Emergency Money Help? If you have ever had to take your pet to an emergency vet, you know they will not let you out the door without paying, up front, right now, in full, on the barrelhead, and any other trite phrase you can think of. That is the ESTIMATED cost of care. You are put on the spot for making decisions about your dog's health, maybe her life, as you are emotionally distraught over whatever illness/accident brought you in to begin with. Most of us have little left over at the end of the paycheck, and credit cards tend to stay maxed out.

Here are some options.

A nonprofit pays for vet care. See their website for information. /United Animal Nations/Red Rover A related story in the Seattle Times about a man in Sacramento Nonprofit Helps Owners Cope with Pet Care

One company that offers a little help for veterinary care is Care Credit, which offers Zero Percent financing on certain amounts and for varying periods of payback (depending on amount). To find out more about them and to find VETERINARY PROVIDERS in your area, check out: Veterinary Healthcare Financing

Another resource for those in desperation (usually restricted to homeless and destitute) is the Mercer Clinic, cited in the above article: The Mercer Veterinary Clinic for the Homeless, a program at the University of California, Davis, that serves clients once a month at Loaves & Fishes, a private charity in Sacramento.

Click on the links to various canine health topics for further detail. Please leave comments and give us some direction as to what kind of information you want to see here.  If a dog health professional would like to assist us, please click to email  Ellen Atwood, Canine Health

UPDATE ADDED January 2012: Although the below emails circulating in September were INACCURATE and not associated with any dog at Carmichael Dog Park, there was a NEW recall for CHICKEN TENDERS/JERKY dog treats manufactured in China causing illness in dogs.

FDA VETERINARY ADVISORIES

A private company, the Dog Food Advisor.  Read with caution.  This is not an endorsement for its information, etc.  DOG FOOD/TREATS RECALLS

 Poisoned by dog treats, fact or ?

Please follow the above link to see details on the Sept 2011 emails circulating about a dog named Skylar (not "ours") allegedly poisoned by dog treats, and how to find information about dog treats and dog food from the Food and Drug Administration.

Dog Food This is a 2007 file of information about what is in dog food.

Kennel Cough  This page provides some crucial information about protecting your dog. Please note that even if you have vaccinated your dog, the vaccine only protects against the 3 most common (and lethal) varieties of kennel cough. There are several organisms that cause kennel cough that are not included in the standard (or any) vaccines.

Giardia  This page is an outside link to an article about Giardia, which causes diarrhea in dogs.

Obesity in Dogs  This is the beginning of articles and links to information about Obesity, which shortens dogs' lives, creates expensive and uncomfortable health issues, and makes our companions miserable.  

Heat and Dogs Link to article on how to keep your dog safe in hot weather.