Latest News

Just a reminder - we're here for you! While we can't see any "well" visits, call if you need us for anything else.

UPDATE: In order to limit exposure to COVID-19 for both our staff and our clients, we are going to practice social distancing as much as possible while still being able to care for your pets. So that we can still see appointments, we are limiting the amount of clients in the building at one time. First, we request that if you are not feeling well, please have someone else bring your pet in. Second, we have to limit the amount of people in our waiting room so we ask if you let us know when you arrive and we will bring you into the hospital when it is your turn. The doctor will speak to you outside or in the waiting room and we will examine your pet in a room separately. Third, we will be offering a curbside service for medication or food pickup. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

As of now, the US Center for Disease Control & Prevention and The World Health Organization share that there is no evidence that companion animals can spread COVID-19. To date, there has not been any reports of animals becoming sick with the virus. 

Check out our upcoming event: Photos with Santa! For a $5 min. donation, have your pet's photo taken with Santa! All proceeds will be directly donated to the Parsippany Animal Shelter and Ramapo Bergen Animal Refuge. This event will take place on December 1st from 1-3 PM.

Safe Haven Rabbit Rescue is a great organization. Come out and support them at their event this Sunday (10/27/19). Our very own Dr. Adelsohn will be the guest speaker! Click on the link below for more information.

Here is a New York Times article from June 29, 2019 regarding brands of dog food that have grain-free varieties that may be linked to heart disease in dogs.

Feeding dogs a grain-free diet is showing a connection to dilated cardiomyopathy. Here is an article with more information. 

As you may have heard, Hill's has issued a voluntary recall of a number of their diets due to increased levels of Vitamin D. These diets include I/D, W/D, K/D, C/D, etc. Currently no illnesses have been reported. Here is a link to the full list of the diets and the corresponding lot numbers. 

https://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm630232.htm

Here is Tyler, he is a 13 1/2 year old greyhound.  Here he is posing on our front lawn.  He's a sweet boy with a heart of gold (his mom has a heart of gold too!)

Welcome Dr. Cohen!!

We are so happy to have Dr. Rachel Cohen at our practice for a few months.  Dr. Cohen recently graduated from Ross University.  She will soon be starting her internship at Red Bank Veternary Hospital, but we are lucky enough to have here here until then.  We know her well as she worked with us as a technician throughout her academic career and are so proud she has returned as a veterinarian!

Spencer and Jackson, patients since puppyhood, make it to the pinacle of the fashion world appearing in Vanity Fair magazine.

See more pictures on our facebook page....Community Animal Hospital of New Jersey

United Pet Group has recalled rawhide chews manufactured in Mexico, Colombia and Brazil.  The facilities use a compound mixture for cleaning the food processing equipment than has not been approved in the U.S. as a processing aid for rawhide chews for dogs. The chews have been reported as having an unpleasant odor and caused diarrhea and vomiting.  The treats are as follow:

Companion

Dentley's

Essential Everyday

Dentahex Oral Care Chews

Enzadent

Exer-Hides

Good Lovin'

Hill Country Fare

Petco

Priority Total Pet Care

For more information we have provided the website address.

Tanner is a handsome, ten year old, yellow lab.  We've been seeing him since he was an eight week old puppy.  He recently slimmed down with a different diet and more exercise.  We are so proud of him!

Due to the snow storm predicted for tomorrow we will be closed for the day.  We will be back in on Wednesday 3/15/17.

Stay safe, everyone!!

Its time for our annual Halloween Pet Costume Contest!
Send a picture of your pet in costume to: communityanimalhosp.com, go to Pet Resources, Pet Picture Gallery, Halloween Costume Contest 2016. Winner will be picked by random. Winner receives a $40.00 gift certificate towards veterinary services.

Here is last year's winner:

Darby

Dr Weshefsky's last day with us was 7/19/16.  We wish him the best of luck in his new home in North Carolina.  He has been a part of Community Animal Hospital for 24 years and we will miss greatly.

There are many foods that we enjoy this holiday season and throughout the year that can be harmful to our pets.  Here is a list of some of the foods and the reasons to avoid them.

