Blog - Page 4 of 45 - Pismo Beach Veterinary Clinic

Meet Keiko, Our December Featured Employee!

Posted on December 4, 2018May 1, 2019 by Odessa Boettger

Keiko joined the PBVC team in Summer 2018. Originally from Santa Barbara, her experience with animals extends to her childhood riding horses, spending countless hours at the barn, and working for her trainer up until she graduated high school. She’s had dozens of pets ranging from reptiles to chickens, and of course dogs, throughout her life. In 2015, she moved to SLO to attend Cal Poly, where she is currently in her fourth year of studying animal science.

In college, she decided to pursue veterinary medicine and plans to apply to vet school next year. Last summer she volunteered in Ecuador providing families with medical care for their pets and wishes to continue non-profit work throughout her career. She currently has one rescue chihuahua named Nova and plans to rescue many more in the future!

Here at the clinic, Keiko is a kennel assistant, helping out with blood work, cleaning up and prepping for procedures, and keeping the clinic organized in general. Keiko is always ready to help out and loves

learning about the science behind the medicine. She treats each and every pet like they are her own!

Can My Dog Eat Thanksgiving Leftovers?

Posted on November 19, 2018May 1, 2019 by pismobeachvet

Everybody loves holidays and the delicious food that comes with it and many people want to share this joy with their pets, but is it safe? Learn what foods are ok (in moderation) for your festive pup and what foods to keep on your plate and away from Fido.

Turkey
- Plain meat is usually just fine, just be sure to remove the skin before you feed it to your pet. The heavily seasoned skin on the turkey can cause pancreatitis and in large chunks can even be a choking hazard. Never allow your pet to chew on leftover bones as they can easily splinter or get stuck in the intestines.

Ham
- Pork is usually pretty high in fat content and can really pack on the calories. This can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and pancreatitis. Save your pet from a tummy ache, and skip on the ham.

Mashed Potatoes
- While plain potatoes may be ok, mashed potatoes usually contain lots of butter, milk, and cheese. This can cause diarrhea in lactose sensitive pets. Mashed potatoes also sometimes contain garlic or onion powder, both of which are seasonings to stay far away from!

Stuffing
- Stuffing usually contains garlic, onions, and all sorts of other delicious human ingredients. These can cause life threatening anemia in dogs so it’s best to skip it.

Cranberry Sauce
- Cranberry sauce is too high in sugar for your pup.

Salads
- Be sure your salad does not include things like grapes or raisins, as both are very toxic to dogs.

Veggies
- Plain old green beans and carrots are great treats for your furry loved ones, but not when they are in casserole form or heavily seasoned. The cream in green bean casserole is far too rich and can cause stomach upset. Sweet potatoes are ok in moderation but candied yams are not.
Desserts
- While pumpkin can sometimes be beneficial in the diet of a canine, pumpkin pie is not. Steer clear of offering desserts to your pets, including pies, ice creams, and anything containing chocolate!

If you do decide to let your dog have a little taste of the holiday, only feed these things in moderation, as any change to a normal diet can cause an upset stomach. When in doubt, don’t risk it. If you think your pet may have eaten something toxic, call us or PETS Emergency Hospital!

Meet Brittani, Our November Featured Employee!

Posted on November 6, 2018May 1, 2019 by pismobeachvet

Brittani was born in Ventura, but grew up in San Luis Obispo County. She grew up with animals always being a part of her life. It wasn’t until her father became a farrier that she realized she wanted to work with animals in some way. Growing up, Brittani volunteered at Equine clinics along the coast and with her father’s Farrier business. She was involved in FFA and sports throughout high school. Once graduating high school, she worked for an Equine breeding farm called Varian Arabians in Arroyo Grande. After gaining more experience with large animals, she wanted to expand her knowledge with small animals and is currently going to school to become a Veterinary Technician.

Brittani is one of our customer service representatives. She loves to be able to make bonds with our patients and their owners! When Brittani isn’t working or at school, she enjoys riding her horse on the beach, going on hikes with friends, making trips to the lake, and traveling when she can.

10th Annual Pet Costume Contest!

