I hope you are all
enjoying the summer.
Both Dr. Henderson and I
have been getting away a
bit to enjoy some
quality family time.
Dr. Henderson's been in
St. Louis for the past 2
weeks visiting her best
friends and their new
baby. I've just
returned from a nice
long weekend in Portland
and the Oregon coast to
celebrate a friends
wedding. The countryside
around Portland is
spectacular, the wine
country and beach were
sublime. I highly
recommend it!
I invite you to
visit our newly revamped
website (www.altaranchopet.com).
It is much more user
friendly and includes
great photo galleries
and a huge information
library.
I'd like to solicit
stories, testimonials
and photos from you to
post on the site.
Please sumbit the photos
in Jpeg format and email
them along with text to
me at drshuf@aol.com.
Have a safe and fun
summer!
Sincerely,
Reid Shufer, D.V.M.
Understanding
Diarrhea Diarrhea
is one of the most
common complaints
pets are brought in
for us to evaluate.
Understanding how
diarrhea occurs will
help you prevent and
treat this condition
in your pet.
When you or your pet
eat, food is broken
down mechanically in
the mouth and
stomach. Enzymes
from the saliva,
acids in the stomach
and enzymes in the
small intestine,
help to break down
the food into a very
wet slurry.
Nutrients from this
slurry are absorbed
in the small
intestine (jejunum
and ileum). If food
is not digested
properly, the
particles will act
to draw more water
into the intestine.
As the slurry passes
into the large
intestine, the
majority of water is
reabsorbed into the
body to be recycled
and the stool is
formed into firm
logs. (click
here to continue)
New Vaccine for
Rattlesnake
Available
Rattlesnakes pose a
potentially fatal
threat to our pets
who roam our desert
hillsides.
Treatment for
rattlesnake bites is
complicated,
expensive and
doesn't always
succeed Recently, a
new vaccine has
become available
which will protect a
pet who has been
bitten from the
severe effects of
the rattlesnake
toxin. While it
cannot guarantee
survival, it will
greatly enhance your
pet's chances.
Two immunizations
given at 2-3 week
intervals are
required the first
year and annual
boosters are needed
to maintain
immunity. If your
pet has potential
exposure to
rattlesnakes, you
should consider this
vaccine.
Case of the Month:
It pays to do pre-op
testing!
Brutus,
is a sweet, but
sometimes feisty 11
year old Chihuahua
who presented to us
for a routine dental
cleaning last
month. Brutus has
had problems with
periodontal disease
and has had to have
many teeth extracted
over the years. As
a result, the owner
brings him in yearly
for dental
cleanings.
We've been treating
Brutus for years,
and when he came in,
he just didn't look
good. He had lost
weight, his coat
looked dull and
scruffy and he was
breathing rapidly.
On physical exam, we
found advanced
periodontal disease
in the mouth. His
lungs sounded harsh
and as a result, we
suggested blood
tests and chest
radiographs prior to
proceeding with the
dental work.
His blood tests were
normal for a dog of
his age. The chest
radiographs, however
gave us a big
surprise.
To see what we
found, click here.
Itchy Ears,
Could it be Ear
Mites? Ear
mites are
microscopic bugs
that live in and
around your pet's
ears. They live on
the secretions and
dead skin cells in
the ear canal. The
mites lay their eggs
on the pet, which go
on to hatch and
continue the
infestation. Ear
mites are highly
contagious between
dogs and cats and
some pocket pets.
They generally
spread from one pet
to another through
close contact and
shared sleeping
areas. As a rule,
they don't tend to
bother humans.
How Do I know if my
pet has Ear Mites?
In the early stages
of infestation, your
pet may not show any
signs of the mites.
As their numbers
grow and they do
more damage to the
lining of the ear,
the pets tend to
scratch their ears
and shake their
heads. The lining
of the ear responds
to the presence of
the mites by
increasing their wax
production. This
excess wax, combined
with the excretions
of the mites tends
to look dark brown
to black. Sometimes
you can see this
exudates in your
pet's ear. Keep in
mind that the mere
presence of a
discharge in the ear
does not mean that
your pet has ear
mites (it could be
an infection, a
foreign body
reaction or even a
tumor causing the
discharge.
