Jesi |
| Vote for PAAH! |
| 2010.09.02 23:41:42 | |
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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...
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| Volunteer Viewpoint |
| 2010.02.23 03:44:36 | |
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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.
Tags: Volunteering | Avian Reconditioning Center | Raptors | Education |
| All About Pet Dentistry & Oravet |
| 2010.01.30 03:52:10 | |
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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: |
| What's Happening at PAAH! |
| 2010.01.30 01:35:11 | |
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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: |
| A PAAH Christmas Story |
| 2009.12.22 18:41:11 | |
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'Twas The Night Before Christmas Revised by Dr. Rick Rubinstein
T'was the night before Christmas Tags: |
| Yappy Holidays! |
| 2009.12.01 03:01:56 | |
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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 |
| Be Thankful for Healthy Pets This Thanksgiving! |
| 2009.10.23 18:48:38 | |
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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. | Scooter (or maybe Rio) |
| 2009.10.14 15:05:00 | |
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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: |
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. | A Brief Word About Cancer |
| 2009.10.03 02:18:50 | |
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“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 |
| Wear Purple - End Domestic Violence |
| 2009.10.02 19:55:06 | |
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| A Symbol of America Comes to Visit! |
| 2009.09.15 01:09:36 | |
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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 |
| Lizards and Turtles and Birds - Oh, My! |
| 2009.08.14 03:13:56 | |
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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. Tags: pet ownership | pets | healthy pets | pet advice | vaccines | cats | dogs | pet safety | birds | companion animals |
| History of the Golden Retriever |
| 2009.06.10 20:39:36 | |
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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'.
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| What do I do about FLEAS?! |
| 2009.06.04 00:19:27 | |
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This is a VERY Common question among pet owners, and unfortunately it's a year-round issue that only gets worse as summer comes around. 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 |
| Always On Call for Your Pets |
| 2009.05.22 01:10:03 | |
This article was written by Jessica Wilson for Park Avenue Animal Hospital and published in the Apopka Chief and Planter newspapers for the week of May 18, 2009.
Park Avenue Animal Hospital – Always On Call For Your Pets
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| April Fooled...? |
| 2009.04.02 03:04:30 | |
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As we settle into spring, the higher temperatures and increased humidity means that fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes are becoming more active. Flea and The truth behind purchasing your pet’s medication from an online or mail-order retailer may surprise you. Tags: online pharmacy | pet meds | foster | smith | heartworm prevention | flea prevention | mosquitoes | spring | april | price matching |
Heartworm prevention are important year-round, but in Florida, it is especially important during this time of the year. Often, we as consumers are regaled with commercials on TV and Radio confessing the hassles of going to the vet to pick up your pet’s monthly medication. These commercials discuss having to bring your pet to the vet for a visit, and adding to the expense of travel to the cost of medication. They advertise shipping medication for your door for a fraction of the cost of buying from your local veterinarian and even have celebrity spokespeople vouching for their services.| Alcohol Poisoning in Pets |
| 2009.02.27 18:29:17 | |
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In dogs and cats, even the smallest amount of alcohol ingested can cause toxicity, and can lead to a medical emergency. Alcohol poisoning in pets is, thankfully, a fairly uncommon occurrence in the United States, though it does happen, and through more varied means than you would think. There are incidents where a drink is spilled or is given intentionally to a pet, however sources of go beyond what you can put in your glass. Tags: dogs | cats | pet advice | poisoning | alcohol |
As spring rolls around, so do days when partying is at a high point. Alcoholic beverages often are a staple at parties on days such as Saint Patrick’s Day and Cinco de Mayo. In moderation, adults often find extra enjoyment with the addition of their favorite drinks, however when pets get involved, the results are no laughing matter. | Spaying and Neutering - YES! |
| 2009.02.10 02:52:19 | |
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With the economy taking such a downward turn, unwanted animals are becoming a very real concern in many places. Stray animals can easily become a public nuisance, soiling parks and streets, spreading disease from animal to animal and animal to human, ruining property, frightening or injuring children and elderly people, creating noise and other disturbances, causing automobile accidents, and sometimes even killing livestock or other pets.
If you are going to give a puppy, kitten, or other domestic pet this gift-giving season, please consider adopting from a shelter or rescue. Park Avenue Animal Hospital provides services for a number of local pet rescues that are full with puppies and kittens, as well as young adult animals, all in need of homes. In many adoption cases, your adoption fee includes spaying or neutering, vaccines and microchipping! If you are head-set on adopting a ‘pure-breed’ pet, consider that 25% of dogs and cats turned over to shelters are pure-breeds. There are also hundreds of rescue organizations tailored specifically to individual breeds of dogs and cats!
