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EDITOR/PUBLISHER

Julie Mannis Hoisington

DESIGN DIRECTOR

Casey Dean

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Nicole Sours Larson

Sindi Somers

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Nicole Sours Larson

PRODUCTION ARTISTS

Casey Dean

Chris Baker

Anna Magulac

ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER

Heather Snyder

heather@sdnews.com

(858) 270-3103 X115

News Editor

Kevin McKay

Executive Editor

John Gregory

San Diego Pets Magazine is published bi-monthly by MannisCommunications, Inc. and The San Diego Community NewspaperGroup, P.O. Box 9550, San Diego, CA 92169. No part of this publica-tion may be duplicated or reprinted without express consent from thepublisher. Editors reserve the right to edit all content. Submissionsare welcome, and will be edited for content and clarity. Please forwardall unsolicited material to the editor. Viewsand opinions expressed herein are not nec-essarily those of the publishers. Publishersreserve the right to approve or accept ad-vertising orders and content. All contents arecopyrighted 2010. All rights reserved.

san diego petsOCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2010

In this issue,weannounce thewinnersofourHalloweenCostumePhotoContestas seen in theAugust / September issue.We feel our premier photo contestwentreallywell and itwas a lot of fun to judge. Thank youall for thegreat entries.

Announcing thewinners

SEE THEWINNERS ON PAGE 14

P.O. Box 95504645 Cass StreetSan Diego, Calif. 92109858.270.3103858.713.0095 [fax]sdnews.comsandiegopetsmagazine.com

“Each year, we experience asharp increase in calls aroundHalloween, especially during theweekends surrounding the hol-iday,” said Ahna Brutlag,DVM, assistant director atPet Poison Helpline.“Most often, these calls

involve pets accidentallyingesting Ha l l owe encandy or décor,” she said.“Chocolate is one of themost problematic candies,as dogs and cats cannot me-tabolize it as well as people.Thus, it places them at risk forpoisoning.”

The fourmost common food-related Halloween hazards for petsare chocolate, candy overindulgence,raisins and candy wrappers.

• Chocolate — Of all candy, chocolate isone of the most toxic to pets. Over thepast year, more than 1,100 calls to Pet Poi-sonHelpline involved exposure to choco-late — and 98 percent of them involveddogs.Many dogs are inherently attractedto the smell and taste of chocolate, mak-

ing it a significant threat. Ingeneral, the darker andmorebitter the chocolate, the morepoisonous it is. The chemicals inchocolate that are dangerousto pets, methylxanthines,are similar to caffeine andmore heavily concen-trated in the darker vari-eties. In fact, a 50-pounddog can be sickened by in-gesting only one ounce ofBaker’s chocolate! On theother hand, it may take up toeight ounces, (half a pound) ofmilk chocolate to cause poison-ing in that same sized dog.White chocolate contains verylow amounts of methylxanthine

and rarely causes poisoning. To avoidissues, keepHalloween candywell out ofthe reach of pets at all times. If you thinkyour pet may have ingested chocolate,symptoms towatch for include vomiting,diarrhea, lethargy, agitation, increasedthirst, an elevated heart rate, and in se-vere cases, seizures.

Veterinarians warn pet ownersover Halloween dangers

C O U RT E S Y P E T P O I S O N H E L P L I N E | P E T S M A G A Z I N E

SEE SAFETY,Page 19

During theweek ofHalloween, calls to the veterinarians at Pet PoisonHelpline increase by 12 percent, making it the call center’s busiest timeof year. The helpline, which is a 24-hour service, assists pet owners,veterinarians and veterinary technicians who are treating potentiallypoisoned pets.

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B y N I C O L E S O U R S L A R S O N | S A N D I E G O P E T S

As pets increasingly havemoved into our homes and hearts asfamily members, we want to ensure they have the best of care.When pets are sick, we want to take advantage of the latest inmedical knowledge. As human medicine has advanced, so hasveterinary medicine, with many of the same tests, proceduresand treatments now available for pets.Veterinary specialists and specialty clinics are now widely

available in San Diego County. As with physicians, most spe-cialists work primarily— but not exclusively— by referral from

general veterinarians. Before consulting a specialist, be sure toconsult your regular veterinarian to determine which type ofspecialist your pet may need.Be an informed pet owner. Before agreeing to any treatment

plan, ask for an estimate to prevent being surprised by your finalbills. Expenses for specialized tests, treatments and surgeries canmount up quickly.Ask, if necessary, if payment plans or any financial assistance

may be available. The FACE Foundation, started by the Veteri-nary Specialty Hospital to assist financially struggling familiespay for lifesavingmedical treatment, provides help in some qual-ifying cases. If you have pet insurance, find out what your in-surance will cover.While the list on page 5 is far from complete, all of the spe-

cialists listed were recommended by veterinarians who refer tothem, or by clients whose animals they have treated:

Veterinary medicine reflects human medical advances

Part I:

Mainstream medical specialtiesand emergency medicine

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MULTI-SPECIALTY CLINICS,EMERGENCY CAREVeterinary SpecialtyHospital (VSH)10435 Sorrento Valley Road,San Diego 92121; (858) 875-7500

2055 Montiel Rd.,San Marcos 92069; (760) 466-0600;www.vshsd.comWith a state-of-the-art, 26,500-square-

foot facility in Sorrento Valley and a re-cently added North County animalhospital in San Marcos, 20-year-oldVSH is the granddaddy of San Diegospecialty clinics and boasts a staff of 140employees, including 35 veterinarians,19 of whom are board-certified special-ists caring for dogs and cats only. Onstaff are specialists in critical care andemergency, dentistry, dermatology, ra-diology/imaging, internal medicine,oncology, ophthalmology, neurologyand neurosurgery and surgery. Emer-gency room (ER) open 24/7.

Pet Emergency& Specialty Center (PESC)

5232 Jackson Drive, Suite 105,Jackson Sq. Center,

La Mesa 91941; (619) 462-4800

885 Canarios Court, Suite 108,Chula Vista 91910; (619) 591-4802;www.pescsandiego.comOffering state-of-the-art digital radiol-

ogy diagnostics and surgical tools, in-cluding a recently added cyber-knife as anon-invasive alternative to surgery,PESC’s veterinary team includes 13 vet-erinarians working in two locations.PESC, founded in 1993, specializes inemergency care, internal medicine, on-cology, ophthalmology and surgery, in-cluding orthopedics and neurosurgery.The center also provides care to birds,small mammals (including rabbits, ro-dents, ferrets and hedgehogs), reptiles,amphibians, fish and other exotics andwildlife. ERs open 24/7.

CaliforniaVeterinarySpecialists (CVS)2310 Faraday Ave.,Carlsbad, 92008; (760) 431-2273

100 N. Rancho Santa Fe Road, Suite 133,San Marcos, 92069; (760) 734-4433

25100 Hancock Ave., Suite 116,Murrieta, 92562; (951) 600-9803;www.californiaveterinaryspecialists.comFounded in 2000, CVS now has three

locations and a staff of 150 employees,providing the latest in advanced digital-imaging technology. Their specialtiesinclude emergency/critical caremedicine,surgery including orthopedics and neu-rosurgery, oncology, radiation oncology,cardiology, dermatology, dentistry, oph-thalmology, behavior and internal med-icine. ER open 24/7.

