An itchy opossum was found on Walnut Street in Berkeley.  Berkeley Animal Services brought it in to Dr. Lynn and  Margaret to look over.  The displaced opossum was healthy but covered in fleas!  This is a common occurrence, especially during the warmer summer months.  Dr. Lynn and Margaret tried their best to relieve the opossum of his itching and once hydrated sent him off to Yggdrasil Urban Wildlife Rescue.

While it is hard to help wild animals protect against fleas, you can help your dogs and cats! A monthly dose of either Advantage or Frontline is recommended.  If your pet also seems to get the occasional tick, Frontline will be the product you want to go with.  It is important to keep in mind that these products work through the oils in your pet’s skin.  That is why you should not use a harsh shampoo in conjunction with this product.  Flea and tick shampoos are good for a quick fix, but essentially strip your animal of their skin oils for a few days, thus counteract the Advantage or Frontline.  When using either of these products make sure to use a non-detergent based shampoo.

Oakland Magazine has named this year’s Best of the Bay and Montclair Veterinary Hospital won for Best Veterinary Clinic!  Thank you all so much for your support and votes.  Our friends at Redhound earned the Best Pet Shop, so we would like to send out a congratulations to them as well!  It is thanks to the support of our community that we are able to earn these awards, we couldn’t have done it without you.

Don’t forget to check out Oakland Magazine to read up on the rest of the best!

Our Pet Mayor of Montclair Race came to a close on Sunday June 20th as a new Pet Mayor was announced, Murphy the Chocolate Lab! Animals big and small were there to show their support to various candidates, including a few who had been in the running in late May. Two new positions were created this year for the candidates cut from a different cloth, Sparky the Leopard Gecko is now the Night Patrol Officer and Penny the Hen is our Secretary of Agriculture!

Thank you to everyone who voted, donated, sponsored and made this event possible!

What to do if you find an injured wild animal:

1. Most importantly, be very careful. Wild animals (even the small ones) can be very dangerous and must be handled with extreme caution. If you have any doubts about your safety, please call local animal control authorities for help. Be especially cautious with adult raccoons, squirrels and any birds of prey (hawks, etc).
2. If you are able to capture the animal, keep it in a warm, dark environment such as a closed cardboard box with a blanket on the bottom. Animals have no fear of tight spaces and often feel safer in a smaller area.
3. Get the animal to a rehab center or drop-off point as soon as you can. Handle the animal as little as possible until you reach help.
4. Do not attempt to feed injured or orphaned wildlife unless you know exactly what the animal eats. Feeding worms to a seed-eating bird (or vice versa) can be detrimental to its health. If you feel you can feed the animal safely, administering water with a syringe or dropper is acceptable. Call for advice if you feel the animal must be fed before it can be taken to a rehabilitation center.
5. We accept all injured or orphaned indigenous wildlife with the exception of skunks. We strongly recommend that you avoid handling any skunks (even babies) because of the high rate of rabies infection in these animals. If you see an injured or orphaned skunk, please call your local animal control agency immediately.

With all this nice weather we are noticing lots of animals out and about.  Unfortunately, with the hustle and bustle of human life we don’t always see them in time. Mid-June a Good Samaritan brought in a young fawn who had been hit by a car in El Cerrito.  The fawn received immediate attention from Dr Richter, Michelle Burt, and Kari Johnson.  The fawn was assumed to have head trauma, thus two radiographs were taken check for fractures.  An intravenous catheter was placed, then fluids and medications were given to treat for shock.  The fluids from the nose and ear had glucose in it, indicating a probable skull fracture and poor prognosis. The fawn was rushed to Lindsey Wildlife.  Two days later Pet and Wildlife Fund was informed the fawn had not survived.

It is extremely important to keep your eyes and ears open when you drive in areas populated with animals. Fawns are typically born in the spring, staying with their mothers during the summer and being weaned in the fall after about 60–75 days. If you see one young deer keep in mind that there are probably other deer close by. Slow down and respect that animals who homes they share with us.

A handful of baby voles was brought into the Pet and Wildlife Fund by a Good Samaritan early this June (pictured to the right with gummy bears as a size comparison).  The group was found in a yard with no mother.  Dr. Isaacson and Courtney administered exams and kept the babies warm.  Once it had been decided that they were healthy enough to move they were transferred to Yggdarsil.

