Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all of my wonderful patients and their awesome owners!  Thank you for your dedication and friendship with Animal Care Hospital over the last 6 years  Here's to a fantastic NEW YEAR full of hopes and possibility!

2014 is going to be great for ACH.  Dr. Genevieve Kluver will be starting in June, which means ACH will be able to provide TWICE as much of the high quality care you've all grown to trust with us.  She and Dr. Deb have worked together for 10 years and share the same philosophies about medicine and the same level of commitment to our patients and clients.   We know you will all love her!  We've waited several years just for Dr. Gen - no one else would really fit with our practice philosophy, so we've held out for her, as our FULL TIME SECOND DOCTOR!! 

YAY for Animal Care Hospital!

Watch for our latest change as well - our new digital sign by the road.  While it was hard to say goodbye to the monument sign that we had for several years, it was time to upgrade and build a new one.  It will be up within a few more weeks, so look for it when you drive by or stop by and see it!

Happy New Year everybody!!

-- Dr. Deb

Heartworm and Other Parasites in California!

Those of us who live in the high desert have generally been pretty spoiled when it comes to parasites.  We have them, and we know we have them, but we tend to not see the burdens of parasites like other areas - areas that get more rain, for example.

This year, however, we have started to see a bit of a change.  We saw more fleas than ever before.  There were some weeks when we diagnosed fleas every single day.  It almost always was met with the response, "But we don't have fleas in the desert!"

I'm telling you that we do, and we have a LOT of them.   Fleas cause all sorts of skin problems, including intense itching, rashes, etc.  It doesn't matter if you don't SEE the flea;  it's something you MUST take into account when your pet has any sort of skin issue.  Believe me, I know that blank, disbelieving stare - people have been told for years that we just don't have fleas here.  But we do!!

I tell every owner that I see, who has a dog or a cat with itchy skin, to put them on flea preventative.  Needless to say I'm met with a lot of resistance!  But if you treat skin without preventing fleas, you are essentially doing nothing to solve the problem.

However, the SCARY thing I want to mention, is that we are starting to see more cases of HEARTWORM DISEASE now too.  I just diagnosed a case this week in a dog that has NEVER left CA and has been on preventative for YEARS.  We've always been a little more lenient on annual testing because the incidence of heartworm disease in the high desert, not to mention Southern CA, is very low.  But in my opinion, if even ONE comes up positive (like this doggy did) then it's something I'm going to start recommending to everyone, every year.

I tend to recommend what I do for my own dog.  Well, guess what?  My own dog is now going to be tested yearly and will stay on heartworm and flea prevention year round.   I practice what I preach.

Because of this, I've decided to put together a package of testing, priced nice and low so people can afford it.  The package will include a mini blood panel, a fecal test, a urinalysis and a heartworm test.  It will cost less than $100 which is a GREAT deal.  (Thank you Idexx laboratories for this awesome deal that is really going to help people and their pets!)

Don't be ignorant and blinded about parasites.  Our furry friends are worth too much for us to avoid these things.  Let's work hard on keeping them safe from those nasty things!!

When you call, ask about our special parasite package pricing.  If your pet is current on exam, they don't even need to see the doctor again, but if not, then an exam will be required.

Give us a call ASAP so we can get you in, get your pets tested and start them on life saving preventatives!   760-247-0292 

Why Dental Xray is Important!!

When educating my clients about dentistry, I find it difficult to sometimes convey just how important it really is  to take xrays of your pet's mouth.  In ideal situations, a set of full mouth xrays should be taken during even a routine dental cleaning.  Why???  Because what we see above the gumline often does not match what we see below the gumline.

OK, so what the heck does THAT mean?

We cleaned the teeth of one of the cutest dog's ever, named Ipod.  'Pod, as we like to call her, is a tiny little doggy owned by Ruthanne, one of our stellar registered veterinary technicians.  Ruth cleans 'Pod's teeth every year.  Yep, we practice what we preach at Animal Care Hospital.  My own dog, Vinnie, just had HIS teeth cleaned last week.