(Click here for more
information)
Fond Farewell to Two
Stellar Teammates
This summer we have to say
goodbye to two of our bright
stars, Tammy Bowie and Julie
Cull.
Tammy has been with us 7
years and we've watched her
grow up over the years into
a lovely young woman and
competent and productive
employee. She is leaving us
to pursue a career in
nursing. She starts her RN
program at Chaffey College
this fall.
Julie has been with us for
3.5 years while she finished
her degree at Cal Poly
Pomona. Like
Tammy, Julie has become an
invaluable member of our
heath care delivery team.
She has served us well in
all our departments. Julie
has always had her sites on
becoming a veterinarian and
finally her dream came true
when she was accepted to
Univ. of California at
Davis, College of Veterinary
Medicine. She will be
moving up to Davis this
month and starting out on
her new career path.
We will miss both of our
budding professionals, but
we wish them the best of
luck in their pursuits.
Give the Gift of Health
and everyone wins!
The
greatest compliment you can
give us is your personal
referral to friends and
family. We have created our
"Gift of Health" program to
help you encourage referrals
to our practice. Here's how
it works:
Refer your friends or family
members to us and as new
client referrals they will
receive their 1st visit at
1/2 off the normal fee.
That is a $19.00 savings!
When they come in, we will
send you a thank you letter
with a coupon for $10.00 on
any veterinary services
(food, drugs and supplies
are not eligible).
After you refer 10 clients
to us, you will become a
permanent "Good Health
Ambassador" and receive 10%
off on all your veterinary
services for the year.
If you are happy with the
services we have been
providing, spread the word
and give the Gift of Health
to all your friends today.
We appreciate your support!
Save 20%
Back to School Dental Special
Take care of your pet's
dental needs before you get caught up in the
madness of school starting.
Save 20% on all dental work
for your pet with this coupon.
Offer Expires: Sept 30, 2008 (Coupon
must be presented at the time of
procedure. Physical exam and bloodwork
may be required before anesthesia)
Dear Rlskaj,
Diarrhea
is one of the most
common complaints
pets are brought in
for us to evaluate.
Understanding how
diarrhea occurs will
help you prevent and
treat this condition
in your pet. 
Rattlesnakes pose a
potentially fatal
threat to our pets
who roam our desert
hillsides.
Treatment for
rattlesnake bites is
complicated,
expensive and
doesn't always
succeed Recently, a
new vaccine has
become available
which will protect a
pet who has been
bitten from the
severe effects of
the rattlesnake
toxin. While it
cannot guarantee
survival, it will
greatly enhance your
pet's chances. 
Ear
mites are
microscopic bugs
that live in and
around your pet's
ears. They live on
the secretions and
dead skin cells in
the ear canal. The
mites lay their eggs
on the pet, which go
on to hatch and
continue the
infestation. Ear
mites are highly
contagious between
dogs and cats and
some pocket pets.
They generally
spread from one pet
to another through
close contact and
shared sleeping
areas. As a rule,
they don't tend to
bother humans.
Cull.
Tammy has been with us 7
years and we've watched her
grow up over the years into
a lovely young woman and
competent and productive
employee. She is leaving us
to pursue a career in
nursing. She starts her RN
program at Chaffey College
this fall. 
Tammy, Julie has become an
invaluable member of our
heath care delivery team.
She has served us well in
all our departments. Julie
has always had her sites on
becoming a veterinarian and
finally her dream came true
when she was accepted to
Univ. of California at
Davis, College of Veterinary
Medicine. She will be
moving up to Davis this
month and starting out on
her new career path. 
The
greatest compliment you can
give us is your personal
referral to friends and
family. We have created our
"Gift of Health" program to
help you encourage referrals
to our practice. Here's how
it works:
