Did you know that ticks can survive when temperatures  are above 4 degrees celsius?   The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association has made a website www.ticktalkcanada.com that has many useful facts about the coming tick season.  For example how to check your pets for ticks, how to remove them and where they can be found.   Brown ticks use to only be out in April and May and the deer ticks that carry lyme disease would be out in the fall but now with so many varieties of ticks in our province including the Lone Star tick from Texas, we recommend tick prevention al ..read more

Ah…..Winnipeg winter…..some days are manageable for both us and our pets and some days are not.   Please remember these tips to keep your pets safe during the cold months.   Reduce walk times – Shorten your dog’s walk time during cold weather. Every pet is different, they do not experience cold temperatures the same due to physical differences. Dogs with thick, long and double layered coats may tolerate icy weather conditions better than others but are still at risk.  Small canines have bellies and legs that are closer which feel extreme conditions faster.  Paw ..read more

As vacations and summer travel come to an end, so do a lot of outdoor activities like going to the beach or lake with your dog. But with cooler weather comes new activities to enjoy with your best friend like hiking, hunting and biking. Unfortunately, we sometimes forget that summer pests and diseases continue and may even increase through autumn and winter.Changing climates, urbanization of rural areas, suburban and rural residences all result in regional and local microclimates, sometimes limited to our own neighborhood. Mosquitoe r ..read more

Just a reminder that pets can get heat stroke very quickly in this incredible heat we have been experiencing.  Unlike people, dogs don’t sweat out excess body heat. While your dog does have a few sweat glands located in his paws, these do little to help regulate his body temperature. Instead, he or she does this through rapid, open-mouthed breathing, called panting. But sometimes panting isn’t enough to keep him or her from getting overheated. Heat exhaustion in dogs can occur when the body temperature becomes elevated above the normal temperature. This varies slightly, but it’s gene ..read more

Saying the final good-bye to your family member is the hardest part of having a pet. We want your pet’s end of life experience to be as smooth and stress-free as possible.  Everyone working here has lost a pet at some point in their life and we understand the stress and pain involved in this difficult decision.  Often your pet has been a part of our clinic family for years and we get very attached to them as well.  We want to make sure that their passing is as peaceful as possible.  Typically we encourage our clients to let us know if there’s something particular they feel ..read more

There has been a lot of recent media attention to the wave of upper respiratory infection that’s been swweeping the city. Thankfully here at Dakota we’ve seen a big reduction in thenumber of cases going in, so we are hoping the worst is over. A few important points to remember – first, there are MANY types of upper respiratory infections a dog can get. Kennel cough is a very specific infection caused by a very specific agents ( a bacteria called Bordatella bronchiseptica and a virus called parainfluenza. Although many of the dogs we have been seeing have similiar symptoms, this does not automa ..read more

Dakota works with 4 or 5 different rescue organizations these days, to varying degrees. We see at least one rescue dog or cat a day, often several in one day. We like to help the rescues by doing some pro bono work because, hey, the whole reason we became vets and vet techs and assistants is because we love animals and want to help them. A lot of it is just making sure these pets don’t have any medical issues before they get adopted, and then making sure they are neutered/spayed and dewormed. Sometimes these dogs and cats have more serious issues that need to be taken care of (think heartworm ..read more

Heartworm season is almost here…..prevention begins June 1, 2015 WHY DO MY PETS NEED TO BE ON HEARTWORM PREVENTION? Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease. It is caused by a parasite Dirofilaris immitus. These worms live in the heart and adjacent blood vessels of infected animals. HOW ARE HEARTWORMS TRANSMITTED? The disease is transmitted when mosquitoes carry microscopic baby heartworms from one dog to the next. It takes six months after your pet is bitten by an infected mosquito for him or her to have adult worms in the heart. MY DOG STAY MOSTLY INSIDE AND HAS A THICK C ..read more

Christmas Eve – 9am – 1pm Christmas Day – Closed Boxing Day – Closed New Years Eve – Closed for Inventory New Years Day – Closed From our Dakota family to yours we wish you and your furry family a Happy Holiday and all the best in 2015 ..read more