Internal parasites are in our environment; therefore, communicability to our pets is unavoidable. To protect our pets from the damage parasites can cause, we need to deworm regularly. Dogs and cats can acquire many types of internal parasites. Some are species-specific, some are passed to different species, and some are zoonotic (transmissible to humans). Children, elderly and immunocompromised people are at higher risk of damage by parasites travelling through the body. The most common parasites in our area are roundworms, hookworms, whipworms and tapeworms. Your veterinarian will recommend d ..read more

“A tired dog is a good dog.” Give your dog the mental and physical exercise they need. By giving your dog this time they will spend much of the day resting instead of chewing, barking, digging, escaping or destroying things. “Your reactions affect your dogs’ actions.” If you allow your dog to be rewarded for a particular action, they are likely to repeat it. Consciously enable rewards for actions you like. Prevent your dog from getting rewarded by you or their surrounding environment for actions that you don’t want to encourage. “Dogs do what works.” Dogs will act in ways that they’ve l ..read more

Last summer my dog Ryah, a 4-year-old lab mix, fell ill. Her symptoms were very subtle; 2 days of vomiting and lethargy. Neither of these was normal for her. On physical exam she was bright, alert, and responsive; however, her bloodwork showed high white blood cells and liver enzymes. One of the readings was off the scale. The next step was to do emergency x-rays; they showed nothing wrong. We hospitalized her on intravenous fluids, plus injectable antibiotics, anti-nausea, and antacid medications. The next morning, she was jaundiced which means she had yellow gums, whites of the eyes and ear ..read more

Our canine friends make great companions, but they often develop a bad odour. There are many reasons for your dog’s unique smell, but one area that is commonly overlooked is the ears! You can usually recognize an ear infection by seeing redness, excessive black debris and usually your dog is shaking their head. Ear infections usually stem from the over-production of ear wax, which occurs in response to irritation, excessive moisture or an allergic reaction. The moisture of the wax promotes bacterial and yeast growth. A yeast infection is very stinky which usually is the cause of your dog’s uni ..read more

In May 2016, I had the joy of embarking on the journey to breed my Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Maia. After countless tests and searching for the perfect fit for our girl, a stud was carefully chosen, and she was bred. Pregnancy in dogs lasts approximately 63 days (9 weeks), and the due date is chosen from their ovulation date, rather than the date they were bred. Just like in humans, they go through 3 trimesters, each lasting 21 days. For the first 2 weeks, it was business as usual: there was no need to increase her food or limit her exercise. As the third week approached, Maia started ..read more

When the weather is ugly – no one wants to go outside and your dog might be driving you crazy! Here are some tips and tricks to keep your pouch busy inside. Tricks! Teaching your dog, a new trick like shaking a paw or “play dead” is not only fun for you but the dog as well. Tricks are a great way to build confidence and challenge your dogs’ brain. You can practice these tricks on a walk or in the park to make things more interesting. Games and puzzles! They can be as easy or hard as you want to make them depending on your pup’s ability. You can use boxes of different sizes and shapes with trea ..read more

One of the best ways to encourage a positive relationship with your dog while as training them to be the dog you want is competing and training in various dog sports. There’s something for everyone and every kind of dog – from competition obedience to field tracking. All levels can try something new or advance in their chosen sport. Some of the most popular dog sports are conformation showing, agility, Rally Obedience, and scent work. One sport offered here on Vancouver Island is Rally Obedience. It’s a fun version of competition obedience which involves heelwork and off-leash command training ..read more

When your pet comes in for a dental procedure, the doctor will first examine your dog or cat to ensure they are fit to undergo anesthesia. Your veterinarian may recommend doing pre-anesthetic blood work. This blood work will look at things such as kidney and liver function, to make sure that it is safe for your pet to receive a dental cleaning under anesthesia that day. Once your pet gets the ‘OK’ from their doctor, they will receive an injection of a sedative, which will make them nice and relaxed. Once your dog or cat is comfortable, we will place an IV (intravenous) catheter and start runni ..read more

Our groomers want to give your dog the best trim and experience possible and need the time to be able to work with all temperaments and coat conditions. Remember we’re working with an entire body, with joints and moving parts, not a nice round head like when you get your haircut. Dogs also don’t quite take direction like we do when we get our haircut – we cannot tell a dog, just lean to the left or keep your head down. It’s often hard for elderly dogs to stand still for a long period of time, and breaks are given in between stages to give the dog a chance to rest. The trim is quite often dicta ..read more

Permanent Identification is very important to have if your pet goes missing. Even with strictly indoor pets, there is a possibility they may still slip out the door. Permanent identification increases the chance of you being reunited with your pet if they go missing or if they are stolen. There are two kinds of permanent identification available; microchips and tattoos. Microchips are a small chip placed under your pet’s skin using a needle. Each microchip is assigned a number. This number shows up when the microchip is scanned with a microchip scanner, which all veterinary hospitals and shelt ..read more