SFVMA News — Spring 2024

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PRESIDENT’S Statement  —  March 2024

Hello all our members,

I am hoping that everyone is enjoying a prosperous 2024 so far. With our frequent wind and rain this year, I am told that Giardia associated diarrhea is keeping the Flagyl and Fenbendazole flying off the shelves. Seems like a good time to be in the soft stool treatment business. Please feel free to let me know what types of disease your practices are seeing increases in so that we can keep each other informed. Changes in the ways that reference laboratories share information with public health agencies make it more important for our local community to communicate what we are seeing on the frontlines.

On the topic of public health, I have been asked to invite our members to take part in a short survey. Dr. Kim Conway is the One Health lead veterinarian at the California Department of Public Health, Center for Environmental Health. They are conducting a statewide survey of California companion animal veterinarians on the topic of antimicrobial prescription practices. The data collected is aimed at combating antimicrobial resistance through the development of materials that may benefit California veterinarians and their patients. It is anonymous and only took me 10 to 15 minutes to complete. A link to the survey is here: https://ncv.microsoft.com/Z02ISthvbd. Please note this survey will only be open through the end of March.

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SFVMA News — Fall 2023

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PRESIDENT’S NOTE  —  SEPTEMBER 2023

Happy summertime to all my San Francisco veterinary colleagues,

I hope all is well for everyone during our often cold summer months as we ease into our warmer months here in the City by the Bay. Some find this a good time to escape for summer vacations but I am kind of liking our cooler climate. I recently had to spend a few days in Ohio with 95 degree air and 80% humidity. It felt so good to step out of the airport into a 70 degree climate back at SFO. It is easy to take our weather for granted when humans and animals are literally dying by the hundreds in other parts of the country. I mention this because we are likely to get some really hot days here in the weeks to come. As the Central Valley cools off and air stops rising there, we lose our coastal breeze here (i.e. the city’s natural air conditioning). From my years in the E.R. I know there will be many dogs presenting to hospitals (mostly brachycephalic) with hyperthermia that will lead to their demise. Put up a poster in the lobby and especially for flat faced dogs, mention it during the exam. This season is a good time to warn owners of the risks. You can’t remind owners enough: “Don’t leave Fido in the car, even for a short period on warm days.”

So we have more than just hyperthermia to consider during the summer in our neck of the woods. Thanks to global warming, fertilizer runoff, and wastewater treatment discharge there is now a constant potential for spontaneous toxic algae blooms in the ocean and Bay. We are already seeing this occur in Southern California, resulting in more than a thousand documented marine mammals dying and many suspected cases in humans and dogs. There have been numerous warnings from our local officials that we are seeing small blooms now in the Bay. …

SFVMA News — Winter 2023

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PRESIDENT’S NOTE  —  NOVEMBER 2023

This is my last President’s letter of 2023. It represents the end of my first year serving in the position. While there has been a learning curve for me, I hope everyone is enjoying our meetings and I am excited about doing even better in 2024. We have some great presenters lined up! I also have to extend tremendous appreciation to my fellow officers who really did the hard work. Together we are focused on continuing to make your SFVMA a valuable resource for networking, engaging CE, as well as a conduit to veterinary projects in the community. Remember that this is your VMA. We welcome feedback on how we can make it the best it can be.

If you are like me, the year seems to have flown by and it feels strange gearing up for holidays already. I know Halloween has only just past, but the holiday spirit will be in the air in the blink of an eye. Also, I won’t have another chance to say Happy Thanksgiving or Seasons Greetings to everyone. So there it was, and I’ll throw in a Happy New Year, too.

