Loomis Basin Blog

Medical Boarding is for pets who need a little extra TLC.

Do you have to go out of town and are unable to care for your pet with a medical condition that requires a little extra TLC?  For our clients and their pets, we provide medical boarding for those times when no one else but our highly trained veterinary staff should take care of your pet while you’re away.

At Loomis Basin Veterinary Clinic, our Medical Boarding Services include 24 hour care and surveillance, multiple daily walks for dogs, regular feedings, scheduled medication times plus emergency care in the event that it is needed.

Medical Boarding is best for pets that are:

- diabetic and need insulin on a regular basis

- prone to seizures and taking daily medication

- recovering from surgery and need to be confined

- taking oral medication with specific dosages and times

- require hand feeding and/or subcutaneous fluids to maintain nutrition or hydration

All pets that are accepted for Medical Boarding must have been seen at Loomis Basin within the last six months prior to boarding. An appointment can be scheduled at the time of drop off.

If you could use a little help and would like to bring your pet in for Medical Boarding, please call us at (916) 652-5816 to schedule your reservation.

Horse owners urged to pursue vaccinations

SACRAMENTO, April 19, 2012 – The risk of a return of West Nile virus to California this year is renewing calls for horse owners to make sure their animals are vaccinated. In 2011, 15 horses in California were confirmed positive for West Nile Virus. Four of the 15 were euthanized. All of the euthanized horses were not vaccinated.

“Outbreaks of West Nile virus are still a risk for horses,” said California State Veterinarian Dr. Annette Whiteford. “Horse owners should contact their veterinarians as soon as possible to ensure vaccination status is current. If people get the necessary shots for their horses now, the animals will have optimal protection against the disease.”

Signs of West Nile virus include stumbling, staggering, wobbling, weakness, muscle twitching and inability to stand. Horses contract the disease from carrier mosquitoes and are not contagious to other horses or people. Not every horse exposed to the virus will die, however, over the past eight years, affected horses have experienced a mortality rate of nearly 40 percent.

CDFA is cooperating with the California Department of Public Health to detect and respond to the disease in California. Horses provide an additional sentinel for disease detection in the environment. For more information, click on http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/Animal Health/WNV_Info.html or call Loomis Basin Equine Medical Center at (916) 652-7645.

Polly, LBVC Patient Since 2012

Polly, a 2 year old Labrador mix, was admitted to Loomis Basin Veterinary Clinic for emergency care because she was coughing up blood and had been distressed for several days.  Dr. Rensing initially examined Polly and after ruling out either rat bait or trauma, she referred Polly to Dr. Spann for an endoscopic examination because her x-rays were suspicious.   Dr. Spann, a board-certified veterinary internist, performed the scope and found an object lodged in Polly’s airway but could not remove it because it was so firmly imbedded.  A CT scan revealed a large linear object imbedded in Polly’s lung.  Meanwhile… Polly was continuing to lose blood and required several blood transfusions.  Once stabilized for surgery, Dr. Griffin, one of our board-certified Surgeons, removed Polly’s impaired lung lobe which subsequently stopped her internal bleeding.  Upon dissecting the tissue, Dr. Griffin found a thorny blackberry stem that Polly had probably inhaled through her nose.  Polly remained at the clinic for a few days of post-operative care and was then released.  Her recovery has been uneventful and we are pleased to report that Polly is happy and doing well today although she and her owners no longer play catch near the blackberry bushes. What to do if your pet has a veterinary emergency?

“Polly is playing and snuggling with the other dogs and doesn’t even remember what she has been through. Thanks for saving her life!” says owner Kelli Reid (Polly is in the middle).

All cats should have a yearly physical exam.

A recent Bayer Veterinary Care study found that cats make up 39% of the veterinary patient population in most practices (and in some cases only 15%), yet comprise 55% of the overall pet population in the United States. On the flip side, dogs make up 59% of veterinary patients, yet comprise only 45% of the pet population in the United States. We love our cats for their independent personalities, low-maintenance care, and sometimes for their ability to keep away pests. But cats are the underdog and are underserved when it comes to preventive care; they warrant equal attention.

