Where dog lovers are concerned, this beautiful spot on the globe is just about as good as it gets.
Loads of fabulous places to walk our cherished canines, trainers and classes to satisfy their every behavioral need, dozens of dog-friendly bars and restaurants, the world’s greatest shelters and rescue groups – the list of local resources for dogs and the people who love them is nothing short of awesome!
The San Francisco Bay Area also gets high marks in perhaps the most important pet category of all – health care. We are fortunate to have at our doorsteps a lot of top-notch medical practitioners who bring great skill and heart to the practice of animal medicine. Especially when it comes to integrative medicine – an approach that draws from “alternative” as well as “conventional” diagnosis and treatment methods – San Francisco Bay Area veterinarians lead the pack.
In this, our annual issue devoted to canine health and wellness, we hear from a few local doctors who have a wealth of wisdom to share. Dr. Jenny Taylor provides her personal Top 6 list of important canine health strategies and Dr. Gary Richter weighs in on the latest and greatest technologies that are taking veterinary medicine to new heights.
One of those cutting-edge tools now available to Bay Area dogs is the under-water treadmill. Dr. Ilana Strubel describes how hydro-therapy can reduce pain and speed recovery for canines experiencing joint disease, orthopedic injuries, and pain – just like it does for humans.
Heidi Hill, owner of Berkeley’s venerable dog health boutique Holistic Hound, provides her golden advice for taking care of one of the most common canine complaints, digestive distress,.
In this month’s Ask Dr. Dog column, San Francisco vet Koko Shishida, helps us understand a thankfully much rarer health problem, a life-threatening form of anemia especially prevalent among Cocker Spaniels.
Rounding out our health stories is a Top 10 list of toxic substances you should keep out of reach of your dog . Pet Poison Helpline analyzes its log of calls from pet owners and emergency veterinarians and compiles a new list of top toxins each year. We recommend you clip and post the list somewhere handy in your home. The information it contains could be life-saving.
Health may be the number one goal of pet parents, but it isn’t the only one.
We also want to keep on training so our bond with our dogs stays strong. To assist you in this worthy effort, we offer two training articles in this – and every – issue. The first by San Francisco trainer Bridget Murphy, will convince you of the importance of the Heel position. The second, by monthly columnist Kelly Gorman Dunbar, makes the case that we shouldn’t expect our dogs to offer up “good” behavior for free.
One more feature story this month is sure to touch your heart. When therapy dog handler Patricia Wheeler put two grieving dogs in a room with developmentally disabled people coping with their own serious losses, a whole lot of love and healing happened.
Finally, don’t miss this month’s Shelter Zone story. A local group is dedicated to saving the lives of herding dogs, those high-energy canines that can prove too much to handle for ordinary families – which lands them in shelters in alarming numbers. Herd It Through the Grapevine is coming to the rescue. If you’re especially fond of Australian Cattle dogs and other “rebels without a herd,” you’ve found the perfect place to adopt or volunteer.
And that brings me to next month’s issue. Our annual Thanksgiving tradition is to showcase local volunteers who improve the lives of dogs and other animals in countless ways, day in and day out. It’s a tribute to good-heartedness you don’t want to miss!
– Mindy Toomay, Editor
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