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elli and fong

Elli + Dr. Fong

Today we meet a special furry friend named Elli the Norwegian Elkhound. Elli, who very much enjoys keeping tabs on all those raccoons and squirrels out there, recently got some sort-of-scary news. She and her guardian, Tiffany, were told Elli has a tumor in her lung (hence the recent heavy panting and Elli’s desire to stay right by Tiffany’s side all the time).

After finding out the tumor didn’t have any “friends,” Tiffany decided to go the holistic treatment route with Elli for a number of reasons, opting not to undergo surgery at this time. Here begins Elli’s and Tiffany’s SFVS story. We’re still early in the telling of this tale, but we know that Elli is receiving excellent care, enjoying a high quality of life (homemade meals and lots of walks!), and soaking up and sharing all the love she can right now.

In Elli’s own words, a short summary:

My owner called San Francisco Veterinary Specialists and made an appointment with Dr. Fong. … When it became appointment time I knew it for Tiffany doesn’t feed me when we ride in the car. I have motion sickness. So, when my owner didn’t feed me I knew something was up. The drive into the city was new for me so I was not too happy about getting out of the car and going into a place that smelled of other animals. However, this place was bright and full of smiles.

Dr. Fong asked a lot of questions while looking at the x-ray and reading the previous Adobe vet info. Tiffany was answering and writing at the same time. I was on the floor kinda shaking. Dr. Fong examined me and said my coat is very healthy, though my tongue was on the purple side. He also asked how I slept, curled up or stretched out. He created a plan just for me with the primary goal to halt the tumor’s growth for as long as we can and shrinking it at the top of our list. My diet was to change and I was to take Chinese herbs mixed in with my food and tablets twice a day.

My new diet meant no chicken as chicken feeds cancer; we need to remove things that can heat up my body and feed the tumor. So we are giving me food that builds up my immune system and starves the tumor. …

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Elli + Tiffany

Now, Tiffany was delighted to hear I could eat ‘people food.’ Like, lima beans, wild rice, duck, pork, mung beans, broccoli, carrots, red chard, squash, etc. Next thing I knew we were at Whole Foods and out she came with a bag of Wellness dry fish meal base and duck jerky. My owner also got on the internet and ordered some special biscuits from Foster & Smith. That nite ‘my personal chef’ cooked up broccoli, wild rice, carrots, squash and pork mixed in with the Wellness dry…heaven! Hey, the quality of my life has been jacked up about tenfold….not a bad way to go out! I feel much better and love eating twice a day. I am breathing a little better though I still have my moments.

My energy is good as the six raccoons sitting on the roof of an old building behind our house were my prime targets. I let them know who was boss even though a stone wall separated us. They were not going to run across the top of the wall while I was outside.

Thank you, Elli, for sharing your story. For more, visit Elli’s blog (!): Embarking on a new path by Elli

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To round out the week, here’s a new SFVS video featuring David B. Y. Fong, DVM, L.Ac., Dipl. Oriental Medicine. Dr. Fong is head of SFVS’s complementary and alternative medicine department. (Keep your eye out for a VERY relaxed dog getting acupuncture.)

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For more on Dr. Fong, see Staff Spotlight: Q+A With Holistic Doc David Fong

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Dr. Ella Woods

SFVS’s Ella Woods, Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, recently answered a San Francisco Chronicle reader’s question about the ability of dogs to sense cancer in humans.

The question: About one year ago, my friend’s dog suddenly became very fearful of her for no reason. Wouldn’t sleep with her, join her for walks and would even leave the room if she entered it. Just recently, my friend was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I’ve heard that dogs are being used to detect cancer. Is it possible her dog sensed that something was wrong?

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Today in the SFVS video series, we hear from one of SFVS’s oncologists, Aarti Sabhlok, DVM, Board-qualified (Oncology). She talks about how she became interested in veterinary oncology and provides a brief overview of cancer care at SFVS.

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Read more at the SF Gate’s Tails of the City blog: The “C” word: when pets get cancer

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Continuing our series of video interviews with SFVS veterinarians, today we’re posting a clip featuring Margo Mehl, DVM, DACVS. Among other things, Dr. Mehl fills us in on common surgeries at SFVS, such as foreign body removal. (“Dogs seem to eat towels and bath mats, and cats seem to enjoy eating those earplugs people use.”)

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For more on Dr. Mehl’s work, see In Focus @ SFVS: Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunts.

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SFVS is continuing our series of video interviews with our medical staff! Earlier we posted a video with Dr. Diana Bowen. Today we hear from veterinary internist Dr. Alan Stewart. We hope these clips will help you learn a little more about the people behind SFVS.