Because Ruthanne takes such good care of her pets, Ipod's teeth were in pretty good shape.  But, she is older - she's 9 years old - so we wanted to use our new dental xray unit and do a full set of xrays on her mouth.

Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit but guess what????

We found a problem that we didn't even know was there.

See, Ipod has tiny little teeth.   You can barely even see some of them - but the gums are healthy and the teeth look pretty good from the outside.   Most people would say her teeth were fine and she didn't have any problems.    Here's a shot of her teeth:

Because we never really had the capability for doing full mouth xrays before, we didn't realize that 'Pod had an abnormal tooth.  After all, they looked just fine!  But here is an xray of the teeth you see above:

Can you see how the tooth with the arrow looks different than the other teeth???  It's not a healthy tooth and needed to be extracted, which we did.  This is actually a retained baby tooth, and the adult tooth that was supposed to grow in its place, did not exist.  So the baby tooth never fell out, and was likely a source of pain for Ipod.  These retained teeth are brittle and ABNORMAL, are PAINFUL and can ABSCESS.  You wouldn't want to leave something like that in your pet's mouth would you?? 

After we removed this tooth and her mouth healed, Ruthanne was amazed at how much better Ipod felt!   BAD TEETH CAUSE PAIN AND SUFFERING FOR OUR PETS! 

 So when exactly should we be taking oral xrays?

- When a tooth is mobile (movable)
-  When the gums bleed with or without probing with a dental instrument
-  When a tooth is broken
-  When a tooth is discolored (known as pulpitis)
-  When there is furcation exposure (periodontal disease)
-  When teeth are missing without explanation
-  When we find feline resorptive lesions (FORLs)
-  Prior to extraction and after extraction

When should we take a full mouth set of xrays?

-  When there is periodontal disease anywhere in the mouth
-  When FORLs are present
-  Broken teeth of unknown origin
-  To evaluate oral and/or facial swellings.



We do understand that proper dentistry can be costly for owners, but this is proof positive for why we make the recommendations for what we do.  It's proof positive for why non-anesthetic dentistry is not only a sham, but very very bad for your pets, and proof positive for why we believe 100% in appropriate dental care WITH ORAL XRAYS!!!

If you have questions, please give us a call and schedule a consult so we can discuss your pet's oral care in more detail.

Another Case of Rabies!!

I very much dislike it when something happens that is so easily preventable.

This article is VERY important.  Why??

Because:

1.) this dog obviously wasn't vaccinated against rabies and
2.) it likely caught it from feral cats!!


I encourage you to read this article and keep your cats and dogs up to date with their rabies vaccines.


Rabies in Family Dog, Caught from Feral Cat

And, just to clarify - the way we "test" for rabies is to euthanize the pet and remove its head to be sent in to the lab for testing.   It's gory and it's not fun.

It's SO much easier to keep your pet vaccinated against this terrible disease!

Call us today at Animal Care Hospital so we can schedule your pet for a physical exam and update all of the appropriate vaccinations.

Is My Dog Having an Asthma Attack?

I get this question a lot, and yesterday as I was discussing this "condition" with an owner, I thought it would make a very good blog post as well as a good thing to put on our facebook page.  There are hundreds of videos of it on YouTube, so we'll be posting one here and on facebook to help owners recognize what is happening to their doggies and not panic when they see it!

It's the incredible Reverse Sneeze!!

What the heck is it?  Well, most people think it's an asthma attack because it appears as though the dog cannot breathe when it is happening.  Another concern owners have is simply that something has affected their dog and for whatever reason, they are having episodes of severe respiratory distress and are dying.  They almost always come to my office saying, "My dog is having difficulty breathing and he's dying!"  or "My dog keeps having asthma attacks!"   

These episodes are followed by a warp speed drive in to see us where we generally assess a happy dog wagging its tail and giving us the look of,  "What's all the excitement about?”