That said, there is a lot to cover in this letter, so I’ll keep it short and sweet. If you are scrolling with one hand and power eating a lunch with the other during your “working lunch break” like so many of our members, you are not alone, and I will avoid wasting your time. First, I want to acknowledge the changing veterinary landscape in the post-COVID lockdown era. I am impressed by the way that our local practices have adapted to the economic, demographic, and industry changes we have been faced with. Congratulations to everyone that has faced adversity in the Bay Area and stayed around to keep practicing here. We are adjusting to new colleagues joining our community and the loss of others to re-location, retirement, and passing on. While it is sometimes difficult to face change, we seem to be on course to continue improving the quality of care for our clients and patients in the Bay Area. I am confident that we will adapt to future challenges, like adjusting to the use of telemedicine in the profession. …

SFVMA News — Summer 2023

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President’s Statement — May 2023

From the Trenches

One evening recently, I visited a new pair of clients for a home euthanasia consultation that was very emotional initially. This couple had a sweet dog who was very broken. We discussed all options but they knew what needed to be done even before I arrived. They were not in denial, they just needed to hear me to validate their feelings.

As we discussed their dog’s long life and worked through planning our best protocol for ending it, the room became almost palpably wet through the tears. Things went as perfectly as possible. They thanked me as we hugged. I wrapped their dog up and left them sobbing on the couch as I walked down the hall to the front door. Holding my bag in one arm and their medium-size dog in the other made it difficult to turn the knob. By focusing on it and using my remaining two fingers, I was able to push it open enough to squeeze through.

My first thought was “Wow, it got really dark outside”. As a motion activated night light came on, I realized I had not exited the home as expected. Instead, I was standing in a sort of makeshift dungeon with faux brick walls. As I scanned the room I realized there were whips, elongated toys, and leather clothes hanging up. My next thought was “Oh, that kind of dungeon.” …

SFVMA News — Spring 2023

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New President’s Statement — March 2023

It is an honor to take on the position of SFVMA President for 2023. After being briefed on what challenges Dr. Lightstone has endured during the era of COVID, I am a bit intimidated by her performance in the position. That said, I will do my best to fill her shoes. For those that do not know me, I have been practicing in San Francisco for 15 years. In my off hours I ride anything on 2 wheels, spend as much time fishing as possible, and work out my stress by playing pinball. There is a Border Terrier and two cats that share their home with me as well.

Along with thanks to outgoing President Lightstone, I would like to recognize the rest of the board that worked together to continue online meetings with CE during the Pandemic. Our CVMA representative
recently informed me that the SFVMA was our only regional VMA to accomplish this. …

Continue reading this article and more in the
Spring 2023 SFVMA Newsletter
(PDF)

SFVMA News — Winter 2022

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President’s statement — November 2022

Dear Colleagues,

Five years ago, I joined the board of the SFVMA originally as the secretary as a way to give back to our local veterinary community. I had been doing relief work around the city for a couple of years and wanted to help provide a place for everyone to come together to meet, commiserate, and learn with other veterinarians in the area. We’ve certainly had some trials during this time with losing the Cliff House, trying to figure out providing online CE during COVID, finding a new venue during a pandemic willing to take a large group, and trying to encourage local veterinarians to join us once again.

It has been a pleasure to serve this community, and I am very grateful for all the people that I have met and gotten to know during this time. However, after serving as the secretary, the president, or both during the last 5 years, it is time for me to step down from the board. We will be once again holding elections for the president and vice president positions at the November meeting like the old days (the new secretary, treasurer, and HOD representatives were elected earlier this year). Dr. Anna DeVincenzi has served as the vice president for the last 6 years and would also like to step down. Most people have historically served as board members for 2-3 years, though certainly some for less, so we’re both a bit overdue for an exit (thanks COVID). …

Continue reading this article and more in the
Winter 2022 SFVMA Newsletter
(PDF)

SFVMA News — Fall 2022

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President’s statement — September 2022

Dear Colleagues,

We are so grateful that so many members were able to attend the June meeting at our new venue, McCormick and Kuleto’s in Ghirardelli Square. It was great to see so many familiar faces and welcome some new ones as well. We are also very grateful to Dr. Gen Luca for stepping up last minute and giving a great talk despite some technical difficulties, and to SAGE for sponsoring.