Alcohol:  Can cause seizures, arrhythmias, coma and death.
Avocado: Can cause vomiting and diarrhea
Bones:  Can cause obstruction or laceration of the digestive system
Chocolate, coffee, tea:  Can cause vomiting and diarrhea and be toxic to heart and nervous systems.
Fat trimmings: Can cause pancreatitis.
Grapes, raisins and currants:  Can damage the kidneys.
Macadamia nuts:  Can affect the digestive and nervous systems and muscle.
Milk and dairy products:  Can cause diarrhea if given in large amounts.
Mushrooms:  May affect multiple systems, cause shock or even death.
Onions and garlic:  Can damage red blood cells and cause anemia.
Persimmons, peach and plum pits:  Can cause intestinal obstruction.
Rhubarb leaves:  Can affect the digestive, nervous and urinary systems.
Table scraps:  In large amounts can cause pancreatitis.
Yeast dough:  Can expand and produce gas causing pain and possibly bloat.
Xylitol:  Can cause low blood sugar, vomiting, weakness, collapse, and liver failure.  

We love to decorate for the holidays but be sure to keep them out of pets reach.  Here are some decorations to be careful of.

Tinsel:  Can cause intestinal obstruction.
Mistletoe and holly:  Can cause cardiovascular and kidney failure.
Wires:  Can cause lethal electrical shock
Batteries: If punctured the acid will cause burns.
Christmas tree water:  Stagnant water grows bacteria and causes intestinal upset.  It is also a good idea to anchor your tree so that if climbed or bumped into it will not fall!

Dr. Adelsohn has been published in the House Rabbit society's fall 2015 newsletter.  Her article is about head tilt in rabbits.  Head tilt is not a disease but a symptom of other medical problems.  It explains how to begin to look for the different causes and treatments.  Click on the "more information" tab below to see her article.

Darby the  lop rabbit, as the great pumpkin!!!!

Congratulations Darby!

Enter your pet in our annual Halloween Costume Contest! Post a photo of your pet in costume on our website, under pet resources, Halloween Costume Contest 2015 by 6:00 pm 10/31/15.  Remember your pets name and last name.  The winner will be randomly piked and announced 11/2/15.  Winner will receive a gift certificate worth $25.00 towards veterinary services.  Good luck!!

Don't miss out on these great deals from Merial on Frontline Plus and Heartgard Plus:

Buy 6 months Frontline Plus AND 12 months Heartgard Plus receive $50.00 rebate

OR

Buy 6 months Frontline Plus and receive 2 extra months free!

OR

Buy 3 months Frontline Plus and receive 1 extra month free!

OR

Buy 12 months Heargard and receive $12.00 rebate

The Robert abady Dog Food Co. has recalled "Abady Highest Quality Maintenance & Growth Formula for Cats" due to the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.  This organism can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.  For more information go to: http://www.fda.gov/animalVeterinary/safetyhealth/recallswithdrawals/default.htm

November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month. St. Huberts has many wonderful adult animals for adoption. Choose any of their amazing Red Collar Society Senior Pets and name your own adoption fee. All month long! All vaccinated, spayed/neutered, microchipped. Visit their website for more information: http://www.sthuberts.org/

Twenty Questions to help choose the right Pet Insurance Plan

Enter your pet in our Halloween Costume Contest!!  Post a photo of your pet in costume on our Pet Picture Gallery (under Pet Resources), Halloween Costume Contest 2013 by 8:00 pm, 10/31/13. Remember to include your pet's name and your last name.  The winner will be picked by random and announced 11/1/13.  Winner will receive a gift certificate worth $25.00 towards veterinary services and a food storage bin.  Good Luck!!!

NOTICE: We will be closed Saturday 9/28. We will be celebrating the wedding of Dr. Davis' daughter! The hospital will be open for any non-medical circumstances, and will re-open normal hours on 9-30.

We strongly recommend that any dogs adopted from southern shelters be heartworm tested six months after arriving in NJ, even if he/she has had a negative test from the original shelter.  Since there is such a high prevalence of heartworm disease in the south, many over crowded shelters that are unable to start heartworm preventative and the life cycle of the heartworm, it is possible that these dogs may become infected.   With a quick and easy blood test we can make sure your new dog is heartworm free.  If you have any questions please give us a call.

Virbac is recalling Iverheart Plus Flavored Chewables due to low potency levels of Ivermectin prior to the expiration date.  For the lot numbers and more information go to the link provided.

This is Brady, a 7 year old Bernese Mountain Dog Mix who was certified as a therapy dog at 3 years of age and has been going strong ever since.  He mostly visits nursing homes and libraries for reading programs but will visit other places when requested.  The organization is called Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dogs.   If you are interested in therapy dog programs visit their website  www.golden-dogs.org for more information.

Poison proof your home

Protect your pet by taking the following room-by-room precautions.

Living room

• Check out your plants—both inside and outside your home. Lilies (Lilium and Hemerocallis sp.) can be especially poisonous to cats,

so eliminate them from any bouquets.

