Meet Marissa Greenberg! Featured Employee of the Week!!

Marissa Greenberg joined our doctor team in June 2006. Marissa grew up in Whittier, CA. She then graduated from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo with a degree in Animal Science and worked at Animal Care Clinic as a veterinary nurse during her undergraduate studies. She earned her DVM from Washington State University in 2006 and plans on becoming an ABVP diplomat. Marissa’s special interests include oncology, pain management/prevention, leadership and communication.

She has been a very active participant in many forms of community service, such as Relay For Life, both on the Central Coast and in Washington state. She enjoys riding, training and showing her cow horse. She also enjoys spending time with family and friends, camping, hiking, cooking and baking. Marissa loves spending time with her dogs Slink and Mico. She enjoys spending time training Mico and showing him in obedience trials.

Recco's Dreaded Recall Notice

Written by Stephanie Ruggerone, Practice Administrator

Like the saying goes, “all good things must come to an end,” or so that is how my family feels as we process the letter we received from Guide Dogs of America last week.  Yes, the long dreaded recall letter came advising us it is time to give up our beautiful boy so he can finally learn to wear a harness and guide a sight-impaired individual.

Recco still has the most difficult part of his training to accomplish.  He will be assigned to a California State Licensed Guide Dog Instructor and spend the next five to six months learning how to navigate a blind person through the dangers of everyday life.  Two of the most difficult transitions he will need to master are “intelligent disobedience” and becoming responsible for his new partner’s safety.

Only about 50% of the dogs that begin their journey to become guide dogs will successfully complete their final harness training.  Once Recco passes his physical and temperament testing the stressful part of his training is just beginning.  We have done a tremendous amount of groundwork so that Recco will hopefully not encounter frightening situations he has never seen.  What is difficult to prepare him for is making the change from following the direction of us, his puppy raisers, to taking charge when necessary and NOT following the direction of a blind partner if safety is at risk.

Recco seems unconcerned with the harness!

He will be required to learn the “straight line” concept and only vary from a given direction to avoid an obstacle, coming back to the straight line again after the danger has been passed.  He will learn to stop at all curbs as well as the “bumpy” wheelchair ramps you now see at most intersections.  He will learn to look up and identify possible dangerous situations from tree branches, overhangs and building fixtures that he could easily go under but not a blind partner.  He will learn to back his partner up when danger crosses the path and will learn to stand his ground when asked to go forward in a dangerous situation.  In essence, he will learn to be responsible for the “transport” of the team from one location to another and he will need to take this job seriously.

I hope in six months we will be invited to see Recco graduate with his new partner and give you another update on how all this training went.  We would love to have a photo of Recco proudly wearing the harness and finally becoming the true gift of sight.

Recco has been an easy dog to raise; fun, loving, intelligent (most of the time) and a breeze to train in basic obedience and general manners.  We could not have asked for a better dog.  Our job is done and we will send Recco off with an ocean of tears and the hope he will be successful and make a world of difference for someone who needs him.  Goodbye our little “Reckster”, we love you and will miss you!  Hello Fayme, an eight-week-old German Shepherd to start the cycle over again…Oh Boy, what have I gotten us into now?

Animals in the News!

There are so many interesting news stories out there about pets and other animals, veterinary medicine or other animal related topics!  Each week we'll be gathering some stories that might be interesting to you, so keep posted each week for new stories!

Impacts of Veterinary Medicine with Human Medicine:

• "Human Studies Might Benefit Zoo Animals" - Zookeepers can incorporate information learned from human research to better care for nocturnal animals that spend time in displays that recreate night and vice versa.

• "Simple Injection Could Cure Cat Allergies" - Researchers are formulating a vaccine that may help lessen cat allergy symptoms in people.  This injection could equal the effect of a year's worth of allergy shots!

• "MU Dog Study May Hold Parkinson's Clue" - A finding of researchers from the University of Missouri, could provide insight to human hereditary Parkinson's.

