Advanced Veterinary Care of San Elijo

06/22/2024

Some cuteness to start off your weekend!

Little Jaxon came to visit yesterday for his very first puppy appointment.

All this sweetness had to be shared, so Anna and Dr. Deckert got in some cuddle time while little Jaxon was in treatment getting his puppy vaccines (with some whipped cream as a "reward" for being such a good dog)!

We are so excited for Jaxon's and his new family, and can't wait to watch him grow and thrive!

06/13/2024

Attention Clients, Friends, and Family,
Certain lots of FURminator Dog Condition have been recalled due to mold contamination. Use of the product could potentially expose dogs (and owners) to bacteria.
For information on the lot numbers and recall registration, please visit the link below.
https://recall.prodprotect.com/FURminator

06/08/2024

June is National Adopt a Cat Month, and what a better way to celebrate than with a pile o' kittens!

Yesterday, Dr. Deckert and Registered Veterinary Technician Tori met this adorable trio of kittens for the first time. Luna, Mate, and Opal were all recently adopted together from a local rescue group. These three cuties charmed the entire hospital during their wellness visit, where they got the doctor's "paw" of approval!

These sweeties lucked out by finding a great FURever home. We look forward to watching them grow and thrive in their new life!

05/31/2024

Meet Lily and Reacher!

These two sweet kitties were recently adopted and have been coming to AVC for kitten wellness exams and preventative vaccines. They are both sweet, confident, and outgoing, even during treatments.
As part of their time in our treatment room, Registered Vet Tech Nicole, and Kennel Assistant Hannah had to do the very important job of giving these cuties some cuddle time!

The kittens' owner says that Reacher, the handsome orange boy, is active and playful in the house, while Lily, the pretty black smoke girl, struts around like a princess.

Of course, they are BOTH royalty to us!

05/24/2024

"Sometimes we just leave room for miracles"

We have had so many wonderful clients inquiring about the Riehl family and especially about Dr. Riehl's son, Chase, who, since May of 2022, has been fighting a very desperate battle against an exceedingly aggressive form of childhood leukemia.

We asked Dr. Riehl for an update that we could share with all the wonderful AVC friends and family who have shown so much support through Chase's fight:

"
Many of you may remember my son Chase’s battle with a particularly aggressive form of leukemia. He was originally diagnosed in May 2022. He went through several rounds of intensive treatment before he went into remission and then had a bone marrow transplant Nov ‘22 to help prevent relapse. In spite of that, he sadly relapsed a year later. He resumed treatment but we soon found out that prognosis was ominous. He went through 3 more rounds of treatment but his cancer remained unchanged. By that time, he had no energy and was not eating.

In mid February, he was supposed to be admitted to the hospital for central line placement and more chemo but my husband and I couldn’t imagine his body being able to withstand further treatment. After a candid conversation with his doctor, we felt like we had run out of options. Chase transitioned to palliative care and we were told to enjoy what time we had left with him.

Chase cried the first night but then told his dad that he didn’t like how it made him feel so he didn’t want to “waste time” being sad. His palliative care doctor made some changes to his medications and, within 2 weeks, Chase was feeling better and was eating. He felt well enough to go with his school on their 8th grade trip to Washington, DC (he blew our minds with how well he did!) and we’ve taken several small family trips. For St. Patty’s day I had planned a dog parade in our neighborhood because Chase had been mostly house bound but, because he was feeling better, he ended up leading the parade. He was feeling well enough that he asked about resuming treatment. I told him he would have a bone marrow aspirate at the end of April and we could see what options might be available.

The doctor called us a week later and was vibrating with excitement. Chase is CANCER FREE. The doctor couldn’t explain it other than saying “sometimes we leave room for miracles.”

Chase is absolutely THRIVING.

He has fought so hard and maintained the most amazing attitude. He deserves this.

He will continue to have close monitoring and periodic spinal chemo to hopefully prevent relapse but our focus right now is to catch up on his 8th grade schooling so that he can start HS in person.