Tags: spaying | neutering | valentine | gift | puppy | kitten | healthy pets |
February is here, and Love is in the air. Between Christmas and Valentine's Day, more pets are adopted and purchased than any other time of the year, to be given as gifts to family and loved ones. They are also abandoned more than any other time of the year. Every year in the United States, taxpayers and private humanitarian organizations spend over a billion dollars to capture, impound, and eventually euthanize thousands of stray, abandoned, and feral dogs and cats. 
| Let's Talk Vaccines - Part 3 - Distemper |
| 2009.01.30 18:14:12 | |
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New to this series? Read Part 1 here. Canine distemper is a disease caused by a highly volatile virus. This disease is known around the world and most commonly affects dogs, but has been seen in many species of wildlife, including skunks, raccoons, and ferrets. It attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and central nervous system. Because multiple systems are involved, the symptoms of canine distemper can vary greatly and it can be very difficult to diagnose. Because the virus is very contagious and can be deadly if left untreated, any suspicion of illness in your dog should be evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Distemper’s symptoms include upper respiratory symptoms – Particularly eye and nasal discharge - with coughing and sneezing, high fever, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and lack of appetite. Neurological symptoms are also common, as well as thickening of the foot pads (Hyperkeratosis). All dogs are at risk, but puppies aged 3-6 months, and older, unvaccinated dogs are at the highest risk. Because many species of common wildlife are susceptible to Distemper, contact between domestic and wild animals may accelerate the spread of the disease, and can often be cited as an explanation for occasional outbreaks of Distemper. There is no treatment for distemper beyond supportive care. Dogs that have been diagnosed with and treated for the symptoms of this disease should be isolated from other animals for a period of several months, due to the way that the virus continues to shed from the body. It is a long and difficult process to treat, and in many cases dogs do not survive. However, distemper is preventable! Vaccinating puppies every 3 weeks from age 6 weeks to age 16 weeks will build initial immunity to Distemper once they are finished nursing from their mother. After the 16 week vaccination, dogs should be vaccinated on a schedule that’s recommended by your veterinarian. Annual vaccines are still highly recommended from region to region, however some vets – including those at Park Avenue Animal Hospital – have begun to recognize a 3-year protocol. Distemper is typically given as a combination vaccine that may also include Parvo, Leptospirosis, Adenovirus type-2, Parainfluenza, and Corona Virus. This makes up what most pet owners see as the “DA2PP” or similar combination on their vaccine reminders. Vaccines are a necessary part of being a responsible pet owner. Please consult with your veterinarian before making decisions on vaccines. Inform the doctor of concerns you may have, but keep an open mind as the doctor explains the reasons behind his or her preferred protocol. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions regarding this or other topics! Tags: companion animals | antibodies | immunizations | virus | veterinarian | distemper | vaccines |
Puppies and dogs can become infected after coming in contact with infected animals, but they can also become ill after being in communal areas where infected animals have been recently. The virus is shed through respiratory secretions (Coughing, sneezing), as well as through urine and feces. | Let's Talk Vaccines - Part 2 - Rabies |
| 2008.11.21 04:26:28 | |
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New to this series? Read Part 1 here. This zoonotic virus is typically transferred through the bite of an infected animal, though other forms of contact have been known to be a cause. It causes acute encephalitis and left untreated, it is almost invariably
In humans, the onset of rabies can be prevented if treatment is started immediately after exposure. It involves post-exposure vaccinations over the course of several weeks. Doses of immunoglobulin are also given to boost the body’s immune system against the virus. In other mammals, there is no treatment for rabies after exposure. Pets that have been exposed to rabies, that have been vaccinated, must be re-vaccinated and quarantined for 90 days to prevent further exposure both to the animal and to the public. Pets that are not current on their rabies vaccine that are exposed to the disease often do not fare as well, with euthanasia being the most common recommendation. Due to their nocturnal nature and desire to roam, cats typically are more commonly exposed to and infected Because there is no cure, vaccination is the only way to prevent this disease from occurring. Aside from the concern for your pet’s health, as well as for public health, vaccinating for rabies is a legal requirement for owners of dogs, cats, and other small mammals across the United States. A licensed veterinarian is the only person who can legally vaccinate your dog and should only do so after a thorough examination to rule out any health problems that may be aggravated by vaccination. Park Avenue Animal Hospital offers 1- and 3-year vaccines based on the age and general health of your pet. Our doctors are more than happy to discuss tailoring a vaccine schedule to meet your pet’s individual needs. Tags: veterinarian | virus | bacteria | horses | birds | ferrets | companion animals | antibodies | antibody | immunizations | vaccines | cats | dogs |
fatal. The virus attacks 
by rabies than dogs. Ironically, cats are less likely to be up-to-date on vaccines. The presence of feral cat colonies is one explanation as to why the statistics are so skewed, but economic hardship and lack of public knowledge can also be attributed. Page 1 of 2
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Summer is here! If your pet must be outside during the summer months, make sure that shade and clean, fresh water is available at all times.
Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health, the relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources, the promotion of public health, and the advancement of medical knowledge.