On choosing veterinary medicine as a career, Dr. Stewart says: “It’s all I ever wanted to do.”

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For more on Dr. Stewart, see Staff Spotlight: Q+A With Internal Medicine Specialist Alan Stewart, DVM, CVA, DACVIM

And stay tuned! More videos coming soon.

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At SFVS, we want to deliver the best possible treatments for our patients. In some cases, this means that our doctors work collaboratively on a pet’s treatment … such as when SFVS oncologists team up with the holistic veterinarians to care for a dog or cat with cancer.

Fetch the Paper features an article this month, written by SFVS’s Ella Woods, DAOM, LAc, Dipl. Oriental Medicine; Aarti Sabhlok, DVM, Board-qualified (Oncology); and David B.Y. Fong, DVM, LAc, Dipl. Oriental Medicine, that describes the benefits of holistic oncology:

Why the inclusiveness? Most oncologists find that patients tolerate their regimen of Western treatments better when they’re receiving some sort of supportive care. As an example, studies have shown that acupuncture can significantly reduce the nausea and vomiting that is sometimes associated with cancer chemotherapies.

Dogs and cats can now benefit from the same kinds of integrative therapy that humans receive. At San Francisco Veterinary Specialists, we work collaboratively to deliver the best treatments possible for our cancer patients. Oncologists and holistic clinicians work together to create customized treatment plans for our patients, ensuring that the patient’s quality of life is kept at its optimum while the best cancer-defeating protocol is brought to bear. …

For the most part, chemotherapy for animals is kinder and gentler than chemotherapy for humans. Still, pets can suffer from side effects, perhaps feeling a little down and lethargic after a treatment, or having poor appetite, or occasionally experiencing diarrhea. Chemotherapy can also be hard on the kidneys and liver, which are responsible for filtering impurities and drugs from the blood. Offering holistic treatments alongside chemotherapy and other Western approaches can help manage these issues, getting the patient in the best possible shape to defeat the cancer. In effect, holistic treatments can “free up” energy in the patient’s body so it can more effectively deal with the cancer.

For the full article, visit Health Matters: Alternative Treatments for Cancer

As a special note, we wish Fetch the Paper the best as the publication goes from a print format to online. We’ve enjoyed reading both the print and online versions for years now, and look forward to what Fetch has in store. For more information, read Gone to the Dogs: a four-year journey from print to pixels.

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cat_dandruffSFVS dermatologist Carlo Vitale, DVM, is featured in this week’s Ask the Vet column in the San Francisco Chronicle. The subject? Tallula the Cat’s dandruff problem.

The reader’s question: My cat, Tallula, is well groomed and has insanely soft fur, but occasionally she is covered in dandruff. It’s inconsistent: One day she has dandruff and the next day none. I feed her Science Diet dry food and occasionally the same brand in wet food. What might be the causes (and cure)?

For the answer, read: Causes for feline dandruff include obesity

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SFVS on Facebook

San Francisco Veterinary Specialists is now on Facebook! We hope you’ll become a fan, share photos and links, and let us hear from you. Here’s to the pets!

Visit SFVS on Facebook!

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phot_Sidebar_DiagnosticImagingThe September issue of Bay Woof includes an article about CT scanning in veterinary medicine, written by SFVS’s Margo Mehl, DVM, DACVS, and Philip Watt, BVSc, MACVSc, FACVS. The surgeons answer several questions about CTs:

  • How does CT work?
  • How can CT help your pet?
  • What type of cases benefit from CT scanning?

An excerpt:

Good candidates for CT scanning include dogs with nervous system disorders – such as seizures and behavior changes – or animals that have problems walking. CT also can be used if we suspect masses or tumors in the lungs or abdomen, and it is invaluable for imaging the brain. CT scanning has been used for ear and nose disease and can also help in determining difficult fractures of the head and spine.

At our clinic, San Francisco Veterinary Specialists (SFVS), CT scanning has been used extensively to image the spinal cord when a dog is paralyzed. This can happen when there is a “slipped disc,” when one of the discs between the backbones goes up and hits the spinal cord. The most common breeds that are affected by disc disease are the Dachshund, Shih-Tzu, and Pekingese. Occasionally, large breed dogs are also affected. If surgery is warranted, then it is important to operate within the first 24 hours from the onset of paralysis. Because it is critical in these cases to quickly decide where the disc is and whether it is best treated with surgery or medical therapy, CT helps us enormously with these cases.

Read the article: “CAT” SCANS ARE FOR DOGS, TOO

Related: Diagnostic Imaging at SFVS

Note: The issue also features a helpful article with tons of practical information on “Getting Your (Pet) Papers in Order.” Worth a read.

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