Even though cats are independent, they cannot take themselves to the doctor. We know that preventive medicine is the BEST medicine. Recommendations vary, but there are fundamentals of preventive care that apply to all our feline friends:

Primarily, all cats should have a yearly physical exam. Cats tend to hide their illnesses much better than dogs. Many problems, such as new heart murmurs, changes in body weight, dental disease, etcetera, can be identified early upon routine physical examination. Additionally, vaccinations are vital to the prevention of communicable diseases. Vaccine protocols vary, but upper respiratory, feline leukemia, and rabies vaccines should be administered and kept up to date for all cats based on their exposure risk. Parasite prevention is another essential for keeping your cat healthy. Fleas can cause serious blood borne diseases, skin allergies, and internal parasites. Heartworm disease can afflict cats and, as prevalence rises, prevention should be seriously considered for all cats – even indoor cats! Although it is true that the risk of feline heartworm disease is lower than for dogs, the effect of heartworm disease on cats is typically more severe and does not have a definitive treatment. Finally, routine fecal testing, microchip placement, and dental care are other important preventive measures that should also be considered. For older cats, routine blood and urine screening, and blood pressure monitoring may be recommended as part of a complete wellness check-up.

There are often concerns that arise from these recommendations, such as – “Aren’t some anti-parasitic medications toxic? Can’t vaccines cause cancer? Dental cleaning is expensive! Why are these things important if my cat never leaves the house?” We frequently hear these concerns and others, and enjoy discussing them in greater detail. If it has been a while since your cat has been examined, we are here to help. Our goal here at Loomis Basin Veterinary Clinic is to help you give your cat the longest, healthiest life possible. We are here for you and your cat seven days a week but have created a dedicated Cat’s Night Out every Wednesday evening from 6-8:30pm. Read more about Cat’s Night Out.

by Sara Neilson, DVM

Learn more about Dr. Sara Neilson

Dr. Dearmin assisted by Dr. Griffin performs an arthroscopy surgery.

Finnegan, a healthy 4 year old Golden Retriever, had developed a limp and was favoring his left front leg.  Sometimes he limped and other times he dangled the limb in the air.  At our office, Dr. Lisa Hess determined that “Finn” was in pain and took x-rays to try and diagnose the cause of the problem.  Finn’s shoulder radiographs showed subtle mineralization in the region of origin of the biceps tendon.  Dr. Hess suggested a consultation with one of our board-certified surgeons, Dr. Mike Dearmin, to discuss the possibility of arthroscopy for Finn.

What is arthroscopy? It is a minimally invasive procedure that enables the veterinarian to examine the inside of a joint, make a diagnosis and often repair the problem.   The procedure only requires one or two tiny incisions. Once the incision is made, the arthroscope (the width of a pencil or smaller) is inserted into the joint and images are transmitted to a TV monitor where the surgeon can examine the joint in detail.  Because arthroscopy is less invasive than open joint surgery, there is not as much tissue damage or scarring and recovery is faster.  Currently, at Loomis Basin we perform arthroscopy for a variety of orthopedic conditions involving joints on both the front and back legs.

Finn, for example, had a condition called biceps tenosynovitis that is found most often in mid-size to large breed dogs with an active lifestyle.  Dogs with this condition develop inflammation, pain, and sometimes mineralization in the biceps tendon region passing over the front of the shoulder joint.  X-rays may appear normal in dogs with the problem.  Ultrasound evaluation may be diagnostic.  Arthroscopy can not only diagnose the problem, it can also be used to treat the issue.   Previously, surgeons had to make an incision 3 to 4 inches in length to treat the tendon.  Now, the same procedure can be accomplished with two tiny incisions.  Finn was up and walking around the next day.  By six weeks following the surgery he had returned to his active lifestyle with no pain or lameness.