In fact, the first time my husband saw our own dog do it, he said, "Now I know why our clients get so scared when they see this happening!"

Reverse sneezing sounds similar to a honking noise and is a condition that usually does not need any treatment. It is called reverse sneezing because it sounds a bit like a dog “inhaling sneezes” or “snorting backwards.” These episodes are short-lived and usually resolved by the time of presentation, leaving us veterinarians to (embarrassingly) try to mimic the noise in the exam room. 

Follow this link for a video that demonstrates what a typical reverse sneezing episode appears like. 

The most common cause of reverse sneezing is an irritation of the soft palate and throat that results in a spasm. The dog’s neck will “stretch outward” and the chest will expand during the spasm as it tries harder to inhale. The trachea narrows during this time, and it’s hard to get the normal amount of air into the lungs.  All of these actions together result in the disturbing display.

What are some other causes?

Anything that irritates the throat can cause this spasm, and subsequent reverse sneezing, including:

• excitement
• eating or drinking
• exercise intolerance
• pulling on a leash
• mites
• foreign bodies caught in the throat
• perfumes and environmental irritants such as household chemicals
• viruses
• pollen, allergies and post-nasal drip

Further evaluation should be pursued if reverse sneezing becomes a frequent occurrence, as there may be a treatable underlying cause of the episodes, such as mites or allergies. In many cases, however, the cause cannot be identified.

What can I do?

Reverse sneezing itself rarely requires treatment. When the sneezing stops, the spasm is over. If the episode continues beyond a few seconds, sometimes massaging your dog’s throat can help stop the spasm. Also, it is sometimes effective to cover the nostrils for quick moment, which makes the dog swallow and helps to “clear out the irritation.”

Some dogs have these episodes their entire lives while some dogs develop the condition only as they age. In most dogs, however, the spasm is an occasional and temporary problem that goes away on its own, needing no treatment and leaving the dog with no after-effects.

Congratulations!! A Shining Example!

I wanted to share this very inspiring story of weight loss of one of my patients, owned by some very dear and caring people!  They deserve BIG kudos and they officially win my admiration for a job well done!  Proof positive that hard work DOES pay off!  Congratulations Mr. Tom and Mrs. Eve Vonne!

Lexi The Amazing Doggy!!!

Best Friend of: Tom and Eve Vonne

Lexi is a six-year-old cockapoo that brings us nothing but love and happiness. It was during those puppy-training years that we found ourselves “giving in’ to her big lovable brown eyes and  “playful but begging” facial expressions. Like many dog owners, we thought the only way to return her unconditional love was to reward her with lots and lots of treats and large portions of dog food during meal times!  

We would give her store bought treats every time she went outside to do her duty, did her tricks, after every meal, and at bedtime.  During those years we thought she was so active, loving to constantly play, and therefore would not have a weight problem.  What were we thinking???  Lexi eventually started to slow down as she grew a couple of years older.

It was during her annual check ups that Dr. Debbie began to tell us that she was gaining weight and needed to loose “a few pounds”. Of course we were in denial; not believing we were over feeding her. Surely her weight gain was not our doing.

It was at this point that Dr. Debbie gave us a plastic measuring cup and told us that Lexi, considering her breed and body type, should only be eating ½ cup of dry and ½ cup of can dog food at mealtime.  As if that shock was not enough, on our way out the door to go home, Dr. Debbie clearly stated, “Remember for every treat you give Lexi is like a “Snicker's Bar” to us!  Wow!  Finally for whatever reason, her statement stuck with us. We talked and decided right then that it was time for action.

We started to reduce her food intake like Dr. Debbie advised and cut out all of her store bought treats.  We replaced those treats with “Mini Rice Cakes”, cut up baby carrots, cantaloupe, watermelon and ice cubes. She still likes us to think she is starving but we stick to our guns and do not give in to anything else.

As you can tell by the attached photos, Lexi is not a big dog and should not weigh more than 25 lbs.  However, at one point she weighed as high as 38 lbs.  Since we have cut out the treats, she is now 23 lbs., a perfect weight for her size.  Her body has slimmed down enough that we can now see her slimmer ribcage and tapered down waist. Her energy level is “over the top” again.  She’s going to be 7 years old this November and we are looking forward to many, many more years of sharing her love and loyalty.

We will never be able to thank Dr. Debbie (and her staff) for all they have done to help us get Lexi back to her perfect weight.  We’ll be forever indebted to her for showing us how healthy Lexi should be.

Thank you again.

Rabies!!!!

I seriously am seeing FAR too many people bringing their pets in without a current rabies vaccination.  IT IS A REAL THREAT.   Just this week I had SEVERAL people tell me they "never bothered with a rabies vaccine" for their dog.

Well, first of all, it's a REQUIREMENT by the State of CA to keep your dog current on rabies vaccination.  You can be fined, you can be forced to pay for quarantine, and you can and will be held responsible if your pet exposes any one else to the disease because you didn't take the time or spend the money to keep them current on the vaccine.  Cheap vaccine clinics have taken away all excuses for not doing this!

While it's not required for cats - it's HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that you also keep ALL of your cats current on rabies vaccine.  Yes, EVEN THE INDOOR CATS.

WHY?  Well, because we have rabies here in the desert!  Rabies kills PEOPLE!   I say this until I am blue in the face but until someone here actually dies from it, I suspect people will still refuse to follow this simple, life saving rule:  VACCINATE ALL DOGS AND CATS FOR RABIES!!!

A person was just exposed to a rabid bat here in the Mojave Desert and they are trying to find that person because he may have been exposed.  Point being that if the bats have it, then there is GREAT potential for a dog or a cat (or other animals!) to also be exposed.

How do you avoid it?  How do you avoid DYING from rabies?  Well, one way is to make sure your dogs AND cats are kept current on the vaccine so they don't expose YOU to the deadly disease.

And please do not argue with me about this vaccine because it's not a winnable argument.  :)

Here's the link to the news article that came out just this week:



RABIES IN THE MOJAVE DESERT

Don't Leave Your Dog in the Car!

Some very important info considering we are now starting to have warm, sunny days.

Pet Obesity

Anyone who has met me in person and who has known me for some time, like a good majority of my clients, know I've lost a LOT of weight in the last year.  I've succeeded through a LOT of hard work and significant changes to my diet and lifestyle.  For example, I don't drink sugared drinks or eat fast food any more.  Those things MAKE US FAT.  Eating a lot of bread MAKES US FAT.  Eating too many desserts MAKES US FAT.  And above all, leading a sedentary lifestyle without so much as going for a walk every day, MAKES US FAT.

I take this very seriously, and when it came to my own health, decided it was time to make the changes necessary to make myself healthier by losing weight.

So I'm not completely surprised that I'm seeing an increase in how many of our pets are FAT.  It's bothering me a LOT because it's one medical condition - yes it is a condition - that I can't do anything about except talk to owners until I'm blue in the face about making their pets lose weight.  I can't control anything they do once they walk out the door, and more often than not, the next time I see their pet, they've gained even more weight!  It seems the "new normal" is that fat pets are generally  thought of as "normal"  while pets at a normal weight are considered "too thin".

Considering our pets eat what we give them and don't go to the grocery store to stock up on donuts and cookies, the fault relies 100% on the owners.  I know that is harsh, but it is true.

WHAT can we do about this???

PLEASE bring your pets in to see me so we can talk about how to get those extra pounds of your doggies and kitties.  THEIR LIVES DEPEND ON IT!!!

I found this online and thought it was some really good info so I wanted to share it with my readers.

1. According to the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention, 53 percent of adult dogs and 55 percent of cats in the U.S. are obese or overweight.
    
2. 22 percent of dog owners and 15 percent of cat owners said their pet's weight was normal, when it was actually overweight or obese.
    
