Take precautions to keep potential safety risks out of your pets paws and mouth. Use a trash can with a lid, close the bathroom doors, keep the kitchen counters free of any items, keep potential dangers in a secure cabinet above countertop height.

Please don’t feed or keep in reach the following items…

• Chocolate (white, milk, dark, bakers, they’re all potentially toxic)
• Raisins and/or grapes
• Macadamia nuts
• Moldy cheese/food
• Onions
• Avocados
• Garlic
• Gum (xylitol-sweetened) and other candies or baked items
• Feminine products
• Pantyhose, socks, clothes
• Plants
• String, thread, tinsel, ribbon
• Extra pet medication
• Your medication
• Coffee
• Alcoholic beverages
• Batteries
• Antifreeze
• Silica gel
• Poinsettias

There are others, so if you’re concerned about something in your home, please don’t hesitate to call us.

Even with all the preventative measures, your pet may still find something toxic in your home or a friend’s home, so it’s important for you, your family, and friends to know the signs and symptoms to watch for.

Most of the aforementioned may cause vomiting, but in some instances, symptoms may not be seen until later. Vomit may need to be examined for pieces of chewed/swallowed “no no items.” It is also important to know when your pet ingested the “no no item” and how much of it. If it is chocolate, what kind of chocolate was it…white, milk, dark, bakers? How much? In some instances, your pet may become lethargic, depressed or lose his or her appetite.

You know your pet best, so if you think he/she may have ingested a “no no item, please don’t hesitate to call us at (310)540-5588 or contact the ASPCA’s Poison Control Hotline at (888) 426-4435

Christina

I spent New Year’s Eve with Brody at home. I’m not big on driving when there are more drunk drivers on the road than usual. I like living.

Brody was my midnight kiss. Glad I stayed home with him because there were a bunch of fireworks throughout the night and they terrify him. How were your pets?

Well, that’s pretty much it for now…were updating our computers at work, so I thought I’d take a minute to write a short blog I hope everyone one is well!

Cheers to a happy healthy 2012!

Christina

PS – February is Pet Dental Health month! Which means 20% off

It’s hard to for me to watch movies when animals get hurt. Does that happen to anyone else?

This is the story as I know it.

I hope you all have a joyous holiday and a happy, healthy New Year!

Dr. Y

S.P.A.R.E – Saving Pound Animals thru Rescue and Education…this organization has helped so many. We have the Tree of Life at our office to help them this holiday season. Buy an ornament for our Christmas Tree for a minimum donation of  $1.00 . Every ornament helps save the lives of the homeless and abandoned animals at The Carson Shelter. Thank You for those of you who have already donated.

I’m on my way tomorrow to travel back to my home state of Massachusetts to witness the marriage of my niece Laura to her fiance Carl and to spend a couple days with my dear family.

If you plan to travel this year to be with family and friends I wish you safe and peaceful happy trails!

-Dr. Y

So the holidays are here and it’s going to be a little different without Tommy and Teena. Oh ya, about a month after Tommy, one of my best friends put her dog, Teena, to rest. I would see her every Wednesday and Sunday for “playtime.” Now, I still go over to feed her other dog, but it’s been a little different and difficult to say the least.

How do you guys do it? Two in two months was hard…and coming to work every day is hard. From where I sit, I can see where Tommy’s water/food bowls once were and now there’s just an empty wall. It’s sad and lonely…

I think we need something there…something happy and cheerful…like a picture or something! (Don’t mind my ADD brain going off on a random thought…) One of our client’s comes in once a week and brings her son with her (he’s 3) and he painted this picture for me…it’s in Brody’s bed right now. What if we put it up on the blank wall. It makes me smile, then I could look over there and not see empty, but see happy Just a thought…

So anyway…the holidays this year are…different. Definitely still happy, just different. For those of you who have recently lost pets, what are you doing to welcome the “difference?” Do you have suggestions for the rest of us if you’ve been through this? What helped you and your family?

I’ve added a new “Our Blog” tab and tossed in a few lines from my first post. I’m writing this post because I should write…and…because I need to test it! Ha Ha Ha There is a method to my madness!

Today I will hopefully be able to teach Dr. Yelinek and everyone else how to write a post on here and publish it…then get it over to Facebook and Twitter…wish me luck, I’m definitely going to need it!

On a more personal level, I spent the last two weekends in San Francisco and had a fantastic time! I love little weekend getaways and wish I could take more of them! Brody stayed with his “aunt” and her two dogs, his “cousins” and had a blast!

I think I’m done for now…let’s see if this works!

Christina

Not sure how I’m going to integrate it into our website just yet, but I’m working on it. It hurts my brain!

That’s all for now…unless you’d like to share the secrets of the interwebs with me?!?

Christina