Cats vs. Lilies

Spring! It is finally here and despite the snow today there's hope - the days are longer and flowers will soon be making their appearance.  Nothing says spring more than seeing crocuses, tulips and lilies pushing up in the flower beds.  It is nice to get out and smell the flowers or bring a fresh bouquet into the house, but cat owners beware, some of these flowers can cause serious, life-threatening disease for our feline friends.  

While all plants may cause some stomach upset or oral irritation, plants from the Genus Lilium or Hemarocallis are extremely toxic to cats.  These include, but are not limited to, Easter Lilies, Day Lilies, Asiatic Lilies and Tiger Lilies.  Cats that have consumed any part of a lily plant or even ingested some pollen that was on their coat are at risk for life-threatening kidney failure.  If you suspect that your cat has consumed some part of a lily plant it is to be considered a medical emergency requiring immediate veterinary attention.  If your pet has not already vomited, the veterinarian may induce vomiting and administer activated charcoal to help reduce the amount of toxin that is absorbed.  In order to assess the level of kidney damage, bloodwork will be performed.  Treatment for lily poisoning involves hospitalization and intravenous fluid administration to flush out the toxins and support the kidneys.  If treated early there are rarely any long term effects.  However, without treatment, death can occur within 3 days. 

The best way to keep your cats safe is to make sure you do not bring any lily plants into the house.  Pay close attention to the flowers present in bouquets during Easter and Mother’s day, a common time to see cases of lily toxicosis.  Outdoor cats can be a bit more difficult as we cannot be sure where they go when outside.  Keep lilies out of your own garden and watch your cat for any early signs of toxicity.  Seek veterinary attention if your cat displays early signs of poisoning including vomiting, lack of appetite, increased or decreased urination or dehydration.  

Opt to Adopt - Sandra Dee

Guelph Lake Vet Hospital is happy to welcome little Sandra Dee to our clinic! This adorable 9 month old calico kitten is available for adoption through the Guelph Humane Society.

Sandra Dee - making herself at home on the reception desk!

She is friendly and chatty, with an adventurous spirit and a strong desire to snuggle. She also has a top-level purr that isn't hard to coax out. On just her second day here at the clinic she has already made herself comfortable lounging on our reception desk with a great view of the outside world.

Staff at the Guelph Humane Society shared that in her time at their facility she seemed to be very interested in other cats and would be a suitable pet for all ages.

If you're interested in meeting Sandra Dee, drop by GLVH during our regular office hours for a visit, or you can call the Guelph Humane Society directly for more information.

Bell is ready for adoption!

The staff at Guelph Lake Vet are enjoying having little Bell in the clinic for the last week - she is the friendliest, cuddliest little kitten!

A sister to the two kittens we had in a couple of weeks ago, Bell is a sweetheart who loves to be around people. She is spayed and has had her first shots and is ready to go to a loving home.

If you or someone you know would like to meet her, drop by anytime during our office hours for a visit!

Call (519) 824-9898 for more information, or come by 322 Eastview Road to meet Belle.

As always, there are lots of dogs and cats available for adoption at the Guelph Humane Society - you can find out more about them on the GHS adoption gallery page.

Guelph Lake Vet thanks community for Grand Opening success

The ownership and staff of Guelph Lake Veterinary Hospital would like to thank everyone who joined us at our Grand Opening celebration on Sunday, December 8th.

We were so thrilled to see so many familiar faces come through the door – family, friends and supporters, as well as some new clients and neighbours! GLVH's first-ever pet patient, Lily the sheltie, visited with her owners and Dr. Mel was in charge of examining stuffed animal pets that joined us with their young owners.

We were pleased to meet representatives from the City of Guelph including Ian Findlay (our Ward 2 representative) who was our first visitor of the day and Cam Guthrie who, despite being a Ward 4 councillor, made the trek allllll the way over to our side of the city!

Thank you to Caroline and Gwen from the Guelph Humane Society for bringing so many adorable cats for adoption. Our bank of kennels in the treatment area of the hospital was full of rambunctious kittens and had a crowd around it all afternoon. The very friendly Harvey, a big fluffy black cat, was adopted and several other families were interested in learning more about the process for adoption. Stay tuned for more details on our continuing relationship with the Humane Society!

We were happy to have a collection of door prizes provided by our vendors and associates, and one lucky little girl even won an iPod Shuffle! We were also pleased to provide refreshments to our guests, featuring local businesses including Planet Bean coffee, a delicious cheese assortment from Chartelli’s on Grange Rd, and adorable (and delicious!) cupcakes from Sweet Temptations.

We are so happy to be part of this community on the east end of Guelph, and we look forward to meeting more of our neighbours and business leaders in the months to come. If you weren't able to come to the Grand Opening, we welcome you to drop in and say hello!

Now open! Guelph Lake Veterinary Hospital at Eastview and Watson Pkwy

We are so pleased to announce that the brand new Guelph Lake Veterinary Hospital is now open!

As of yesterday morning we are fully operational and are accepting appointments at our 322 Eastview Road location in Guelph. Our full-service veterinary hospital offers state of the art technology and skilled staff to serve the pets and owners of the area.

It’s an exciting day for the GLVH team, as it has been a long 6 months of planning and blueprints and sawdust. To see it all come together and to have such a warm, bright and welcoming space for our clients is really gratifying.

We welcome drop-in visitors who would like to meet our veterinarians, and hope to meet many of the residents of our new neighbourhood.

GLVH is closely affiliated with the well-known Woodlawn Veterinary Hospital in the north end of Guelph, and we strive to offer the same high level of customer service and personalized care that our team at WVH is known for.

We encourage you to browse our website, and if you are interested in requesting an appointment or would like further information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.