INDIVIDUAL SPECIALTYGROUPS, CLINICSVCAAnimalSpecialty GroupVeterinary surgical specialistsand animal internal medicine.5610 Kearny Mesa Road, Suite B,San Diego 92111; (858) 560-8006;www.asgsdpetdrx.com

This specialty medical group pro-vides diagnostics and care for petsrequiring internal medicine specialistsin cardiology, endocrinology, gastroen-terology and oncology and surgicalspecialists in orthopedics, neuro-surgery, abdominal, cardiothoracic andarthroscopic.

Animal Dermatology Clinic5610 Kearny Mesa Rd., Suite B1,San Diego 92111; (858) 560-9393;www.animaldermatology.com

Co-located with other pet specialists,the clinic specializes in diagnosing andtreating skin, nail, ear and allergic skindiseases and skin manifestations of in-ternal illnesses.

Southern CaliforniaVetDental Specialties/ DogBeachDentistry5610 Kearny Mesa Road, Suite B1,San Diego 92111; (858) 279-2108;www.dogbeachdentistry.com

This veterinary dental practice offers afull range of services familiar to humans:endodontics (root canals), fillings, ortho-dontics, periodontics and oral surgery.Co-located with other specialists, theyalso have dental clinics at VSH in Sor-rento Valley and CVS in Murrieta.

The Eye Clinic for Animals5610 Kearny Mesa Road, Suite A,San Diego 92111; (858) 502-1277;www.eyeclinicforanimals.org

Eye Care for Animals5040 Convoy St., Suite B, San Diego92111; (619) 702-3937;www.eyecareforanimals.com

Both these clinics offer eyecare for an-imals, with ophthalmologists experi-enced in treating cats, dogs and horses.The Eye Clinic for Animals providesservices in North County at CVS, SanMarcos, and Eye Care for Animals prac-tices with PESC in Chula Vista.

Veterinary Cancer Group5040 Convoy St., Suite B,San Diego 92111; (619) 414-5056;www.vetcancergroup.com

This veterinary oncology practice pro-vides diagnostics and treatment, includ-ing targeted radiation therapy, onsitechemotherapy, nutrition counseling andacupuncture and employs the latest tech-nology and equipment. They also partic-ipate in clinical trials.

� Part 2 in the next issuewill focus on alternative and holistic veterinary practices and supportive therapies.

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Cats and birds together? No way!That’s the most frequent reaction when people

hear of the unique concept pioneered by Maria andPatrick Brinson, owners of The Purring Parrot, thecouple’s Point Loma cat and bird resort located nearLiberty Station.The cheerful resort with its whimsically-painted

cat rooms and aviary, all designed by Patrick, bearslittle resemblance to dreary, old-fashioned cage-filled boarding facilities. Here, up to 15 visitingbirds occupy the central aviary and adjacent canopyroom, where they sit on perches and enjoy interact-ing and playing with other birds.Feline guests can watch the birds’ antics through

the glass doors of their individually decorated suiteswhile the cats snuggle on soft beds, splash in theirwater fountains and chomp on kitty grass. Thanksto soundproof one-way glass, the cats can see thebirds, but the birds can’t see the cats.Merlin, Bean and Soda Pop, three of the Brinsons’

five resident birds, do “fly bys” past the cats’rooms, providing extra “bird-o-vision” entertain-ment. Shy or frightened cats can curl up in a hidey-hole, conceal themselves behind drapery or climbcarpeted ramps to a high perch to avoid curiousand noisy birds.The Brinsons ensure their feathered and furry

friends feel comfortable and at home. They encour-age the guardians of The Purring Parrot’s guests tobring their pet’s favorite foods if different from theresort’s normal menu — along with favorite toysand other items as reminders of home.Valerie Miller’s citron-crested umbrella cockatoo

(named Sydney) is a regular day and overnightboarder at The Purring Parrot. Miller said she val-ues the care, mental stimulation and socializationSydney receives as a member of a flock of parrots.“Maria and Patrick really have considered every-

thing. They’re so well-educated in the care ofbirds,” Miller said. “Maria dances and sings withthe birds and makes foraging toys and mechanicalpuzzles for them.”During a recent visit, Maria coaxed Roo, a

PanamaAmazon parrot, to warble his favorite song,“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” whileMaria temptedRoo’s companion, Linus (a plum-headed parakeet),with a plump strawberry and corn-on-the-cob. Bothbirds visit weekly to socialize with other parrots andovernight when their guardians travel.The Purring Parrot can accommodate up to about

Purring Parrot owner Maria Brinson pets Tom, an American Shorthair who will soonmove to Japan with his parents. PHOTOS BY NICOLE SOURS LARSON

Roo, a Panama Amazon parrot, enjoys destroying his toys and singing “Twinkle, Twin-kle Little Star.”

Purring Parrot pampers cats, birds at Point Loma resortB y N I C O L E S O U R S L A R S O N | S A N D I E G O P E T S

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45 cats and kittens in 18 double roomsand three larger rooms comfortable forthree to six cats. They, too, receive atleast three visits a day, for housekeep-ing, brushing, feeding and one-on-oneplaytime.“We check their litter boxes several

times a day,” Maria said. “The catsquickly learn from others that if they usetheir box or pretend to use it, they’ll getextra attention.”Ragdoll regulars Lucky and Charlie

enjoy popping between the two roomstheir parents reserve for them, munch-ing on their extra nightly-baked chickenor tuna treat.While most cats stay only a week or

two, or come when their homes aretented for termite fumigation, the Brin-sons also care for longer-term guests. Afamily of three— Eliza, Tess and Isabelle— are all rescue kitties. They are cur-rently ensconced in a quiet corner suitefor a five-month stay while their parentsare overseas on a temporary assignment.Maria arranges for “the girls” to sendtheir parents regular e-mails reportingtheir activities, along with snapshots.“We treat this as a human hotel,”

Maria said. “We refer to our residents asour cat guests and bird guests.”Maria said sometimes she arranges

transportation for her feline guests to re-join their parents abroad. Tom, an or-ange American shorthair and frequentPurring Parrot resident, will soon moveto Japan via Pet Movers after his parentsrelocate. Recently, Maria arranged trans-port for another client’s cat to St. Kitt’sin the Caribbean.The Purring Parrot sells all of its cat

and bird amenities, from plush beds,drinking fountains and toys for cats, toperches and cages, special seed mixesand brightly colored wooden bird-toycomponents, all safely dyedwith humanfood-grade coloring. The resort’s web-site also features an online store.

For information about lodging, cat roomphotos and live-streamed aviary webcamvideo, visit www.thepurringparrot.com, orcall (619) 223-2326. The Purring Parrot islocated at 3015 St. Charles Street, Suite D.

Healing Touch for Animals® coming to Pt. Loma, RamonaGive your animal the gift of health.

Using easy-to-use techniques, learnhow to improve your pet’s health andwellbeing through the simple touch ofyour hands. The techniques will betaught at a Healing Touch forAnimals®(HTA) Level 1 workshop Oct. 29-31 inthe Midway District and in Ramona.This is the first level of a four-level

program leading to certification. Dur-ing the workshop, easily- applied HTAtechniques provide hands-on experi-ence as participants work with dogsand horses. Other species such as cats,birds, aquatics and exotics will be dis-cussed. Students learn how to assistanimals in areas such as injury, illness,trauma, behavioral and stress-relatedissues, bonding and general wellness.Carol Komitor founded the Healing

Touch for Animals® program in 1996when she combined her experience as acertified healing touch practitioner/in-structor, certified massage therapist

and certified hospital-based massagetherapist with her 13 years experienceas a veterinary technician.“The techniques taught in Healing

Touch for Animals® are meant as a co-operative application of animal health-care working in conjunction with ourveterinarians,” Komitor said. “The var-ied techniques taught in HTA can sup-port the animal’s physiology, helpingto improve the immune system andpromote the healing process.”Laura Surovi, DVM, of Brightwood

Animal Hospital in Ohio, agrees.“As a veterinarian, I am always faced

with new challenges in the treatment ofmy clients,” said Surovi. “When I firstlearned about HTA, I was excited at theprospect of combining traditional med-icine with complementary therapy.Pet owners interested in attending

the workshop should call (619) 922-4025, or visit www.healing touchforan-imals.com.