We are truly blessed. Chase has inspired so many people and we feel so honored to be on this journey with him. Thank you to all of you who have offered love, support and encouragement along the way. "

05/24/2024

Sweet, funny, and HAPPY Draco the Rottweiler came to visit today for a routine vaccination.
Once we were done with his very enthusiastic greeting of the ENTIRE staff, we got prepared for Draco's vaccine. This included pulling out the whipped cream, which he enjoyed VERY much. In fact, he enjoyed it SO much so that he barely noticed the vaccine that we snuck in as he enjoyed his treat.

Not all of our patients are as excited to see us as Draco is. Still, with each pet we try and do as much as we can to help them feel comfortable and safe!

As far as Draco is concerned, a little whipped cream (well, he'd like A LOT of it) and some serious love time goes a long way. The staff loves it too!

05/20/2024

Finley wants you to know that today is !
We have SO many great rescue pups that are part of the AVC family, and we want to celebrate them!

Drop their pictures and stories in the comments!

05/13/2024

A very warm and happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms out there!

Thank you for all you have done to raise us as caring, compassionate animal lovers.
We thank you for all you have done and all you continue to do.

A Happy Mother's Day to all the pet moms out there, too. Thank you for all the exceptional loving care that you give to your furry, scaled, and feathered family members!



Image credit: American Animal Hospital Association

05/11/2024

Happy Friday to all our AVC Friends and Family!

Our beautiful friend Oona spent some time recently chasing rainbows. She caught one just long enough for her owner to snap this beautiful photo!

We had to share the lovely picture and take a moment to wish everyone a wonderful upcoming weekend. We hope that the image brings a smile to your face and encourages you to chase some rainbows of your own!

🌈

05/10/2024

What a Sweet Treat!

We want to send a HUGE thank you to our dear friend little Frodo and his mom who surprised the whole staff with some delicious treats today!
Not only did she bring us a really delicious cake, but wrote a note with personal thanks to all of our staff!

We all adore Frodo and his owner under normal circumstances, but today's surprise and very sweet note really brought a massive smile to the entire staff's face (and gave us enough "sugar high" to get us through the afternoon)!

04/27/2024

On our final day of celebrating our Customer Service Team, we highlight our most senior CSR, Jess!

Jess has been with Team AVC since 2018. Over the last six years, she has become someone that our clients rely on to provide both themselves and their pets with kindness and exceptional care.
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We are so very happy that Jess continues to be a part of our team. We know are clients are thankful for that too!

04/26/2024

We continue to celebrate our amazing Customer Service team today by highlighting Sam!

Sam has worked with animals for over a decade. Before joining our team, she was a professional groomer, but left to enter a profession where she got a chance to help sick animals.
Sam's sweet, caring, and fun personality is exactly what we love to have at our front desk and on our team, and we are so glad she continues to be a part of AVC!

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04/24/2024

This week we celebrate our VERY hard working Customer Service Team. We feel like all of our clients should get to know these wonderful individuals, so today we celebrate our newest receptionist, Anna!
Anna has spent many years working in Veterinary Medicine. We are so thankful that she has ended up at our hospital!

04/23/2024

It's National Veterinary Receptionists Week!

This week, we celebrate our amazing Customer Service Team: Jess, Sam, and Anna.

Working the “front desk” at a busy veterinary hospital is so much more than just juggling phone calls and processing invoices. This hard-working team is constantly multitasking, triaging a multitude of questions, keeping our appointments moving efficiently, keeping the office and exam rooms spotless, offering compassion and kindness to clients and patients in need, reconciling the “books” at the end of a long day, and remaining calm and patient even on the craziest day!

Not only are our CSRs front office multitasking super stars, they are kind, funny, and wonderful individuals to share a workplace with.

We want to thank them for all they do today and for the rest of the year!
Show your love for our Customer Care Team!!!

04/20/2024

Today's Fun Fact Friday is brought to you by our sweet, happy friend Pepper, who is an excellent example of great dog facial expressions!

