robertwoodsdvm.com Blog

Meet “Sugar”, she is a heinz 57 as you can see, but what describes her best is an Australian Shepherd wrapped up in a Chihuahua size package.
*She is a small breed dog, about ~20 pounds, and has medium length hair.
*She is female (not spayed yet, but in the process of planning), and about
1 and 1/2 years old.
*She is current on all vaccines, dewormed, and frontline is applied monthly as flea prevention.
*Crate trained.
*Good with any size dog and cats
*Good with kids
I can personally account for her being good with kids, as she plays with my own kids on a weekly basis.
She is a “working dog”, exactly like a aussie, has herding instincts, and honestly would probably enjoy some sort of agility. She is very smart, and enjoys frisbee. She may be a tiny dog, but she would like to be active, not a purse dog. Her owners are in the middle of moving to a smaller house, and would like her to have more opportunities to run and play.
If you have any further questions, feel free to email me, it means a lot to me that she is placed in a great home:
dr@robertwoodsdvm.com

Happy New Years!

Hopefully everyone is having a great first day of 2010.

As my start to the new year, I am starting my detox from all the past year. I am doing a very simple detox, that really doesn’t affect my daily routine. In the morning I fill my “Klean Kantine” with water, then add a few drops from each tincture in my Heel Detox Kit. The kit contains Lymphomyosot which helps eliminate environmental toxins, Berberis-Homaccord which stimulates the kidneys, and Nux Vomica-Homaccord which regulates your gastrointestinal system. Then I sip the water throughout the day. Not too hard right? I can still eat normally and go about my daily life without feeling like my system in out of whack.

I really do believe in Heel products, I use them in my homotoxicology remedies for my patients, myself, my kids, and even safe enough to use when my twins were fresh out of the NICU. Homotoxicology is appealing because it does not interfere with any other medications, has very few side effects, and is easy to administer.

Typically the detox should be done for 30-90 days, so I will have enough supplied in my kit to last 2 people for 90 days inexpensively.

In a fast paced life, it is important to know your limits, and for me, this is the easiest way for me to get back on track without letting myself down. Simple, Short, and Sweet.

Wishing everyone a healthy new year!

As some of you know, my cat “Oso” is fighting nasal cancer.

We began homotoxicology remedies as SQ injections given:

8/25/09
8/30/09
9/4/09

The swelling began to go down immediately after the first injection. His body reacted to the swelling as if it was an abscess. The skin punctured open to drain, and he had clear discharge from his nose.
Then I became concerned that the wound was not going to heal, it looked as though the skin was dead around the opening. Almost as if the bridge of his nose was really going to fall off. It was bloody and ulcerated.
I will say last Saturday was not a good day for “Oso” and we held him as we sat on the couch, wondering if these would be his last moments. After that moment, I incorporated a chinese herbal remedy to hopefully help dry up the bloody wound.
The next morning, I could already see the perimeter of the wound was getting smaller and the swelling remained to stay down. He has a good start to maintaining control over the nasal cancer, and probably within a few days, I am hoping the wound will be completely healed. If you remember his entire left nasal cavity was swollen, his eye was pushed closed by the pressure, and the entire bridge of his nose was protruding about an inch and half. As you can see from the pictures, he has no swelling, normal eye shape, and no discharge.
He is still eating normally, laying in the sunshine, and rubbing up against all his cat friends. Hopefully, he will continue to be happy and at least feel like somewhat of a normal cat as he battles

Last month we made our annual trek to the Bugfair in Los Angeles. In years past, it boasts of being the COUNTRIES largest bug fair exposition. There are vendors offering live bugs as pets, interactive scientific tables for kids, entomology societies, and specimens. You name it, if “bug” is in the word, it’s there: toys, jewelry, books, sculptures, candy, art prints, videos, clothing, photography, etc. They hold the event at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, where the 4 main level halls house the booths.
This year, however, it was half the size, only 2 halls were full; just another sign of the economic times this year. Every event we have been to this year for anything has not carried as much gusto as years past. However, we did manage to have a good time, though we were disappointed.

Bugs, you are saying, yes, I know, but let me give you a little background….when I was in under graduate studies at the University of Cincinnati, I was majoring in Biology and then I started becoming interested in Entomology. I worked under a professor of Entomology for a few semesters, and was very interested in how something so small, like a bug, could be so intricate.