We hope to see even more of you at our next meeting on Thursday September 15th. I would like to say a huge thank you to Keely Commins, our outgoing treasurer, for all of her work over the last 5 years on the board, and congratulations to her on her new role on the CVMA Diversity and Inclusion Committee. We know she will continue to work hard to support and improve the veterinary community. I also want to say a giant thank you to Tiffany Hahn, our outgoing secretary who helped us out tremendously over the last couple years. …

Continue reading this article and more in the
Fall 2022 SFVMA Newsletter
(PDF)

SFVMA News — Summer 2022

Latest Newsletter

A MESSAGE TO SFVMA MEMBERS

Dear Colleagues,

I think sometimes we can forget how hard being on the other side of the exam table can be. My own cat, Monkey, a “slightly” overweight orange tabby man had been vomiting a little more for a few months. He still had normal energy and wanted to eat nearly anything put in front of him. Being a veterinarian’s cat, he was of course a nightmare of open mouth panting, vomiting and diarrhea pretty much immediately upon being shoved into a cat carrier, so I delayed taking him in for a bit. I assumed he probably had IBD or intestinal lymphoma, and finally decided it was worth drugging him up on gabapentin and Cerenia to at least start with some blood work.

His senior screen was unremarkable minus an ever so slight elevation in proBNP that I added on after convincing myself that I could hear a tiny murmur. I went ahead and set him up to get an abdominal ultrasound and a quick peak at his heart. The 3 days before his ultrasound, he started eating a little less and did not want to eat wet food. Now he would on occasion decide he needed more variety in wet food flavors, so this was not unheard of, but I started to become a little more concerned.

Continue reading this article and more in the
Summer 2022 SFVMA Newsletter
(PDF)

SFVMA News — Spring 2022

Latest Newsletter

A MESSAGE TO SFVMA MEMBERS

Dear Colleagues,

I hope that everyone was able to enjoy the holidays and ring in the new year. Hopefully 2022, will continue to be an improvement over the last couple of years. We are excited to announce that we are moving towards returning to in-person meetings this year. After a long search, we are working with McCormick and Kuleto’s to return to seeing your wonderful faces for our June meeting. Prior to this, we will have an online meeting March 24th at 7 pm sponsored by Virbac to learn about Stelfonta treatment for mast cell tumors. All attendees who RSVP in advance will be emailed GrubHub gift vouchers for dinner delivery during the meeting.

There are many new veterinarians and new practices springing up in San Francisco, and we look forward to welcoming both new and old faces together. The SFVMA meetings are a wonderful way to meet other veterinarians in the area and network. If you know other area veterinarians who might be interested in joining the SFVMA, please encourage them to do so. We could all use some extra camaraderie and support these days, and a good meal while getting some CE never hurts either. …

Continue reading this article and more in the
Spring 2022 SFVMA Newsletter
(PDF)

New CVMA Delegate Needed!

We need an alternative CVMA delegate to represent San Francisco veterinarians!

Please reach out to
Jessica Lau at sfvmasecretary@gmail.com
if you are interested in helping represent out community!

SFVMA News — Winter 2021

Latest Newsletter

A MESSAGE TO SFVMA MEMBERS

Dear Colleagues,

I have to admit that over the last year and half, like many others, I have not always been at my best. Between the stress of work, Covid, issues with family, friends, health, pets, it has been challenging for everyone. Something that I have been always grateful for is the camaraderie found in all of the different veterinary clinics that I work at. Veterinarians, veterinary technicians, assistants, CSRs, managers, and kennel techs are some of the kindest, most dedicated and hard-working people that I have had the good fortune to come across. It takes a special kind of person to continue to care for animals, their people, and coworkers during such stressful times with kindness and composure.

