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.

E-Services and thefamilyvet.mobi

Many of our clients are aware of the convenience and savings available with our e-Check-In and Rx Refill Request. When done correctly, electronic Check-In and Rx Refill Request are great time savers for our staff. The time savings (i.e. lower cost of service) are passed on to you in terms of $5 off per scheduled exam/consultation and $2 off per rx refill request when you use the e-Forms. E-Check-In not only increases the efficiency of our admission process, but also allows the doctor time to better plan for your visit by reviewing your concerns before the consultation. Currently, our e-Check-In form is reserved for pre-scheduled appointments.

There are many behind-the-scene steps involved in processing a medication refill request. The bulk of the time is spent on record-keeping --- which can now easily be done by a copy-paste function with e-Rx Refill Requests.

In addition to the e-Check-In and Rx Refill Request, other e-Services include Registration and Feedback / Contact. E-Services save time and improve accuracy, resulting in better care for your companions and more attentive services to you.

These e-Services are under the Resources tab on our website. As Elias mentioned, we also have a mobile site at thefamilyvet.mobi. If no desktop computer is available or it's too inconvenient to power up the computer just to fill out an e-Form, the mobile site is the way to go. Give it a try.

A screenshot of the e-Check-In on a Treo 755p. Type in the text box the same way you would on a computer.



Some browsers will open up a text entry box for longer entries.







And when you are ready, clicking "Submit" will send your form directly to us.












Let us know if you have problems with e-Services: here in the comments, via the Contact Us tab on our website, or the Feedback option on our mobile site.



Our website and mobile site continue to be on-going projects as we find ways to improve our services. We welcome all comments and suggestions.

American Kennel Club: The Labrador Retriever is Long Beach's Top Dog!

The American Kennel Club released its annual list of most popular breeds in Long Beach. Tops on the list once again is the Labrador Retriever.


The rest of the Top 10 are:
2. Bulldog
3. Golden Retriever
4. Yorkshire Terrier
5. German Shepherd Dog
6. French Bulldog
7. Dachshund
8. Shih Tzu
9. Siberian Husky
10. Poodle

Also of interest is their nationwide list as well. Do you have a favorite?