When Leticia Shaw’s cat, Vishnu, had a urinary blockage that required surgery about three years ago, the veterinarian told her that the condition sometimes can come back.

“Ever since then, I’ve been really anxious about that,” Leticia said.  She has gotten regular checkups for Vishnu to make sure that doesn’t happen again. 

During one of those checkups this spring at Little Tokyo Pet Clinic, Dr. Mary Chung told Leticia that Vishnu had a heart murmur.  She recommended testing and x-rays to determine how severe the problem might be.

“That’s when Dr. Chung informed me about Angel Fund,” Leticia said.  “I applied for a grant. The entire staff helped me with that process. Thankfully it was approved right away.  I thought it would take way longer than it did.” 

The tests showed that Vishnu has a cardiac problem.  “They were able to do all the cardiovascular checks.  But, basically, they just mentioned to me that he does have the problem – and once he has it, there’s no going back,” Leticia said.

“Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like it’s too serious.  They caught it pretty early and they have given me heart medications and instructions on how to keep an eye on him to make sure it doesn’t get worse.

“There are warning signs like he might stop eating or when he sleeps his heart might beat too fast.  So they gave me a couple of things to check.  But honestly, he’s been amazing.  He’s been super normal – he plays, he’s still himself. So hopefully it’s something that won’t get serious and we can just keep it contained.”

Leticia is grateful that she knows about the issue.  And, she said, “thank God, things are going pretty good.  I’m not seeing any signs for concern.”

She also expressed her gratitude for the Angel Fund grant and what it did to give her peace of mind and to help pay the veterinary bill.

Vishnu is seven years old and Leticia is optimistic that he has many years ahead of him.  “He’s just so carefree and I hope he lives to 20. I can’t see him having any other problems.  He’s now on a veterinary-prescribed diet and he can’t eat anything else.” But, she said, “the really scary problem for me was the urinary blockage.”

Leticia works as an IT manager for the Downtown LA Proper Hotel.otel.H  Besides Vishnu, she has three dogs.  She and her animals live in North Hollywood.

From Eaglecreek.com

Packing for any trip involves planning for the adventures you expect to have. That can be challenging enough when it’s just you, but if you decide to bring your dog, it becomes even more complicated. Dogs need more than just food, water, and treats to have a fun and safe trip. Here’s what to pack for your dog on vacation, no matter the adventures you have planned.

CLICK HERE FOR A COMPLETE GUIDE

Cheri Hanshaw, a fourth-grade teacher in Lancaster, owns a Shar Pei mix that she calls her lucky dog.  “Star is my lucky dog because she gets everything to happen to her,” she said.

The last couple of years, she said, Star has had veterinary bills of about $10,000, include more than $3,000 a year ago when she was hospitalized with pancreatitis.  The dog also has allergy problems.  “We’ve had one thing after another with her,” Cheri said.  “She’s usually at the vet’s every month.”

The latest iteration of her dog’s all too familiar relationship with veterinary medicine was recent surgery for a TPLO plate reaction, something that doesn’t happen often.  Cheri did some research, which showed that it only occurs to about one in 50 dogs.

“Basically she had an infection from the plate in her knee and ite had to be removed,” Cheri said.  “This is her second knee [to undergo TPLO surgery].  The left knee was fine and there was no problem after it was done a couple of years ago.  And we had surgery in November for the right knee.  It seemed fine and then after a few months, all of a sudden her leg started swelling up.”  

Star, who is eight years old, is a patient of North Valley Veterinary Clinic in Lancaster.  Dr. Eric Wright, who had done the TPLO surgery, told Cheri that the site infection could be treated with antibiotics but that it would continue to come back. “He recommended taking the plate out surgically so we don’t have to continue with these problems and spend all this money and then have to take it out surgically anyway,” she said.

Dr. John Chang, who assisted with the plate removal, told Cheri that he could see where an infection pocket was attached to a bolt on the plate.

The latest surgery took place in March.  Because of Star’s history of medical problems, Cheri sought help from Angel Fund to help pay for the surgery.  Dr. Misty Hirschbein, who sees Star for most of her appointments, told Cheri about Angel Fund and helped her apply.  A grant of $1,000 was approved. 

Cheri expressed gratitude to both Angel Fund and the North Valley Clinic, which matched the grant.  But she also had to take out a loan to pay what she still owed.  “I’m so in debt for this dog!” she said.