No veterinarian could do this job without the support of their hardworking teams. Seriously, to every single person who has continued to engage in animal restraint Twister, pin the needle in the bladder, don’t get bit by the angry chihuahua, dodge the anal gland expression, and other intrahospital games, thank you. To every veterinarian who has taken the time to help review labs, radiographs, cytology, weird cases, and helped with call backs and surgeries, thank you. To every staff member who has continue to help clients and pets despite being yelled at or treated with disrespect, thank you. …

Continue reading this article and more in the
Winter 2021 SFVMA Newsletter
(PDF)

Canine Influenza H3N2 Warning

Please be aware that Los Angeles county is currently experiencing an outbreak of Canine Influenza. Please let clients know if they plan on boarding their pets over the holidays that they may want to ensure their dogs are up to date on vaccinations and consider dogs with upper respiratory signs and fevers as potentially infected with Canine Influenza.

CANINE INFLUENZA H3N2:

  • Over 800 reported confirmed and suspected cases and 7 reported deaths in LA County.
  • 2 animal shelters affected.
  • Spreading rapidly at pet boarding and daycare facilities located throughout the county.
  • Some pets have been infected at dog parks, while on walks, and where they come near other dogs.
  • Cases of CIV H3N2 are being reported in the surrounding counties as well.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/vet/InfluenzaCanineH3N2.ht

SFVMA News — Fall 2021

Latest Newsletter

A MESSAGE TO SFVMA MEMBERS

Dear Colleagues,

During my internship a hurricane made landfall in Virginia and knocked out power to the majority of Richmond for nearly 1 week. The emergency and specialty hospital I worked at was the only veterinary clinic that continued to operate in the city thanks to 3 generators on the roof. We saw pretty much every dog and cat that needed veterinary care in the entire city for a week. It may not sound like a long time, but when every cage, run, and stacked donated kennel lining 2 entire floors is full, it felt like an eternity. We had every available staff member come in as much as possible, we napped in the clinic or briefly at home in between working horribly long shifts. We ran out of supplies, improvised and borrowed. This was my introduction to disaster veterinary medicine. …

Continue reading this article and more in the
Fall 2021 SFVMA Newsletter
(PDF)

SFVMA News — Summer 2021

Latest Newsletter

A MESSAGE TO SFVMA MEMBERS

Dear Colleagues,

I was walking around my neighborhood this past weekend thinking about just how lucky we are in San Francisco. Everyone was wearing a mask shopping at the outdoor farmer’s market while people try to figure out the sudden CDC announcement that vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks. I have now gone for a few walks in the Presidio and Golden Gate Park mask free, but it has really become a habit to put one on every time I walk out of my apartment. It’s just something that most San Franciscans have done to protect each other and our communities, and that has certainly not been the case in many other places.

At the time of writing, 76% of San Franciscans over 16 years old have already had at least one vaccine, and we just started vaccinating 12-15 year-old kids as well. This is amazing and well above what many other places have accomplished thus far. I’m grateful to live in a place where so many people believe in science and have been so caring about trying to protect each other. …

Continue reading this article and more in the
Summer 2021 SFVMA Newsletter
(PDF)

SFVMA News — Spring 2021

Latest Newsletter

A MESSAGE TO SFVMA MEMBERS

Dear Colleagues,

Please join us for our first online continuing education opportunity of 2021. We are grateful to Boehringer-Ingelheim for sponsoring a 2 hour RACE approved online learning program on Feline Vaccinations by Dr. Alice Wolf on March 18, 2021. Meals will be delivered to your work or home. We hope you will join us!

We anticipate hosting our quarterly meetings online for now. We recently learned that we are one of only a few local VMAs in California who have continued to offer continuing education during the pandemic. We thank our wonderful sponsors for their support as we pivoted to online events. Hopefully we can gather together again soon. …

Continue reading this article and more in the
Spring 2021 SFVMA Newsletter
(PDF)

2021 Greetings from SFVMA

Greetings and Happy New Year from the SFVMA!

We hope that everyone is hanging in there and getting vaccinated with the start of 2021. It’s dues time again! 