PARROTCONTINUED FROM Page 6

Together with animal lover Trista Sutter fromABC’s“The Bachelorette,” Purina and Ralph’s— a division ofCincinnati-based The Kroger Co. — presented the SanDiego Humane Society and Society for the Preventionof Cruelty to Animals with a $53,000 donation Oct. 14.The donation is part of the third annual “Tales for the

Pet Lover’s Heart” campaign to raise funds for animalwelfare organizations nationwide. The San Diego Hu-mane Society created the “top Pet Tale” as part of thecampaign, receiving the honor in competition with 17other participating animal welfare organizations acrossthe country.San Diego Humane Society’s pet tale demonstrated

its commitment to the community and its animalsthrough a video told from the animal’s perspective. Thevideo tale showcased the unique paw print – both bigand small – the organization has left on those the soci-ety has helped for more than 130 years.Through the “Tales for the Pet Lover’s Heart” cam-

paign, Purina and Kroger are recognizing the out-standing efforts of animal welfare organizationsnationwide. Together, they are committed to promot-ing responsible pet care, humane education and com-munity involvement.

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Purina and Ralphs awarded $53,000 to the SanDiegoHuman Society (SDHS) and SPCAfor winning its “Tales for the Pet Lover’s Heart” video contest on Oct. 14. Trista Sutter(center, behind check), of ABC’s“The Bachelorette,”was in attendance to give the checkto Dr. Mark Goldstein, president of the SDHS and SPCA, on behalf of Purina and Ralphs.Goldstein said the money will help the SDHS continue to give food, water, shelter,love and healthcare to animals in need. The SDHS competed against 17 other organ-izations to win the money. Photo by Debbie Hatch.

San Diego Humane Society lands $53,000 donation

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Partnership featuresWebseries, online customcontentProving that some of the very best

things come in the smallest packages,AnimalPlanet.com and Purina® MightyDog® dog food have announced a part-nership to create custom online contentin celebration of small dogs everywhere.The partnership, coined Small & In

Charge, runs through October and fea-tures original online programming dedi-cated to meeting the needs of small-dogowners. The content includes awebisodeseries titled “Small Dogs, Big Jobs,”which showcases four powerhouse pint-size dogs with amazing abilities.“Small dogs work hard, play hard and

maintain very active lifestyles and wewanted to show howmuchmore there isto being a small dog than just sitting in apurse or cuddling on a lap,” said LisaLuedde, Mighty Dog’s assistant brandmanager. “Mighty Dog has teamed upwithAnimal Planet to provide small-dogowners with relevant and fun online in-formation that will enable them to en-hance the lives of their small dogs tomake the most of every day.”Leveraging the resources and expert-

ise of the two pet brands, the Small & InCharge content (http://animal.discov-ery.com/small-dogs/) features:• A “Small Dogs, Big Jobs”webisode series: fromPixie— a Jack Russell terrier who can sense para-normal activity — to Jack the cairn terrier, who

leads exercise classes with his owner, the series isfocused on amazing little dogs with big-time abili-ties (http://animal.discovery.com/videos/small-dogs-big-jobs/.

• Custom articles ranging from famous historicsmall dogs to busting myths about small dogs,powered by the Discovery-owned website How-StuffWorks.com.

• A daily “treat”blog, featuring posts dedicated tosmall dog products.

• Little canine quizzes testing user’s knowledge ofthe pug, their favorite terriers and more, as well asa user-submitted small-dog slide show.

• Video clips highlighting the top five terriers.

“‘Small & In Charge’ underscores An-imalPlanet.com’s commitment to creat-ing and delivering custom content thatis a win-win for our partners, whilebringing together two distinguished petbrands to celebrate the inimitable rela-tionship between owners and theirpets,“ said Harold Morgenstern, seniorvice president of advertising sales forDiscovery Communications.The online original series was pro-

duced and created byAnimalPlanet.com,Purina and Purina’s digital media agencyof record, Spark.

ASPCAhonors formershelterdogand3-leggedcatheroSeven outstanding animals and peo-

ple, including a former shelter dog whosaved earthquake victims in Haiti and an11-year-old girl who raised funds to help

birds affected by the Gulf Coast oil spill,will be honored for their heroic deeds atthis year’s ASPCA® (The American So-ciety for the Prevention of Cruelty toAn-imals®) Humane Awards Luncheon inNew York City.TheASPCA’sAnnual HumaneAwards

Luncheon— sponsored by The HartvilleGroup, one ofAmerica’s oldest pet healthinsurers — will be held on Thursday,Nov. 11 at the Pierre Hotel in New YorkCity. The ceremony recognizes animalheroes who have demonstrated extraor-dinary efforts, as well as individuals whohave made a significant impact on thelives of animals during the past year.

ASPCA Cat of theYearWhen Cathy Conheim foundHenry as

a stray kitten on her property in Julian,the feline was unable to move his left leg.Conheim rushed Henry to the local vet-erinary hospital, where she learned thathis leg had to be amputated. Once Henryrecovered from surgery, he became Con-heim’s inspiration.The two began working together to

help people learn tolerance and re-silience in the face of physical disabili-ties and differences. The pair createdseveral children’s workbooks andbooks: “Henry’s World,” “What’s theMatter with Henry?” and “What AboutMe, I’m Here Too,” which have been

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distributed to more than 45,000 peoplearound the world, including victims ofHurricane Katrina and families ofwounded veterans. Additionally, one ofHenry’s books has been translated intoCreole to help a children’s amputeeproject in Haiti. To date, Henry’s bookshave generated more than $50,000 forlocal animal welfare groups to helpother animals in need.To become a fan of theASPCAon Face-

book, visit www.facebook.com/aspca. Tofollow the ASPCA on Twitter, go towww.twitter.com/aspca.

Twohomelessdogs need help to healPit Bull Rescue San Diego (PBRSD)

partners with many local shelters tofind homes for homeless dogs, but thismonth, the rescue was called on to

take in two San Diego dogs in direneed of surgery.Now, the PBRSD is asking the pub-

lic to rally behind these two sweetgirls to help pay for the medical at-tention they must receive in order tofind forever homes.In the case of 12-week-old, 10-pound

Charity, surgery was a matter of life anddeath.“We got the call; the shelter had a

small puppy that was wasting away,”said board member and volunteer AnnSmalley. “She needed immediate veteri-nary care. When I first saw her, she waswrapped up in a blanket. I noticed herbig blue eyes. I could tell by her eyesshe had not long left in this world. Theyopened up her blanket to showme howskinny she was. I could see every ribbone, and both hipbones were protrud-ing out of her body. She came in like thisthree days ago. She did not eat or drinkanything. She was not getting up towalk around.”Smalley rushed Charity to the vet and

then to a specialty hospital for emer-gency surgery to remove an intestinalblockage. This life-saving surgery costthe rescue more than $3,000, andPBRSD is hoping San Diegans will helpby making even small donations to-ward her medical care.The PBRSD is also trying to raise

funds to give Sapphire, a 1-year-old for-mer stray now in the rescue’s care, themore than $2,300 surgery needed to cor-rect an old injury in her elbow that is be-ginning to show signs of elbowdysplasia. She is also being treated forpneumonia. Despite her current limp,this girl is ready to live and love.With your help, maybe these girls can

be in their forever homes in time for theholidays! To make a tax-deductible do-nation to PBRSD’s medical fund, visitwww.prbsd.com.For more information, call Micaela

Myers at (949) 874-1671. For more infor-mation about Pit Bull Rescue San Diego,visit www.pbrsd.com and www.face-book.com/pbrsd.

