard, The Northern Lights Winterguard from Portland, Oregon and The Blue Devils Drum and Bugle Corps from Concord, California.

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!