After graduating with my Bachelors of Science in Biology, I volunteered with an organization called “ARCAS” who dealt with the rehabilitation of wild life that was captured in the illegal wild life trade. I had the opportunity to stay in the jungles of Guatemala with this group and assist these animals in becoming well enough to be re-introduced back into the wild. Imagine the types of bugs you see in the jungle!
If I did not have such a strong connection towards the vertebrates, I would probably still be in the jungle sitting in a tree looking at bugs, listening to the howler monkeys. Thankfully, I knew I had a greater good to do with my warm blooded friends and continued on to veterinarian school.

I do, however, have a small collection of specimens (bugs under glass) that we started to collect at last years Bugfair. I am lucky in the fact that I can:
1) buy a dead bug with shared enthusiasm from the rest of the family
2) after reading up on proper preservation processes my other half will mount the dead bug (how many girls do you know that will volunteer to touch a giant dead bug?)
3) and that I get to hang them on the kitchen/dining room wall
4) our kids love bugs, we have a rose haired tarantula named “Charlotte” that is part of our menagerie.

Melia and “Charlotte”

I am very particular in purchasing a specimen though, I will not support some organization that will go into the jungle and practically exterminate these beautiful creatures for a profit. We always end up at some older gentlemen’s booth, that only does it for the love of entomology, and only has a few specimens. You always know when you are dealing with a true enthusiast, when purchasing a bug is like going through the adoption process for a child or pet. Their bugs speak of their once a year adventure they take in their retired state to some far away land.

beetle can be beautiful too

The twins trying to see the bugs in all the commotion

we had to sneak a photo of a ridiculously priced specimen, they wanted $4,500 for the bottom one?

beautiful butterflies

amazing colors

whip scorpion (the kids call them the Harry Potter bugs)

scorpion

live ones

Logan is not so excited about the scorpion? it is not soft like our Charlotte

kids can touch too

walking sticks

There were also some interesting vendors, one photographer named Bob Jensen who takes amazing pictures of these intricate creatures.

Others who let the bugs do the leg work in the painting process like Steven Kutcher.

Sometimes bugs make us slow down and appreciate how fragile life is and to live each day to the fullest!

Thanks to a borrowed camera cord, I can share our trips the past weeks. On our way camping in San Clemente, we decided to make a stop before check-in at Zoomars. Zoomars is in old town San Juan Capistrano, California. Technically, it is considered a petting zoo, which can sometimes be depressing to visit as a veterinarian. No vet wants to see animals, scared, bored, or poorly cared for, but Zoomars is a perfect example of what a real petting zoo should include. They describe their story as this:

“In January 2005, Omar and Carolyn Gonzalez purchased the Jones Family Mini-Farm, saving an area landmark and adding colorful parrots from their chain of exotic bird stores. Renaming it ZOOMARS, the couple continues to expand this adorable petting zoo, geared toward little ones between the ages of 2 and 10. The bird park is suited for visitors of all ages where they get a rare glimpse of some of the world’s most beautiful and endangered species.

Catering to over 150,000 visitors a year, ZOOMARS is home to hundreds of friendly animals to feed, pet, love and learn from. There are goats, emus, llamas, donkeys, alpacas, sheep, geese, ducks, guinea pigs and a bunny patch. All of the animals residents receive regular vet checks and are treated with respect, compassion and love. Close attention is given to cleanliness with both a handwashing and sanitizing stations throughout the grounds. After petting the animals, youngsters can saddle up for a pony ride or hop aboard the miniature train. At the front of the property is the century-old Olivares House, listed on the National Registry. Behind it sits an 1890’s bathhouse and picnic area available for birthday parties or family gatherings. ZOOMARS is located in the Los Rios Historic District of San Juan Capistrano, California’s oldest residential neighborhood.

The docile animals and precautionary safety measures at ZOOMARS make it an ideal outing for kids and a captivating place worth visiting.”

Their parking is free, their admission is no more than $5 a person, and one of the most surprising things was that they offer fresh fruit and vegetables to purchase for $2 to feed any and all the animals that you would like. For $4 we got a 2 baskets full of romaine lettuce, carrots, apples, and broccoli. Sadly, most petting zoos only offer the pellets as feed for the animals, but Zoomars offers an easy and entertaining way to ensure that their animals are being offered a variety of healthy, vitamin enriched food.