Star was still healing a month after the procedure, she said. “We had expected it would be healed by now,” Cheri said. “But the infection is almost gone. 

“Star, the poor thing, has been living in a playpen since October.  She has not been able to go outside to be a dog.  She waits for us to come get her.  So when I’m doing my school work, I’ll pull her out so she’s closer to me and not so isolated.  I’m hoping she’ll be able to go back outside in a couple of weeks.”

Cheri lives with her daughter Kayla, who is a community college student.  Her son, Zachary, She has a lives independently.

She previously had borrowed from her mother and taken out a loan from her credit union to help pay for her dog’s care.  But Cheri is hoping things will change. 

“I’m looking forward to being able to take Star on hikes again and to do the things that we used to do, like going to the beach.  She’s almost there.”

If you would like to donate to the Animal Health Foundation to help more dogs like Star CLICK HERE or scan this QR Code

Improve pet rabbit welfare in the home and vet clinic with simple techniques.

Updated July 7, 2023 |  Source: Dr. Lori Gaskins for Psychology Today; Reviewed by Gary Drevitch

Source: Photo by Satyabratasm on Unsplash

by Lori Gaskins, DVM, DACVB, DACAW

Research regarding rabbit welfare and behavior indicates that there are many things that general practitioners and pet rabbit owners can do to improve the welfare of pet rabbits.

Veterinarians can play an active role in improving rabbit welfare during veterinary visits by using and recommending stress-reducing techniques. Some of these techniques include recommending owners bring a bonded companion to the exam; using aromatherapy; handling in a stress-free fashion; and offering treats and hiding places.

Veterinarians can also help prevent behavioral complaints of owners such as aggression, destruction, and house soiling. The majority of rabbits are fearful when lifted and handled, which can result in aggression to owners. Providing advice on reading the communication signals of rabbits and not handling them in ways that induce fear will decrease the risk of injuries to both the pet and the owner, and improve the human-animal bond. Other examples of responsible advice include housing the rabbit in a large and complex environment, getting rid of the food bowl and allowing the rabbit to forage for food, providing water in a bowl and not a water bottle, providing an appropriate litterbox, and always providing a companion and a hiding place. If veterinarians educate owners regarding their rabbits’ innate behaviors and emotions, this will increase the likelihood that each owner will provide a more welfare-friendly home for their pet.

How Rabbit Owners Can Improve Their Pets’ Welfare

Pet rabbit owners can improve their pet’s welfare in the home by providing their rabbit with companionship, foraging opportunities, hiding places, perches, digging boxes, positive reinforcement training, proper litterboxes, and a large enough enclosure to provide all of these things. Additionally, since the majority of rabbits are fearful when lifted and handled, these practices should be discontinued. An alternate method of moving the rabbit around is to train the rabbit to target an object, such as a finger or a stick with a ball on the end. The pet should be trained with positive reinforcement to place his nose on the target. This is done by luring the rabbit to the target with his favorite treat, then giving the treat if he sniffs or touches the target. Once the rabbit is trained to move to wherever the target is in order to touch it, the target can be placed wherever the owner wants the rabbit to go. This allows for fun interactions that can replace those that include picking the rabbit up and cuddling him.

Pet rabbit owners should work to decrease the stress of traveling, whether it’s for boarding or veterinary visits. The target training will help here, as the owner can place the target in a crate to get the rabbit crated for travel. Travel stress can also be decreased by always allowing bonded rabbits to travel together, using non-slip flooring in the crate, covering the crate with a towel, using aromatherapy such as lavender or valerian or blended essential oils, and providing favorite treats in the crate.

The 5 Domains of Welfare and the Pet Rabbit

Improving rabbit welfare can be accomplished using the framework of the 5 Domains of Welfare.

• Health: Provide timely veterinary visits to ensure the rabbit is physically and mentally healthy.
• Nutrition: Provide a nutritionally balanced diet and require rabbits to forage for food as nature intended.
• Environment: Provide natural light, appropriate temperatures, and hiding places.
• Behavioral Interactions: Provide a rabbit companion, stress-free interactions with humans, and a complex mentally stimulating environment which simulates the natural environment.
• Mental state: Provide a life that approximates what nature intended and therefore makes life worth living.

