Posts from December, 2018

The Santa Cruz Mountains are home to more than 1,000 mushroom species.
The recent rain storms have triggered many types of mushroom caps to emerge from their underground stems.

During the winter months, it’s important to keep your yard clear of mushrooms & to keep a close watch on your dogs when they are roaming in areas where they may be exposed to mushrooms.

While many types of fungi are safe to eat, the Santa Cruz Mountians is home to two of the world’s most toxic mushrooms — Amanita phalloides, also known as the Death Cap, and Amanita ocreata, known as the Western Destroying Angel. Both mushrooms grow near oak trees and the Death Cap also grows near other hardwood trees.

If your pet has eaten a wild mushroom — or you suspect they have —immediately call a veterinarian & collect a sample of the eaten mushroom.

Poisonous mushroom Amanita ocreata aka “Western Destroying Angel”

Poisonous Mushroom Amanita phalloides aka
“The Death Cap”

Ticks are found in abundance in the San Lorenzo Valley. They are most prevalent in early spring and fall, but are well adapted to live throughout the year. Ticks live in grassy areas or in brush and dark, moist areas where they wait for a host to walk by. They then crawl onto your pet and bite, attaching for up to several days while they feed.

Following bouts of rain, ticks may be out and about in greater numbers. A tick can only quest up on vegetation for hosts when the humidity is high enough for them to absorb sufficient water from the air.

– Larisa Vredevoe, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences , Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Tick bites can be painful and irritating, and can even become infected. But of more serious concern are the diseases that can be transmitted by a tick bite. These include:

Ehrlichiosis
Babesiosis
Rocky Mountain spotted fever
Lyme disease
Anaplasmosis

These diseases can be serious, complicated, and painful and can affect your pet’s health for months or even years. Many of them also affect humans, so it’s important to test your pet regularly for tick transmitted disease to know if you may also be at risk.

Luckily, flea and tick prevention for your pet is easy, safe, and affordable. We recommend a monthly preventive and offer both topical or chewable alternatives or a high quality long acting collar. Talk to us about your pet’s lifestyle at their next preventive care exam, and together we can form a plan of attack.

Don’t make the mistake of letting your pet’s parasite preventives lapse or fall away. This is one of the easiest and most affordable ways to keep your pet healthy and happy. If you’ve let things slide, give us a call and let us help you get back on track. We’re here to help!