The Apopka Chief 2010 Best of Apopka Contest has arrived!

Vote for your favorite Apopka-based businesses and notable individuals by going to the link above. You must vote for at least ten items on the ballot in order to submit your vote, and only one vote per e-mail address will be tallied, so pass this along to all your friends ... and neighbors! Voting goes until October 22nd!

Please consider...
Park Avenue Animal Hospital as Best Veterinary Facility,
Lanelle's Pet Salon as Best Groomer
Errol Pet Sitting as Best Kennel.

We're also voting Dr. Rick Rubinstein and Dr. John Turgai as Hometown Heroes because of the time and effort they donate to helping so many animal rescues.

Don't live in Apopka? Can't come up with 10 votes? That's alright... send us an e-mail and we'll give you a list of our suggestions. Thanks in advance for your support!

Tags:

In order for brushing to be effective, it must be done regularly. Daily is best, but at least three times a week. If it is to be done on such a regular basis, the pet has to like having its teeth brushed. If there is a struggle every time the brush comes out, then it is not likely to become a long term, regular habit.

Your dog can be introduced to brushing soon after you bring him home. It is not necessary to brush a puppy’s teeth from the perspective of tooth health since all the baby teeth will naturally fall out, but by brushing two or three times a week at an early age, they will be familiar with the procedure by the time the adult teeth come in.  Once you notice baby teeth starting to come out, you should take a break on brushing as the gums will be a bit sore. Once all of the permanent teeth are in, you can pick up where you left off.

There are probably a lot of ways to introduce a dog (or cat) to tooth brushing, but the underlying theme should be to make it a good experience for your pet. I prefer a stepwise training approach that allows the pet to become comfortable with the idea of a brush before moving on to serious cleaning.

First, start out with the brush of your choice garnished with a tasty treat. The brush can be the handheld or over-the-finger variety, but should have nice soft bristles. The tasty treat ideally might be some chicken flavored tooth paste made just for dogs, but if he does not initially see the paste as his absolute favorite thing, then it would be OK to spice it up a bit with some chicken baby food or something else equally interesting. The idea here is to have your dog come running when they see the tooth brush come out rather than go hide under the bed. Allow some time to get your dog very familiar with the brush before moving on.

The next step could be having him sit before he gets his “treat”. Future brushings will be easier if this becomes part of the routine. Alternatively, the next step could be making a game of trying to poke the brush under the lips while he is trying to lick it off the brush. Here we are trying to get the brush into the mouth in a very casual nonintrusive manner. Lavish praise is always a part of the process, but there is no point in reprimanding at any step along the way.

Once your pet is comfortable with having a brush between his lips, then and only then might you start to really do a serious brushing. Ideally he would sit, you would lift a lip, and then you would brush the gum line in circles in the same way as you would with your own teeth. Only brush the outer surfaces of the teeth and pay special attention to the back teeth and the large fang teeth (canine teeth) in the front. A variety of pet toothpastes is available, but you should avoid human toothpastes, baking soda, or hydrogen peroxide as any of these can cause stomach upset. A treat of Hill’s teeth cleaning diet called “T/D” can be given after the procedure or even as a break in the middle of the brushing. T/D is specially made to have a tooth scrubbing effect.

Cats are a bit more of a challenge, but the same training concepts apply and T/D is also available for cats.

Lastly, even with good brushing habits, your pet may need scaling in the same way that people still need scaling even if they brush thoroughly and regularly. Examination of the oral cavity should be a part of every physical exam, and your veterinarian can let you know when it is time to schedule a teeth cleaning.  Good home care including brushing will mean fewer professional cleanings, less tooth loss and a happier, healthier pet.

Tags:

I recently saw a cat with a very painful disease called “stomatitis” (whole mouth inflammation). This particular cat’s treatment involved the removal of every single tooth in its mouth !  All 30 extractions were done  during a single procedure, and yet,  a couple of days later, the cat was seen nibbling on its favorite food which happened to be dry kibble.  How or why would a cat eat dry food if it had no teeth ?

