Dog-Breath

1.  Know the location of your nearest ANIMAL EMERGENCY HOSPITAL

Drive to the location so that you know which side of the street it is on and where the entrance is. This is not something you want to be thinking about when your pet is in trouble — you want to know how to get there quickly! Best to ask your vet for a recommendation to a facility that is open 24/7. If it’s not a true emergency — but you know the problem can’t wait until your vet is available — better to drive a further distance for better quality care. If you live in or near Orange County CA, I strongly recommend Advanced Critical Care and Internal Medicine (ACCIM) in Tustin.

[Read more →]

I love a good story and this one is right up my alley: Passion, dogs and food!  Bravo to Marie Moody — dog lover and entrepreneur extraordinaire!

Taken from the website of Stella & Chewy’s:

Available at Only Natural Pet Store (buy quality pet products and support this blog) or these on-line retailers: http://www.stellaandchewys.com/site/buyonline.asp

For locals, it’s also available at my Orange County practice: Founders Veterinary Clinic.

And you guessed it — Rosie’s new diet is Stella and Chewy’s raw and freeze dried (great for the road trips I take with Rosie!) chicken steak patties. If you are a winner and would like to receive one free e-book of your choice — please reply to DrT@30MinVetConsult.com with the subject line: Winner.

Congratulations!

1) Feeding dry food (kibble diets) prevents tartar build-up

Truth: Effective chewing (raw meaty bones, rawhide chews, and other man made chew products — like the durable rubber Kong) simulates how wild canines gnaw on the bones of prey animals to ‘brush’ their teeth. Kibble is simply crunched and swallowed like a bowl of Cheerios and does nothing to prevent tartar build-up.

Fact: Raw food diets contain live enzymes and are free of grain — closer to a dog’s natural diet, which naturally promotes better dental health. Kibble lacks any live enzymes (killed by heat) and contains cheap grain products (unless listed as grain-free) which bacteria-producing plaque love to feed on!

Don’t fall for kibble marketing hype promoted by some clueless vets. Remember, invisible plaque build-up ultimately leads to visible tartar. You can help prevent plaque build-up by regular tooth brushing and choosing better diets.

[Read more →]

‘Tis the season for coughing dogs — especially if your dog has recently been boarded during the winter Holidays. If your dog starts honking like a goose within days of visiting the groomer, daycare center, or boarding kennel, chances are your dog’s upper airways have been infected with a contagious bug impossible to avoid. The good news is that with some TLC most likely your can dog skip the dog doc and just stay home from work for a few days of R&R.

Animal shelters and boarding kennels are infamous breeding grounds for two common pathogens: bacteria (bordetella) and viruses (parainfluenza) that can team up to cause an outbreak of what is commonly called “kennel cough”. If your dog presents to the vet for symptoms of a dry, hacking, relentless cough and has recently been boarded or is a daycare playmate, chances are your vet will quickly diagnose your dog with tracheobronchitis. That’s medical jargon for inflammation of the trachea (windpipe) and bronchioles (upper airways leading to the lungs).

Typical cough for dog with tracheobronchitis:

[Read more →]

Eric Christensen

Woody exploring the ranch — 2006.

I have given up traditional gift giving — spending lots of cash on things I think someone will enjoy, but doesn’t really need. Instead I will share this story in the hope of giving you something of myself and what I believe is the true spirit of this holiday season — being grateful for what we do have and helping the less fortunate. Here goes …

[Read more →]

Lisa Scarsi

Speaking out at our annual Luv-a-Bully March celebrating Pit Bull Awareness Day on October 25th, Brea CA.

With the credit crunch making us all look for ways to economize, I interviewed Dr Terifaj for some money saving tips on veterinary care.

Paula talks about how you can spend less at the veterinarian without compromising your dog’s health. Who knows that better than a veterinarian herself? Find out when you must go to the vet, when you can wait, and how to find a vet that provides good value.

So, to make sure you keep your dog healthy (and you just may save some money, too!), listen to my interview with Paula here:

http://www.dogcastradio.com/node/23054

Julie Hill, Host of DogCast Radio
www.DogCastRadio.com  

Another Great Turnout This Year!

Lisa Scarsi

The 4th Annual Luv-a-Bully March gets underway in Brea, CA.

On October 25th we celebrated our 4th Annual Luv-a-Bully March, protesting breed discrimination as part of the Second Annual Pit Bull Awareness Day. On this day, 39 states participated in cities from Alabama to Wisconsin.

In our Southern California city of Brea, it was an unusually hot day for October, but that didn’t deter our 125 protestors marching side by side with their canine companions. All breeds, from Chihuahuas to Great Danes, were there to support their bully buddies! Our Kiss-a-Bull booth was a smashing hit, with kids and adults who lined up to hand over a dollar and then had to walk away as our volunteer bully licked them to the point of laughter!

Lisa Scarsi

Our Kiss-a-Bull booth was a licking success!

See more photos here.

On a more serious note, Farmers Insurance Company attended at the invitation of Dr. Paula Terifaj DVM to announce that in California, Farmers is only one of two insurance companies surveyed that does NOT discriminate against dog owners. To find out more about breed discrimination by insurance companies, read the tragic story of Tanner: Mercury Insurance Signs Death Warrant on Family Dog.

Message From Jodi Pries, Founder of Bless the Bullys

Thank you for making Pit Bull Awareness Day (PBAD) a huge success — it certainly could not be done without all your hard work and efforts!! I hope that PBAD will become a tradition for you, and that you will celebrate this incredible breed every year until breed discrimination is a thing of the past.

Working together to change public perception, IT CAN BE DONE!

FYI: In September, the traffic to the website doubled. However, during the entire month of October — up until PBAD — the website averaged close to 2,000 hits EVERY DAY!!