Pepper makes everyone smile with her many charms. She is SO sweet to work with, has a constantly wagging tail, and is quite generous with her kisses! One of her sweetest features is her "squinty eyes."

Many dog lovers will tell you that their dogs do have many facial expressions. In veterinary medicine, being able to read these expressions can tell us a lot about how our patients are feeling. A hard stare is "watch out, you're scaring me!", while soft, loose eyes mean that our patients are more relaxed.
When we talk to Pepper, she "squints" her eyes. This behavior is considered a sign of appeasement in the dog world. A dog who squints and crouches or cowers may be saying "I'm afraid, but trying to look harmless," which tells us that we need to slow down to help the pet feel more comfortable. Pepper on the other hand, squints, wags her tail, and moves toward us, which is considered an appeasement expression of a dog who is trying to be social and friendly.

As you can see by RVT Ellen's and Dr. Deckert's smiles, Pepper's cute expressions and sweet personality have completely won us over!

04/16/2024

We don't think there's a better cure for the Monday blues than getting in some Kitten Time!

Lucky, our new patient, the very adorable Whiskey, came in to give us the kitten fix we all needed!
Our receptionist, Sam, just had to spend some time getting her snuggles in (and then everyone else quickly followed suit).

Whiskey came to visit us today for his first kitten wellness visit where he was officially given a clean bill of health, planned his individualized kitten vaccine series, and declared exceedingly adorable!

We look forward to seeing this wonderful kitty grow and thrive in his new home!

04/13/2024

Welcome Cody and Cooper!

These little darlings just hit the jackpot when they were recently adopted from a local cocker spaniel rescue. Our wonderful long-time clients had been searching for a cocker in need of a home - but when they saw this pair, they just knew they needed TWO!

This adorable duo came all the way from Mongolia by way of a very dedicated rescue group (Camp Cocker). We KNOW that they are going to be living the good life now!

Congratulations on your wonderful new lives!

04/09/2024

This week is National Dog Bite Prevention Week.

Regardless of breed, size, or disposition, ANY dog can bite. There are a variety of factors that may cause a dog to bite, but in most cases, EDUCATION is the key to prevention.
Learn more about bite prevention: https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/pet-owners/dog-bite-prevention

04/06/2024

Our April Employee Pet of the Month is Grizzly!

Grizzly is an Alaskan Klee Kai, a breed descended from Husky type and Alaskan Interior Village dogs. This breed has been developed over decades to be a sturdy companion dog with Alaskan roots. He is the very best friend of our Veterinary Assistant, Alyssa.

Alyssa got Grizzly as a puppy five years ago from a breeder in Nebraska. They have been inseparable ever since!

This little cutie’s favorite game is being chased by his human or dog friends. He also loves to lounge in the backyard or on his “perch” where he can monitor what is going on outside.

The Alaskan Klee Kai is described as “intelligent, alert, curious and talkative” as well as “perceptive yet mischievous in nature.” Grizzy appears to be all of these things! Alyssa says that Grizzly is very talkative. He makes sounds that range from Chewbacca growls to howls and screams. He will often use these vocalizations to “argue” and talk when she is asking him to do something! He also has some mischievous habits like ankle biting and finding mud and “stinky stuff” to roll in.

Of course, there are so many things that make Grizzly a very devoted best friend. Alyssa says that “he makes getting up in the morning something to look forward to.” She also loves having such a fun and sweet “partner in crime” for adventures, travel, or just hanging out on the couch.

04/05/2024

When you say "get your ball!" does your dog actually know what object you are referring to? A new study out of Hungary says that they do!
"A new study in Hungary has found that beyond being able to respond to commands like “roll over,” dogs can learn to associate words with specific objects — a relationship with language called referential understanding that had been unproven in dogs until now."

A new study in Hungary shows that dogs, beyond being able to respond to commands like “sit” and “stay,” can learn to associate words with specific objects

03/29/2024

Say Hello to Elmo!