Let’s back up for a minute. What are a pet owner’s  and their veterinarian’s  goals regarding pet dental health ? Is the goal a Hollywood smile for our pets ? Surely it would be easier to believe the old maxim of  “a dog’s mouth is cleaner than a person’s”  if the dog’s teeth is not covered with tartar.  Nice breath would be another desirable goal. At the very least, I’m sure we could all agree on a goal of prevention of mouth inflammation ie the dreaded gingivitis.  

Some dogs seem to keep naturally clean teeth with little input by their owners. These are usually big dogs who chew on hard kibble and other teeth cleansing objects  like rawhide chewies ,  slippers, or dining room table legs.  Small breed dogs have a much harder time of it. It seems that even if they eat dry food or chew on items that should clean their teeth, they are still prone to earlier and more severe teeth problems.  For many of them, brushing can be a preventive measure that lengthens the interval between veterinary teeth cleaning procedures. Most dogs don’t take to this naturally, but with some coaxing, they can learn to accept it. For dog brushing tips click here. Brushing, however, is not for all dogs (or cats), as there are some who will never accept this.  Then there are the dogs and cats who seem to have serious  oral inflammation no matter what they are fed, or to what lengths their owners go to prevent it. It is for those dogs and cats that this is being written.

It seems that lately Park Avenue Animal Hospital has been seeing a lot of these. For those pets who develop a recurrence of severe gingivitis shortly after a teeth cleaning despite whatever brushing attempts are made, there is yet another, more fundamental goal of oral health; the pain free mouth. In most cases, inflammation means pain, and sometimes the removal of offending teeth is the best way to offer relief. Saving teeth should not be our priority. Providing and maintaining a mouth free of pain/infection/inflammation is our highest objective.

The cat with stomatitis is an extreme case. So why DID she return to dry food ? Most pet owners feed both dogs and cats food that comes in smaller than “bite size”. Even large dog kibble comes in a size that can be easily swallowed without chewing.  It sounds counter-intuitive, but she returned to her favorite food because she no longer had the pain that had prevented her from eating prior to teeth removal. 

So, dogs and cats don’t really need teeth, but what they really don’t need is a painful mouth.  

Tags:

Comments 1 |

Some days at the clinic are fairly routine. Some days you never forget. One day recently the receptionist called back to say that there was an emergency coming in;  something about a knife. I've learned to not get too excited about emergencies before they arrive, as many of them turn out to be less serious than originally reported.

This one was a dog, and I knew it had entered the clinic when I heard a chorus of  "oh my gosh" coming from the lobby area. This sent the technicians running up front which brought on a second wave of "oh my goshes". Clearly something was up. I was busy enough doing something, that it was not until the dog was brought to the treatment area that I saw what all the fuss was about.

Around the corner walked a very sweet looking pit bull with a very large knife protruding from the middle of the bridge of the nose; about halfway between the eyes and the wet part of the nose. About four inches of stout handle stuck nearly straight up, and the blade was almost completely buried.  At that point I uttered something similar to "oh my gosh", although not those words exactly. The dog was not bleeding and seemed to be dealing with her predicament very well. She did not resist when a catheter was placed and pain medication given. Dogs sometimes act like they know that you are there to help them. She was anesthetized so that the knife could be removed, but that turned out not to be as easy as one would think.

The story was that she was protecting her yard from an intruder who had done this to her. The tip of the blade had advanced far enough into the mouth as to make it impossible for her to move her tongue without touching it and she, therefore, had a laceration on her tongue as well. Eventually the knife was dislodged and she did very well afterward, still a sweet, gentle dog.

Just when you think you've seen it all, something stranger than fiction literally comes walking around the corner. Sometimes the heartlessness that some people can be capable of is astounding, but more astounding still is the bravery and fortitude such as this dog showed us that unforgettable day.

These pictures are pretty graphic so if you have a weak stomach please be advised.

To view the pictures of the dog please click here.