That’s A LOT of exposure for your event! Sign-up NOW.

Mark your calendar Third Annual Pit Bull Awareness Day October 24th, 2009.

Forrest & Kane: Update on Denver Survivors

As you know, both dogs were safely transported out of Denver after a grand stand battle by their owners (the McGahey and Martinez familes) and ferocious
watch dog Rovers on Dog Duty! Both Forrest and Kane are now living large in California with Rover Chef David and his pit mix Daze — collectively known as Team Pit-A-Full.

Watch Chef David share his amazing road trip and journey to Colorado:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2BGRvdy2JQ

Adopt a Denver Pen Pal

Lisa Scarsi

Adopt a Denver city official as a Pen Pal and help fight breed discrimination.

Elected city officials in favor of breed bans need a reality check! Start a friendly ongoing relationship with your city representatives. See what Denver residents are doing — and share in this creative endeavor. You can Adopt a Denver Pen Pal too!

Denver Poster Child

Check out our ad campaign and help us save the bullies in Denver!

Please visit our new website, DenverKillsDogs, and join our campaign to repeal the breed ban in Denver!

Top Denver Dog Magazine Wants Repeal of Breed Ban!

Lisa Scarsi

More licks at our annual Luv-a-Bully March!

The publisher of the American Dog Magazine, Jamie Downey, has promised to send a copy of their Jan 09 issue to city officials in Denver, CO. The upcoming winter issue will be on newsstands nationwide Jan 1st. The winter issue will include an article written by Dr. Paula Terifaj DVM on the dangers of Denver’s breed ban.

The magazine will be delivered to Mayor Hickenlooper, all twelve city council members, Doug Kelley, the Director of Animal Control, and city attorneys — sending a strong message in favor of repealing the breed ban.

This fine magazine supports many animal welfare issues and offers excellent articles on dog health care. It’s a win-win for dog lovers and the fight against unfair breed discrimination.

Please support the American Dog Magazine and buy a one year subscription for the great value of only $20!  You must subscribe before December 12th to get the upcoming winter issue:  Subscribe NOW and leave a short Thank-You note for Jamie in the comment section, Thanks!

Makes a great holiday gift too!

Mission: Spend No Dollars in Denver

We are now over 4,000 signatures — like a choo choo train — we need rapid transport! It’s not just a Boycott — it’s a WARNING to dog owners! Did you know that people with bullies had plans to move or visit Denver and were clueless? Read the comments. The story of Forrest has prevented untold suffering from countless “would be” Denver residents and visitors.

Nov 2, 2008, Kate Cross, Arizona
I am a 26 year old, well educated professional adult. I have no children; however, my two Pit Bulls are children to me. My life aside from my career revolves around them. In previous years I traveled through Denver and often vacationed in the area on my way to Kansas, unaware of your area’s pit bull legislation. I will be changing my travel plans this year and years to come to protect my “babies” as we vacation. It sickens me to think about what this bill does to responsible pet owners. It brings tears to my eyes to think of what pet owners must endure in your area. To most families pets are key members, consider having a family member taken from you in a similar fashion. This kind of tragic loss would be worse than any other.

Let’s get to our goal of 10,000 signatures by the end of this year (Dec 31,2008) and I dare to make you this promise: Yours truly will hand deliver this petition to Mayor Hickenlooper.

Now, show me what you’ve got, Rovers!

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/spend-no-dollars-in-denver-colorado

I have asked the publisher of the American Dog Magazine, Jamie Downey, to send a copy of the Jan 2009 issue to city officials in Denver, CO. The upcoming winter issue will be on newsstands nationwide Jan 1st thru Apr 1st, 2009.

The winter issue will include an article I have written on the dangers of Denver’s breed ban entitled, Vet warns dog owners to stay out of Denver, Colorado.

The magazine will be sent to Mayor Hickenlooper, all twelve city council members, Doug Kelley, the Director of Animal Control, and city attorneys.

This fine magazine supports many animal welfare issues and offers excellent articles on dog health care. It’s a win-win for dog lovers and the fight against unfair breed discrimination.

With your support, The American Dog Magazine will send copies of the Jan 2009 issue to named city officials in Denver, CO.

Please send a short thank you to Jamie for her support to overturn Denver’s breed ban at:

www.theamericandogmag.com

Eric Christensen

Dr. Paula Terifaj gets a loving kiss from one of her bully patients.

Dear City Officials,

Please rid our city of pit bulls so I can feel safe again.  And oh, by the way…

Could you also keep drunk drivers off the streets, stop people from running red lights, and ticket all drivers that can’t remember we have speed limits? These irresponsible people put my life at risk everyday.

[Read more →]

Eric Christensen

Tanner 2003 — 2007

Breed discriminatory laws are sweeping our country and Denver, CO is only one hot spot. Other cities in the states of Ohio, Missouri, Kansas, and Texas (to name a few) have adopted similar legislation. Insurance companies have jumped on this breed bandwagon — placing restrictions on homeowners or refusing to provide coverage if certain breeds of dogs are owned.

If you have been thinking that breed discrimination is not your problem, wake up and smell the illegal dog lying on your living room couch! As a veterinarian, I have added breed discrimination to my list of warnings for dog owners. I now caution my clients (who own one of several dog breeds that have been blacklisted by insurance companies and cities around the country) whenever I am introduced to their American Pitbull Terrier, Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Terrier, Rottweiler, Chow Chow, Akita, Great Dane, German Shepard, or Doberman. In my state of California, I have personally witnessed the pain of breed discrimination first hand, compliments of Mercury Insurance Company.

For a heavy dose of reality, read what happened to Tanner:

[Read more →]