The guinea pig and rabbits had a giant area to coexist together. I think guinea pig are misunderstood animals, they should not be the squealing, running, anti-social ones you tend to see at a pet store. Zoomars had a variety of types and colors, and they would walk right up to us, look through our food baskets like a person grocery shopping.

Rabbits were happy to have fresh leafy vegetables to munch on

geese

a cow who was so happy to lounge in the sunshine

the most amazing animal there was this emu, she was so social, and loved apples

she had the most brilliant blue skin, the camera barely does it justice

alpaca that were freshly groomed, almost looked like they had poodle show cuts

this alpaca’s eyes reminded us of a blue merle australian shepherd and had the energy to boot

this llama was so social and inquisitive

she had beautiful eyes

giant tortoise

the whole back perimeter had aviaries of birds

this baby goat was only about 10 days old, he still had his umbilical cord drying out, and he was very happy and social. This was an example to us how they let their animals grow up around humans, so they would not become fearful.

they give the goats different climbing option so they can use their brains and exercise their born ability to scale

and the pot belly pigs were so excited, they were singing us songs

That is just a taste of the animals we saw and interacted with. There are horses and ponies, which some how did not make it into any of the pictures. Although, they do allow kids to get the chance to “ride” a horse around a small loop within the “zoo”.

There is a playground placed in the center of the animals, so if your kids need a break from all the stimulus they can go swing or slide. We really enjoyed our visit there, and the kids are making it a requirement to stop at when we are in route to camp now.

We made it to the Orange County Pet Expo this past Sunday, yes, one of the hottest days this year so far! Last year I remember it being even hotter, at least there was a breeze this time. We had the opportunity to bump into clients and colleagues, and that is impressive considering how MANY people were there. One of the most humorous things about the Pet Expo was even with all the animals around, pushing the stroller with our 1 year old twins drew just as much attention as a booth with a cute puppy.

Here were the entertaining moments of our day:

“Fawn” the 4 week old calf, wearing a purple collar and walking on a leash, was happy and personable:

“Marley” the 14 month old kangaroo who visits the elderly:

www.silveradosenior.com

“Lilly” the little brussels griffin, sitting in a pink stroller, on a pink fluffy blanket, in pink rhinestones giving out kisses:

www.petsuites.com

A skateboarding bulldog, who truly LOVED showing everybody his talent:

The Bird & Reptile tent had a lot of animal touch areas:

www.omarsexoticbirds.com

I did feel bad for all the dogs panting in the heat, but most of them had breaks where they were sprayed off to keep cool. Others had booties on so the blacktop would not burn their paw pads. It was a good cause though, as we were surprised that even our neighbor had picked up a rescued chihuahua there.

The downside to our afternoon came when we finally found the cat exhibit that we were searching for. We walked into a disappointment, there was only a section of about 12 different cats. Usually, there are about 10 of each breed of cat in a giant, wonderfully air-conditioned hall. Each cat has such a distinct personality, some persians are humiliated by their owners swooning over them, others comical about being brushed. No such entertainment this year. After talking to the cat handlers, they too voiced their disappointment and said that the spots were sold to vendors too, and when the additional cats wanted a section they were “sold out”.
We did however have an impulse buy, I am now the owner of a “Kitty Kamode” which basically teaches your cat to use the toilet instead of a litter box. We are curious to see if our obnoxious, siamese cat “Doc” is up to the task. We figure, he can unlock and open doors, push out window screens, and helps himself to all our food in the cupboard, why not make it official that he is a “human”. We begin “potty training” tomorrow, so it should, if nothing else, be entertaining to you to hear of his learning curve.

Things that made me appreciate that I live in California…..

Here is an excerpt from todays Orange County Register, in the “OC Outdoors” by Laylan Connelly:

Surfing sea lion
One of the most spectacular — almost spiritual — things I’ve ever seen happened on Sunday, as a group of about 100 surfers formed a circle to mourn fellow surfer David Kitagawa north of the Newport Pier.