This sweet little guy came in for his allergy treatment recently. His adorable smile and his VERY dapper bow tie left all of us so "tickled" that we just had to share!

03/25/2024

Please help us shout out a huge and very overdue congratulations, to Juliette Veenstra who has been promoted to Practice Manager!
Most of you already know Juliette extremely well. (If you haven’t already met her, it is almost certain that your pets have, as Juliette is often distributing treats and brainstorming other ways to make our patients experience a positive one!)
In addition to being a fabulous human being and pet lover, Juliette is a licensed registered veterinary technician with over 30 years of experience in veterinary medicine, including many years of managerial experience.
Juliette is uniquely suited for practice management at AVC for a variety of reasons. In her own words Juliette explained “My passion in management is to create a cohesive, engaging workplace where talented, educated, and passionate people work together for the betterment of animals and their owners. I believe that well trained, happy employees will work their hardest to provide optimal pet care and offer a compassionate, supportive environment for pet owners.”
This is so very true, and we can’t tell you how much we appreciate Juliette’s commitment to medical excellence, building a happy and productive team and taking exceptional care of our clients and patients.
Of course, Juliette has many pets of her own including 3 dogs: Oswyn, a rescued Pit Bull Mix, Finley, a rescued Rottweiler, and Nixie, a White Footed Demon x Feral Spicy Noodle (aka Heeler/Border Collie x Pit Bull). She also has 3 cats: Bruce Campbell, the tuxedo, Leo the Shadowcat, and Pixel the Tortoishell.
She also has a very good-natured husband who puts up with all of this!
Congratulations Juliette. We are so lucky to have such a kind, experienced and skilled leader on our team. You are very much appreciated!

03/23/2024

Say "hello" and send your healing wishes to our sweet friend Frodo!

This amazing little dog suffers from Mitral Valve Degeneration and Congestive Heart Failure. Recently, this disease was really starting to take its toll on Frodo. His resting respiratory rate was increasing, and he was suffering from 8-15 coughing spells per day. His owner diligently kept up on his medications and his cardiologist appointments, but his symptoms worsened as the disease progressed.

Frodo's owner wasn't ready to give up on this sweet boy yet though, and she found a specialty hospital in Los Angeles who offered a procedure that could help Frodo's heart defect.

As you can see, the procedure went well! Mere days after the surgery, Frodo is breathing better and coughing less. The hope is that he will continue to recover well and his heart's enlarged size will decrease over time.

We are so happy for Frodo and his owner. We wish him so many healing wishes and look forward to seeing his wagging tail and cute face in the future!

Here's to a very speedy recovery, little friend!

03/20/2024

Playing with dogs helps people concentrate and relax:
Brain wave research shows (once again) that interacting with pets benefits the person. "This study demonstrated that specific dog activities could activate stronger relaxation, emotional stability, attention, concentration, and creativity by facilitating increased brain activity."

In a study of brain activity, walking a poodle made people more relaxed, brushing the dog improved concentration and playing with her had both effects.

03/16/2024

Hello Handsome Hudson!

This darling ball of fluff came to his visit today ready to PLAY! Hudson has been coming to AVC for his "puppy package" visits, so he'll soon have all the preventative care necessary to keep him safe and ready to experience the big wide world!

During his visit today, Hudson greeted all his nurses with unbound excitement, then showed us his new behaviors, like "shake" and this VERY handsome "sit." He was even able to "wait" while we took a few photos!

03/15/2024

It's that time of year again! The beautiful San Diego Spring brings with it pests like fleas, ticks, and mosquitos. In the hospital, we have already seen many patients burdened by these dangerous critters.
In recent years, Southern California has seen a notable increase in ticks and tick-borne diseases, as well as mosquitos and Heartworm disease. These diseases are dangerous, even deadly, but luckily they are easy to prevent!
Visit our website to learn about the dangers these pests bring and what you can do to help your pet!
https://www.sanelijovet.com/april-topic---parasites-and-your-pets

03/08/2024

Meet Sweet Dory!