By reducing postoperative pain and speeding recoveries, it’s not surprising that arthroscopy is one of the fastest growing surgical areas of small animal orthopedic surgery.

by Mike Dearmin, DVM, DACVS

Learn more about Surgical Services and Dr. Dearmin

"This procedure only requires one to two tiny incisions."

There are 200 species of ticks in the U.S.

Recent reports continue to show that ticks are testing positive for Lyme Disease in Placer County.   Some of the reports indicate that infected ticks have been found at a number of locations in the county including Hidden Falls, Drivers Flat and several other areas.  One thought is that milder weather is contributing to a tick population increase.  Nevertheless, while hikers and those working in the country are warned to exercise caution, we would also like to remind you of the measures you can take to prevent tick exposure to your dogs and cats.

If possible, avoid allowing your dog to roam in tick-infested environments where infected ticks are present.  In addition to grooming your dog daily, we recommend either a topical product such as Revolution or Frontline or a Preventic collar.  As an added benefit, these products can also help prevent disease caused by other organisms carried by ticks such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Anaplasma and Ehrlichia.  Of course, any of these products should only be used under a veterinarian’s supervision and only according to the label’s directions.  Although a Lyme vaccine is available, there are both pros and cons for using it and we currently do not recommend it.  If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to discuss them with our staff.

by Marcia Smith, DVM, DACVIM

Loomis Basin Veterinary Clinic just launched Cat’s Night Out and is inviting all cat owners to take advantage of this new service focused onimproving cat wellness. Every Wednesday Evening from 6-8:30pm, Loomis Basin is creating a feline-friendly clinic where cats and their owners can come in for appointments and be greeted by highly trained cat-loving doctors and staff plus a tranquil low-stress environment. “Cats are unique creatures and can be sensitive to new environments and other animals” comments Dr. Jeralyn Terry a veterinarian at Loomis Basin and a key proponent of Cat’s Night Out. “A checkup can be a stressful experience for a cat and often owners are anxious about bringing their cats in for appointments. Essentially, we wanted to make it an enjoyable experience for everyone by implementing feline-friendly protocols like designating a separate lobby as “cat only” which means it is quiet and dog free plus setting aside exam rooms for cat appointments which allows us to room cats quickly.”
For Loomis Basin client Gail Sortomme, from Roseville, Cat’s Night Out was a big hit when she brought her cat Sam in for a checkup and the evening appointment felt like “I got to have a date with my cat.” The intention behind Cat’s Night Out is to encourage more cat owners to bring their cats in for wellness checkups, routine vaccines and other appointments. According to a 2011 Bayer Veterinary Care Usage Study, cats are the underserved pet representing 55% of the total pet population but only 15-30% of veterinary patients per clinic. One hurdle that cat owners face while preparing to go to the clinic is getting their cat into the carrier which is necessary, but for many, a tricky device to maneuver. To help owners overcome this obstacle, Loomis Basin encourages cat owners to watch the instructional website videos on Getting Your Cat Carrier Ready (See http://catalystcouncil.org and http://healthycatsforlife.com ).

To make your appointment for Cat’s Night Out please call us at (916) 652-5816.

Welcome to Dr. Noelani Reinker, DVM, DACVIM (a board-certified internal medicine specialist) who joined the staff at Loomis Basin Veterinary Clinic in December 2011.
Dr. Reinker returns to the west coast to practice veterinary medicine and offer her skills in the field of internal medicine. She is a graduate of the College of Veterinary Medicine at Washington State and completed a three year residency in internal medicine at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center. In addition to being board-certified, her special interests include gastroenterology and urology.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Reinker on our staff and look forward to her contributions to the health and well-being of our patients,” says Dr. Marcia Smith partner and medical director at Loomis Basin Veterinary Clinic. “Dr. Reinker is a skilled internist whose confident yet calm approach creates an immediate trust and intimacy between her and her patients that is invaluable.”
Loomis Basin Veterinary Clinic is a community based general practice, a specialty practice with board-certified doctors and a 24 hour emergency and continuous care facility.

Read more about Dr. Reinker.