Shoreline Animal Hospital

Thank you to everyone who helped make our 2011 Relay for Life a tremendous success in so many ways!   We surpassed our goal of raising $2,000 for the American Cancer Society.  Online donations totaled $1,850 and we raised at least an additional $250 with fund raising events. Our “decorate a cookie booth” raised ~ $75 and “walk a lap with Titian” raised ~ $50.  One team member held a bake sale with her kids at  her husband’s work place.  It was truly a group effort!

 We had so many team members including Shoreline Animal Hospital staff members Robin, Sarah, LuAnn, Dr. Berman and Dr. West.  They were joined by their friends and family members.  LuAnn and her daughter Hailey were sporting  beautiful hand crafted T-shirts.  Hailey, age 4, walked 4 mi before hopping in a wagon to complete many more laps.  Sarah walked well into the wee hours with her iPod and Brian West to keep her company.  Each lap walked was counted with a colored bead on a string.  By morning many of the kids had well over 30 beads (each lap is a 1/4 mi).

  The survivors lap, which started off the event, was emotionally stirring and as night came,  luminaria lit our way displaying the names of those whose lives have been touched by cancer.  Titian walked many laps inspiring so many with his story of surviving brain cancer.  Everyone enjoyed petting him and walking with him.  Despite some rain in the middle of the night, puddles in our tents and very little sleep, we all had a great time supporting a worthy cause. 

Thank you again for all of your support!  For more photos check out our photo album on FB.  Click our link in the right side bar.

Last year, Shoreline Animal Hospital participated as a team for the first time in the Haddam-Killingworth Relay for Life.  It was an incredible experience for all who participated.  

Relay is an overnight community event where teams raise money for cancer research and support services by walking in a continuous relay.  The event is usually held on a track with participants camping out in the center.  Walkers are entertained throughout the event with live performances from local community groups.  There are also booths and speeches to help raise cancer awareness.  Many teams raise additional funds by selling goods or donating services.  Perhaps the most moving event is the kickoff  “survivors lap”.  Cancer survivors wear sashes of recognition and walk together to start off this incredible event.  At dusk, hundreds of luminaries in memory or honor of cancer patients, illuminate the track.

As a group last year, we raised approximately $2000 for the American Cancer Society.  Although these funds did not directly go to animal cancer research, there is a tremendous amount of collaboration and overlap in the research for humans and animals. 

We were so lucky to have many generous donors as well as a great response to our sale of animal Silly Bandz.  We sold out within hours.  We were also honored to have a visit from one of our special cancer survivors-  Titian– an Australian Shepherd. 

Last winter, Titian was diagnosed with a brain tumor called a menigioma.  It was a slow growing tumor that eventually resulted in neurologic symptoms.  Diagnosed on an MRI, his owners decided to have the tumor removed at the University of Pennsylvania.  His surgery went well and it was followed by 3 weeks of radiation treatment.  Titian’s owners drove him 5 days a week , for 3 weeks, to The New England Veterinary Oncology Group (NEVOG) in Waltham MA.  He was anesthetized each time and received radiation treatment to eliminate any cancer cells that had possibly been left behind after the surgery.

We are so happy to say that a year later Titian is happy and healthy.  At last year’s Relay we had a poster with photos walking through his diagnosis and treatment.  Participants enjoyed petting him and learning about his type of cancer.  He was a real inspiration to many people.

Right now, Dr Berman’s own dog, Bucky, is undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment for mast cell tumors.  He has had multiple surgeries over the past few years and now his cancer is requiring more aggressive treatment.  Bucky is also having his treatment at NEVOG and so far, at the time of this post, his treatments are going well. 

This year, Shoreline Animal Hospital will be participating again in the Haddam-Killingworth Relay for Life on May 14-15, 2011.  Please consider supporting us in raising money for critical research.   To donate go to  www.relayforlife.org/hkct   and search for Shoreline Animal Hospital.  Thank you for your support.

Easter, for many, means hiding plastic eggs filled with candy and chocolate bunnies sitting in baskets. For our four-legged friends this could possibly lead to chocolate toxicity.  Dogs have an excellent sense of smell, making it easier for them to find those lost and forgotten plastic eggs. Those brightly colored wrapped chocolate bunnies look like excellent play toys. Many of these treats are peanut butter filled making them  even more enticing.

A small amount of chocolate may seem harmless but there are actually three potentially toxic chemicals contained in each piece of chocolate: Caffeine, Theobromine and Methylxanthine. These chemicals act as strong stimulants, and dogs are much more sensitive to these effects than we are.  Different types of chocolate contain different amounts of these chemicals.  In case of chocolate ingestion, it is essential to know what kind of chocolate has been ingested, and how much.

