Fix Long Beach spays and neuters 23 animals in one day

“Hey, no more Frenchies!” joyfully exclaimed Sherri Stankewitz in a reel posted on the Fix Long Beach Pets and Animals Facebook page.

“We are overloaded with Frenchies,” she wryly added.

Stankewitz does too much stuff to attribute her properly after a quote without losing the flow of dialogue. She’s founder of Sparky and the Gang (mostly) dog rescue, started the only parvo clinic in the area, co-owns Fix Long Beach Pets and Animals affordable vet clinic, and rescues any pet in a bad state that she finds.

On Friday, Jan. 17, Stankewitz had just completed a day of spay and neuter at Fix Long Beach, where the veterinarians and techs performed surgery on 23 pets, quite a few of them so-called purebreds. Among them were a lot of French bulldogs, a type of dog that’s become immensely popular in the last couple of years. Breeders licensed and unlicensed have been producing them in great number to sell online or through flyers tacked on walls and signposts. They get over-the-top dollar for the sales.

Many French bulldog lovers aren’t aware that these dogs can have health issues that brachycephalic breeds are subject to. These pets have a facial structure that could lead to impeded breathing. Breeds include popular dogs like French bulldogs, English bulldogs, pugs and Pekingese. Persian cats are brachycephalic, too.

When you couple that with irresponsible breeding, you could have a vet bill on your hands that might go far above the hundreds and thousands of dollars that you paid for the dog. Stankewitz saw quite a few of them that day, which she inadvertently called Fix Friday.

“I opened the door and said, ‘Hi, Fix Friday!’ instead of ‘Fix Fans’ — it just came out that way,” Stankewitz said.

Last Friday was, indeed, a full day of fix. Operating on 23 pets in one day may seem like a lot, but Stankewitz said that they could have done more had it not been for the special breeds and special needs.

“It takes a lot longer with certain breeds — takes them longer to recover, and it could be a more complicated surgery,” Stankewitz said. “Frenchies and bulldogs get turned away from a lot of high-volume clinics, but we fix them!”

Fix Long Beach and the parvo clinic are building up their practice through hiring veterinarians who are skilled in complicated surgical procedures as well as spay/neuter, urgent care and parvo treatment. Because Fix Long Beach is an affordable, high-volume clinic, the new hires are veterinarians who want to keep costs down so that people don’t have to spend money they don’t have in order to keep their pets.

Stankewitz said that 30% of last Friday’s patients were French bulldogs and English bulldogs. One of the bulldogs took two hours to recover. In all, she said, 90% of the pets treated were purebreds. Besides the bulldogs and Frenchies, there were poodles, Labradors and one whippet. One person brought a Cornish rex, a curly-coated cat with huge ears.

“What a way to end a week!” Stankewitz said. “It was nice to see people fixing their purebreds and not trying to make a quick buck breeding them.”

Request an appointment at this link for spay/neuter and other veterinary procedures and at this link for parvo treatment. Phone contacts are listed on both pages. Stankewitz said that as a high-volume, affordable clinic, they get over 100 calls a day, so appointments can’t usually be made for the same day.

Both clinics are 501 (c)(30) organizations, so donations for surgical procedures are always welcome.

YOURS DROOLY

On Sunday, Jan. 26, from 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m., you can find your forever Valentine a couple of weeks early! Meet some of the dogs that Sherri Stankewitz and her gang at Sparky and the Gang rescued and transformed into whom they were meant to be. They’ll be waiting for you at Marina Pacifica Shopping Center between Club Studio and Ralphs supermarket.

Access this link to see all the adoptable pets. To schedule a meet-and-greet, contact Sherri at 310-621-1417 or Jo Anne at 562-716-7226. You can also email the group at sparkyandthegang@yahoo.com.

Here are three happy hopefuls who are realizing that there are indeed good things in life.

Who’d think that a puppy would actually grow up in a rescue? Boston is doing just that. He’s a nearly 1-year-old combination of Labrador and dog knows what all else who was left at the shelter when he was very young. He had parvo, which can be fatal if not treated. Had it not been for the Fix Long Beach Parvo ICU, he would have been euthanized. He’s now recovered and is happily playing with the other dogs and humans at the rescue. He’d love to celebrate his first birthday in a forever home.

Li’l Wookie is one of the pups who benefited from Fix Long Beach’s special veterinary team. He was left tied to a pole bleeding from his back right leg and in obvious need of medical attention. Long Beach Animal Care Services picked him up, and Fix Long Beach did the rest. His leg was amputated, but it didn’t slow him down at all! Li’l Wookie’s a 2-year-old cuddle bug of a shih tzu/poodle mix, and all he now needs is a fantastic family who’ll shower him with as much love as he’ll undoubtedly give them!

This was Walter …

And this is also Walter. Yes, they’re the same dog. Last month, news outlets carried a story of severe dog abuse — eight of them were found abandoned in different cities in the Inland Empire. Their matting was so difficult and painful to remove that most of the dogs had to be sedated. Walter is one of them. He went from probably Maltipoo to Chihuahua lookalike after the mats were removed. Sadly, the mats were hiding a badly broken leg. An amputation was performed, and Walter is recovering nicely. He’s a sweetheart, Stankewitz said.

TAIL-WAGGIN' AND NOSE BOOPIN' EVENTS

Cats & Mats Yoga

What’s better than a good, long stretch for the whole body? A massage while you’re doing the poses, best done by a kitty kneading you where you need it the most! Feline Good Social Club rolls out the mats for the new year every Monday evening starting Jan. 26. Bring a yoga mat, a towel and water; wear comfy clothing; and get ready to do downward-facing dog as the cats walk under, over and around you, facing you every way there is!

Yoga sessions take place Monday nights at 6:15 p.m., beginning Jan. 26 at Feline Good Social Club, 301 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach. Sessions are $19.99. Reservations are required; make them here.

Bob Long Memorial Mutt Run

You and your dog — or just you — are invited to raise funds for Long Beach Animal Care Services and Signal Hill Rotary’s Community Project Fund by running your legs off, however many you have. There are three races — two for humans and their dogs, and one for humans only. Nonaggressive dogs only; all dogs must be leashed for the run. Meet adorable adoptables from LBACS and K9 Kismet after the race! Sign up for any of the races here.

The Bob Long Memorial Mutt Run takes place Saturday, Feb. 1, 8:30 a.m.–11 a.m. at the Claremont boat launch ramp, 5350 E Ocean Blvd., Long Beach. Entry fee is $69.90 per person.

CatPAWS pops up at the pier!

Helen Sanders CatPAWS cat and kitten rescue will host a booth at Pop-Ups at the Pier, sponsored by the Seal Beach Chamber of Commerce. No kitties at this event, but you can ask questions about cat and kitten care for your own furry besties and also find out how you can help CatPAWS help cats without homes through fostering, adopting, volunteering and donating. A good spin of the wheel can win you a fun prize! The event coincides with a three-day sidewalk sale on Main Street.

Pop-Ups at the Pier takes place Saturday, Feb. 1, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. at Eisenhower Park. at the Seal Beach Pier, Ocean Avenue and Main Street, Seal Beach. Free event.

Need a low-cost veterinarian, information about trapping community cats, places to volunteer, rescues and shelters to adopt from — anything pet related? Follow this link for resources. Please add your own ideas in the Comments section.