SCOOPSCONTINUED FROM Page 9

Drive launched to provide 5million bowls of food to orphaned petsThe Iams Home 4 the Holidays pro-

gram kicked off this month to help place1.5 million orphaned pets into lovinghomes this holiday season.Between Oct. 1 and Jan. 4, Iams will

work side-by-side with founding part-ner Helen Woodward Animal Centerand 3,500 animal organizations world-wide to not only help pets find homes,but to provide 5 million bowls of foodthrough the inaugural “Bags 4 Bowls”program.Each year, shelters and rescue centers

are overwhelmed and overcrowdedwith as many as 8 million homeless an-imals. Because of this staggering statis-tic, the core mission of Iams Home 4 theHolidays continues to be to drasticallyreduce the number of homeless petsthrough adoption.“Pet homelessness is an epidemic in

our country, and many animal organi-zations look to programs like IamsHome 4 the Holidays to help drive fam-ilies to our centers to see these amazinganimals,” said Mike Arms, founder of

the adoption drive and president ofHelen Woodward Animal Center.“We’ve been a part of the adoption

drive for 12 years now and have reallyseen the benefit of what this programcan do for animals, our employees andthe families who adopt,” he said.This year, visitors to Iams’ Facebook

page (www.facebook.com/iams) can fol-low the program’s “Adoption Angels,”which is about new pet parents chroni-cling their personal journeys of adop-tion. Visitors can see first-hand as theangels experience the joy of adoptionand how they integrate their new four-legged family member into the home.In addition to the Adoption Angels,

Iams created the “Bags 4 Bowls” pro-gram so anyone can help make a differ-ence in the lives of orphaned animals bybuying a bag of Iams food. For everyspecially-marked package of Iams dogor cat food purchased during the cam-paign — through Jan. 4 — Iams will do-nate one bowl of food to a participatinganimal organization.

Additionally, anyone can visit the Face-book page and “Like” the page itself, var-iousmessages, photos, videos, etc. postedby the Adoption Angels. In return, Iamswill donate up to 100meals per “Like” orcomment to feed orphaned animals.Iams Home 4 the Holidays strives to

educate about the importance of adoptionso that every pet adopted goes to a per-manent, loving home. Families whoadopt through the program will receivean Iams adoption kit loaded with impor-tant information about nutrition, trainingand proper care to ensure that the rela-tionshipwith the new animal starts off onthe right paw.To learnmore about how tomake a dif-

ference in the life of an orphaned pet, in-cluding how to get involved, detailsabout pets available for adoption, funways to donatemeals and quick access toinformative content and tips, visitwww.facebook.com/iams, or contactHelenWoodwardAnimal Center in Ran-cho Santa Fe at (858) 756-4117, or visitwww.animalcenter.org.

Debbie Wakabayashi didn’t knowwhat her dog, Zoey, a Labrador-beaglecross, had eaten when she pulled a redseed fragment from the canine’s mouth.When Zoey vomited violently 20minuteslater,Wakabayashi’s husband did a quickInternet search and determined the doghad eaten a sago palm seed. All parts ofthese cycads are highly toxic to dogs.A call to Veterinary Specialty Hospital

(VSH) in SorrentoValley resulted in amaddash to the emergency room and fourdays in the intensive-care unit for Zoey,who was lucky to have survived the acci-dent. Poisonous also to cats and children—but especially attractive to dogs— sagopalms are responsible for a 70 percentmortality rate or greater in dogs that in-gest it, primarily because of liver damage.Now, Wakabayashi’s mission is to ed-

ucate people about the dangers of sagopalms. (Debbie Wakabayashi is theowner of Salmon Paws animal treats.)For cats, lilies of many varieties lead

toxic plant lists, said Dr. Monica Clare,DVM, an emergency/critical-care spe-cialist at VSH. For those whose catsenjoy eating plants, she advises keep-ing lilies away because they cause kid-ney failure and death.Many other plants are also poisonous

to cats and dogs.Life-saving treatment may be avail-

able with a quick trip to the veterinaryER, as happened with Zoey.

Clare said other leading toxicsubstances for pets include:• products made with sugar replace-ment Xylitol, such as sugar-free gumand candy

• snail bait

• (dogs) grapes, raisins and chocolate,which potentially can cause kidneyfailure

• (cats) antifreeze, which can also causekidney failure

• a wide range of human medicationswhich pets play with and ingest.

Clare recommends that pet ownersvisit the American Society for the Pre-vention of Cruelty to Animals’ poisoncontrol center website and familiarizethemselves with their lists of toxichousehold and garden products andplants.“The quicker they act, the better the

prognosis,” Clare said.If a pet owner suspects their pet has

eaten something toxic, Clare recom-mends calling the ASPCA poison con-trol center at (888) 426-4435, the PetPoison Helpline at (800) 213-6680 or theVSH at (858) 875-7500 for an opinionabout toxicity.For information about pet poisoning and

lists of toxic and non-toxic plants, visitwww.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/ orwww.petpoisonhelpline.com/

OCTOBER–NOVEMBER 2010 | sandiegopetsmagazine.com 11

Come and seeus at our new

location!

4680 Clairemont Mesa BlvdSan Diego, CA 92117

(858) 483-1573VISIT US ONLINE

www.CheshireCatClinic.com

Cheshire Cat Feline Health Center

We cater to individual needsPreventive Surgical Dental Nutrition Counseling Medical Senior Care

OpenMon-Fri7a.m.–6p.m.

Saturday8a.m.–2p.m.

DebbieWakabayashi got an unwelcome sur-prise recently when the family Labrador-bea-gle, Zoey, ingested sago palm seeds at theirSorrento Valley home. Zoey was treated intime to recover, but pet lovers are urged tobecome familiar with possibly highly-toxicplants around the home to avoid these kindsof accidents. COURTESY PHOTO

Finding critical information quicklyB y N I C O L E S O U R S L A R S O N | S A N D I E G O P E T S

PE T POISONING

H BdD 5HEALTH

September marks the beginning of crisp and clear fallweather made for hiking, camping and many other out-door activities. But it’s also peak season for cat and dogticks. So if you are going to be outside with your bestfriends, always check for pet ticks. These critters have away of burrowing and burying deep into your pets’ furand can cause serious harm to your pets.

WHAT YOU NEED TOKNOW ABOUT TICKSTicks are parasitic arachnids, and for our in-

tents and purposes, this means they haveeight legs and that they live on the blood andtissue of their host animal. They live inwooded and grassy areas and hang out on theedge of leaves, twigs and grasses, so that theycan drop on a potential host as it passes by.(Deer trails and human hiking trails are fa-vorite stalking grounds for common dog tick

species.) They do not jump or fly. Once a tick lands on its poten-tial host, it will try to travel to a warm, dark crevice — armpits,ears and belly folds — to attach and feed. A tick attaches to itshost via its mandibles (jaw) and inserts a feeding tube directlyinto the superficial capillaries. Because they attach with theirhead and jaw, they tend to burrow slightly beneath the skin,making it more difficult to remove them.

