(310) 530-5511
Plaza Del Amo Animal Hospital is a quality, full-service health provider for the pets of the South Bay and surrounding communities. We are dedicated to providing all aspects of the healing arts to help your pets live a long and healthful life. We believe in adhering to the highest standards of diagnostics, medicine, surgery and therapeutics and as a demonstration of these high standards, we are proud to be accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association. Our hope is not only to provide education to our clients but to inspire all of our doctors, technicians and staff to strive to improve and grow in knowledge and technical skills.
We believe that the human-animal bond is critical to the well being of the pet and the family and constantly endeavor to support this bond by providing high quality care with a personal touch. Our veterinarians are available to provide excellent medical care for dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, rodents, and reptiles.
We welcome you to our hospital and into our family, feel free to look around and learn more about our hospital, our services and about the caring group of people who are a part of Plaza Del Amo Animal Hospital. Please put your paws up and make yourselves at home, and remember to check back often for updates and announcements.
Our extended office hours (7am to 7pm-Monday thru Fri, and 8am to 4pm on Sat) makes it easier to schedule appointments. Any patient that requires extensive 24 hour nursing care is transported to a local emergency clinic. Some critically ill exotic patients are taken home with a doctor for careful monitoring.
CANINE INFLUENZA VACCINE
The Canine Influenza vaccine is now available! Read more about Canine Influenza below:
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Canine Influenza causes a severe respiratory infection in dogs that have been exposed to other infected dogs. Approximately 10% of dogs infected with Canine Influenza develop pneumonia. If this pneumonia is not treated early and aggressively, infected dogs could die from this serious virus.
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Dogs who are exposed to other infected dogs are most at risk, this includes dogs that visit dog parks, boarding kennels, shelters, dog shows or dogs that travel. The virus has a 2 - 4 day incubation period before virus starts to shed and the dog becomes infectious to other dogs. The real challenge, however is that the symptoms do not develop until day 7 - 10 so the most infectious dogs are the ones who have been exposed but have not yet begun to show respiratory symptoms.
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The symptoms usually start similar to kennel cough - a dry cough, discharge from the nose, and decreased appetite - however they are more severe in nature and usually prolonged, lasting 2 weeks or longer. Any dog with respiratory symptoms that goes on to develop a fever and moist, productive cough should be suspected of having pneumonia and should be seen immediately.
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The vaccination does not prevent all symptoms but can signficantly minimize the severity of the illness and shorten the duration of symptoms. In addition, it reduces the amount of virus that is shed from the dog making them less infectious to other dogs. Two vaccines are given 2 - 4 weeks apart followed by an annual booster to help protect at-risk dogs.
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If your dog is in one of the risk groups for acquiring this illness, please call the hospital to find out more about having your dog vaccinated for Canine Influenza.
FEATURED PRODUCTS OF THE MONTH
Click here to read more about our featured products for the month.
DENTAL SPECIAL JANUARY THROUGH MARCH 2010
Because your pet's dental health is so important to us, we are once again offering an annual dental special. The special price will be available from January 4, 2010 through March 31, 2010. The cost is $185.00 and includes pre-anesthetic testing, anesthesia, scaling, polishing and ora-vet sealant. The price does not include dental radiographs or any dental treatments or extractions. Often an anesthetized examination of the mouth is necessary before an accurate estimate for extended treatments can be provided. Please call early to reserve your pet's spot for the annual dental special as availability is limited. Click here to learn more about our annual dental special.
BAILEY THE MIRACLE DOG!
Bailey is a 4 year old black Labrador Retriever who developed a Fibrocartilagenous Embolism suddenly in the spinal cord of her neck. She was unable to walk for about 3 months while she underwent physical therapy at our hospital. After her intensive treatment, she is now able to walk again, although she still walks a little funny, and she is feeling great. Bailey is a very sweet girl but does not get along with other dogs so she will need to be the only dog in the household. In addition, she cannot live in a home with stairs or slippery wooden floors or a home with small children because of her disability. If you or someone you know could find a place in your home and heart for this special girl, please contact the hospital to arrange an introduction.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR DIABETIC PETS
Recently the FDA issued a warning about the pet insulin, Vetsulin. This insulin, specifically used for treatment of diabetes in dogs and cats, may have varying amounts of insulin present in the bottles due to a manufacturing problem. The FDA has not recalled any of the insulin at this time but is issuing a warning to veterinarians and pet owners to monitor their diabetic pets for any symptoms of hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) or hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
HYPERGLYCEMIA: Symptoms of high blood sugar include excessive water intake, excessive urination, increased appetite and weight loss.
HYPOGLYCEMIA: Symptoms of low blood sugar include lethargy, depression, stumbling, and seizures.
Please contact the hospital if you have any questions or concerns regarding this FDA warning or if you are concerned about potential symptoms in your diabetic pet. Click here to read the FDA's warning regarding Vetsulin.