And on Monday morning, I surfed at Blackies and an adult sea lion came right up to the lineup — where Dave could be found almost every day — swimming alongside surfers close to shore. I’ve never seen them come that close, and while a bit scary, it was really amazing.”

To read the rest of the rare animal sightings this week in her article:

Nature Provides Magic

On my way home from a long day at work, I stopped by the video store to pick up a movie. There I stood with so many options, but one kept staring back at me, and I knew if I did not rent it I would feel guilty. So, I picked up the movie, shook my head laughing at myself, and drove home.
My other half is notorious for reading books far before they become, or even think about being turned into a movie. In 2005 she read “Marley & Me” by John Grogan, I remember her bringing the book into work after she was done reading it, and DEMANDING that everyone we work with read it! When we heard it was going to be made into a movie, she was hopeful that the movie would coincide with what was written in the book.
We do not make it to the movie theatre very often, having 4 kids we don’t want to take advantage of our friends babysitting too often. Then when we do have a family friend babysit, usually the last thing we want to do is sit in silence in a movie theatre. We are much more a “coming soon to DVD” family.
Feeling the guilt of all of these reasons, I selected “Marley & Me” and brought it home to her great applause.
I must say, we both enjoyed the movie a lot. We laughed at Marley’s fat puppy pot belly. We shook our heads at all the ridiculous things Marley did, but as a vet, I knew all those things to be very true of unruly Labs. If you are a lucky Lab owner, your dog will calm down when they are about 2, but usually it is not until 6 or 7 that their energy level dips. It was a very true to life scenario, here was this dog who destroyed things, the owners get angry, then for some reason still enjoy the dogs company?
The last line of the movie really reminded me about why I became a veterinarian in the first place:

“A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbol means nothing to him. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn’t care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not. As I wrote that farewell column to Marley, I realized it was all right there in front of us, if only we opened our eyes. Sometimes it took a dog with bad breath, worse manners, and pure intentions to help us see.”-John Grogan

…and then I realized why she was telling everyone we work with to read the book, to be reminded why we do what we do, even on the worst days.

Today was a very sad day in terms of patients, I unfortunately had to say good bye to some old friends. I know it is hard as an owner to have to make a decision to euthanize your pet. As I left a house call of a grieving family, they reminded me that there are little things that you can do to celebrate your pet.
Something very simple, that can be made at any time, is a clay paw print impression of your pets foot.
With 4 kids in the house, we save the Michael’s craft store coupons that come in the sunday newspaper weekly. We have shelves of projects to pull out at a moments notice to entertain. They have stepping stone kits that allow you to make an impression of your child’s handprint, well why not your dog? Then when researching it online, they actually make a kit tailored to “pets”. It is inexpensive, simple, and in some cases can allow you to start the grieving process.
The Paw Print Stone Kit is very easy and looks very nice, and you can always embellish it as you see fit. Target’s online store even carries the same kit.
So remember to celebrate the short time your life is privileged to share with your loved pets.

We have very good family friends that live less than 2 miles away. Our days off are spent together surfing, camping, or just relaxing together watching our kids play. Priscilla was a, RVT (Registered Veterinary Technician) but now practices as a RN (Registered Nurse) in the cardiac ward. Needless to say, she is constantly around the circle of life.
She called concerned about her 15 year old dog, Dudley. He has slowly been deteriorating each time I see him, but this past Saturday she had felt like those were his final days.
Her husband, on the other hand, was not ready to let go. He felt excluded from the final decisions and angry.
So, there I sat in between 2 of my best friends divided. I did not want to be put in this position, whatever happened one of them would end up hurt.
Their dog, Dudley, came camping with our families, laid in the sunshine with us at the beaches, and begged for food at our feet at family BBQ’s. He never had to be told to be a good dog, he was born good. He had traveled with Priscilla in her trek out to California from Maryland, with a pit stop in Colorado for a few years. He was there while their child grew from infancy to a big first grader.
Moments before me having to leave to go assess Dudley, Priscilla called, Dudley had passed on his own. She was home with him, her young daughter was at a friends house, her husband at work.
Dudley had the final say in a quickly accelerating argument between spouses. I like to think that Dudley knew what would be the best for the family, being the good dog that he was born to be.
He will be greatly missed on our many family adventures.