THE DANGERS OF COMMONAMERICAN DEER AND DOG TICKSBeyond being a parasite, a tick has many

other bad-news qualities. Namely, these bugscarry diseases that can cause serious illnessand sometimes death for any kind of host, hu-mans included. One of the big disease threatsto your dog or cat is Lyme disease.Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria carried

by the American deer tick. Bacteria are trans-ferred to the host during the bite and worktheir way through the host’s system. Not all

H BdD 5 TIPS ON TICKS

sandiegopetsmagazine.com | OCTOBER–NOVEMBER 201012

Don’t get ticked off: tips for tick seasonS A N D I E G O C O U N T Y H U M A N E S O C I E T Y | P E T S M A G A Z I N E

American deer ticks carry the particularbacteria responsible for Lyme disease.However, if your dog or cat has been bit-ten by ticks, you should keep a close eyeon your pet for symptoms of disease.Watch for fever, lethargy, loss of appetiteand joint pain.If you notice your dog or cat has been

exhibiting these signs, take him to the vet-erinarian immediately. The sooner yourpet starts antibiotic treatment, the betterhis odds are of overcoming the diseasewith the least amount of complications.Another dangerous tick disease is

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. It is car-ried by theAmerican dog tick and is a se-rious danger to dogs and humans. Keep aclose eye on your dog after you have re-moved a tick from his body and watchout for the same symptoms associatedwith Lyme disease. Do not hesitate to getyour sick pooch to the vet if you suspecta tick-borne infection.

CHECKINGYOURPETFORTICKSThere is a similar protocol for checking

both your cat and dog for ticks, but catscan be a little more challenging. To getstarted, pet your cat to get her comfort-able and relaxed. This way, she’ll releaseher muscles and you can better manipu-late her limbs to check in sensitive places,like armpits, where ticks love to hang out.

FOR CATS AND DOGS:• Put on a pair of latex gloves. Humans aresusceptible to infection from tick diseases,and taking this precaution helps protect youfrom illness.

• Feel for small bumps and ridges all overyour pet’s coat. Typically, you will first recog-nize a tick through touch. They are small,round, and smooth and most species have ahard exterior.

• Examine the crevices between skin folds,especially under the arms and legs of yourpet. Ticks love a warm, dark place to hide outand are likely to burrow into these places onyour pet’s body. Don’t forget the area in andaround their ears!

• Pull back the fur around a suspicious areato inspect. Depending on length and thick-ness, you may have to go to more trouble topart the hair so you can see your pet’s skin.Shorthair dogs and cats are often the easiestpets to check.

HOW TO REMOVE A PET TICKFROM YOUR DOG OR CATTake a deep breath and stay calm —

steady hands are essential. You’ll need apair of latex gloves, tweezers, some disin-fectant and a small jar with an airtight lidto store the tick after you’ve removed it.

• Pull all of the fur back and away from thearea where the tick has burrowed.

• Use the tweezers and firmly and evenlygrasp the tick body. Do not squeeze the tickat this point, you can easily crush the bodyandmake it very difficult to remove the head.

• Pull the tick out in a single vertical motion.Do not try to loosen the tick’s body or lift up atan angle.

• Seal the tick in the airtight jar.

• Swab the bite areawith disinfectant.

• Flush the tick down the toilet.

• Disinfect the jar, tweezers and gloves. Throwthe gloves away after you have disinfectedthem.

Make sure you remove all of the bug’sbody from your pet’s skin. If the tick is

crushed or bisected, use the tweezers todraw out the head and legs, too. Remem-ber that you are not trained to do this, andif removing the tick starts to feel precari-ous, call your vet. He or shewill be able totell youwhether you need assistance. Thesame holds true for when your dog or cathas multiple ticks. Your vet can also in-form you about the best tick repellantsand medications for your pets.

PROTECTING YOURSELFFROM PET TICKSThe diseases that ticks carry are con-

tagious and infectious to humans, andwe can’t stress enough the importanceof proper sanitation while you remove atick from your cat or dog. Both Lymedisease and Rocky Mountain SpottedFever are devastating to humans andcan be transmitted through contact witha tick that is carrying the disease. Eventhough not every tick is a carrier, you’llbest serve yourself and your householdby exercising a high level of caution andsanitation.

OCTOBER–NOVEMBER 2010 | sandiegopetsmagazine.com 13

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H BdD 5TIPS ON TICKS

H BdD 5

sandiegopetsmagazine.com | OCTOBER–NOVEMBER 201014

Our premier photo contest wasa huge hit and lots of fun! Hereare the winners and a few of ourfavorite entries. Thank you allfor your participation!

Quincy, as in "Diaryof aMadHousewife "PHOTOSUBMITTEDBY JANIS LEFEMINE

Themop ismybest friendanda shih tzu, Lucy.PHOTOSUBMITTEDBYTARA

This isQuincy, "BeingaClown!"PHOTOSUBMITTEDBY JANIS LEFEMINE

KayaPHOTOSUBMITTEDBYNICOLE LAZAR

Pele (afterHawaiianGoddess) dressedasbikerdog.SUBMITTEDBYKEVINGORDON&NANCYPABERS

This is Bruno inhisChargersuniform.PHOTOSUBMITTEDBYDAVIDPOTTS

Griffen and Simba as“Batman & Robin”going on Halloween Patrol.

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY JAMESM. FERGUSON

RadarPHOTO SUBMITTEDBY LORRAINEDEL-ROSE

Bailey dressed as a honey potPHOTOSUBMITTEDBYANNMARIE HAKE

1st 2nd 3rd

HALLOWEEN COSTUMEPHOTO CONTESTWINNERS

Surfer samoyeds, pirate poodles, angel Afghans, devil Dal-matians — there’s no telling what Halloween lovers and theirfour-legged companions youmight encounter at the fifth annualOcean Beach Canine Carnival on Sunday, Oct. 24.The free event, billed as a “Howl-oween” carnival and street

fair for dogs, takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Dusty RhodesPark along the west side of Sunset Cliffs Boulevard at the inter-section with Nimitz Boulevard.The event’s highlight is a parade of costumed canines from

1:30 to 2:30 p.m., followed by the awarding of prizes around 3p.m. Multiple costume prizes will be awarded, often in whimsi-cal categories that judges make up on the spot. Past prizes haveincluded impromptu winners like “most OB-like,” “best shoes,”“dog that thinks it’s a cat,” and others.Registration for canine contestants opens at 11 a.m. and closes

at 1 p.m. Entry costs are $5 for individual dogs and $8 for multi-ple dogs or floats. A float is defined as a dog riding on some-thing, like a wagon, surfboard or another dog. All registrantsreceive a special “doggie bag” of prizes and gifts.

The carnival also features a street fair with food, games fordogs and people, and lots of creative shopping for dog lovers.Parking is available at Dusty Rhodes Park and Robb Field.This event is sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Ocean Beach,

with a big assist fromDog Beach DogWash and the Ocean BeachRecreation Center.All dogs are required to be leashed at all times, except in the

off-leash fenced area of the park. Other park rules also apply,such as no alcohol and no smoking.For more information, call Melanie Nickel at (619) 225-8705,

or e-mail oceanbeachkiwanis@gmail.com.

