Celebrate the Fourth!

Our office is closed until Friday 7/8/11. We will re-open on Saturday 7/9/11.

It may sound corny but I always pause to think of freedom and independence on the Fourth of July.  After the usual acknowledgement and appreciation of what this country has to offer (yes, even in these questionable times), I always circle back to reflect on what I have to offer to others.  I grew up learning that, with freedom and independence (financially or socially), comes responsibility.  This belief is carried over to how we do things at The Family Vet.

One of the reasons I purchased this veterinary practice eight years ago was to continue providing veterinary services to the community.  We are not located in the best area but it is where I grew up and a part of me wants to bridge the gap and make veterinary care more accessible to our lower income neighborhood.
Over the years, the way we provide veterinary care --- as exemplified by our slogan "Personal Care for Pets" --- resonated with many people.  The demand for our services has grown more than anyone had expected.  We experienced growing pains and tried to find ways to accommodate our growth without compromising our core beliefs of providing quality personal care for pets.

Some things we tried worked, some did not.  One benefit of being a small one-doctor practice is the flexibility to try new things.

As I reflect on this July 4th, I realize that we have been busy running around trying to keep up with our practice growth.  We have become a slave to our success --- sort of the tail wagging the dog.  Lately, I worry that we may be nearing the point where our growth will start to compromise our ability to care for our clients and patients.  Moreover, we were fast burning out our small, wonderful caring staff.

As mentioned at the start of this post, July 4th reminds me not only of our independence but also my responsibilities and obligations.

I, represented by The Family Vet, have a responsibility to our current clients, those who have entrusted us with the care of their pets, and to our staff, those who have entrusted us with their well-being and livelihood.
I have many other aspirations.  But I have to first meet the above two responsibilities before I can pursue and take on any other obligations.

We are taking this upcoming week off to give our staff some well-earned vacation time and to give us a chance to do some maintenance work on our building.  The down time will also allow us to implement services to maximize our efficiency and improve services to our current clients and patients.

Our office is closed until Friday 7/8/11.  We will re-open at 8 am on Saturday 7/9/11.
If you have a medical emergency for your pet, please contact AERC at 310-325-3000

During this time, you may still reach us via email staff@thefamilyvet.net or leave us a message at 562-281-PETS (562-281-7387). Urgent messages from current clients will be returned as needed.  We will refer patients to local practices or referral facilities as appropriate.  If you are not a current client, please contact another local practice so your pets may receive timely medical care.
If your pet is currently under medical treatment with me, you should also have my direct cellphone number to contact me if needed.

We plan to return in a week, refreshed and ready to continue providing the personal care for pets that you have come to expect from us.

As you celebrate The Fourth, remember to keep your pets healthy and safe with these holiday tips.
Enjoy Independence Day!

562-281-PETS (562-281-7387)

Our primary phone number has changed to 562-281-PETS (562-281-7387).  We apologize for any inconvenience of, once again, changing our phone number.  We appreciate your understanding as we straighten out our phone services.  This should be our permanent phone number now.
Please update our contact information:

The Family Vet

562-281-PETS

562-281-7387
Email: staff@thefamilyvet.net

Dr. Tran may reply to emails from her account for ongoing cases.  To keep the conversation in order and improve continuity of care, you may reply directly to her address.  However, for any new issues or concerns (e.g. scheduling an appointment, prescription request), using our primary address above will ensure our proper and timely attention.

Keep in mind that we receive about 100 emails on an average day.  Elias makes an effort to go through all of them and reply (or redirect to Dr. Tran) within 24-48 hours.  If you do not get a reply from us in 48 hours, please send us another email (if not urgent) and/or, for urgent matters, call us directly.

The same applies to voice messages.  We receive at least 40 phone messages per day.  Some of them are garbled and/or may not contain all the pertinent information for us to return the calls.  If messages are left during our office hours, we usually call back the same day.  We try to return all calls in a timely manner, no later than within 24 hours during our work week.  Since we are closed on Monday and Tuesday, that means non-urgent messages left after closing on Sunday may not be returned until the following Wednesday.  Please follow up with another call or email us if needed.

The best way to contact us outside our office hours is via email.  If your pet is currently under medical treatment, you may also call Dr. Tran directly at the provided cell number.

We appreciate your loyalty and value the trust you have in us to provide veterinary care for your family.

We welcome new clients and patients throughout the year.  However, as you may have noted on our webpage, we are temporarily not accepting new clients at this time (new patients from current clients are still being accepted).  Providing personal care to our current clients and patients is our first priority.  Limiting the number of new clients will allow us time to focus on the patients currently in our care.  We hope to resume scheduling new client appointments in 6 weeks (by the middle of July).

We appreciate your support and understanding as we strive to meet our goal of providing quality personal care for pets.

Frontline Plus.... for your virtual pets!

Play the virtual pets game "Happy Pets" on Facebook and you may run into a little bonus: a virtual Frontline Plus application!

