Lisa and I are very lucky to have a wonderful veterinarian, Dr. Boswell owner of North Cobb Animal Clinic, very near to where we live. Even if she wasn’t so close we would still go to her because not only is she extremely knowledgeable in her field, she is also a caring and compassionate animal lover.

The whole staff is great to deal with. Whenever we call with a question, which we do a lot, or stop by, which we also do a lot, we are always greeted by name and treated like family. We know they really care about the welfare of our dogs, and while the pups aren’t always happy to see them we know they are well taken care of. If anyone lives in or around the Kennesaw, GA. area we highly recommend North Cobb Animal Clinic.

The reason I’m even discussing our vet is because of an article I just read about one in Marietta, GA. who just had his license suspended.  It was suspended for repeated code violations, including keeping dead cats in a freezer alongside food, according to state officials.

It raises the question, “How well do you know your vet?”

The Georgia State Board of Veterinary Medicine has suspended Dr. Anji Bodana’s license for three years, fined him $3,000 and is requiring the Cobb County vet to undergo continuing education courses stemming from uncorrected code violations found in 2006.

Bodana runs the Cobb Pet Clinic at 1050 E. Piedmont Road in Marietta.

The Marietta Daily Journal reports that Bodana disputes the findings, saying “they’re not right.”

In late 2006, an investigator with the Secretary of State’s Office of Inspector General inspected the facility at the board’s request, according to state documents. At that time, investigator Merry Cagle found dead cats in a freezer with food, pets kept in an unlit room without ventilation, no records of the animals housed in the clinic’s kennel, unlabeled medications, and areas including exam rooms that were “dirty, unkempt and had an offensive odor,” among other violations.

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Recently I made an annoucement concerning the Milk-Bone contest finalists, two of which were Dogsters. One of them is Wyatt, a very handsome Boxer, who made it into the top three. He is going to be featured on an upcoming Milk-Bone box, but even more important,  he gives the gift of life.

That’s right, Wyatt is a canine blood donor. He’s a rescue dog who was adopted by Dr. Jacqueline Falke, as a veterinarian she knows the importance of blood donation.

Sometimes an injured dog needs blood, and a friend with a big heart. Meet Wyatt, Dr. Jacqueline Falke’s boxer, a rescue dog who’s a canine blood donor.

“Being a veterinarian I know how important blood and plasma is in medical emergencies. So I really want to make sure that any pet owner or any pet has that available to them if they need it,” said Dr. Jacqueline Falke, veterinarian.

Dr. Falke works at the Everhart Animal Hospital in Brooklyn. She recently entered Wyatt in a nationwide contest: a search to become the face of Milk Bone. Wyatt’s good deeds helped him come in third. He also is raising the awareness of canine blood donations.

At Everhart, Wyatt is a superstar.

Wyatt has donated enough blood to save the lives of more than 50 dogs. I think he’s a superstar in everyone’s eyes, dogs and humans.

We’ll definitely be keeping an eye on this special boy, can’t wait to see his face on a Milk-Bone box. He has more than earned that honor.

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Wow, here’s a great deal for anyone who lives in the San Francisco area and wants to get their dog  microchipped.

The Friends of San Francisco Animal Care & Control are offering FREE microchips to San Francisco felines and licensed pooches this Sunday, March 1 between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. at SF Animal Care & Control (1200 15th Street at Harrison). Non-SF residents will be charged $20 per pet. (Microchipping through a vet’s office usually costs between $75 and $100.)

All cats must be in carriers and dogs must be leashed.

Microchips are a safe, permanent form of pet identification that are inserted under an animal’s skin. Their unique ID number can then be picked up by scanners used by all animal shelters to help reunite them with their families.

San Francisco dog licenses can also be purchased during Sunday’s microchip clinic. (Pet parents must have proof that their dog has a current rabies vaccination to purchase a license.)

Conveniently, the SF Veterinary Medical Association is hosting a low-cost rabies vaccination clinic at the same time (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) and place (SF ACC). The charge for a rabies vaccination is just FIVE BUCKS! (Cash only please.)

Everyone is really having to stretch those dollars in this economy, but there are still good deals out there.  If you look online you will find a lot of shelters offer vaccinations a few times a month at special prices. Although the facility may not be as fancy as your vet’s it’s much cheaper.

If any Dogsters have money saving tips, know of special offers or discounts,  give me a bark.

* Duchess with Dr. Amy Gibbs

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Our own Dr. Barchas,  The Vet Blog, just posted a message regarding the potential danger of chicken jerky treats on the market.  I’m cross-posting this because it’s an important article for every dog owner to read.

Dr. Barchas was treating a five-year-old Poodle that hadn’t eaten for a week. He ran numerous tests and couldn’t find anything, so he sent the dog to a specialist for an ultrasound.  The ultrasound came back fine, but what the specialist wrote in the letter to Dr. Barchas he found  disturbing. The following is quoted from the letter written to him.