White chocolate is the least toxic with 0.25 mg of theobromine per ounce. Milk chocolate, the most common during Easter time, has 58 mg per ounce.  Semi-sweet contains 138 mg of theobromine per ounce, which could possibly cause death if a 30 pound dog ingested  8 ounces.  Some consider dark 60% Cacao ”healthy” chocolate, packed with antioxidants, but it can be extremely dangerous for dogs.  One ounce of 60% cacao contains 214 mg theobromine,  and for  a 75 pound Golden Retriever,  eating a  just a 6 ounce bar of this could cause severe tremors and seizures.

If you believe your pet has ingested any kind of chocolate, they might be exhibiting these signs: hyperactivity, vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, rapid heart rate, seizures, which could lead to death if untreated.  These signs do not show up immediately after ingestion. If you do see these signs it means the toxic chemicals are in the blood stream and you should bring your pet to your veterinarian for immediate care.

Everyone should enjoy the holidays with their families. This includes your pets!  Please make sure they are safe.  Count each egg that you have hidden for your children, when the Easter egg hunt is over, before you have moved onto brunch, count the eggs.  If any are missing find them before your pet does.  Make sure baskets are placed high enough that your dog cannot reach them.  Children love to feed dogs, please make sure they are not feeding them chocolate or other candy.  Have a safe and happy holiday!

Our pet’s vision is critical to their quality of life and yet sometimes pet owners may be unaware of how serious an eye problem can be.  We see ocular abnormalities on a weekly basis in our office and they can include  traumas, corneal ulcers, dry eye (KCS), cataracts, conjunctivitis, congenital deformities, glaucoma (an increased pressure within the eye), uveitis (inflammation in the eye) or tumors of the eye or eyelids. 

 Any eye problem is serious because the eye is a very sensitive organ and vision can be lost with some of the above problems.  Eye problems that may appear minor can progress quickly to a serious condition.  We recommend that you seek immediate veterinary care for your pet if they have a red eye, are squinting or holding an eye closed, have discharge from an eye, have had a known trauma to an eye, the pupils or eyeballs appear unequal in size from each other or your pet is bumping into things.

Once at the vet, an ocular exam will include examination of both eyes visually and with an ophthalmoscope.  Further diagnostic tests may include applying fluorescein dye to the corneas to highlight scratches and ulcers,  a Schirmer Tear Test to measure tear production and the measurement of intraocular pressures (IOP) with a tonopen to diagnose glaucoma (too high of an IOP) or uveitis (too low of an IOP).  General lab work may be recommended if the pet is showing signs of systemic illness. 

In some cases a referral to a Board Certified Veterinary Ophthalmologist may be recommended.  These specialists have 3 years of additional training in this specialty and have passed rigorous testing to qualify.  Working with challenging ocular cases on a daily basis, their expertise is often used to diagnose and treat complicated cases or to perform ocular surgeries.  Advanced procedures such as cataract surgery and lens replacement are also available through these veterinary specialists.

If you have a concern about the health of your pet’s eyes, please don’t wait–call our office and we can help schedule an examination in our office or with a specialist as needed.

Inevitably, most of us will be faced with the passing of a beloved pet and the raw feelings we are left with may lead us to question when it will be the right time, if ever, to welcome a new pet into our homes. 

Certainly it is a very big decision and every individual’s needs are different.  Many of us hesitate from fear of going through the sadness all over again.  Some of us feel a sense of guilt or betrayal at the thought of loving another animal.  The grief process is a unique journey for each individual and it does not follow a timeline.  Young children will often be sad for only a few days and then move on quickly wanting to get a new pet.  They seem to be much better than adults and teens at living in the present moment.  Adults and teens often need a long period of time to grieve and resolve their feelings. 

The death of a pet often leads to a period of deep grief and acknowledging these feelings is the first step in the healing process.  Hopefully one’s immediate family, friends and veterinarian will be helpful in providing the emotional support needed in this difficult period.  Additional support can be found through counseling services and many veterinary teaching hospitals  provide free telephone  support to anyone who needs it.

As the pain of the loss eases and one moves through the grieving process, opportunities for a new pet may present themselves.  Surprising a bereaved pet owner with the gift of a new puppy or kitten can be a disservice if the person has not gone through the process of accepting  their loss.  They need to decide when it is the right time for them.  Avoid trying to replace the lost pet with a look-alike pet or with a sibling assuming they will behave similarly.  Each animal is an individual with unique habits, personalities and needs. 

 Ironically, it seems that often the right time occurs when a new pet seems to find an owner.  Remember to keep an open heart to the possibility that your next pet may be looking for you.