I’ve been very neglectful in keeping this blog current and up-to-date.  I un-retired and am back in practice two days a week.  I bought a mobile veterinary clinic and am parking it in Brea on Mondays and Fridays.  I’m there from 9-5 both those days.  I’m also still at Silverado with my Wellness Clinic on the second Wednesday of the month.  My new clinic is “full service.”  I can do surgeries and will soon also have digital x-ray capabilities.  I do not have “in house” blood work capability.

I look forward to seeing many of you again!  For more information on the location and a picture of the clinic, go to my website at www.barefootveterinarian.com

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It is the season in Southern California for ticks to become a problem.  They appear every spring and fall and some stay for most of the months in between.  I recently received an article from a friend in Colorado with a novel idea on how to remove ticks.  I haven’t had a chance to try it myself (thank heavens!), but thought I would pass it on to you all anyway.  If someone tries it and likes it – please let me know.

“Apply a glob of liquid soap to a cotton ball. Cover the tick with the soap-soaked cotton ball and swab it for a few seconds (15-20), the tick will come out on its own and be stuck to the cotton ball when you lift it away. This technique has worked every time I’ve used it (and that was frequently, and it’s much less traumatic for the patient and easier for me.”

It sounds very safe and could be much easier  than trying to remove the tick manually.

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It’s springtime and there are baby animals everywhere.  There are even baby skunks – and their parents.  If your dog decides to interact with any of these skunks, chances are you will smell him before you see him when he returns home. Close your doors and lock the dog door and then go get your supplies.

Mix 1 pint of 3% hydrogen peroxide with 2 tbsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp liquid soap. You can double or triple this recipe if you have a large dog.  Bathe the affected areas (or the whole dog) with the mixture.  Follow with a tap water rinse. You’ll be pleasantly surprised that you can allow him back in the house almost immediately!

Remember to check him over for puncture wounds – just in case the skunk got a few licks in too.  And if he is squinting his eyes, you should flush them well with sterile saline. If he continues to keep his eyes partially closed, take him to your veterinarian to be sure there is no corneal damage.

I have rarely seen any damage done by a skunk other than that “very special cologne” that is shared. And I must admit that I have never had one of my own dogs tangle with a skunk.  I, on the other hand, lost the battle with a baby skunk that I was descenting for a client.  I nicked one of the sacs as I removed it, and I could hardly stand to be in the car with myself on my drive home.  I burned my clothes, but I was going on a 6 hour drive in two days with my boyfriend and his mother and his sister.  The only skunk recipe I knew of then was to bathe in tomato juice.  It helped – but we drove with the windows open on our trip.

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I live in Southern California.  We have rattlesnakes near where I currently live and  I walk in the hills with these snakes. I take my dogs on my walks.  I want my dogs as protected as possible, but I don’t want to leave them home.  So I give them a rattlesnake vaccine each year.  This vaccine is not a 100% safety net, but it does greatly increase the chance of getting my dog safely to a veterinary facility for treatment.   You never know how much venom was injected into the dog.  If the snake doesn’t inject much venom, the dog may need no additional treatment – other than wound cleaning and some antibiotics.  If the snake is large and had not eaten in a while, my dog could still die from the bite. And some snakes strike without injecting any venom at all. Giving the vaccine is like having a vial of anti-venom onboard. The vaccine should give me the time to take my dog to an emergency veterinary facility where he can be given anti-venom if it is needed.  With no vaccine, he will be in a much more serious condition by the time we get there.

Rattlesnakes tend to come out of hibernation in late March or early April – depending on the weather.  I recommend giving your rattlesnake vaccines in March. I found that I’m a bit late this year because we found a young rattlesnake right by a trail in our local wilderness park when we were walking on Valentine’s Day. If your dog has never had this vaccine, he will need two shots, a month apart, the first year.  In succeeding years, he will just need a single booster shot – in March.

I’m happy to say that I have never “tested” the success of this vaccine in any animals that I have vaccinated.  They have been lucky enough to avoid the snakes.  But I have talked to veterinarians who do feel that the vaccine has helped save the lives or at least speed the recovery of several dogs in their practices.

If you live in a rattlesnake area, you should consider giving this vaccine to your dogs. At least talk to your veterinarian about it.

I also suggest going to a snake avoidance training class.  These classes are offered in many areas with rattlesnakes.  They teach your dog to recognize rattlesnakes by sight, smell and sound and then to stay away from them.  An electric shock collar is used, but if your dog will possibly come in contact with a rattlesnake, the shock collar is definitely the lesser of the evils.

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According to American Kennel Club(R) (AKC) 2009 registration statistics the Labrador Retriever is the most popular purebred dog in America. They have been the most popular for the past 19 years.

The following are the top 10 most popular dogs in the United States in 2009:

1. Labrador Retriever
2. German Shepherd Dog
3. Yorkshire Terrier
4. Golden Retriever
5. Beagle
6. Boxer
7. Bulldog
8. Dachshund
9. Poodle
10. Shih Tzu

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I love Valentine’s Day because I love chocolate!  But you have all heard that chocolate is toxic to dogs.  You might not realize that it is toxic to humans too – we’re just bigger than many dogs. Chocolate toxicity is dose dependant – a bigger dog can eat more chocolate than a small dog. He can eat more milk chocolate than dark chocolate.  The toxic part of chocolate is theobromine and there is more theobromine in the darker chocolates. A 20 pound terrier can eat just under a pound of milk chocolate safely, but he can only eat about 1.5 ounces of baking chocolate.  A Labrador Retriever can eat 4 pounds of milk chocolate and ½ pound of baking chocolate. Either of these dogs may be “sick” after eating so much chocolate (even I would be!), but will likely not be poisoned.  These amounts are averages, and individual dogs may be able to eat somewhat more or less without becoming poisoned.  The point is you don’t have to panic if your dog eats a chocolate chip cookie.  Read the chart to see when you should rush to your veterinarian and when you should just smile and hope the dog has an upset stomach for a few hours. Unfortunately, he won’t learn from the experience, so you must learn to keep large amounts of chocolate away from his reach.

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Knowing your healthy dog well is the best way to be alert to the earliest signs of any health emergencies. Subtle changes in behavior may alert you to the possibility of an illness before there are any other visible signs. You can then follow through with a more thorough evaluation of your animal’s condition to decide if professional help or treatment is necessary.

The key to this is knowing your dog. This means knowing your dog’s normal behavior patterns, attitudes, posture, etc.  If your dog usually demands her dinner at exactly 6pm and today she doesn’t; if she usually barks at the mailman and today she doesn’t; if she’s avoiding petting and usually she demands it – why?  These questions may all have answers that are unrelated to health problems. But these questions should come to mind. None of these situations should be ignored or left unanswered.

If you try to answer the above questions and don’t come up with simple answers like “your husband/wife fed her half an hour ago” or “she’s tired from a very long hike in the mountains,” then you need to check the animal over more carefully.

1.    First, stand back and observe.  Are there any other changes you  notice?  Is she coughing, straining, preferring to lie down, pacing, circling, etc? Is she shivering or is her hair coat “puffed” up?  Is she eating dinner or treats?
2.    Now check her temperature and breathing.
3.    Roll an eyelid out slightly and look at the color of the mucus membrane on the inside.  It should be pink.
4.    Check to see if there is a recent stool in the back yard. Is it normal for her?

Put all your signs together, come up with a tentative diagnosis, and if necessary call your veterinarian with the information. It would be wise to write your findings down so you don’t forget any of them when you talk to the veterinarian.

By observing that your dog is less than 100% normal, you may be able to take action to prevent a serious problem. By checking her out carefully and thoroughly, you will be prepared to answer any questions your veterinarian may have if you find it necessary to contact her or him.  It’s far better to waste a few minutes of your time on a healthy dog who was just acting weird than to lose her because of inattention.

Your first awareness of abnormal behavior may be accidental. We’ve all gone through our day, done our doggie chores and then realized that “something wasn’t right.”  For example, in retrospect you realize that the water bowl was still full – and she always drinks over half the bowl.  Pay attention when you get vibes that something is wrong.  Follow through and find the source of the problem.