Dr. Lori Gaskins – Lori Gaskins is a veterinarian who is a diplomate of the American College of Animal Welfare and of the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists. She has been a practicing veterinarian for over 30 years and has been teaching animal welfare and behavior for 16 years. For more, see her ACVB Webinar on Rabbit Behavior and Welfare.

Ludovic Pathoux, who came to the United States from France in 2002, adopted Apollo, a beautiful white Pit Terrier, that he saw being neglected by a neighbor near his Los Angeles apartment some nine years ago. 

“In 2014, while I was walking my American Bulldog Georgia, I saw Apollo behind the fence of one of my neighbors,” Ludovic said. “He was lying in the sun for hours at a time and was left out both day and night.  I spoke to the neighbor about Apollo and his risk of getting skin cancer because of his exposure.”

The neighbor told Ludovic that she would like someone else to own the dog.  “Despite already having a dog and difficult finances, I decided to adopt Apollo,” Ludovic said.  “I simply fell in love with him and wanted to rescue him from his neglectful owner, even though I should not have had two dogs in my situation.”

Ludovic and the two dogs moved to an affordable cabin in the San Bernadino Mountains not long after Apollo joined the family.  A couple of years later, Ludovic moved to an apartment in Yucaipa with Georgia and Apollo.  A year later, he said, “my beloved Georgia died of cancer.”

Six months later, Apollo had a mole-like cancer on his leg that was removed by a veterinarian.  And a few months later, Apollo was diagnosed with a tumor on his spleen and a splenectomy was performed to remove it.  Georgia had a similar surgery a few years earlier.

In 2022, Apollo was diagnosed with chylothorax, a condition in which lymph fluids leak from his thoracic duct into the space around his lungs.  Dr. George Makar at Yucaipa Animal Hospital made the diagnosis.  Apollo is being treated there about once a month through thoracocentesis, a process in which a tube is inserted into his chest cavity after sedation to remove the fluids.  The treatments started a year ago at a cost approaching $750 a month.

“Fortunately the procedure does not worsen his health nor does it cause pain or suffering,” Ludovic said.  But the cost of his dog’s treatment is worrisome.   Ludovic has had difficulty finding work as an organizer, who can make sense of your garage, pantry or spare room.  (His website is http://www.ludovicorganizing.com.)

“I am not working every day so it’s up and down,” he said, and his erratic income prevents him from doing a lot of things he’d like to do, though he gives his dog’s health priority.  

With Apollo’s crucial treatments in danger, Ludovic found Angel Fund with help from the Yucaipa hospital.  He applied for a grant and Angel Fund provided $1,000 for Apollo, which was matched by the hospital.

“I sincerely thank the Angel Fund and Dr. Makar for generously helping me with this financial assistance,” Ludovic said.  “Apollo greatly enjoys human beings and despite the invasive monthly treatments, he loves to go to the vet and is very excited to be around the assistants and technicians who give him lots of attention.

“My unconditional love for him has motivated me to do everything I can to increase his life expectancy.”

One of the reasons Ludovic does not want to return to France is that he would not be permitted to bring Apollo with him, nor could he have taken Georgia.  He is intensely loyal to his animals. 

But he said: “I choose to stay in the United States because I am all right here.”  And he said, some 22 years ago “when I lived in Paris, I wasn’t happy.” 

Contrary to popular belief, not all dogs automatically know how to swim. Here’s how to teach a dog to swim – and how to improve the water safety of dogs who already swim well.

By Stephanie Colman

Published:March 4, 2023Updated:March 3, 2023

The term “dog paddle” has become synonymous with staying afloat in the water. It’s the first swim stroke most children learn – moving their hands and legs alternately – in a way that’s similar to how experienced dogs and other quadrupedal mammals swim.

The key word is “experienced.” Inexperienced (or panicked) dogs often concentrate their efforts on the front legs, forgetting to fire up the back end. Front-end-only swimming is ineffective and leaves dogs near-vertical in the water. It creates a lot of disorienting splashing, requires tremendous energy, and is a dangerous way for your dog to enjoy a dip in the pool, lake, or ocean.

The following two tips will help your dog improve his swim stroke:

• Support your dog’s back end. Joining your dog in the water and gently supporting his back end as he swims can help him learn to level out and begin using his front and rear legs in unison. For dogs who still lag in kicking their rear legs, touching their feet underwater can prompt kicking.
• Use a well-fitted life jacket. A dog life jacket can help keep your dog afloat and help anxious swimmers begin to relax enough to think about paddling with all four legs. (See “Dog Life Jacket Review,” WDJ August 2021, for recommendations.)