Applying the dose of virtual Frontline Plus to your cat gave will give her a cool bandanna and a shiny, sparkly, flea free coat!

Kudos to Merial for reminding and encouraging pet owners to keep all of their companions flea free and happy!

Happy Mothering Day!

 Mothering
* (verb) present participle of mother

* bring up with care and affection

* A man's life and schedule revolved around giving his ill cat subcutaneous fluids daily and various medications throughout the day.  His reward is a stable happy companion, confounding the specialists almost a year after they released her to us for euthanasia.

* A work-at-home mom feeds her cat 1 teaspoon of food every 20-30 minutes during the day among all her other duties.  Saving money for the consultation with the internist, this was the one way she found to keep her otherwise healthy cat from vomiting.

* A college student juggled her 2 cats between rooms in a small apartment hoping they will learn to get along.

* A woman spends her time nursing sick kittens and dogs back to health for adoption.  She takes in those that are deemed un-adoptable by the larger well-known adoption organizations.  People like her are the unsung heroes to homeless pets; more so than the glossy fund-raising behemoths (IMHO).

* An elderly man with a dog that will not let him medicate at home.  He brings his beloved cranky companion in every week for us to do the treatment. The round trip cab fares cost more than the treatments themselves.

* A couple re-arranged their work schedule and family life to make sure their new puppy get the full life they want for her --- from brushing her teeth and potty training, to training time and trips to competitions.

* A football player wrapped his huge hands around a kitten as he sweet talked her to take the bottle of formula.  All the while wondering how he would fit the frequent feedings in with his football practice schedule.

I can think of so many more examples of dedication and self-sacrifice from our clients in their pursuit of health and well-being for those in their care.

As most families in the U.S. celebrate Mother's Day today, I find myself thinking of the verb mother more than the noun.

A woman can be a mother to a child, but the art of mothering extends beyond gender, age and reproductive ability.

Whether it is due to financial restraints or other circumstances, some clients choose hospice care or care plans that require intensive time and work on their part.  No disrespect to those who can afford the high costs of week-long hospitalization and intensive care, but there is something heart-touching about someone giving his/her all in time and labor, providing hands-on care for his/her loved ones.

I am humbled by the commitment we are privileged to witness almost everyday at our clinic.

To all our clients and non-clients who may see shades of themselves in the above examples (as they are composites of our clients):

Happy Mothering Day!

Spring Into Summer

Easter and Spring Break signal the coming of warmer weather and summer fun. Some things you can do to prepare your canine and feline companions for fun in the sun.

Grooming
If your pets have long hair or thick coats that you had let go "au naturale" through the winter, it may be time for them to visit a good groomer.  Depending on the breeds and lifestyles, an appropriate trim will keep your pets comfortable and safe as they mingle at the local dog parks or beaches.

click on image to enlarge

Parasite Control
Although we recommend year round parasite control in Southern California, some people do stop using preventatives over the cooler winter months.  Restart flea control and be prepare for the warmer summer days.  Even if your companions spend most of their time indoors, they bound to pick up fleas on their walks -- and bring them back to your home to multiply.  Fleas can give your pets more than just itchiness.  Products such as Sentinel also takes care of heartworm and intestinal parasites, e.g. whipworms and roundworms.

This 2008 chart has a good summary of the different flea control products available.  Some recent notable changes to that chart include: Advantage II replacing Advantage; upcoming discontinuation of Promeris; and introduction of generic fipronil products. The wide array of flea control products can be confusing.  Advantage, Frontline Plus, Sentinel/Program and/or Comfortis are often used for our patients --- it all depends on the pet's lifestyle and client's preference. If you are not familiar with the flea control products, please consult your family veterinarian.

General Physical Exam
You do not have to wait for your pets to be sick before taking them in for a physical exam and consultation with your family veterinarian.  A wellness visit, especially if one has not been done within a year (or 6 months for seniors and pets with chronic medical conditions), is a great time to go over preventative health care and general concerns.
This is also the perfect opportunity to discuss any noise and fireworks phobias with your veterinarian.  July 4th is not that far away. Starting early on behavior modification may help us avoid drugs (i.e. tranquilizers) during the festivities.
Vaccinations for boarding requirements are usually best done at least 2 weeks before checking your pets into pet lodges.  If you have travel plans for the summer, discuss vaccine requirements with your veterinarian to ensure a safe boarding experience for your pets.

Spring Blooms and Summer Heat
Warm weather dangers deserve a separate article.  Briefly, though, as we enjoy Spring and get ready for Summer, please remember:

* Heat Risks: Limit dog exercise to cooler times of the day. Do not leave unattended pets in parked cars.
* Gardening Risks: Check with the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center to be sure your plants are pet-safe.

Certain diseases are more prevalent in some regions than others, i.e. heartworm and Lyme disease.  Please consult your family veterinarian for specifics in your area.