Whether you are a potential new member or renewing your membership, please take a moment to be sure that your contact information is up-to-date with us (especially the email address to which the newsletter should be directed) by completing a membership application. The membership form may be submitted electronically on our website: www.sfvma.net/membership

Dues are $120 per year (for 4 quarterly meetings) per member for 2021. Dues payments may be made with either check, or by PayPal through the invoice forms available on the website. If payment is made for more than one application, please clearly indicate which individuals are included in the payment (this option is also available online, or a list of individuals to be covered may be emailed to the treasurer). Each member should complete an application regardless of payment method so that their contact information is updated. Payment is due by April 15th. After this date, payments will be on a “per meeting” basis. No exceptions! 

SFVMA members’ names will be listed on the website with hospital affiliation. Email addresses will be confidential and used only for the purposes of communicating with the membership regarding matters related to the organization.  

We look forward to “seeing” you at our online CEs! 

Sincerely,

Tiffany Hahn, DVM
SFVMA Secretary

sfvmasecretary@gmail.com

Keely Commins, DVM

SFVMA Treasurer

sfvmatreasurer@gmail.com

2021 Membership Information and Application Forms

SFVMA News — Winter 2020

UPCOMING ONLINE MEETING SPONSOR

A MESSAGE TO SFVMA MEMBERS

Dear Colleagues,

We are excited to announce that we will be continuing to offer online continuing education in place of our quarterly meetings until that fine day we can all come together once again at the fabulous Cliff House. November 19th, Dechra will be sponsoring an online meeting with Dr. Julie Kluxdal speaking about veterinary dermatology. Links will be
added to the website and emailed to members prior to the meeting. We hope you all will join us.

As what feels like the longest year ever heads into holiday season, I hope that everyone is hanging in there. Between COVID-19, fires, elections, and social justice issues, this has been a year unlike any other for most of us. It seems almost everyone is struggling with some degree staffing issues amongst childcare, new babies, moves, and the confusion of veterinary professionals actually calling out sick. As veterinarians, most of us have rarely ever called out sick. …

Continue reading this article and more in the
Winter 2020 SFVMA Newsletter
(PDF)

SFVMA News — Fall 2020

FALL ONLINE MEETING SPONSOR

Purina

A MESSAGE TO SFVMA MEMBERS

Dear Colleagues,

We are excited to offer a free virtual meeting on Thursday, September 17, 2020. Dr. Wailani Sung, MS, PhD, DVM, DACVB, of the San Francisco SPCA Behavior Speciality Service, will present “Emerging Behavior Issues During COVID”, hosted by Purina. There will be a fifteen minute question and answer session after her presentation. Connection details and instructions for the meeting will be posted to the Upcoming Meeting page, as well as emailed to members.

We are actively seeking a volunteer to join the SFVMA Executive Board as President. The Executive Board meets four times a year In addition to the quarterly SFVMA General meetings. The SFVMA President is responsible for presiding at all General meetings and Executive Board meetings, arranging speakers and sponsorship for quarterly General meetings, and writing a President’s Message for the quarterly SFVMA Newsletter. You will be joining a lively and experienced Executive Board who are dedicated to advancing the science and art of veterinary medicine, including its relationship to public health and the biological sciences. …

Continue reading this article and more in the
Fall 2020 SFVMA Newsletter
(PDF)

ALERT for Rabbit Veterinarians

Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 (RHDV2) has finally arrived in Southern California and we can expect it to make its way north in the near future. I’d like to form a group to make a plan to address this disease. It is a deadly virus that is highly contagious to domestic rabbits but is also infecting native species of rabbits and hares. There have been outbreaks of the disease in several states including Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Colorado. Washington state has already dealt with an outbreak, starting last year, and has done much of the work for us. (rabbit.org/rhdv/ for more info)

There is a vaccine available that must be imported from Europe. Please contact me if you see rabbits and are interested in working together to make a plan for recommendations for our clients and vaccine clinics. We are able to import the vaccine and share it amongst ourselves but must plan that in advance.

Email:  babybird@bayareabirdhospital.com
Phone:  (415) 566-4359

Sincerely,
Leila Marcucci DVM,
Dip ABVP (Avian)
Bay Area Bird and Exotics Hospital

Updated: June 10, 2020

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