Posted on October 23, 2018May 1, 2019 by pismobeachvet

Join us at PBVC for our 10th annual PBVC Pet Costume Contest on Saturday October 27! Registration will begin at 12pm, and the judging will begin at 12:30 by a panel of local experts! We encourage you to bring the whole family out for a day of fun! Any and all pets are welcome and the event is FREE to attend.

Costume categories include
* Best Pet Duo
* Best Human and Pet Duo
* Best Canine Costume
* Best Feline Costume
* Best Exotic Pet Costume

There will be food, drinks, and great prizes! Even if you do not enter the contest, come out to see some great costumes! If you have any questions, feel free to call us at (805) 773-0474.

Meet Valerie, Our October Featured Employee!

Posted on October 1, 2018May 1, 2019 by pismobeachvet

Born and raised in San Luis Obispo, Valerie is a true local. She graduated from San Luis Obispo High School and attended Cuesta College for a couple of years working towards a Health Services degree. She hopes to someday enroll in the RVT program to continue her passion for helping animals.

She has grown up with 2 dogs, up to 15 different small birds, a duck, 2 turtles, and a chicken, making her a lover of all animals! Her first furchild was given to her for her 7th birthday: a Bichon Frise whom she named Kisses but was more affectionately known as Baby. He lead a very loved and happy life, living to almost 17 years old. She rescued her current furbaby, Leilani, who is now a happy 8 year old Maltese and living her best life as Valerie’s best friend. She currently lives with a roommate and between them they have 5 pets: 2 dogs, 1 cat, 1 fish, and 1 rat.

On her free time you can catch Valerie relaxing on the beach, adventuring with friends, or enjoying nature with her dog and hula hoops. She loves to attend music events, explore new places, and hopes to someday be able to travel the world to see the 7 ancient wonders.

Her favorite part of the job is greeting all the pets with a smile and treating them as her own. Val is one of our super star customer service representatives, tending to our patients when they first arrive to the clinic. She is a sucker for cute kittens!

Meet Lizzy, Our September Featured Employee!

Posted on September 4, 2018May 1, 2019 by pismobeachvet

Lizzy, originally from Sacramento, CA, is starting her fourth year at Cal Poly working towards her bachelors degree in Animal Science. At PBVC, Lizzy is a room nurse, helping patients and doctors during appointments. Lizzy especially loves working with golden retrievers, though she loves all animals.

After undergrad, she hopes to move on to vet school (not too far from family) and pursue something with companion animals in the surgical field or emergency medicine. The love of her life is her pug, Lulu, who is back home in Sacramento. Lizzy enjoys studying at Cal Poly, especially organic chemistry. When she isn’t working at the clinic or studying at school, she enjoys binge-watching Netflix and spending time outdoors working out, hiking, and running long distance.

Meet Katrina, Our August Featured Employee!

Posted on July 31, 2018May 1, 2019 by pismobeachvet

Katrina was born in San Luis Obispo and raised in Los Osos. While growing up she wasn’t able to have any cats or dogs due to a parental allergy but she did have a bird, a rat and a bunny. She has worked in human medicine for 22 years but always had a love for animals. After working in an emergency pet hospital she knew her true passion was with veterinary medicine. That’s when Katrina joined the PBVC team! Originally working as one of our customer service representatives, Katrina began to work towards becoming a certified veterinary assistant through Penn Foster. She has since transitioned to working full time as a veterinary assistant. She loves being able to help our doctors in appointments and create strong bonds with our patients! Katrina always has a smile on her face.

At home, Katrina has a tuxedo cat who is 5 years old named Fiona Bella. She recently moved to Santa Maria when she met her boyfriend Geoff and added to her fur baby family. She now has 2 boxers: 4 year old Roscoe P Coltrane and 1 year old Cletus.

In her spare time, she likes to take her dogs to the dog beach, spend time with her grown son, participate in car shows, and hang out at her family’s Nacimiento lake house. She vows to one day actually get up on a wake board. Katrina‘s ultimate goal is to become a registered vet tech.

