While we can perform these procedures at almost any age, most dogs and cats are spayed or neutered between 5 and 8 months of age. However, it is best to discuss this with one of our veterinarians. The answer to this question may vary depending on your pet’s breed, size and other factors. With so many unwanted pets in this area, it is important that your pet is not contributing to the problem (and that you are part of the solution!).

It is strongly recommended that you keep your pet’s vaccine status up-to-date. We can assess your pet’s lifestyle and recommend the best combination of vaccines to keep your pet safe. Today’s vaccines are extremely safe and effective at preventing disease (and some of those diseases can kill your pet!)

Microchipping is a simple and effective way to safeguard your pet in the unlikely event that he or she becomes lost. The microchip is safe and is not a tracking device. It is placed under the skin between your pet’s shoulders. Once scanned, the number combination can be used to identify the company that holds your pet’s database. As long as you keep your information up-to-date, it takes only minutes to locate you to let you know that your pet has been found.

While vaccination is important, a routine evaluation (check-up, physical) is even more essential. For humans, regular yearly check-ups are crucial so, when you consider that the average pet ages 4 to 7 years for every human year, asking you to bring your pet in once a year is not unreasonable. When owners observe their pets daily, they may miss slowly developing, subtle changes. Routine examinations allow us to monitor general health as pets age and can help us identify problems early when they are more easily treated.

Some parasites such as ticks, lice or fleas can be easy to see. Other parasites reside within the body and require some detective work to find. As a minimum, we recommend annual deworming of your pet for gastrointestinal parasites. However, these dewormers do not provide protection for the full year! If your pet hunts, eats feces, visits dog parks or if you have children, more frequent deworming is important as some parasites can also make us sick.

Dental care is very important to our pet’s long term health. Some pets never require a dental procedure, however, most pets require regular dental care. Dental cleaning and assessment involves all surfaces of the teeth and structures in the mouth (including the tongue) and cannot be properly accomplished without a general anesthetic. Proper cleaning ‘below the gum line’ and probing can be uncomfortable, so most pets will not tolerate this while awake.  In addition, using dental scalers and tartar removers incorrectly, failing to properly polish teeth after cleaning and failing to properly identify problems in the mouth will contribute to ongoing and possibly more serious dental issues in the future.

While we greatly appreciate your perspective on your pet’s health, the body has limited ways of dealing with disease and one disorder may look pretty similar to another. As veterinary medical professionals, we know we need to evaluate a patient and may even need to perform diagnostic testing or ‘lab work’ to help identify and properly treat your pet. Furthermore, veterinary law and ethics, as well as our governing professional association standards, obligate us to have assessed a patient prior to prescribing medications, ordering diagnostic testing or otherwise embarking on a specific therapy.

Behaviour issues may be easy to diagnose, but may also be difficult to treat. Sometimes behavioural issues occur because certain breeds (primarily dogs) have been developed to have certain characteristics such as with herding or sport dogs. Other behaviour issues may occur because we, the owner, give confusing signals or have unrealistic expectations of our pet’s behaviours. Unfortunately, some behaviours are due to genetic or medical problems and may be more difficult, if not impossible, to successfully treat. Treating behavioural issues requires a diagnosis (clinical evaluation), behavioural modification (re-training for both pet and owner) and/ or medication. For some problems, we will refer a pet to an animal behaviourist just like a doctor may refer a patient to a psychiatrist.

Who doesn’t like a friendly pet! However, this is an animal hospital and not all of our patients are happy to be here. Some pets don’t like other animals and some are here because they are sick. For everyone’s safety and comfort, we ask that you please keep your pet on a short leash or in a crate while visiting our clinic.

For cats: Let their kennel become part of their territory. Place it somewhere in your house without the door attached, and place a couple treats inside. Avoid making the kennel a foreign object that appears only for vet visits. Feliway®, a cat pheromone, is used in our clinic to reduce stress and Feliway® products are available for use in crates, cars and homes to help make cats more comfortable.

For dogs: If coming to the vet clinic is stressful, bring your dog in often for weigh-ins or just a quick visit to get a treat. Call us before the visit to see if there is a “quiet time” to drop in. Bring a couple treats and be sure to reward relaxed, positive behaviour. Adaptil, a dog pheromone, is used in our clinic to reduce nervousness and is available for any stressful situation.

Car rides can be stressful too. Ensure that your pet is safely secured in your vehicle and tether any crates to prevent them from sliding or tipping over. Also, never leave your pet unattended in a vehicle. Even for a 10 minute stop, the temperature in a vehicle can rapidly change! This fluctuation in temperature can be very uncomfortable or even deadly.

Please notify our staff if you have any concerns when booking an appointment. We can try to schedule a quieter time better suited for your pet’s needs.