OCTOBER–NOVEMBER 2010 | sandiegopetsmagazine.com 15

For information call (619) 225-8705or visit oceanbeachkiwanis.orgFor information about renting a boothat the street fair e-mail:oceanbeachkiwanis@gmail.com

STREET FAIR • GAMESDOGGIE COSTUME PARADECRAFT ITEMS & FOOD FOR

PETS & PEOPLE

5th Annual

OCEAN BEACH CANINE CARNIVALA special “HOWL-O-WEEN” party for OBceans and their best friends

(Dog lovers from anywhere are welcome!)

Sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of Ocean Beachin association with the Ocean Beach Recreation Council

With special thanks to our primary sponsor Dog Beach Dog Wash

Sunday October 24, 2010 • 10 am to 4 pmDusty Rhodes Park, Sunset Cliffs Blvd. at Nimitz

Registration for Dog Costume Contest and Parade 11:00 am to 1:00 pmParade 1:30 pm-2:30 pm - Prizes Awarded at 3 pm

Admission is FREE.Registration fee forCostume Contest

& Parade is$5.00 for single dogs,

$8.00 for groups.

NOTE: All dogs must be leashed at all times (fixed 6-foot leash, no Flexi-Leashes).This carnival is for dogs only; please don’t bring cats, birds, etc. We reserve the

right to exclude any dog which causes problems (aggressive, in heat, etc.).

Canine ‘Howl-oween’ FestivalTricks & treats in OBC O U R T E S Y S U B M I S S I O N | P E T S M A G A Z I N E

H BdD 5HOWL-OWEEN

Dogs of all shapes and sizeswill have a day set aside for t

hemon Sunday,

Oct. 24 during theOcean Beach“Howl-oween”Canine Car

nival. Not every

dog is too chicken to wear acostume, either.

COURTESY PHOTO

B !

KUSI-TV to telecastHOPETelethonNov. 13Each year, Helen

WoodwardAnimalCenter reaches 10,000animals and 50,000children and adultswith unique programs, but the organiza-tion needs your help to make it happen.The HOPE Telethon will be broadcastlive on KUSI - TV 9/51 from 10 a.m. to 2p.m. on Nov. 13.The telethon will raise funds for the

center’s many programs. Tune in or visitthe center to help.You can make the difference that

saves lives by raising funds today! Jointhe Helen WoodwardAnimal Center asa partner in this effort by registeringnow and beginning a fundraising cam-paign for this year’s telethon. The centeralso offers four human-service pro-grams: therapeutic riding, pet encountertherapy, AniMeals, and humane educa-tion, which embody the center’s missionof people helping animals and animals

helping people.For more information, contact the Helen

Woodward Animal Center at (858) 756-4117,or visit www.animalcenter.org.

‘FlushPuppies PokerTournament’on tableUp the “ante” for the orphans and go

“all-in” for the inaugural HelenWood-wardAnimal Center’s ”Flush PuppiesPoker Tournament Texas Hold’em” onSaturday, Oct. 23 at 5 p.m. The no-limitevent is hosted by Richard Lederer , arenowned author andfather of two world-class professionalpoker players —Howard Lederer andAnnie Duke (featuredon “The CelebrityAp-prentice”).Try your “hand” at the table to benefit

animals!All funds will go to support Helen

WoodwardAnimal Center. For more in-formation, call (858) 756-4117, ext. 339.

OnlineAuctionBenefitsServiceDogsOrganizationAn online auction featuring fine jew-

elry, original artworks, sports memora-bilia and unique experiences wasrecently launched athttp://www.ccigolf.org to raise fundsfor Oceanside-based Canine Compan-ions for Independence. Canine Compan-ions is a non-profit organization thatenhances the lives of people with disabil-ities by providing highly trained assis-tance dogs and ongoing support toensure quality partnerships. CanineCompanions provides assistance dogs,training and ongoing follow-up servicesto adults and children with physical anddevelopmental disabilities completelyfree of charge.The online auction is a convenient,

pre-holiday season shopping opportu-nity to purchase one-of-a-kind items at agreat price. Sports fans can browse a cat-alog of autographed memorabilia includ-ing baseballs by Tony Perez and JoeTorre, a basketball by Bill and LukeWal-ton and a jersey by LosAngeles DodgersPitcher Hiroki Kuroda. Bid on memo-rable experiences like a Maui vacation,MVP field level tickets to a LosAngelesDodgers home game or a week at LaCosta Resort & Spa. Enjoy a thrill with atandem skydive or a romantic helicopterride for two! Get a deal on a nine-strandgold necklace or handcrafted jewelry byTurkish artisans. There is something foreveryone and the auction includes itemsat every price point.The online auction is part of the Ca-

nine Companions Invitational Golf Clas-sic and Celebration Dinner which will beheld on October 29 at the St. RegisMonarch Beach in Dana Point. One hun-dred percent of the proceeds from theevent, including the auction, will benefitCanine Companions. Those who do notplay golf can still support Canine Com-panions by purchasing tickets for theCelebration Dinner. Register for the tour-nament and/or the awards dinner atwww.ccigolf.org under the Southern Cal-ifornia tab.Visit www.ccigolf.org and click on the

Southern California tab to browse theauction items and bid online. For moreinformation about the golf tournament,call Chuck Contreras at (760) 901-4305.

H BdD 5 EVENT HI-LIGHTS

sandiegopetsmagazine.com | OCTOBER–NOVEMBER 201016

17OCTOBER–NOVEMBER 2010 | sandiegopetsmagazine.com

Anew study in “VeterinaryMicrobiol-ogy” is the first to confirm that canine in-fluenza virus (CIV) H3N8 easily spreadsfrom infected dogs to other dogs. Thestudy also showed CIV can cause moreserious forms of respiratory disease indogs, like pneumonia, that often go un-detected in clinical practice.“This study is important for several

reasons,” said Cynda Crawford, DVM,Ph.D. University of Florida College ofVeterinaryMedicine, and a leading experton CIV.“First, it provides clear evidence

that CIV H3N8 is highly transmissiblebetween dogs, confirming field obser-vations recorded during naturally oc-curring canine influenza outbreaks inconfined populations of dogs.“Second, the finding of subclinical

pneumonia in nearly all infected dogs inthe study underscores the virulence ofthis virus in both the upper and lowerrespiratory tract, predisposing manydogs to serious overt pneumonia requir-ing hospitalization,” she said.In addition, researchers confirmed that

excretion of the virus (shedding) pre-cedes the manifestation of clinical signs.This is significant, according to the study,because it demonstrates that apparentlyhealthy dogs can infect dogs they en-counter at kennels, clinics, shelters, train-ing settings, shows and other locationswhere they congregate.Researchers also found evidence of

“rolling” infection, which makes it diffi-cult for infected kennels and shelters toeliminate the infection unless they canclose down and keep new, uninfecteddogs from entering, according to the re-searchers. These locations can also be-come sources of disease with thepotential to spread to other facilities.“We know that canine influenza, a

new disease for many veterinarians, isoften underdiagnosed or misdiagnosedbecause clinical signs are similar to otherrespiratory diseases,” said NallaKannuLakshmanan, MVSc, PhD, associate di-

rector of biological research at Inter-vet/Schering-Plough Animal Health,and one of the authors of the study. “Ourresearch further suggests that infecteddogsmay have serious lung damage thatgoes undetected because it does notman-ifest as pneumonia.”Study authors concluded that many

more dogs with CIV are likely to havelung damage not being detected clini-cally in veterinary practice, particularlycompared to canine cough, which rarelyleads to serious respiratory disease.“Since clinical trials have demon-

strated that the canine flu H3N8 vaccinesignificantly decreases virus sheddingand the presence of subclinical pneu-monia, the findings of this new studysuggest that vaccination may greatly re-duce the potential for rolling infectionsand pneumonia, thereby protecting fa-cilities from full- blown outbreaks andindividual dogs from hospitalization,”Crawford said.The article, “Transmission of canine in-

fluenza virus (H3N8) among susceptibledogs,”(Faris F. Jirjis et al) also stressed theimportance of accurate sample collection.Dogs may only show increased nasal se-cretions in the early stages of infection,which often goes unnoticed. Once symp-toms like coughing are evident, thenserum samples can be submitted for di-agnosis.For more information, visit www.sci-

encedirect.com/science/journal.

