{"id":4819,"date":"2011-12-28T11:56:00","date_gmt":"2011-12-28T11:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lbpost.com\/articles\/life\/pets\/emergency-relief-state-of-the-art-critical-care-facility-for-pets-opens-for-business\/"},"modified":"2011-12-28T11:56:00","modified_gmt":"2011-12-28T11:56:00","slug":"emergency-relief-state-of-the-art-critical-care-facility-for-pets-opens-for-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/pets\/emergency-relief-state-of-the-art-critical-care-facility-for-pets-opens-for-business","title":{"rendered":"Emergency Relief! State-of-the-Art Critical-Care Facility for Pets Opens for Business"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/strong>Long Beach Animal Emergency is located at 4720 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach 90804. Open Monday – Thursday, 6:00pm – 8:00am. Open all weekend from 6:00pm on Friday through 8:00am on Monday. Open 24 hours weekends and holidays. Phone: (562) 735-5200. <\/em>

8:53am | <\/strong>It\u2019s the night after Christmas, and your six geese have stopped laying, one of your three French hens has suddenly contracted la grippe, and your partridge just fell out of the pear tree. It\u2019s after hours at your regular vet\u2019s, and he or she has flown off to Hawaii for vacation by grace of your ongoing support. Where do you go, and how long will it take you to get there? <\/p>\n

If you live in Long Beach or its immediate environs, the good news is that a new emergency-services-only clinic opened Dec. 4 near the Traffic Circle. The only bad news would be that your pet were to need such services. But the good news (this is starting to sound like a Seinfeld routine) is that, heaven forbid this should happen, Long Beach Animal Emergency<\/a> is fully prepared to help your best buddy\u2019s health and your state of mind. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur focus is to be there when your vet isn\u2019t,\u201d said Dr. Jonnie Quantz, DVM, founder of both LBAE and the Animal Emergency Referral Center in Torrance. <\/p>\n

Dr. Quantz has spent the entire four decades of her veterinary career in emergency and critical care and says that she doesn\u2019t love anything more than saving the life of an animal. She opened the AERC in 1980 after managing emergency hospitals for 10 years. She completed her residency program in emergency and critical care in 2009 and has done hundreds of procedures of all types, from foxtails up the nose to trauma surgery. She\u2019s wanted to bring this specialized version of her clinic in Torrance to Long Beach for the past few years to fill the need here and to save clients the trek to other clinics. <\/p>\n

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Dr. Jonnie Quantz shows guests around Long Beach Animal Emergency during the clinic\u2019s open house. <\/em><\/p>\n

LBAE differs from the Torrance clinic and other veterinaries that provide emergency care in that it isn\u2019t open 24 hours and doesn\u2019t provide spay\/neuter, inoculations or other noncritical care. Critical care is its focus. <\/p>\n

\u201cAll the other clinics are 24-hour specialized or regular care,\u201d Dr. Quantz said. \u201cWe\u2019re really equipped for emergency only, and we are going to close every day [except weekends and holidays]. <\/p>\n

The 34,000-square-foot facility lends itself to being kept brand-spanking new shiny and germ free. The floors are coated with a one-eighth-inch-thick urethane and epoxy floor similar to the one at ACS, which is easier to sanitize and maintain than linoleum. It\u2019s also undoubtedly easy to clean a clinic during its off-hours. Three veterinarians\u2014one per shift, a staff of technicians and an office staff rotate in shifts; if there is a need, another vet can be added to a shift. The clinic is equipped with oxygen masks hanging from the ceilings, ultrasound equipment, surgery prep and isolation areas, digital radiology and EEG equipment, oxygen drops suspended from the surgery ceiling, and heated and metabolic cages. An onsite pharmacy provides necessary meds. The clinic seems to provide exactly what you\u2019d want for your companion\u2014in many cases it\u2019s most likely better care than you could ever get in a human-specific emergency clinic. <\/p>\n

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\"\"\"\"LBAE features a comfortable waiting room, a floor that\u2019s easy to clean and sanitize, state-of-the-art equipment including oxygen drops, and light everywhere. <\/em><\/p>\n

LBAE also offers communication with the family veterinarian or a specialist if the pet is not ready to go home during LBAE\u2019s off-hours or if there\u2019s an ongoing problem. Dr. Quantz hopes to provide clinic transportation to the regular veterinarian early in 2012. <\/p>\n

