Mid-Peninsula Animal Hospital™ Blog

What a year it's been! We've all had to adjust to a fast moving situation, and then re-adjust, and then re-re-adjust. You've adjusted with us, and we can't thank you enough. 

This year, there aren't the usual holiday parties or staff photos to share. This year, not-having a party means you care.

Instead, we bring smiles from Ireland. The Dog Trust's Santa Paws dog-toy giveaway provides us a glimpse into how a dog picks "their" toy, and two minutes of smiles for us all.

If you need two more minutes of smiles, here's the same event from last year, with puppies.

We're so grateful to you for kindness, support and cooperation throughout this unusual year. We wish you and yours all the best for 2021!

We'd like to introduce you to the latest addition to our world-class veterinary crew here at Mid-Peninsula Animal Hospital™. Dr. Celia Megdal comes to us literally from the top of her class. She grew up in the suburbs in Southern California. For college, she went across country to Brown University in Providence, RI where she graduated Magna Cum Laude.

She's easy going, pleasant, and very smart.  Her smile alone can capture your heart.

Collegiate volunteerism took her on a trip to South Africa, which inspired her decision to become a veterinarian. Her lightbulb moment happened while working at the C.A.R.E rehab center in Phalaborwa. She was caring for the cutest little creatures in the world -- orphaned baby baboons -- when one of them got caught on a fence with a pretty nasty cut around his abdomen. (The little guy made it, with human help.)

She was already studying Cognitive Neuroscience, and went back to Brown ready to add pre-vet and a focus in Animal Cognition to her major course of study.

Through the rest of her academic career, her volunteerism continued with externships at Marine Mammal Center and the Georgia Aquarium.

"I started out in wildlife and zoo and aquatics because I wanted to get ahold of as many animals as possible," explained Dr. Celia Megdal. "I wanted to learn as much about all the fields as possible. I really do love it all.  I really love surgery, and I really like neuroscience cases."  

It's not surprising that she's also Fear Free Certified® and available for guardians of animals with behavior issues. Currently, she sees both dogs, cats and pocket pets. In the future, Dr. Megdal will also be available to see "exotics," such as reptiles and possibly birds; and is working on her certified aquatic veterinarian license, which will be good news for our neighbors with koi ponds. 

These additions to her work roster may not happen right away as she's also busy planning her post-pandemic wedding, to be held on a ranch, unsurprisingly.  Meanwhile, she and her silky terrier mix, named Glitch, and her fiancé enjoy the great outdoors, with activities such as hiking and scuba-diving. In her spare time, she enjoys crafting, graphic design, and since the pandemic, she's been painting in water color a bit.

Clearly, Dr. Megdal is the complete package and we are thrilled to have her on board. Please join us in welcoming Dr. Celia Megdal to the team.

Thank goodness for the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA). They recently brought our attention to a new dynamic happening as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. We're grateful since we have been keeping our heads down, working to take care of our staff and your pets. It's unlikely we would have seen it otherwise.

Pet poisoning is up since the outbreak of COVID-19. Call volume to pet poison hotlines have picked up as more people started working from home. It's unclear whether the dynamic results from a) far more use of disinfecting cleaning supplies b) the animals are actually getting into more things than ever before or c) their behavior hasn't changed, just our ability to see it has changed. 

Puppies and younger dogs, in particular, tend to explore the world with their mouths. Since the first shelter-at-home was ordered, pet adoptions have also seen an uptick. It's most likely the rise in pet poisoning cases is due to "all of the above." 

The most common danger is your medication. You may drop a pill and it bounces, or your pet is simply faster to get it than you. Since you are now spending more time at home, this kind of incident is even more common. Also, common household cleaners can pose an issue. For example, if an animal walks through a puddle with bleach in it, they are not only exposed with their skin, but are likely to lick their feet and ingest it.

In an effort to minimize exposure to disinfectants, confining pets to a room or crate while using these products is recommended. It is also important to prevent their access to products, like hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes, which are toxic if ingested.

If you have five minutes, the Animal Poison Control Center has published a video with common concerns resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. You can watch it here:

It's that time of year to focus on heartworm prevention, and we sweeten the deal with (not one, but) two special offers available only through Mid-Peninsula Animal Hospital. 

Each offer makes an important point, but first a little context. We've written before about the dangers of heartworm. As you may know, heartworm is transmitted by mosquitos. In our geographic region, the culprit is the tree hole mosquito. If you are unfamiliar with the topic, our previous blog posts and our Heartworm information page are recommended reading.

Heartworm disease is one area where an ounce of prevention is truly better than a pound of cure, particularly since the cure is not 100% sure. What is guaranteed is the prevention medication, literally. 

Unlike some online or theoretically discount sources, our preventatives come with a full medical care guarantee**, backed by the drug maker themselves. When you work directly with your Vet, you get the highest quality medication, adhering to strict handling and storage protocols, a known chain of custody, and a known provenance, all of which combines to facilitate the guarantee. 

The first offer: Now, when you get your year's worth of heartworm prevention medication, you get two free doses. 

This means you can get the assured high quality medication, handled and stored properly, with the manufacturer's guarantee at a decent savings per dose. 

The second offer: When you get a full year's worth of heartworm medication, we will waive the cost of the heartworm test needed to purchase the medication. 

For dogs, your veterinarian may recommend Interceptor Plus, but they may recommend something else. We carry multiple products, some of which take care of multiple parasite types. 

Cats experience heartworm differently, are far more challenging to diagnose, and if they get it, can only be managed, not cured. Thus, cats should also be on a heartworm preventative, which is fairly new within the last couple of decades as feline targeted preventatives have been developed.

Whether dog or cat, each case is different and your doctor will take everything into account on a case-by-case basis, plus explain the logic for the choice they recommend. You and your veterinarian will decide together. 

To recap both offers combined: come in for a heartworm test, and when you get a year's worth of heartworm prevention medication, you get two bonus doses and we'll waive the cost of the test.

Clearly, proper heartworm prevention is truly very important to us. Getting the heartworm test and consulting with the veterinarian about which prevention treatment is right for your animal provides the quality of care your animal deserves and provides peace of mind for you.

**Unlike a guarantee that refunds the cost of your prescription, a full medical care guarantee means that with our documentation of annual heartworm testing and the appropriate medication dosing, if your animal tests positive, the manufacturer will cover all of the costs of treatment. They stand by the medication to work.