Events....The Orange County Pet Expo

Billed as "the world's largest pet expo," Orange County's Pet Expo is this weekend, April 17-19th.



The Pet Expo has demonstrations, pet products, and of course, lots of rescued animals for adoptions. The Pet Expo is located at the Orange County Fairgrounds. For discount tickets and more information, visit their website.

Long Beach Animal Care Services' Microchip Day May 3rd

If you have ever considered microchipping your pet, Long Beach Animal Care Services will be having a low-cost microchip day Sunday May 3rd. For just $10, your pet will be microchipped with an AVID microchip, as well as registration. This is a fantastic deal, as AVID registration normally costs about $15 alone. No appointment is required for this event. For more information, contact Long Beach Animal Care Services at 562-570-7387.

L.A. Times Features Local Veterinary Clinic

Sunday February 23rd's Los Angeles Times featured an extended look at Veterinary Cancer Group's practices, located in Tustin and Culver City.

Chocolate Toxicity: National Geographic's Interactive Chart

Did you know that just 3 ounces of dark chocolate can be deadly for an average (6 pound) Yorkie Terrier?

While many people are aware that chocolate is dangerous to dogs, most don't know the specifics for their own dogs. Because the type of chocolate and quantity vary greatly, National Geographic's Interactive Chocolate Chart is very helpful. Use the slider bar to scroll to the approximate size of your canine companion to see how much different types of chocolates harm your pet.

Of course,NEVER give chocolates to your dog, and NEVER put them within reach. (Remember, dogs can also bite through boxes and bags that contain them.)

Pet Regulations for Long Beach Residents

We closed our clinic for several hours today to attend a Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS) meeting. We left the meeting not only with more insights on pet overpopulation but also with a renewed sense of optimism. As some of the proposed ideas take shape, we hope to share them with you and invite you to join in these efforts. After all, pet overpopulation is neither an ACS nor a veterinary problem. Pet overpopulation and responsible pet ownership are community issues and should be addressed as such to ensure effective lasting solutions.

During the course of the meeting, we were reminded that there are pet regulations for Long Beach residents that may be unknown (or forgotten) to many of us.

Most people know about dog licensing. Some may know that cats are not licensed in Long Beach. But did you know that it is illegal to own intact (unaltered) cats over 4 months of age? Delay or exemption from the surgery is granted with a licensed veterinarian's recommendation.

Did you know that a permit is required to breed dogs and cats in Long Beach? That means if you want your dog to "experience" a litter of puppies by breeding her to your neighbor's male dog, you and your neighbor have to apply for a permit.

And I wonder how many people are aware of the dog and cat transfer permit? Anyone in the business of selling, transferring or even adopting dogs and cats in the City of Long Beach must register and renew this permit each year. The permit fee is waived for nonprofit 501(c)(3) registered organizations (i.e. non-profit rescue & adoption groups).

For more key pet regulations, visit the ACS municipal code page.

Sites We Like... The Ohio State University CVM

Hidden in the Support Services and Programs section of The Ohio State University - College of Veterinary Medicine are valuable information on care of indoor cats and pet nutrition.

The Indoor Cat Initiative was created to help enrich the lives of indoor cats. The site has information on indoor cat needs as well as tips for common problems such as intercat aggression and urine marking.

The Nutritional Support Service has the familiar body condition score chart with a scale of 1 to 5 (vs. the Purina Chart of 1 to 9). It also has a search function to help find commercial diets meeting certain parameters.

The Nutritional Support Service is best used in consultation with a veterinarian. The Indoor Cat Initiative contains information that are useful to all cat lovers. A nice bonus is the Spanish translation available for some of the Indoor Cat Initiative pages. If you have a moment, fill out the survey to help with the ongoing study to enrich the lives of our indoor felines.

Update: Recall of Peanut-Containing Pet Products

This is an update to the post from last month regarding the Salmonella outbreak linked to peanut-containing products. Visit the FDA site for further information. Listed below are the pet products affected by the recall as of 02/02/09.

Carolina Prime (Peanut Butter Hooves and Rawhide recalled by Petsmart)
Carolina Prime Pet (Includes some of those recalled by Petsmart; hooves and rawhide recalled by Carolina Prime Pet)
Grreat Choice (Assorted dog biscuits recalled by Petsmart)
Happy Tails (Multi-Flavored Dog Biscuits recalled by SuperValu)
Healthy Hide (Peanut Butter-Filled Shank Bone recalled by Salix)
Healthy-hide Deli-wrap (Peanut Butter-Filled Rawhide dog treats recalled by Salix)
Salix (Same Healthy-Hide Peanut Butter-Filled Rawhide as above, recalled by Petsmart and Wegmans Food Market)
Shoppers Valu (Another Multi-Flavored Dog Biscuits recalled by SuperValu)

Please note: Some of the products are listed more than once since they were recalled by different sources. Go to the links to check the product code of the affected items.

Visit the CDC site for information on salmonellosis in people.
The press release from ASPCA last month also has some information on Salmonella in pets and people.

Dogs and cats affected by Salmonella may show signs of vomiting, diarrhea, fever, lethargy, drooling, and/or panting. If you suspect that your pet may have ingested a contaminated recalled product, please contact your family veterinarian. Remember to save the suspected product (or packaging) for confirmation.