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Emergency Info
Contact California Animal Hospital at 310-479-3336
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Pet Portal
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News & Alerts
Check Here for Periodic Updates
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Congratulations to our Pet of the Month (sponsored by Summit)
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The winner receives
a free pack of Vectra (a new topical flea medicine).
The Winner for the
Month is ..........
"Pico" Killen, Pit
Bull Mix from Santa Monica |
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 It
was after a series of heavy rain storms, not unlike the ones we just
experienced, that Pico, the Pit Bull first walked into our lives. He was
just a puppy, no heavier than maybe 10 pounds. Rain soaked and tired, he
looked like he had been on the run all night. I was pulling away from my
place of work on Pico Blvd. in Santa Monica and noticed him approaching
people across the street. At first, I figured he belonged to one of the
individuals. After watching for a few more minutes, I realized that this
little puppy was lost and without his owner. I went over to see him and
he hesitantly approached me as well. Little did I know just how pivotal
the next few moments would be in my life and that of my family’s. Within
seconds of picking up this little muddy pup, he trustingly turned over
his back and went to sleep. I knew I was hooked.
Although our family went through the proper channels to try and find his
original owner, we have all admitted that secretly we hoped they would
not surface. In time, it became evident that they were not looking for
him and so we decided what we were already hoping would be the case -
Pico was ours.
Pico was a breath of fresh air in our home. He immediately won over
Molly, our other elderly doggy companion. Molly’s last couple of years
were spent playing with Pico, who seemed to know just how rough he could
be without hurting Molly. As a puppy, Pico went everywhere with us. And
everywhere we went, people would stop us and say what an adorable little
guy he was.
At the young age of 5, Pico developed encephalitis which resulted in a
stroke. No one, including the doctors knew if he would make it through.
Our family cried for weeks as his condition and future seemed uncertain.
With the loving help of Dr. Dan Reimer of the Adler Veterinary Group,
Pico slowly emerged from his life threatening ordeal.
A few years after Pico’s bout with encephalitis, he developed
pancreatitis. This caused poor Pico to throw up and he often did not
want to eat at all. This too was thought to be a potentially life
threatening condition if he did not respond to treatment including a
very special diet. With Dr. Dan Reimer’s help, and the loving touch of
Pico’s family, Pico has been able to live with this condition and only
has to endure the occasional flare up of pancreatitis.
As if poor Pico had not endured enough health issues, this last year he
developed another life threatening condition called thrombocytopenia.
This condition is classified as an auto-immune disorder that causes the
body to attack its own blood platelets. Again, poor Pico had to fight
for his life and his future was very uncertain. Dr. Dan Reimer began to
immediately treat Pico and he assured us that if ever there was a dog
that could fight through something like this, it was Pico.
Pico just turned 10 years old and he is still "kickin". His
thrombocytopenia is currently under control and he has just been given a
relatively clean bill of health from Dr. Reimer. We love Pico dearly. We
look at everyday we have with him as a gift and we are so thankful that
he walked into our lives that wet day in Santa Monica on Pico Boulevard.
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