Since the clinic\u2019s opening, the clinic is receiving a growing number of emergency cases. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not busy from what I\u2019m used to [at the Torrance clinic], but busy!\u201d said LBAE\u2019s practice manager, Kate Scott, EVT. <\/p>\n

Scott said that there has been considerable foot traffic from people asking for business cards. Guests at the Dec. 4 open house expressed admiration for the facility and said they\u2019d bring their pet in for emergency care. Dr. Quantz was appreciative but responded as a caring professional who\u2019s been in the trenches with her patients and their families for decades. <\/p>\n

\u201cI generally say, been nice to meet you, but I hope to never have to see you again,\u201d she said, wryly. <\/p>\n

“The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different.” –  Hippocrates, \u201cfather of medicine”
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Virtually Pets <\/strong>
Remember Max, the little buff cocker with the bad vision? The Pet Post and Animal Care Services, along with many helpful friends, made a major effort to get him a forever home after his owner, who\u2019d become homeless, dropped him off at ACS, along with his sister who, sadly,didn\u2019t fare as well. His new family from Utah has sent a photo of him to Long Beach Animal Care Services. He\u2019s had eye surgery and is now reading the ingredients on the dog food labels. Click here<\/a> to read about him and his new best friend, Ruthie! <\/p>\n

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Trevor <\/strong>
Kate attended last Tuesday\u2019s city council meeting and met up with this little guy. Trevor\u2019s a 3-year-old male terrier mix presently living at the P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village on the spcaLA side. He was that evening\u2019s TV star Pet of the Week, and Kate found him adorable. Simultaneously, Judy was watching the meeting on TV and came unglued by a cuteness attack when she saw him. We both decided to feature him this week. He\u2019ll be neutered before he goes home, so if you can\u2019t resist him either, visit him at 7700 East Spring St., (562) 570-7722, and ask for ID #12-01125. <\/p>\n

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Love Samplings <\/strong>
We\u2019re also including photos from Dec. 17\u2019s Operation Santa Paws to show you some of the pets available at the Seal Beach Animal Care Center and Orange County Animal Care Services in Orange. We were unable to attend the morning frolics at Long Beach ACS and spcaLA Long Beach, but here are the adoption sites for all four shelters: <\/p>\n

Long Beach Animal Care Services <\/a><\/p>\n

spcaLA dogs<\/a> and spcaLA cats<\/a><\/p>\n

Seal Beach Animal Care Center<\/a><\/p>\n

Orange County Animal Care Services<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"Waiting at SBACC. <\/em><\/p>\n

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East Division Police Services Specialist Kym Cloughesy, a devoted dog lover, gives a new friend a treat at OCACS. <\/em><\/p>\n

Pet Projects <\/strong><\/p>\n

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Have You Seen Daisy? <\/strong>
Daisy, a year-old boxer\/pit bull mix, was last seen at 8th Street and Locust Avenue near downtown Long Beach on Tuesday evening, Dec. 13, when she bolted out of the car she was riding in. She\u2019s a brindle color (brown with white stripes); white patches on the back of her neck, belly, feet and tip of tail; and a distinctive pink mark under her nose. She\u2019s microchipped, but the tags had come off her pink camouflage collar two days previously. If you\u2019ve seen her or know someone who has her, please call Eric at (619) 851-3105 or e-mail DenisePenn@aol.com. To all: Please make sure that your pets have proper ID and keep them in sight whenever you\u2019re in unfamiliar places. <\/p>\n

spcaLA Dog Training Classes <\/strong>
Help your dog keep his or her New Year\u2019s resolutions. Classes begin Jan. 4, and enrollment is ongoing. Classes include Puppy Preschool, Magical Manners (level 1), Outstanding Obedience (level 2), Dog Agility for Fun, Fun Nose Work and more. Classes will be held at P.D. Pitchford Companion Animal Village & Education Center, spcaLA side, 7700 E. Spring St. (in El Dorado Park), Long Beach CA. For more information, click here<\/a>  or call (562) 570-7722. <\/p>\n

Weatherize Your Pets <\/strong>
Although it\u2019s been chillier than we\u2019re used to here, SoCal isn\u2019t known for freezing over, but for those of you living in colder climes, Morton Salt in conjunction with the ASPCA has sent the following tips to keep your buddy safe in winter: <\/p>\n