• 4.7 million people in the U.S. are bitten by dogs every year   
• Children are by far the most common victims                                                                                                                  
• Most dog bites affecting children occur during everyday activities
• Senior Citizens are the second most common dog bite victims
• 800,000 Americans require medical attention for dog bites each year.                                                   

Information is your best defense. Review these valuable resources to protect you and your family:

Dr. Ron DeHaven, chief executive officer of AVMA gives excellent advice in this VIDEO featuring dog bite victim-turned-educator, Kelly Voight. Kelly Voight founded Prevent the Bite whose mission is to prevent dog bites through education. Watch the VIDEO.

Follow this acronym: W.A.I.T.

Wait to see if a dog is with its owner and make sure the dog looks friendly. If the dog looks afraid or angry STOP and walk away slowly.

Ask the owner for permission before you pet their dog. STOP if the owner says no then walk away slowly.

Invite the dog to sniff you by using a quiet voice and keep your hand curled and resting against your thigh. If the dog does not come over to sniff you STOP and do not touch the dog.

Touch the dog gently to pet and never pet near the face, head or tail. Pet on their back in the direction of the fur.

Dog owners can prevent their dogs from biting.

 Yanking on a leash or striking the dog is an inappropriate response. A dog doesn’t bite because he is mean or bad. It is because the dog feels threatened, fearful, uncomfortable and/or overwhelmed in a situation. Punishing a dog in that instance will only make him even more insecure and afraid. It is likely that a dog may have had an experience in the past with a person or another dog that you don’t know about. It might have been a small incident but it made the dog fearful. Remember: when a dog is in the act of aggression he is in a heightened state and cannot learn at that moment.

Find out why your canine is aggressive. Attempt to desensitize the pooch to its fears. Show that he is safe and teach him what to do when he is uncomfortable. If your dog is reacting to a person or a dog aggressively find out why. Get a full medical checkup, if a dog is in pain or has a hormonal problem he can be fearful and aggressive.

See what are things that agitate the dog and gradually help make the dog comfortable. For example take the dog out and every time a person goes by, give the dog a treat and praise him. He will learn to associate a good feeling when people are near because that’s when he receives a treat and praise. It will train him not to be fearful when people are around.

When you play with a puppy it is natural for him to bite so he must be taught how to socialize without biting.

If the dog seeks avoidance of other people let him.

No matter how well-behaved a dog is don’t ever leave a dog alone with a child. Ever.

Another valuable resource is the Victoria Stilwell Foundation. Founder Victoria Stilwell is Animal Planet’s dog trainer on the TV series It’s Me Or The Dog.

Last Words

Yes, we dog lovers bask in the joy and love pooches bring to the world but even the gentlest dog can behave unpredictably under certain circumstances. As Shakespeare said, “Since I am a dog, beware my fangs.”

1. Pain from arthrtis
2. Pain from Hip Dysplasia
3. Post Surgical Pain
4. Ear Infections and Inflammation
5. Wound Healing
6. Gingivitis (gum disease)
7. Insect bites and stings
8. Lacerations and Abrasions
9. Burns

and more…

The laser unit is an FDA Product that has a deep penetrating light that allows relief of pain through

a release of endorphins and stimulates injured cells to heal at a a faster rate

1.  Easter lilies are highly toxic to cats and can cause kidney failure.

2.  Chocolate is toxic for dogs, even sugarless chocolate that uses mannitol sugars can be dangerous to dogs. Also if your dogs are determined like mine, they have to eat aluminum wrapping or plastic eggs to get to the goods-  all these containers or wrappers can cause blockages in the intestines.

3.  That Easter ham can have a lot of fat on it and cause gastrointestinal sickness, pancreatitis and intestinal blockage or injury from eating the bones.

4. Easter basket grass can cause intestinal obstruction in cats and may lead to emergency surgery.

5.  Chicks and rabbits should not be taken on as pets unless their owners are committed to giving them permanent homes and caring for them responsibly.

2.  Grapes, raisins and currants

3.  Xylitol/ sugar free gum or candy

4. Fatty table scraps

5.  Onions and garlic

6.  Compost

7.  Human medication

8.  Macademia nuts

9.  Household cleaners

10. Unbaked bread dough/alcohol

if you are unsure call the Pet Poison Helpline at 800 213-6680

If you are managing your cat’s chronic kidney failure chances are you may be pretty familiar with how to “stick” your cat with a large bore needle and then turn on the fluids that help  rehydrate your cat and keep their kidney functioning.  At Dana Niguel Veterinary Hosptial we forget how intimidating needles, iv lines and bags of fluids can be to a pet owner since they play an intragal part of what occurs in our hospitals’s treatment area.  We thought we would post this video made by Dr JC Burcham at Olathe Animal Hospital in Olathe, Kansas.  Dr Burcham does an excellent job at teaching you how you can perform this life saving medical procedure in the calm atmosphere of your own home 

How to give your Pets SQ Fluids at Home

abdominal surgery with the laproscope

Cats and Dog Owners turned in more

$1000 plus insurance claims to VPI

for the following conditions:

6831 claims for torn knee ligament/cartilage

1005 claims for intestinal foreign object

954 claims for stomach foreign object

879 claims for intervert3ebral disc disease

372 claims for stomach torsion/ bloat

126 claims for laryngeal paralysisrup

124 claims for tumor of the throat

104 claims for ear canal surgery:ablation

102 claims for ruptured bile duct

Depsite being a member of the Dana Point, Laguna Niguel and San Juan Community for over 30 years there are still some new pet owners that ask where  Dana Niguel Veterinary Hosptial is located.  Common references have included:  below the Mariott, one driveway up from the old flag store, up the street from Subway, before the PCH split. 

We would like you to meet a new point of reference.  Our low maintance all weather happy greeter Chuck!  Now when you would like to tell your friends where Dana Niguel is located ask them to look for the well trained Golden Retriever sitting patiently on the sidewalk.

Chuck the all weather well trained greeter

Thanks to the caring staff at Dana Niguel Veterinaryhospital, Ally has become more confident and very friendly.  As you can see in this video, she is very loving cat.  Do you know someone that would love to provide companionship for this beautiful cat?  

Ally meets her public

If you are thinking of it here are some tips

To find out more information about the event, visit the Take Your Dog To Work Day website.Have you ever brought your pet to work? How do you think your pet would behave in the workplace? Send you pictures and comments to our facebook page