The Dangers of Foxtails

Posted on July 7, 2018May 1, 2019 by pismobeachvet

So we’ve all heard of a foxtail but what really is it? A foxtail is a a barbed plant seed of a foxtail plant, a grass-like weed. They grow throughout the West of the US and are especially prevalent in the dry summers. Foxtails can embed themselves into your shoes, clothes, and even your dog’s skin. These tough seeds don’t break down in the body, but actually continue to migrate until your pet is left with a nasty infection and painful sore. Here at Pismo Beach Vet Clinic, we see foxtails all the time. They can be in between toes, inside of ears, eyes, vulvas, mouths, and just about anywhere else you can imagine! If left untreated, they can lead to severe infections and possibly travel into the chest cavity or abdominal cavity. Sometimes you can pluck the foxtail right out, but many times we will need to sedate patients and follow the foxtail’s tract in order to remove it entirely.

Here are some steps you can take to ensure that foxtails don’t ruin your summer.

Know what foxtails look like and remove them when possible. Removing them from your yard might not be the easiest thing, but will make a huge difference to your pet. Lessening your pets exposure to foxtails will decrease the likelihood of getting one embedded. Try fencing off part of the yard where there are no foxtails so your pet can hang out worry free.
Stay on the path. Also easier said than done, try not to let your pet run through fields or parks during foxtail season. Keep your walks on the path or in areas without foxtails.
Keep vigilant. When caught early, foxtails are usually fairly easy to remove. Take a moment each night to search through your pet’s coat and in between their toes for any foxtails.
Know the signs. When your pet starts excessively licking at a paw, holding an eye shut, shaking their head, or violently sneezing, you should consider the possibility of a foxtail. Call us to schedule an appointment, where we will try to find the foxtail and get it out as soon as possible. Left untreated, these little seeds can cause massive infections and a lot of discomfort to your pet.
Try alternative methods. There are some products that may help with keeping foxtails away. It’s best just to avoid foxtails all together, but you can always try to use booties or a mask on your pet when the foxtails are especially bad!

Foxtails can be a pain, but hopefully with the steps listed above you can try to keep them off of your pet!

Meet Katie, Our July Featured Employee!

Posted on July 6, 2018May 1, 2019 by pismobeachvet

Katie joined the PBVC team in the fall of 2017 as a kennel assistant. Over time, Katie has learned more and more and is now training to be a room nurse! Her smile is infectious and her love for animals is apparent everyday she is here. She loves helping in our treatment room with technician appointments and setting up for surgeries and procedures.

Katie grew up in San Diego and moved to San Luis Obispo to attend Cal Poly. She just finished her third year studying Animal Science. After college, she hopes to go to vet school! Back home she grew up surrounded by many different animals, ranging from dogs, snakes, bunnies, etc. You name it, she probably had it. Aside from her love for animals, Katie enjoys going on runs and cooking in her free time.

Fourth of July Safety Tips

Posted on June 25, 2018May 1, 2019 by pismobeachvet

Everyone loves to celebrate the Fourth of July. It’s a time for friends, food, and fireworks! While it’s a fun day for people, it can often be a very scary time for our pets. These are some ways to ensure your pet feels secure and stays safe!

1. 1. Keep your pets indoors. While you might want to hang out with your pet at your outdoor party to watch fireworks, it’s important to keep your pets indoors during parties and fireworks displays. Loud noises can spook pets to run away and escape from yards, especially with the chaos of extra house guests!
1. 1. Offer a safe space with lots of distractions for your pet. By keeping your dog or cat in a quiet room in the house, you will be able to control the noise levels and stimulus your pets will receive. Try giving a few new toys and treats that night to occupy your furry pals. Stuffing a toy full of treats can keep them busy and their minds sharp! You can also turn on a tv or play some soothing music to drown out the loud bangs of fireworks.
1. 1. Make sure your ID tags are up to date. By wearing a collar and being microchipped, your pet will be easily identified if they get lost. Keeping your contact info updated will ensure that who ever finds your friend will be able to reach you!
1. Talk to your veterinarian about anxiety medication. Maybe no matter what steps you take, your pet still seems to be terrified by the time the fireworks start. Many pets can manage this anxiety with medication that will make that day less stressful for everyone. Try a trial run of the medication beforehand to make sure you’re happy with the level of comfort of your pet.

Hopefully you and your pets can enjoy a festive but safe day with some of these tips! Have any more questions? Give us a call! We can help!