Tags: pet advice | pet safety | veterinarian | park avenue animal hospital

I get this question all the time..."I just gave a flea treatment. Why am I STILL SEEING FLEAS ? "

Here is my best answer:

If you are using one of the very effective flea products, AND it is working the way it should, you may very well still be seeing fleas. The reason is that none of even the best flea products out there can kill a flea as soon as it touches the pet. The best products will still take at least 30 minutes to several hours to kill a flea. Even if the product on your pet is killing fleas this quickly, you may still be seeing fleas for a long time. If the flea population in the environment, ie house and yard, is well established, it may take several months before you see the end of them.

Let's say that we're treating a cat who stays strictly indoors and there are no other pets. The fleas on this cat will continue to lay eggs until the flea product takes effect. The last eggs to fall off the cat into the carpet represent the last of the fleas. The problem is that it may take several months for these eggs to go through their life cycle of egg to larva (worm), to pupa (cocoon) to adult. The time it takes to go through these life stages depends primarily on temperature and humidity, but other factors come into play too. So in a very cool air conditioned home, you may be seeing fleas for quite a while. Treating the indoors can help.

Now consider the dog that goes outside and sniffs at every bush during its walks around the block. The fleas that it may pick up should be killed by the flea product long before the new flea has a chance to lay its first egg which takes about 48 hours. But while the new flea will not be starting a new population inside the home, you will be seeing (and your dog will be feeling) those fleas until the flea product takes effect. If the dog is returning to the same spots on a regular basis, you may continue to see fleas despite the flea product working perfectly. If you think that keeping your dog within the confines of the yard will solve this problem, don't forget that new fleas might be seeded into your yard by a local stray cat, or when the neighbors dog comes over to play. New eggs that are dropped into your yard this way can take weeks to work through their life cycle. The higher temperatures and humidity outdoors will get the fleas through their life cycle quicker, but that does not matter if new flea eggs are continually entering the yard some how.

Sounds daunting ? As long as the better flea products are used, most pet owners are happy with the results. But the initial phase of treating well established flea problems can be frustrating. Make an appointment today and see how we can help!

Tags: pet advice | veterinarian | cats | fleas | flea treatment

It’s amazing how one moment can change your life forever. A lot of people have said that they’re glad 2009 is over – that 2010 will be the year of change. For me, 2009 wasn’t so bad – in some aspects, anyway. It was in early 2009 that I became a volunteer for the Avian Reconditioning Center. Read more...

Tags: Volunteering | Avian Reconditioning Center | Raptors | Education

Since February is National Pet Dental Health Awareness Month (Boy, what a mouthful!), we wanted to give you, our readers, a little bit of insight into a great product we use here at Park Avenue Animal Hospital.  The month of February is dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of dental hygine in pets.  Pet owners can achieve good dental health in many ways, outlined in our previous dentistry article.  The benefits of dental cleaning and maintaining a healthy mouth vastly outweigh any risk or expense involved. In order to ensure that a professional dental cleaning is as effective as it possibly can be, the Doctors and Staff recommend Oravet.

Tags:

2009 went out with a bang and 2010 has started out as a very busy year for the doctors and staff! We are so incredibly thankful to our awesome clients and their pets, and to our rescues for their continued support.

We hit the ground running in January and as we wind down the month, I thought I'd take a moment to update the blog and share what's going on around the office.

Tags:

'Twas The Night Before Christmas
Originally written by Clarent Clark Moore

Revised by Dr. Rick Rubinstein

T'was the night before Christmas
When all through Park Ave,
Not a machine was whirring;
We'd closed down the lab.

Tags:

Comments 1 |

Thanksgiving is behind us already, and Christmas and the coming of the New Year are just around the corner! Can you believe it? The holiday season is here again – amazing how fast a year can go by!

Spending time with friends and family is a highlight this time of year and pets are becoming grouped more and more into the ‘family’ label.  Of the more than 140 million pets living in homes in America today, well over half are considered ‘family’ and are included in family functions such as photo sessions, signing greeting cards, and family gatherings.

Tags: fall | gift | park avenue animal hospital | cats | dogs | healthy pets | pet ownership | poisoning | veterinarian | companion animals | pet safety

We became Vizsla owners for the first time in April of this year.  We have had a variety of dogs in our lifetime and have found the V to be one of the most endearing dogs we've ever had.  Although our Dexter is extremely active and can really be a pain in the posterior, he's one of the funniest and most loving dogs we've had.