How to PamperYour Pet’s Paws:

CreatingYour Own Paw Spa at Home

Staying healthy is the key to ahappy life. Going for long walks,running in the park, playing Fris-bee or ball are all things people anddogs love to do together. All of thisactivity can lead to injuries for yourpet – especially their paws. We alllike to be pampered every now andthen. And the same goes for ourfour-footed loved ones.

Taking preventative measureswhen dealing with your dog’shealth is the best practice.Here area few suggestions fromwww.BNY-dogs.com to maintain a happyhealthy (and pampered) dog:

• Keeping your dog well groomed andclean is the best start. Think about it; if youwere covered with dirt, loose hairs and dan-der, you wouldn't be jumping for joy either.Full body paw wipes are a great product tokeep your dog looking and feeling great.

• Dog paws may be a bit tougher thanhuman feet, however, they are still sensitive,and when exposed to natural elements en-countered with normal exercise, injuries canoccur. It is very important to have a daily rou-tine for checking your dogs’ paws for cuts,scrapes or splinters, especially after anyextra-curricular activities. Regular applica-tion of Paw ConditioningTreatment will pro-tect their paws from everydaywear and tear.

• If skin damage, cracked pads or dry nosehas already occurred, apply Dermagic CellRestoration Cream immediately. It combatsdry, itchy skin, promotes rapid healing andprotects healing damaged skin.

• Trimming your dog’s paw nails regularlycan help prevent cracked or broken nails.Just make sure you don't trim too much, asthis can cause bleeding and discomfort foryour dog.

New study confirms canine fluvirus easily spread between dogs

G U E S T S U B M I S S I O N | P E T S M A G A Z I N E

H BdD 5HEALTH TIPS

Fun toys will entice your rabbits toplay, and in the process stimulate theirminds and exercise their bodies.Toys for your rabbit do not need to be

expensive or even purchased, thoughthere are many wonderful items youcan buy.If you’re counting your pennies, these

ideas can help you come up with hoursof fun for your bunnywith little expenseto your wallet.Things you already have at home:Paper bags: Bunnies LOVE paper

bags! They dash inside them and hide,chew holes in the corners, and pull themaround by the handles. Paper shopping

bags are perfect for this.Cardboard boxes: A simple cardboard

box can become the ultimate bunny cas-tle. Cut holes in the side so they cancome and go, and place sheets of news-paper or the telephone book inside forshredding fun. They’ll jump on topto become “king of the castle”and hide underneath for anafternoon snooze.Canning jar rings make fab-

ulous bunny rattles. Paired witha ring from your shower curtainrod, you have a clangy-bangy toy!These are a huge hit with my bunniesat home.Empty toilet paper or paper

towel tubes are perfect for stuffingwith fresh hay or wadded-uppaper towels. Bunnies will chewon them and fling them around.Empty Quaker Oats boxes

(the round kind) are greattunnels for little bunnies. Cut outthe bottom for tunneling fun.Straw whisk brooms (the little

ones for sweeping up crumbs) aregreat for chewing. Just make sure theyare clean and new.Old towels for bunching and re-

arranging. Bunnies are natural “interiordecorators” and love to smooth thingsout and move them around.Large rubber balls: bunnnies like to

bump them with their nose and followthem around. It’s so fun to watch themplaying “soccer” in the family room asthey run the ball around.Branches from apple trees or other

“seed” fruits. Avoid stone-fruit trees(cherry, peach, plum, and apricot) asthey can be poisonous. Make sure theyare free from pesticides and well-dried.Dried pine cones: They should be

clean and dried over a several-monthperiod.Junk mail catalogs for ripping and

shredding (bunnies love the noise of

tearing paper).All of these ideas are bunny-tested

and approved!For more great ideas on how to keep

your bunny busy with a variety of toys,visit San Diego House Rabbit Society atwww.sandiegorabbits.org and click on“Behavior.” To find great, bunny-safetreats and toys, visit the HRS BunnyStore on Saturdays from noon to 3 p.m.at 4805 Mercury St., Suite J (corner ofRonson Road and Mercury Street) inKearny Mesa.

— Judith Pierce, San Diego HouseRabbit Society

H BdD 5 RABBITS

18

Bunny trick or treatEasy toys for your pet

G U E S T S U B M I S S I O N B Y T H E S D H O U S E R A B B I T S O C I E T Y

sandiegopetsmagazine.com | OCTOBER–NOVEMBER 2010

OCTOBER–NOVEMBER 2010 | sandiegopetsmagazine.com 19

• Candy overindulgence — Pets are in-discriminatewhen it comes to eating tastytreats and can gorge themselves on snacksand foodmeant for humans. Large inges-tions of sugary, high-fat candy can lead topancreatitis in pets. Potentially fatal, pan-creatitis is inflammation of the pancreasand very painful. It may not show up fortwo to four days after the pet ingests thecandy. Symptoms include decreased ap-petite, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, ab-dominal pain, and potentially, kidneyfailure or organ damage.

• Raisins — Some people prefer to dis-tribute healthy snacks instead of candyon Halloween, such as mini-boxes ofraisins. These are extremely poisonous todogs! Very small amounts of raisins (andgrapes) can cause kidney failure in dogsand, potentially, cats. When it comes toyour pets, raisins deserve the same pet-proofing treatment as chocolate.

• Candy wrappers — Generally, whenpets eat candy, they don’t bother to re-move the wrappers. Ingestion of foil andcellophane wrappers can cause a life-threatening bowel obstruction, which ifsevere, can require surgical interventionto correct. Watch for vomiting, decreasedappetite, not defecating, straining to defe-cate, or lethargy. X-raysmay be necessaryto diagnose this problem.

Other Halloween hazards to be awareof include glow sticks and glow jewelry,costumes and candles.

• Glow sticks and glow jewelry — Pets,especially cats, love to chew on theseitems. Over the past year, Pet PoisonHelpline received nearly 80 calls concern-ing pets that punctured glow sticks orglow jewelry—and 70 percent of the callsinvolved cats. While not usually life-threatening, their contents can cause painand irritation in themouth, aswell as pro-fuse drooling and foaming at the mouth.

• Costumes— Pets look cute dressed incostumes, but they might not enjoy it asmuch as their owners. If you dress your

pet in a costume, be sure it doesn’t impairhis vision, movement or air intake. If thecostume containsmetallic beads, snaps orother small pieces, be aware that if in-gested, some metals (especially zinc andlead) can result in serious poisoning.Also, don’t be tempted to dye or applycoloring to your pet’s fur. Even if the dyeis labeled non-toxic to humans, it couldstill be harmful to pets.

• Candles — Keep candles out of thereach of curious noses andwagging tails.Sometimes pets don’t realize somethingis hot until they get burned.