SWINE FLU (H1N1) IN PETS
Recently there was a case reported of some household cats acquiring the swine flu from their human families. The virus has also been found in ferrets, birds and pot-bellied pigs. China has also recently reported confirming the swine flu in dogs. This raises many concerns for people about the safety of their family pets and the safety of their human family. There is far more of a risk of acquiring this virus from another person than from a pet, however, pets are at risk of catching the virus from us humans. The most important precaution to take is to limit your contact with other people and animals if you have any symptoms of the flu to prevent transmission to others. For instance, if you have a cat that sleeps in bed with you, keep the cat out of your bedroom until your symptoms are gone. If your pet starts showing symptoms of a respiratory illness (including coughing, wheezing, sneezing, inappetance and nasal discharge), especially if it occurs immediately after your human family has experienced flu-like symptoms, please schedule an appointment with one of our veterinarians to have your pet evaluated.
Click here for more information about Swine Flu (H1N1) in pets from the AVMA.
Dental Special IS HERE!
Click Here to learn more about the dental special and why your pet's dental health is so important.
JANUARY 2010 CASE OF THE MONTH
Sandi is an 8 year old yellow Labrador Retriever. She presented for having foul smelling breath and yelping in pain when eating and sometimes at random, not associated with food. She also used to chew on bones and now is refusing. Sandi also has a history of skin problems and is often chewing at her fur because of a severe flea bite allergy. Sandi was admitted to the hospital for a dental cleaning and complete oral examination. After pre-anesthetic testing was performed to ensure she was healthy enough for anesthesia, an intravenous catheter was placed and she was placed under general anesthesia. During the oral examination, the teeth in the front of her mouth looked very healthy and did not have a lot of plaque or calculus. However, when her mouth was opened and the teeth in the very back were examined, a large amount of calculus was found on the teeth in addition to large clumps of hair that were caught between the teeth and the upper lips. There was a very foul smelling, infected discharge coming from the teeth in the back. Following a thorough flushing of her mouth and scaling and polishing of her teeth, several of the upper chewing teeth had severe bone loss, root exposure and were loose. The upper 2nd molar was the worst affected and was very loose and discolored. All in all there were 4 molars that had to be extracted because of severe periodontal disease. The upper 4th Premolars had moderate periodontal disease and were able to be saved with a periodontal antibiotic treatment. Following treatment and extraction of the infected teeth, Sandi’s breath improved dramatically and she was much more comfortable.
This case demonstrates the importance of looking far back in your pet’s mouth to look at all the teeth. The teeth near the front of Sandi’s mouth looked very clean and would be very deceiving if you evaluated her oral health by the look of these teeth alone. Brushing your pet’s teeth is recommended daily to keep them healthy and plaque-free. In addition, dental chews, water additives, dental diets and a dental vaccination are available to provide your pet with total oral health care. Any odor to a pet’s mouth or pain and reduction in chewing should be brought to a veterinarian’s attention as these frequently indicate an underlying dental problem.
SCHEDULE A DENTAL CLEANING FOR YOUR PET TO GET ENTERED INTO OUR RAFFLE!!!
Every pet who gets a dental cleaning during our annual dental special will be entered into our monthly raffle. The prize is a huge basket filled with dental care products to help your pet's mouth stay healthy and clean.
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR JANUARY WINNER!!!Amber the Shar Pei Mix owned by the Medeiros family
Sandi smiling and feeling much better after her dental cleaning and extractions
RIGHT UPPER JAW
In this photo one can see how clean the teeth in the front are compared to the back teeth. These back chewing teeth have a large amount of adhered plaque and calculus. It is also easy to see how far back the lips must be retracted to be able to visualize the teeth all the way in the back of the mouth.
Following the dental cleaning, one can see how the infection has eroded away the bone holding the teeth exposing the roots. There is also a tremendous amount of gingivitis (inflamed gums)
When the jaw is rotated to the side, the last molar comes into view. This tooth was so decayed it was black-brown in color and was very loose.
RECENT SALMONELLA OUTBREAK IN CHILDREN KISSING FROGS
There has been a recent outbreak of Salmonella infections in children who have been kissing frogs following the release of the Disney movie "The Princess and the Frog", mostly in young children copying the popular movie. Salmonella is a bacteria that is very common in exotic pets including reptiles (such as lizards, snakes and turtles) as well as amphibians (such as frogs and salamanders). These animals can be asymptomatic carriers of this bacteria, however when passed to a person, Salmonella can cause gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea and stomach cramping. The diarrhea can be so severe that it requires hospitalization and treatment, and in small children there is a bigger risk of dehydration from severe diarrhea. Salmonella can also be acquired as a food-borne illness in undercooked meat and raw eggs. Families with exotic pets should practice good hygeine around these animals including frequent hand washing to minimize their risks.
Click here to read the latest information from the CDC regarding this Salmonella outbreak
WE ARE AAHA ACCREDITED
Plaza Del Amo Animal Hospital is accredited by the American Animal Hospital Association. This accreditation is obtained by adhering to a rigorous and exhaustive list of medical, surgical and client service standards that stand far above the bare minimums set by the state or federal government. We are proud of our accreditation status as it is another demonstration of our hospital’s sincere desire to consistently provide the finest medical care possible for all of our patients.
To find out more about AAHA and AAHA accreditation, click here.
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