I have noticed that there are several other Vizslas in or around Apopka, based on pictures on this site, and would love to have a Vizsla meet.  Perhaps we could meet some weekend at the Dog Park in Apopka.  I can be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it if you are interested.

Tags:

Thanksgiving is one of our favorite times of the year around Park Avenue Animal Hospital. It’s a time for families to gather and spend quality time together, a time to celebrate the good things that life brings to us.  Being thankful is what Thanksgiving is all about, but being cautious about what your pets eat during this holiday is also critical. The holidays are filled with dangerous threats to your pets, but with a little bit of forward thinking, disaster can be avoided.

Tags:

I was out with Scooter today and got him all strapped and leashed and we had a nice walk around the ARC property and in our travels we had a MUCH Better picture taken, so i'm fowarding that along to you in case you want to put it up in place of the one that's there on the main page.  It's going to be a while before this bird is ready to step out in the public eye but I can't tell you how excited I am that we've made this much progress in just over a week's time. 

Scooter, by the way, has been tentatively re-named Rio and we actually suspect "he" might be a "she", based on body size and weight.  Oops!  We'll DNA test him soon and find out for sure, but for now, Scooter/Rio is kind of an 'It'.  Anyway.  Lousy picture of me, but a great way to capture one of the many triumphant moments we expect to come in the next weeks and months.

Tags:

“Cancer” is the name given to an uncontrolled overproduction of abnormal cells in the body. It affects more than just people! In all its many and varied forms, it affects thousands of dogs, cats, and other domestic pets every year, and has been the number one cause of early death in dogs for the past decade.

If your pet is diagnosed with cancer, you may find yourself asking “Why?” Unfortunately, the answers are not always readily available. Because of the direct involvement of DNA, some forms of cancer, in some breeds of dogs, can be hereditary. Cancer is also associated with exposure to environmental elements such as smoke, pesticides, and other carcinogens. In other instances, there may not be any rhyme or reason for the development of cancer.

Cancer can show up as many different forms of tumors, and is able to take up formation on or within every organ system in the body, as well as within the blood and blood-processing systems. It can be incredibly slow to develop and difficult to detect, or it can be aggressive and cause illness within weeks, or even days. It can stay stationary on one organ, or through a process called metastasis, cancerous cells can move through the body to invade other organs.

Treatment can vary depending on the type and stage of cancer, age and general health of your pet. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation are common recommendations to slow or stop the cancer growth process.

Cancer is a diagnosis that no pet owner wants to hear, however with advances in diagnostics, surgical procedures, and treatment, cancer does not always have to carry such a grave prognosis anymore.

Tags: canine cancer awareness | lymphoma | osteosarcoma | adenoma | lipoma | tumor | mass | mammary tumor | testicular cancer | prostate cancer

Every year in the United States, there are over five million incidents of domestic violence.  In Florida alone, over 120,000 incidents were reported in 2008, two hundred of which had deadly results.  Domestic violence knows no age or gender – it also knows no species.  Statistics show that 48% - nearly half – of all dometic violence victims refuse to leave their homes because of the fear that pets left behind will face the same abuse or worse.  The Harbor House, a non-profit shelter for victims of domestic violence, has teamed up with the Orange County Animal Services to build a shelter for pets that escape domestic violence situations with their owners.  To help raise awareness of this cause, and to help put the word out about domestic violence and how it affects pets, Park Avenue Animal Hospital is offering purple ribbons to all visitors from now until the end of October.  These purple ribbons can be affixed to a pet’s collar or worn as a lapel ribbon as a reminder that humans aren’t the only victims of domestic violence.  Help support the Harbor House and give pets, and their owners, a chance at freedom.