During this Halloween season, helpkeep your pet safe. If you think your pethas ingested something poisonous, theveterinarians at Pet Poison Helpline sug-gest that you get help sooner than later.It’s always easier, less expensive and saferfor your pet to be treated earlier, versuswhen he’s showing severe symptoms.

Contact your veterinarian or Pet PoisonHelpline immediately at (800) 213-6680,or visit www.petpoisonhelpline.com.

SAFETYCONTINUED FROM Page 3

H BdD 5SAFETY

Sindi Somers619-384-0761sindi@wildtame.comwww.wildtame.com

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H BdD 5 HEALTH

sandiegopetsmagazine.com | OCTOBER–NOVEMBER 201020

The Spay & Neuter Action Project (SNAP) and the Feral CatCoalition (FCC) have established an aggressive new goal: estab-lishing a high-volume, permanent spay and neuter facility com-bined with a veterinary clinic that offers subsidized services tolow income families who can’t afford healthcare.With shelters overflowing and pet overpopulation burgeoning

as many struggling families find they can’t afford to “fix” theirpets, the need for lower-cost alternatives is pressing, saidanimal-care experts.Currently, FCC runs free monthly clinics where volunteer vet-

erinarians and vet techs fix about 120 to 150 feral cats. The clin-ics rotate locations around San Diego County. Last spring, at theheight of kitten season, FCC had a backlog of 700 sterilization re-quests from caretakers.SNAP operates several spay/neuter clinics for dogs and cats

weekly in San Diego County aboard their twomobile veterinaryclinics — the “Neuter Scooters” — which can each perform 40to 50 sterilizations daily.In the past, FCC and SNAP ran twice-yearly Feral Cat

Fixathons, where they altered about 250 to 300 cats. Recently,with the poor economy and overstretched volunteer vets and vettechs, the groups haven’t been able to recruit enough volunteersto schedule these events, according to San Diego FCC PresidentAmber Millen.A permanent, stationary facility can’t come too soon for both

Millen and SNAP volunteer Executive Director Candy Schu-mann.“If we’re able to open it, just from the perspective of feral cats,

we would be able to do 50 cats a day,” Millin said. “We could do1,000 cats a month instead of just 150 at our one-day clinic,”Millen says.Schumann, who has worked in animal welfare for over 25

years and founded SNAP in 1991 to address pet overpopulation,said more than $100,000 has already been raised toward the goalof $2 million to build and support the clinic.“What we want is a wellness clinic, a community veterinary

resource for low-income people, rescues and feral cat caretak-ers,” Schumann said.Schumann envisages offering a pet food bank for low-income

families and seniors.Among those welcoming a clinic are volunteer cat caretakers

like Tanya, who asked that her last name not be used.Alongwithher sister, Tanya cares for a feral colony near their mother’s prop-erty. They began feeding them and soon found a pregnant cat.After finding homes for the kittens, the women spayed themother and returned her.They realized then that their work had just begun. Over the

last year, using FCC’s monthly clinics, the women trapped, ster-ilized and released about 20 cats to the local colony, while alsotreating the cats’ medical problems.“We want to get the situation under control,” Tanya said.

“We’ve made a big impact. We have about another 20 to 25 catsto catch. We’re about 40 percent done.”Schumann said she considers the need for a clinic urgent.“I’ve never seen somany animals in shelters,” Schumann said.

“A lot of them are there because people can’t afford vet care. So,if people could take care of the eye infection, broken leg, diag-nostics and treatment at lower costs, they would be able to keeptheir pets.”Once the groups raise the money and build a clinic, low-in-

come residents will have a new resource to save their pets, Schu-mann said.For more information, call SNAP at (619) 525-3047 or FCC at (619)

758-9194, or visit visit their websites at www.snap-sandiego.org orwww.feralcat.com.

Working in an assembly-line fashion, Feral Cat Coalition volunteer vet-erinary technicians prepare feral cats for surgery at the Rancho SanDiegoVeterinary Hospital. PHOTO BY NICOLE SOURS LARSON I PETS MAGAZINE

VolunteersMichelle Capossere andDebbie Eide, both veterinarian tech-nicians, carry sedated feral cats onto a Spay & Neuter Action Project“Neuter Scooter” for neutering. PHOTO BY NICOLE SOURS LARSON I PETS MAGAZINE

High-volumespay-neuterclinicwouldoffernewhopefor feral andstrayanimalsB y N I C O L E S O U R S L A R S O N | S A N D I E G O P E T S

OCTOBER–NOVEMBER 2010 | sandiegopetsmagazine.com 21

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H BdD 5MARKETPLACE

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OCTOBER–NOVEMBER 2010 | sandiegopetsmagazine.com 23

Emergencyhospitals

BONITA/CHULAVISTAPetEmergency&SpecialtyCenterofSouthCounty (619) 591-4802

885 Canarios Court, #108, Chula Vista, CA 91910 M-F 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. Sat. Sun.

3:30 pm-8am www.PESCSanDiego.com

CARLSBADCaliforniaVeterinary Specialists (760) 431-2272

2310 Faraday Ave., Carlsbad, CA 92008, 7 days 24 hrs.

www.CaliforniaVeterinarySpecialists.com

ENCINITASVCANorth CoastVeterinary & Emergency (760) 632-1072

414 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas, CA 92024, 7 Days 24 hrs.

www.VCANorthCoast.com

ESCONDIDOAnimal Urgent Care of Escondido (760) 738-9600

2430-A S. Escondido Blvd., Escondido, CA 92025, 7 Days 24 hrs.

www.AUC.US.com

KEARNYMESA/CLAIREMONTAnimal ER of San Diego (858) 569-0600

5610 KearnyMesa Road, SanDiego, CA 92111M-F 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. Sat. Sun. 24 hrs.

LAMESAPet Emergency & Specialty Center (619) 462-4800

5232 Jackson Drive #105, La Mesa, CA 91942, 7 Days 24 hrs.

www.PESCSanDiego.com

MISSIONVALLEYVCA Emergency Animal Hospital & Referral Center

(619)229-24002317HotelCircleSouth, SanDiego,CA92108,7Days24hrs.

www.VCAEmergency.com

MURRIETACaliforniaVeterinary Specialists (951) 600-9803

25100 Hancock Ave. #116, Murrieta, CA 92562, 7 days 24 hrs.www.CaliforniaVeterinarySpecialists.com

POWAYAnimal Emergency Clinic (858) 748-738712775 Poway Road, Poway, CA 92064 M-F 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. Sat. Sun. 24 hrs.www.AnimalEmergencySD.com

SANMARCOSCaliforniaVeterinary Specialists (760) 734-4433100N. Rancho Santa Fe Road #133, SanMarcos, CA 92069, 7Days 24 hrs.www.CaliforniaVeterinarySpecialists.comVeterinary Specialty Hospital (760) 466-06002055Montiel Road, Suite 104, SanMarcos, CA 92069www.vshsd.com

SORRENTOVALLEYVeterinary Specialty Hospital (858) 875-750010435 Sorrento Valley Road., San Diego, CA 92121 7 Days 24 hrs.www.VSHSD.com

Dog Beach Dog WashDo-It-Yourself

Services and Accessories4933 Voltaire Street, San Diego, Ca 92107

619-523-1700Open 7am to 9pm, 7 days a week

www.dogwash.comSince 1993

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619.339.0001personalizedpetportraits@gmail.com

www.personalizedpetportraits.blogspot.com

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