• "Big Blue's Tiny Bug Zapper" - Researchers develop a nanoparticle that shows promise to work against superbugs that have become resistant to antibiotics.

• "Man's Best Friend: A Joint Tumor Marker in Man and Dog" - Austrian researchers found a common tumor marker in both species in studying breast cancer with hopes to develop therapeutic procedures.

Advances in Veterinary Medicine:

• "Pet Vet: Cancer in Pets" -  The life expectancy of pet's with cancer has increased from available treatments in surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.

• "Surgeon Says Paw Implant Goes Well for Husky Zeus" - Read about this Husky that underwent a four-hour surgery for a new prosthetic front paw.

• "Algae for Pet Health: An Integrative Approach" - Read about a veterinarian's experience with using algae as a supplement to help with some veterinary medical conditions in pets.

• "A Look at the Alternative" - Alternative and complementary medicine is becoming all the rage with many veterinarians expanding their knowledge and pet owners asking for more care options.  The AVMA has guidelines for these therapies including acupuncture, botanical medicine and massage therapy.

• "English Springer Spaniel Stray Beats Cleft Palate" - An English Springer Spaniel stray beats the odds with a rare birth defect and the help of U.C. Davis.

Miscellaneous:

• "Mexican School Joins an Elite Group" - The National Autonomous University of Mexico School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Husbandry was granted full accreditation by the AVMA Council on Education in early March!

• "When Pets Outlive Owners, 'Retirement Homes' Offer Refuge" - As pets are living longer, some facilities and vet schools are offering care or new homes for animals left behind.

• "Why Some are Devoted to Grandpuppies" - As the human-animal bond has increased in the modern age, many people consider dogs as members of the family, especially in childless households.

Meet Richard Tao! Our Featured Employee of the Week!!

Dr. Richard Tao is yet another graduate of the UC Davis veterinary program. Dr. Tao also received his B.S. in physiology from Davis. He spent one year practicing at the Animal Specialty Group in Los Angeles before joining Animal Care Clinic in November 2001. Rich’s special interests include surgery, orthopedics, oncology and ultrasonography/medical imaging. In his free time, Dr. Tao enjoys cycling, backpacking, and traveling. Richard is a volunteer firefighter with the Santa Margarita fire department. He and his wife have 3 cats and a Golden Retriever/Border Collie cross, Sephora.

Proud to be: 2011 AAHA Practice of the Year finalist!!

Finalist display of ACC at
AAHA Conference

Written by Nicole Gunkel, RVT

Many have heard by now that Animal Care Clinic was honored with an award as a Finalist for American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Practice of the Year!  We are all very excited about our finalist status and proud to have shown ourselves well in honor of our clients and patients.  For those who haven’t heard, let me tell you a little about AAHA and this award.

Last year, I was looking through an AAHA magazine and read an article about the first annual AAHA Practice of the Year award and immediately thought, why didn’t I hear about this?  In my mind Animal Care Clinic should be right there at the top.  So last fall, I spent many hours preparing our application.  AAHA wanted to know how we communicate that we are AAHA accredited, something that only 15% of veterinary hospitals in North America can claim!  They also wanted to hear about our community service, staff continual education, and compliance of clients on several different services we offer.  After sending in our application we were thrilled to hear that we had made it among the top-5 finalists for the Practice of the Year award.  The award was to be announced and presented at this year’s AAHA Conference in Toronto, Canada; and so of course, we must go!

Presentation of award by AAHA President to Animal Care Clinic

Last month I went along with our practice owner/veterinarian Dr. Bonnie Markoff and our practice administrator Stephanie Ruggerone to Toronto.  Our time in Toronto was spent primarily indoors going to classes all day long about a wide range of topics to do with the veterinary world.  Conferences like this are one way our staff keeps up with new advances in veterinary medicine and learns about new skills and products.  I personally went to classes ranging from leadership, greening the veterinary hospital, client/staff communications, behavior, social media/websites and scientific veterinary technician.  I learned soooo much and am still processing everything I heard and saw.

Dr. Mike Cavanagh, Director and CEO of AAHA talking about Animal Care Clinic

When we originally checked in and received our name badges we also got a really cool button that differentiated us as a Practice of the Year finalist.  There was a really great display for everyone to see our application and learn more about all the things we do at Animal Care Clinic.  We always got a little bit giddy when we saw people from other hospitals looking through our stuff and pointing things out.  It really made me feel that we have something very special here in San Luis Obispo.

Our Practice of the Year Award!

The very last day of the conference was the awards breakfast where they announced where they ranked us as finalists.  Of course, we all wanted to be first but it was such an honor to be there in the first place.  We waited patiently as other practices were named as first, second and third before we were announced as finalists.  During this time we got to hear about the other hospitals whose company we shared and couldn’t help but be very excited for each of them.  Every other practice in the top-5 really stood out in their own way and there is no way we could fault any one of them.  Our finalist position means that we are qualified to apply again next year, and so w shall!  I can personally say that I learned about so many ways that we can improve for our patients, our clients, and our staff.  Many of these things we have already begun to apply.   Besides, we did get a really cool award that is being displayed on our front desk so please come and take a look!  If you have any questions about AAHA, any of our staff members would be more than happy to tell you more and we always strive to improve for everyone’s sake!

Animals in the News!

There are so many interesting news stories out there about pets and other animals, veterinary medicine or other animal related topics!  Each week we'll be gathering some stories that might be interesting to you, so keep posted each week for new stories!

This week:

Service Dogs

There are several articles here about different types of service dogs.  Anything from helping retired service men detect seizures, detecting low blood sugar in diabetics to helping students cope while at school!  There sure are some amazing things that dogs do to help us!

•Police dogs provide cops with additional capabilities

•Therapy dogs gain in popularity at U.S. campuses
"Checking Out Monty: Yale Law Students can Reduce Stress with Therapy Dog"

"For Law Students with Everything, Dog Therapy for Stress"

•Service dogs provide valuable help for returning veterans

"Service Dogs Warns Veteran of Coming Seizures"

"Service Dogs Provide Comfort for Veterans Back from War"

•Some diabetes sufferers look to dogs for assistance

Veterinary Care During Economic Downturn

The economic downturn has hit people across the U.S. in many different ways.  There's unlikely a single person who could say it hasn't impacted them in one way or another.  Here are a couple interesting articles on how it has affected people with their pets.

•Pets continue to suffer in economic downturn


•Americans are spending more on their pets, despite tough economy

Spring is Here!

From allergies, springtime flowers to spending more time outside there are many ways are pets can accidentally get themselves into trouble!  Here are some great articles on coping with allergies, discouraging digging, and preventing poisoning by some popular spring time flowers and plants.

•Helping pets cope with allergy season

•AKC expert offers tips to keep dogs from digging

•Spring flowers can prove a potent poison when ingested by pets

"Pet Owners Beware Some Trees and Flowers"

"Veterinarians Caution Pet Owners: Dangers At Easter Time"

"Unleashed: Celebrate Easter, but be wary of dangers to your pets"

"Easter Traditions Not All Pet-Friendly"

Meet Jennifer Evans! Our Featured Employee of the Week!!

Jennifer Evans joined Animal Care Clinic in July 1997. She is a Santa Barbara native who earned a degree in Biology from Cal Poly. Dr. Evans earned her DVM from UC Davis in 1997. Her special interests include pocket pets (rodents and rabbits), behavior and internal medicine. Jennifer brings a special compassion and empathy to our practice. Jennifer enjoys all outdoor activities including camping, SCUBA diving and horseback riding, along with church and family activities. She has two dogs, Ventana a career changed Guide Dog Labrador retriever whom she enjoys as her hiking buddy and Payton, her first Guide Dog Puppy in training.