• Keep home fragrance products out of reach. This includes open dishes of liquid potpourri and simmer pots.

• Don’t spray aerosols or any heavily fragranced products around caged birds or other caged pets.

• Keep ashtrays and nicotine replacement products out of reach.

Kitchen

• Know what foods are poisonous to pets. Watch out for sugar-free chewing gum with xylitol, raisins, grapes, macadamia nuts, onions, garlic,

unbaked yeast bread dough, fatty foods, and chocolate.

• Keep garbage cans behind closed doors. Trash and compost bins can contain many pet toxins, such as cigarette butts, coffee grounds, moldy

dairy products, and chicken bones.

• Keep alcoholic beverages out of reach.

Bathroom

• Keep medications safely locked up in secure cupboards—don’t leave them on countertops or tables or store them in plastic zippered baggies,

which are easily chewed through. This includes inhalers, dietary aides, and nutraceuticals.

• Never medicate your pets with human products without first contacting your veterinarian.

• Always check the container before giving medication to your pet to make sure it’s the correct medication, and store your own medications separately

from your pet’s. Pet Poison Helpline (800-213-6680) receives many calls from people who accidentally gave their own medication to a pet.

• Keep pets away from cleaning products. Shut them out of the room while spraying bathroom cleansers or other products.

• Close toilet lids to keep pets from drinking the water, especially if you use automatic chemical tank or bowl treatments.

Utility room

• Keep rodenticides far away from pets. Keep in mind that rodents can transfer the toxins to accessible locations. Certain rodenticide products do

not have treatment antidotes. Check products to learn their ingredients and possible toxicity to pets.

• Do not use insecticides around your pet without knowing their toxilogical profile. Read labels and use products only as recommended. Never

use dog flea and tick products on cats.

• Don’t leave batteries lying around. Dogs enjoy chewing on them, and they can cause serious harm if ingested.

• Keep glues out of reach—they can be tasty but some may cause serious harm. In fact, certain glues expand greatly in the stomach leading to

bowel obstructions. Keep pets out of the room when using glue on a home improvement project.

Garage

• Ethylene glycol (antifreeze) products are extremely toxic to pets. Choose propylene glycol products as a safer alternative, or keep pets far away

from any ethylene glycol product. If you spill any on a driveway, clean it up immediately or dilute it with several gallons of water.

• Keep all automotive products—like windshield cleaner fluid—away from pets, and immediately clean up any spills.

Outside

• Dogs like to eat certain fertilizers such as bone meal or blood meal. Keep bags tightly sealed and use products according to label instructions.

• Grub or snail killers—especially those that include metaldehyde—can be harmful to pets. Avoid them if possible.

• Yard insecticides that contain organophosphates or carbamates can be very dangerous if ingested in high concentrations.

• Keep pets off lawns until commercially sprayed herbicides are dry.

Raw food diets are being marketed and packaged for dogs and cats.  The doctors at Community Animal Hospital do not recommend raw food diets due to the exposure of possible pathogens, such as Samonella, E. coli, and Toxoplasma gondii.  We have had pets become sick after being fed raw food diets.  Visit these links for more information:

https://www.avma.org/About/Governance/Documents/2012S_Resolution5_raw_food.pdf

https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/FAQs/Pages/Raw-Pet-Foods-and-the-AVMA-Policy-FAQ.aspx

Here are a few phone numbers for animal poison control helplines:

ASPCA Poison Control 1-888-426-4435

Pet Poison Helpline  1-800-213-6680

Poison Help 1-800-222-1222

Animal Poison Hotline 1-888-232-8870

Congratulations to our very own technician Ellen Leto, who will be attending Cornell University this fall!  Ellen has been accepted to multiple veterinary universities, but has since decided to attend Cornell to earn her veterinary degree!  Although we will miss her at Community Animal Hospital, we are all very excited for her and wish her the best! 

When you purchase Rimadyl at Community Animal Hospital you accumulate points that are transferred to a reloadable rewards card, which can be used towards any purchase at our hospital.**   Please visit the Pfizer website for more detailed information.

**This program is for patients who are on long term Rimadyl use.

"Diamond" dog food has expanded it's recall to include other diets due to salmonella contamination.

Kirkland brand (from Costco) is included in this recall.

Go to dogfoodadvisor.com  or  fdagov/safety/recalls/ucm303034.htm to see if a brand you may have is included in this recall.

We are pleased to announce the launch of our new website! Be sure to visit us here often!