Cat and Dog Buds

Written by Jennifer Evans, DVM

We’ve all heard the saying ‘fighting like cats and dogs’ but sometimes cats and dogs can be the best of friends!!  If raised together, dogs and cats are often great buddies; playing, sleeping and even eating together.  There is something quite profound about seeing a large pit bull snuggled up with a cat, they should be enemies yet they aren’t.  Kind of makes you wonder what we should be capable of as a ‘more intelligent’ species! 

Baldwin (cat) and Bean (dog)

While it’s true that some dogs just simply can’t safely be around cats, many can be taught appropriate ‘cat manners.’  The easiest way to start integrating the two species is either with a youngster of each or with an adult dog or cat that is used to the other species and a youngster who doesn’t know they should be afraid.  An adult cat that runs unfortunately becomes a really fun game for a puppy and can actually become ‘prey’ for adult dogs that don’t know better.   Whenever introducing the two, always have the dog under control with a leash and have the cat’s nails trimmed.  See how they do and progress from there.  Keeping the cat in a crate for short training periods and rewarding the dog when he ignores the cat or possibly squirting him with water if he’s too fixated will sometimes help an adult dog learn how to peacefully co-exist with a cat.  Always be cautious when introducing new critters to each other and never leave them alone unsupervised until they have proven they can get along safely.   Sometimes it takes a while for them to become friends. 

Rocky (cat) and Petey (dog)

Our office manager Lavella adopted her “chiweenie” from the shelter months ago and it took a while for her cat ‘Rocky’ to accept the new addition, but in time he realized the benefits of having another four-legged buddy in the house.  The rewards of having a dog and cat that love each other are quite numerous, not the least of which includes really awesome photo ops! 

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!