3. The "fat pet gap" is the normalization of obesity by pet parents. (Read: fat pets = the new normal.)
    
4. Dogs and cats who are 10 to 20 percent over their ideal body weight are considered overweight. Dogs and cats 20 percent over their ideal weight are considered obese.
    
5. A golden hamster should weigh 5 to 7 ounces and dwarf hamsters should weigh 3/4 to 1 3/4 ounces.
    
6. Obesity is the number one health problem in pet birds. Most birds have food available all the time, so they don't have to work for their dinner. And because there's not too much else to do, they sit around and rest all day.
    
7. Amazon parrots, cockatiels, rose-breasted cockatoos, canaries, quaker parrots and budgerigars are more prone to obesity than other birds.
    
8. Overweight or obesity can cause arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney disease, certain cancers, heart and respiratory disease, and more for your pet.
    
9. According to the Purina Lifespan Study, obesity takes almost two years off a dog's life.
    
10. To check if your pet is obese or overweight, you should be able to easily feel your pet's ribs without pressing on the pet and your pet’s stomach should be tucked in.
     
11. Veterinarians determine if a pet is overweight or obese by their body condition score, or BCS. Veterinarians assess the amount of stored fat and assign a number to score if a pet is underweight, overweight, or just right.
 

 

Here is a GREAT link to how to check your pet by using your own hand bones as a guide to what you should feel on your pet:


Judging your pet's Body Condition Score (BCS)


If you are not sure about your pet's weight, give us a call and schedule an exam so we can talk about this!  It's so very important for their overall health and nothing makes me more sad than to see a pet struggling just to walk in the door because they are so obese they cannot carry their own weight - and I'm seeing too much of this these days!!

Pet Dental Health Month

Today is the start of Dental Health Month!

We offer a FREE dental cleaning for the month of February in order to encourage more people to bring their pets in for this very important procedure!  That's a savings of almost $50 off the cost of a dental!

I came across this video today and it's a goodie.  With the exception of a few variations, this is what happens when an appropriate dental cleaning is performed on our patients.   Please take note of what they talk about at the end about non-anesthetic dental cleaning!  (Illegal in the state of CA unless done by a veterinarian)

Pets Need Dental Care Too!

Give Animal Care Hospital a call today at 760-247-0292 so we can fit you into the schedule for this busy month!  Don't miss out on the savings!!!  But MOST importantly, don't miss out on the chance to give your pet the best care possible!

Why Does My Dog Scoot?

Often we hear clients report that their dog (and sometimes their cat, although it is a lot less common in cats)  likes to drag their bottom on the floor.  Is this normal behavior?  Why do they do that?  Are they in pain?  Do they have worms?   Many times it is really an indicator of a problem with anal glands/sacs.  These little nuisances can really create frustration and misery for your pet!

At Animal Care Hospital, we evaluate and express anal sacs on a daily basis. 

The anal sacs are little balloons within the skin around the anus that fill with a sometimes thin or thick liquid that is supposed to empty when they go poop.  Most pets are able to naturally express them but some need a little help sometimes.  Think of a balloon filling up, but unable to release the pressure.   The frequency of needing them expressed varies from pet to pet.  It can be monthly, to once a year.  Some pets never have a problem with their anal glands!  (the lucky ones!)   Unfortunately for the owners, the worst part of it is the odor.  They are super stinky!

A sac left untreated when a pet is showing signs of discomfort can lead to a painful problem called an anal sac abscess, which can lead to a messy rupture.


A rule of thumb is that if your pet scoots his bottom on the floor only once or twice, then there likely is not a problem.  Continued scooting and licking without stopping is a sign that there may be discomfort and an issue developing.

The team at Animal Care Hospital is trained to manage these situations carefully.  Give us a call today if you have concerns about your pet!

Rabies in a Llama!

Another case of Rabies!!  Not in California, granted...  but people have got to take this more seriously!!!

Rabies in a Llama in Georgia!!