In a phone discussion with the owners . . . they reported that their other small breed dogs at home were showing similar clinical signs . . . [at the time the Poodle was discharged from the hospital, the] owners brought with them the chicken jerky treats that they had been feeding prior to onset of [the Poodle's] illness.

The treats are manufactured in China and are supposed to be made up of 100% chicken breast. Last year, I saw a number of small breed dogs that ate similar treats (though a different brand), that presented with the same clinical signs of vomiting and prolonged [refusal to eat] after the vomiting resolved . . . A number of veterinarians at other hospitals had seen similar cases as well, presumed to have resulted from ingestion of a variety of brands of chicken jerky treats manufactured in China.

Investigation of the products was not successful in identifying the offending substance and, unfortunately, removal of theses products from the market was not made mandatory.

Dr. Barchas recommends throwing any jerky treats away, I’m with him.  Please stop by The Vet Blog to read the article in its entirety.

* The cutie above is Sammie Poochon.

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Did you know our very own Dr. Barchas has his own website?  Not only can you find him on Dogster’s Vet Blog answering questions,  you can grab your leash and run on over to his website.

You’ll find information about diseases, symptoms, treatments, and behavior issues. You can also bark him an email if you have a question or comment.

Eric Barchas, DVM is a veterinarian who lives and works in San Francisco. His emphasis is on small animal medicine, surgery and wellness. An avid traveler, he has studied lions in Botswana and salmon in southern Chile.

It’s a website chock full of good information, be sure to check it out.

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One of our Dogster members, Cecilia, contacted me because she wanted to share her story in hopes that it would benefit others. Her best friend, Ginger, was recently diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. Thanks to a radical new treatment, Cyberknife radiation, Ginger stands a fighting chance.

When everything goes wrong…and right.

“I’m very sorry, but the MRI shows a mass in Ginger’s brain.”

These words from neurologist Dr.Stephanie Kube, at the South Shore Animal Hospital in Weymouth, MA, set in motion a series of events that turned a simple trip to the vet into a mission to save my dog’s life. Ginger is a 10 yr. old Basenji/Shepherd mix, and had been incredibly healthy up until mid-August of this year. I brought her in for symptoms that I thought were signs of Lyme disease: lameness, lethargy, and tilting her head to one side. The MRI Dr. Kube reviewed showed a walnut sized tumor in the area of Ginger’s brain that affects balance and mobility. The tumor is surrounded by healthy brain tissue, so surgery was not an option.

Dr. Kube felt that Ginger was a good candidate for radiation, and mentioned a new treatment called Cyberknife. Thanks to the internet, I learned that this treatment entails only 1-3 sessions of radiation, as compared to 15-20 treatments for traditional radiation. Cyberknife also limits damage to surrounding healthy tissue, so side effects are minimized. This treatment was developed for humans, not animals. Read about it at http://www.accuray.com/patientinfo/index.aspx .

The only clinic in the US currently using Cyberknife on animals is The Animal Specialty Center in Yonkers, NY  (www.animalspecialtycenter.com) I contacted Dr. Sandra Charney on Friday, August 22nd. Dr. Charney then spent most of her weekend contacting various co-workers to arrange to have Ginger analyzed the following Tuesday, followed by 3 days of Cyberknife radiation.

We are now at ten days post-treatment, and Ginger is doing well. No side effects that are visible, and she is a happy, wagging, food monster. She’s on prednisone for the next month, to keep her symptoms at bay while the radiation takes effect. I also have her on an ‘anti-cancer’ diet (high protein/low carb), K-9 Immunity supplements (www.k9medicinals.com), and fish oil.

It’s not possible for me to properly thank all of the people at The Animal Specialty Center, from Kim at reception, to the animal handlers and doctors. Dr. Charney came in on her day off for our initial consultation with Ginger, so that we could start the radiation the following day. For us, that meant only one 4 hour drive to New York for all of Ginger’s treatments. Ginger ran in the door of the building each morning, and emerged from anesthesia happy and stress-free.

Ginger will need an MRI in a few months, so we can monitor the size of the tumor. There are no guarantees that the radiation will work, as the tumor was not biopsied, so we don’t know exactly what kind of tumor/cancer it is. I feel confident that Dr. Kube, Dr. Charney, and everyone else involved in Ginger’s care gave me the best advice available.

The Animal Specialty Center has only been in operation since January of 2008, so it’s too soon to have full data on the prognosis for animals treated with Cyberknife. Ginger was number 45 to have this treatment, including cats and dogs. I hope to tell you in another year that Ginger is still with us.

I want to thank Cecilia, and gal pal Ginger, for taking the time to write this.  Seeing as this is a very recent event, and Ginger’s prognosis is still unknown, I know how hard it must have been.  By sharing this information, and getting the word out, other dog parents in the same situation will now know they have options. An option that may very well save the life of their best friend.

If anyone has a question about this procedure you can bark back in the comment section or stroll on over to Ginger’s homepage and leave her a message. Good luck Ginger, we’re rooting for you.

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