Spend a little extra time each day just observing your dog.  Sit with her for a quiet “study” time.  It’s fun and relaxing and you may notice something important.  Remember that observing your dog is very different than just loving your dog. “It’s a tough job – but someone has to do it”!

ps – your can replace the word “dog” with cat, goat, pig, ferret, or any other animal and the information still applies!

Categories: Miscellaneous information, Veterinary Information
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I recently received a link to an article about planning for your pet after you become incapacitated or die.   It was sent by the American Veterinary Medical Association as a “perk” for my membership in the organization.  They included lots of links to articles of interest to me, but this one should be of interest to us all.  Eventually most of us will hit the point at which our pet(s) will outlive us.  This article will give you ideas of how best to proceed.  Perhaps her book would be a good purchase?

Sue Stevens, the founder of Stevens Wealth Management in Deerfield, Ill., discusses pet planning in her new book, Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is, as well as on her Web site, Financial-Happiness.com. “You don’t have to be Leona Helmsley,” she says, “but if you don’t have a plan, your loyal companions could end up in a shelter,” where they will be euthanized or donated to research labs if they are not adopted.

Pets need not get the royal treatment in a will, says Stevens, who was director of financial planning at Morningstar for nine years. But she cites four steps that any pet lover should take when planning an estate:

1. Choose a “pet guardian.” It should be someone who wants to care for your pets and understands their needs. Make sure to name contingent guardians, in the event your first choice becomes unwilling or unable to serve. “Do not assume the people you choose as beneficiaries for your assets are the best people to care for your animals,” says Stevens.

2. Decide on financial assistance. It costs about $1,400 a year on average to care for a dog, and $1,000 for a cat, according to a recent survey by the American Pet Products Association. You can expect either pet to live at least 13 years. As Leona Helmsley demonstrated, it’s possible to fund a trust for a pet, and the trustee need not be the person responsible for care.

3. Add language to your trust to provide for pet care. Include instructions on how the funds are to be used (food, veterinary care, pet sitters, grooming, etc.) as well as plans for interim care until long-term placement is completed. Your lawyer can do this, but Stevens provides sample language on her Web site.

4. Write instructions for your caregiver. This should include a complete medical record, feeding instructions, a list of favorite toys, even names of friends–both human and animal.

A related concern is establishing care for your pets if you are incapacitated or require nursing care. Plans should be discussed in advance with the person you have named as your financial power of attorney. Stevens also recommends the Web site of Eden Alternative (edenalt.org), a nonprofit organization that advocates for improving the quality of elder care by, among other initiatives, encouraging the right to have pets in institutional settings. The Web site lists dozens of pet-friendly facilities around the country. In addition, Lollypop Farm (lollypop.org) provides financial assistance so the elderly can keep pets in their homes.

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I just received this information from the American Veterinary Medical Association and would like to share it with all of you.

On December 21,  H1N1 influenza virus was confirmed in a dog in New York. A 13-year old dog became ill after its owner was ill with confirmed 2009 H1N1 influenza. The dog was lethargic, coughing, not eating, and had a fever. Radiographs (x-rays) showed evidence of pneumonia. The dog was treated with intravenous fluids, antibiotics, nebulization and other supportive care, and was discharged from the hospital after 48 hours of care. It is currently recovering. Tests submitted to IDEXX Laboratories were negative for canine influenza (H3N8) but positive for 2009 H1N1 influenza.

The following are the recommendations of the AVMA:

• This is not cause for panic, but underscores the importance of taking pets to a veterinarian if they are showing signs of illness. This is especially important if someone in the household has recently been ill with flu-like symptoms.
• Pet owners should remain vigilant.
• To date, animals infected with the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus have shown the following clinical signs: lethargy, inappetance/anorexia, coughing and difficulty breathing. Some of the animals have developed pneumonia. Any animals showing these signs of disease should be examined by a veterinarian as soon as possible.
• Proper hygiene and sanitation measures should be followed to limit the spread of the influenza virus.
• There is no evidence to suggest that pets have or will spread the virus to humans or other animals. To date, all of the sick pets became ill after a person in the household was ill with flu-like symptoms.
• Proper hygiene and sanitation measures should be followed to limit the spread of the influenza virus.
• Turkey and pork are still safe to eat. Nonetheless, proper food hygiene and preparation are very important when it comes to protecting your family from any foodborne illness.

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