Tags:

It’s no secret that Park Avenue Animal Hospital treats just about every species of small animal under the sun. While dogs and cats make up the majority of pets that are brought to us, we do get to see a good number of exotic animals, including wildlife. On many occasions since our doors opened, we’ve been very blessed to have our services utilized by the Avian Reconditioning Center, a birds of prey rehabilitation and public education facility located in our own Apopka Backyard.  Unlike other wildlife rescues, ARC focuses exclusively on hawks, owls, eagles, falcons, kestrels, kites, and other birds of prey. 

Tags: Eagles | Owls | Hawks | Kestrels | Kites | Avian Reconditioning Center | Birds of Prey | Raptors | Falconry | Rehabilitation

This article was originally posted in the Apopka Chief and the Planter newspapers for the week of August 10, 2009.

Since opening its doors to Apopka’s pets in 2008, Park Avenue Animal Hospital has been providing the gentle bedside manner that owners expect, with the cutting edge medicine pets deserve. While dogs and cats are by far the most popular choice for most pet owners, Doctors John Turgai and Rick Rubinstein have a special place in their hearts for all animals, furry, feathery, or scaly. With over 30 years of combined quality veterinary experience, both doctors have gone well beyond standard veterinary education and practice to further their knowledge of animal care to include reptiles, rabbits, ferrets, birds, guinea pigs, and other exotic small animals.
Read more...

Tags: pet ownership | pets | healthy pets | pet advice | vaccines | cats | dogs | pet safety | birds | companion animals

Over on our web-board, a great question was posed about the potential for a "Golden Retriever" to be black in color. After doing some research, I posted a lengthy response - I highly recommend checking it out!

A portion of the response is posted below... Visit our web board for more! 

For the modern breed, "GOLDEN" retriever refers to the coat color, which is "golden". That "golden" color can range though, from a deep rusty red to almost white. Still, a golden is a golden... or is it?

Many of the established breeds we know today have been descended either purposely or through accidental mixing through the centuries and the Golden Retriever is no stranger to this. The Golden is a relatively "young" breed, having only been established in Scotland in the 1800s.

Baron Tweedmouth Sir Dudley Marjoribanks, a Scottish baron and politician, is largely responsible for developing the Golden retriever. He wanted a hunting dog with plenty of stamina, strong swimming ability, with good tracking skills. But hunting being a gentleman's sport at the time, he also wanted a handsome breed that stood out from the rest of the 'pack'. 

Read More at the Web Board!

Tags:

Since fleas are a perennial problem in Florida, flea prevention needs to be practiced year-round as well.  To understand flea prevention, you first have to understand fleas themselves.  The most common species of flea seen on pets in Florida is Ctenocephalides Felis, otherwise known as the Cat flea.  While cats are a primary host for this pest, they are found on dogs as well. The average life cycle of a flea lasts between 30 and 75 days.

In that time, they hatch out and go through a larval and pupae stage before becoming a full-fledged adult flea. This process takes approximately three weeks, however the pupae stage can vary by environment. Flea pupae can lay dormant for up to six months!

Tags: pet advice | dogs | cats | pet safety | companion animals | veterinarian | comfortis | promeris | advantage | multi | advantix | vectra | vectra3d | program

Park Avenue Animal Hospital – Always On Call For Your Pets

No pet should ever suffer needlessly because distance keeps them from getting the care they need. When your pet is ill or injured, your first instinct is to contact your vet. But what happens after-hours? Chances are good that you’ll hear a recording, instructing you to contact the nearest Veterinary Emergency Clinic and to leave a message. With the closest Veterinary Emergency Clinic over 14 miles from Apopka, you need a veterinarian who is close to home AND available at any time of the day or night. When time is of the essence, Park Avenue Animal Hospital is here to help.

Park Avenue Animal Hospital opened its doors to Apopka’s pets in August of 2008. The hospital is located at 847 North Park Avenue in Apopka, and is convenient to all points of Apopka and beyond. Doctor John Turgai and Doctor Rick Rubinstein have almost 40 years of combined veterinary practice experience, providing Central Florida’s pets with the high quality care that owners expect, with the gentle bedside manner that pets deserve.

Tags: poisoning | healthy pets | pet advice | pet safety | cats | dogs | companion animals | emergency veterinarian