We met this adorable pup for the first time today for what was a bit of a scary visit.
Dory presented very pale and weak after stepping on a bee and getting stung on her hind foot.

Bee stings are a common emergency in veterinary medicine. While some dogs can be stung and only suffer minor inflammation or irritation, others can have much more serious complications. These include significant facial swelling (which can hinder breathing, especially in flat-faced dogs) and anaphylaxis, a systemic allergic response.

Common locations for bee stings in pets include the face, the mouth/tongue/gums (when pets snap at or eat bees), or like in Dory's case, the feet (when they paw at or step on bees).

Because bee sting reactions can come on quickly and be quite literally life threatening, they should be treated as a veterinary emergency. Luckily, with quick veterinary intervention, these reactions usually resolve quickly and have a very good prognosis.

Lucky for sweet Dory, her mom acted quickly to get her veterinary care. Our team assessed our new friend, noticed her pale gums, and took fast action. Dr. Deckert was able to remove the stinger from Dory's back foot and then quickly administered emergency drugs. We then assessed Dory's blood pressure and administered a few hours worth of IV fluids. Very quickly after intervention began, Dory's color came back and she became much brighter.

We are happy to say that Dory was discharged at the end of the day looking much happier!

02/28/2024

February’s Featured Employee is Nicole, one of our Registered Veterinary Technicians

Nicole became a part of the AVC family in July of 2023, shortly after moving to San Diego. She moved to San Diego from Tennessee after completing a veterinary technology program in that state. Not long after Nicole started began work at our hospital, she passed the exam necessary to officially become a Registered Veterinary Techician both Nationally and in the State of California, which is no easy task!

Nicole is originally from Portland, Oregon. She has always had a deep love of animals, which is what drove her to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. A recent San Diego County resident, Nicole shares her life with a Blue Heeler named Usagi, and a Dachshund named Buster. In her free time, she loves hiking with Usagi, crocheting, baking, exploring new cafes, and playing video games.

Nicole’s passion for her job is evident in everything she does at AVC. Her concern for her patients is obvious in the kindness, understanding, and attention that she gives each one. She continues to work hard to learn and grow as a veterinary technician as well as becoming a valued member of our hospital team.

We love Nicole because of her fun personality, her great work ethic, her exceptional kindness to both pets and people, and her ability to remain calm in almost any situation. We love to see her grow both as a technician and as a coworker, and look forward to her future at our hospital!

02/24/2024

Meet Maverick!
This big, sweet boy came to visit today to update some of his vaccines. On his way into the treatment area, he decided that he needed some extra comfort, so he scooped up one of our hospital toys and took it with him into his appointment.

We think Maverick deserved the toy because he was a very good patient during his visit. He never let go of his "prize," even taking it with him into the car (his owner managed to convince him to give it up later)!

We love caring for pets, but we understand that veterinary visits can be stressful to our animal patients. At each visit we try and provide comforts that the pet will appreciate including treats, toys, blankets, hiding spots, and, or course, lots of pets, cuddles and love!

02/20/2024

Today is National Love Your Pet Day, a day when we celebrate the unique and wonderful bonds that we have with our pets.
Today, we share with you some of the MANY reasons that our AVC team loves their pets. Of course, we want to know why all of YOU love your pets too! What makes them lovable, unique, and wonderful?
How can you celebrate your pet this day:
1) Tell the world! Share happy photos and stories of why your pet brings you so much love! Share with us, too!
2) Teach your pet a new trick. Learning is a great way to bond with your pet while enriching their lives too. Remember, ALL pets (not just dogs) can learn new tricks!
3) Take your pet for a "Sniffari" walk. Take your pet out and just let them SMELL whatever they want. Let them choose their path and take their time. Most dogs (and other leash-trained pets) LOVE this experience.
4) Make a Wellness Veterinary Appointment: Annual Exams (or biannual for seniors) are one of the best ways to ensure that your pet lives the longest, HAPPIEST life possible by monitoring their health on a regular basis. Give your pet the gift of Wellness!