by Dr. Markoff I have noticed a higher than normal amount of a pretty dangerous plant in our area lately. It iscalled yellow star thistle. This nasty little plant is toxic to horses causing a condition that makes them unable to pull food into their mouths (called prehension). When this thistle gets mixed up into [...]
by Dr. Markoff We always have troubles with foxtails (grass awns) at this time of year on the Central Coast, but things have been extremely bad this year. In just the past month, Animal Care Clinic has seen 4 dogs develop a condition called pneumothorax and require emergency surgery to remove lung lobes! Foxtails most [...]
by Bonnie Markoff It’s Sticker Time! All the rain we have been having is making our hills and fields green – green with stickers! As the grass dries out, we are going to see various foxtails, grass awns and other “stickers” clinging to our pets and wreaking havoc! These stickers can make their way [...]
We recently saw 10 month old Sherman when he unexpectedly vomited four times after breakfast. Dr. Barber recommended x-rays of his abdomen and discovered a large amount of rocks and gravel. His family recalled an area of loose astroturf in the backyard with gravel underneath and suspect that's where Sherman ate the rocks. Unfortunately several of [...]
The holidays are upon us and once again we are proud to support Women at Risk International with our annual ornament fundraiser. If you've been looking for something special for your tree or as a gift, stop by the clinic to see the beautiful hand made Egyptian glass and Peruvian gourd ornaments. 100% of the [...]
Rain is infrequent here on the Central Coast leaving many pet parents frustrated when their dogs don’t want to go outside to potty. Unless your dog likes playing in the ocean, chances are they haven’t had much experience being wet. This can be especially true for puppies if squirt bottles are used for correction. Here [...]
by Stephanie Ruggerone While “Trick or Treat” may be fun for us; what about our pets? Like so many other holidays in San Luis Obispo, the weather is nice and we want to include our furry family members in the fun. It is easy to forget our animal companions do not “see what we see” [...]
Animal Care Clinic is joining the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) in celebrating AAHA-Accredited Hospital Day on July 22. Accreditation is awarded to veterinary hospitals practicing the highest level of veterinary excellence, after a rigorous review of practice protocols, medical equipment, facility and client service. We first earned AAHA accreditation in 1993 and have consecutively [...]
We always need to be prepared to take care of our animals, especially during emergencies. With fire season underway in California, Pet Fire Safety Day is an excellent reminder to review your game plan in the event of a fire in or around your home. Here are some tips and resources to get you started. [...]
July 7th is World Chocolate Day. This can be fun for people, but not for pets! Researchers at the University of Cincinnati found that 3 Hershey’s kisses is the perfect amount of chocolate for people to generate feel-good brain chemicals. But pet lovers need to be careful because chocolates contain theobromine, which is a lethal [...]