What is a vole? Voles are small rodents that people often mistake for mice. In general, voles are smaller than mice, but have stockier legs, shorter tails and small, almost hidden ears. Typically brown in color, their underside is a light yellow.

Voles are widespread over North America, Asia, Africa and Europe. They prefer rural agricultural areas or places with large gardens or parks. Voles favor eating vegetation. If you are noticing some of these critters around your garden, try to limit the piles of vegetation or mulch in the area.

Opossums have the shortest life span for mammals of their size.  They typically only live for two to four years, so it is no surprise that orphaned opossums are a common sight at MVH.  On May 27^th, a Good Samaritan found a deceased opossum under a tool shed on 2^nd Avenue in Oakland.  Upon turning the opossum over, he discovered a pouch full of babies and brought them to MVH. Baby opossums don’t leave their mother’s pouch until about 1-2 months of age, so this helps us with estimating their age. All eleven babies were luckily found alive upon arrival at the hospital. Simon administered fluids and made sure they were kept warm before heading home for the evening. One did not survive through the night, but the rest were found to be very active and maintaining a normal body temperature.  After Jessica and Courtney administered a tube feeding, they were picked up by Yggdrasil Urban Wildlife Center. Let’s hope they find their way back to the wild after they’ve had some time to grow.

Written by Lindsey H.

On May 20th, five baby barn owls made their way to MVH after being found at Golden Gate Fields in Berkeley. They were discovered in a hay bale that had been delivered from a farm in Woodland, CA. Orphaned barn owls are unfortunately a common occurrence since they build nests not only in tree and cliff cavities but also in stacked hay bales. Dr. Lynn and Jan performed a general exam, and the owls were declared to be in good health. They were put in a quiet area where they actually caused some of their own commotion. Barn owls are also known as “hissing owls” for a good reason. When feeling threatened, the owls hiss to ward off danger and the sound resembles that of a cat or a snake (or something out of a horror movie). You’ll see from the photos that the nestlings were covered in white down which aids in keeping them warm while their feathers are still growing. The owls were taken to Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek where they will hopefully be released back into the wild.

Written by Lindsey H.

Bring friends and family down to Fenton’s Creamery during the whole month of June!  They have dedicated an chocolaty, gooey concoction,  “S’more a Great Cause,” to Pet and Wildlife Fund.  Fenton’s is donating 25% of the sales from this sweet treat to Pet and Wildlife Fund.

Fenton’s also is hosting two Pet Mayor Booths in June.  The final nine candidates for Pet Mayor of Montclair, Alice, Hank, Jasper, Murphy, Oscar, Penny, Sparky, Stella, Reuben, are all invited to be at Fenton’s from 11am-3pm on Saturday June 12th and Saturday June 19th. This will be a great event for the contestants to reach out to a different part of the community and bring some more support to themselves and the Pet and Wildlife Fund.

On May 25th, a Good Samaritan brought in a cat that had a foxtail in its eye. The individual befriended the cat after several visits to a farm in Concord where she volunteered. She was tempted to bring the cat home, but couldn’t because she is the owner of diabetic service dogs. Once Dr. Isaacson and Margaret had removed the foxtail from the cat’s eye, they looked for corneal ulcerations. They did find ulcerations and applied antibiotic cream. Once his eye was cared for, they scanned him in the hopes of locating a microchip. Luckily for this cat, its owner did have a microchip implanted. After calling the microchip company, MVH learned that the cat had been reported missing as of December 26th, 2009! After contacting his very happy owners, Missy (yes, a male) was picked up and returned to his home in Baypoint. This is a great reminder to make sure that your pets have the proper identification in the event that they wander away from home.

Late spring and summer is a good time to be cognizant of the dangers associated with foxtails. While they may be mildly annoying to humans, they can cause real harm to our pets. Foxtails are abundant in Northern California and become problematic when they become lodged in ears, eyes, noses, paws, or underneath the skin. Like fish hooks, foxtails are barbed which makes for a more complicated removal. They primarily cause pain and irritation, but more serious consequences can result if left untreated. Foxtails can migrate and lodge in other areas of the body, including internal organs. This clearly makes treatment and removal considerably more difficult, so it is advisable to visit your veterinarian if you suspect a foxtail as the source of your pet’s discomfort. Please learn to identify foxtails so that you and your pet can avoid them on the trails this summer!

Written by Lindsey H.