Safety for swimmers

Keep these things in mind to help ensure safe swimming:

• Body type matters! Your dog’s breed, build, and overall health have a lot to do with how effectively she can handle herself in the water. Breeds with broad chests and shorter legs (Bulldogs, Corgis, Pugs, etc.) aren’t designed for effective swimming. Heavily muscled dogs – like many of the so-called “bully” breeds – exert a lot of energy in the water due to their greater body mass.
• Teach your dog to safely enter and exit the pool. Ideally, your dog will enter and exit the pool only via the steps. Even accomplished swimmers can drown while unsuccessfully trying to claw their way out from the edge of the pool. And dog cannonball entrances, while fun to watch, are unsafe when dogs and people are simultaneously in the water.

Start by making the top step of the pool a great place to be by feeding your dog high-value treats at that location. Eventually carry or guide your dog into the water a few feet from the steps and release him to swim back to the steps where a party awaits. Repeat until your dog is patterned to head toward the steps from any direction.

• Everything in moderation. Swimming is a great way for dogs to burn excess energy, stay in shape, and even shed some unwanted pounds, but don’t overdo it. The more overweight the dog, the faster he will tire. Watch out for “weekend warrior syndrome,” where a dog who is mostly sedentary suddenly gets too much exercise. Dogs, like people, experience muscle soreness and stiffness.

Swim school for dogs

If you want to make sure your dog will be safe near and in the water, but aren’t comfortable teaching the skills yourself, look for a positive reinforcement trainer to help you. Many dog trainers offer water safety training and many training facilities features pools where your dog can perfect his skills and enjoy fun water play.

By Coco Lederhouse June 20, 2023

For the first time, recreational drugs have made the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Animal Poison Control Center’s (APCC) annual list of top toxins for pets. These drugs include marijuana-based substances, hallucinogenic mushrooms, and cocaine, which took the tenth spot on the list.

Over-the-counter medications, most often pain medications such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen; food, especially protein bars, xylitol gums, and grapes or raisins; and human prescription medications held the top three spots, respectively.

In 2022, the APCC team assisted 278,364 animals from the U.S., resulting in a nearly 5% increase in call volume when compared with 2021. The team received almost 11% more calls related to potential marijuana ingestion than in the previous year, and they have seen a nearly 300% increase in calls over the past five years, according to a recent APCC press release.

The most common cases the center saw involved pets ingesting marijuana-laced baked goods. In these cases, there may be additional toxic ingredients involved—such as chocolate, raisins, or xylitol—which result in a poorer prognosis. The most common clinical signs in dogs are ataxia or incoordination and lethargy or depression. Other common clinical signs are vomiting, urinary incontinence, increased sensitivity to motion or sound, head bobbing, dilated pupils, increased salivation, and a slower than normal heart rate.

Dr. Justine Lee, a board-certified veterinary emergency critical care specialist and toxicologist, explained that with the legalization of marijuana in several states and provinces, there has been an associated increased prevalence of accidental exposure to dogs, and children and less commonly cats.

“As a result, we need to be aware of this toxicant. Less frequently in the veterinary ER do I see cocaine or hallucinogenic mushrooms,” said Dr. Lee

According to a study published in April 2022 in PLoS One, researchers conducted a survey of veterinarians in Canada and the U.S. and found 226 of 251 toxicosis cases were among dogs. They also found that 116 of the cases were suspected to be from ingestion of edibles when the pet was unattended. Cannabis toxicosis was mostly diagnosed using supportive clinical signs, and the most common treatment was outpatient monitoring.

“The legalization of cannabis use in Canada and the US is likely an important factor associated with the increased cannabis toxicosis cases in pets; however, the legal status may also increase reporting,” the authors wrote. “The medicinal use of cannabis by pet-owners for pets may also contribute to a portion of the reported toxicoses. Most pets that experienced cannabis toxicosis recovered completely, suggesting that most cannabis toxicoses do not result in long-term ill effects.”

Dr. Lee said that pet owners are often unwilling to admit to illicit drug toxicosis.

“Judicious, nonjudgmental history taking, along with rapid recognition of clinical signs, is imperative to rapidly allow for decontamination—if appropriate—and treatment,” Dr. Lee said.