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Guelph, ON veterinarians - friendly, experienced veterinarians offering a tailored approach to each individual pet. Specializing in cats, dogs, companion animals. Open 6 days a week for appointments and retail sales. Full service veterinary clinic with state of the art diagnostics on site. Located at Eastview Rd and Watson Pkwy.
From our GLVH family to yours, we wish you a safe, happy and healthy holiday season!
Our hospital will be closed for a few days between Christmas and New Year's Day. If your pet requires emergency medical care during that time, please contact Campus Estates Animal Hospital (519) 837-1212.
This post was written by our own Dr. Mel Cirinna and originally posted on our sister hospital's blog at www.woodlawnvet.ca. Your dog's teeth are very important, and we wanted to share the story of Cora here, too!
Can you guess how old the owner of these teeth is?
“Cora” is a surprising 8.5 years old with the teeth of a young pup! Her beautiful teeth speak volumes about her overall health. Good oral hygiene is extremely important to the health of our pets. Without proper oral hygiene plaque will begin to accumulate on the teeth. Over time the plaque hardens into tartar. The presence of plaque and tartar accumulating below the gum line leads to inflammation of the gingiva called gingivitis. As the level of dental disease progresses we can have attachment loss which appears as loose teeth, a receding gum line and pain. In addition to the oral signs of dental disease, dental disease can also lead to a condition known as bacteremia where bacteria are found within the blood stream. The presence of bacteremia can result in disease of the heart, kidneys and liver which are all involved in moving and filtering the blood. We can help our pets to have great oral health by following a good home oral hygiene routine.
Oral hygiene routines include brushing and a prescription dental diet. Cora’s teeth are brushed on a regular basis using toothpaste specifically formulated for pets. The toothpaste even has a great chicken flavor that she loves! Brushing should last about 1 minute and be performed on a daily basis. While it is easiest to train a puppy or kitten to accept brushing, older dogs and cats can also learn to enjoy this grooming routine. In addition to regular brushing, Cora also receives a prescription dental diet. Prescription dental diets work as both a toothpaste and a toothbrush. Many pets swallow their kibble whole with minimal to no chewing action. Prescription dental diets are formulated with large kibble that cannot be swallowed whole. Pets have to chew the kibbles which act as a “brush” to remove plaque from the tooth surface. Prescription diets also contain enzyme formulations to prevent plaque from sticking to the tooth surface, similar to toothpaste.
We encourage you to bring your pet in for an oral health assessment so we can help your pet to have pearly whites just like Cora.
Congratulations, Guelph! Our city has recently been declared one of the Top 10 Pet Friendly cities in Canada... in fact, we trail only Kingston for the most pet friendly in Ontario! That's great news. It means that our city's pets have access to great veterinary care, lots of off leash parks and pet friendly businesses. Where's your favourite place to take your pet in Guelph?
You can read more in this article at TheRecord.com and see the whole list of the Top 50 here!
Image source: http://cdndogs.ca/canadas-top-50-pet-friendliest-cities/
With the snow last week and the chill today, it's pretty clear that the holiday season is upon us, and we think that the family pet deserves to have a little something in their stocking on Christmas morning, too!
The staff here at Guelph Lake Vet Hospital have carefully curated a selection of toys, leashes, treats and more to help you and your pets have some fun this holiday. We also have gift cards available in any denomination, which make a great stocking stuffer and will serve you or a friend well into the New Year.
Check out this sneak peek of some of our holiday selection and stop by to see more! We take requests, too, and would be happy to be one of Santa's elves to help with your holiday shopping.
Catnip toys! Treats! Tough as nails Kong knots buddies for those dogs who like to chew and tug. Prices range from $5.00 - $20.00 (+tax)
These "stuffed" animals by Kong are really un-stuffed... filled instead with a tough rope, knotted to give your dog something to chew and tug on that won't fall apart on the first chomp! 2 sizes available from $9.50-$11.50 (+ tax)
These cat collars, available in several collars, are priced reasonably at $8.50 and include a nametag, bell and reflectors for your outdoor kitty's safety (and the safety of the birds in your backyard feeder!).
The team here at GLVH are pleased to be able to contribute to the juggernaut that is the #SecretSantaGuelph project again this holiday season.
Secret Santa Guelph is charitable project run by the unstoppable Bang Ly, an east end Guelph resident who grew up nearby in the Brant Ave neighbourhood. Knowing there was a gap in funding for the food program at Brant Ave Public School, Bang started Secret Santa Guelph a few years ago as a way to raise some funds to help expand their program.
Last year, the $3000 raised by the 75 participants allowed the food program (provided in part by the Ontario government, and by the Children's Foundation of Guelph Wellington as well as Breakfast Club of Canada) to expand to 4 days a week until the end of the school year.
This year, Bang was dreaming big. The e-bar at the Bookshelf has been reserved for the evening of December 7th, and it is expected that over 160 participants will be exchanging gifts and bringing cash contributions to the food program at Brant Ave PS. The goal was to raise enough funds to help the program continue for 5 days a week from March (when funding would have run out) until the end of June. This means that not only will kids who need it be able to have a healthy breakfast each school morning, but there will also be healthy snacks available for them during the day.
We are so thrilled that with the help of so many generous Guelphites and corporate sponsors, that $5000 goal has already been surpassed by the commitments made so far! Now, the local food pantry in the neighbourhood will also be receiving a cash boost so that parents from those lower-income families can have options available to them to help send a healthy lunch to school for their kids.
How can you get in on the action? For just a $25 donation to the program and a $15 value gift for your #SecretSantaGuelph match, you're in, and you're helping.
(Why the hashtag before #SecretSantaGuelph, you might be asking? This project is Twitter-based, and you must have a Twitter account to sign up! You can follow the other participants, and everyone will be tweeting gift ideas for themselves... and maybe some for their friends, too!)
For more information, or to sign up for one of the remaining spots, visit the Secret Santa Guelph blog.
A Daschund dressed up as a hotdog? Who can resist?! For many people Halloween is a time to dress up not only themselves, but their dogs and even cats as well. However, before you get Fido all dressed up for a night of trick or treating, keep in mind that the most important thing for Hallowe'en night is to have a safe and fun evening and to accomplish this your four legged friends might be better off at home.
While wearing coats, dresses, sweaters and boots may be regular attire for some dogs, the vast majority of pets are not used to sporting duds of any kind. If you are considering putting your pet in costume for Hallowe'en take the time to consider what your pet is used to when picking a costume out. Those dogs that usually wear a coat, would likely be quite comfortable in a coat or onesie type costume. An animal that never wears any clothing other than their collar is probably better off with a dressed up collar than a full body suit. Once you have picked out a costume provide ample time to “test drive” the outfit before the big day. Assess how your pet is acting when in costume. Do they appear their normal selves? Are they shying away from people? Do they seem “embarrassed”? Unless your pet is displaying their normal attitudes and behaviours, you should think twice about whether they should be in costume. Even if your pet is super confident in their costume, be sure to provide lots of positive reinforcement – treats, pats and fun games. Cats can be more difficult than dogs, but the same concepts apply; pick an appropriate costume, test drive it first and make sure to have lots of positive reinforcement.
It's also important to always supervise your pet while they are wearing their costume. Cats and dogs are curious and may try to chew at their costume, or become tangled in it themselves or in their environment.
Now that the costume is all sorted out, where to go? While it may be enticing to think of trick or treating with your dog, it is usually a safer bet to keep them at home. Even very well socialized dogs can become frightened or startled by children running around in costume in the dark. Additionally, costumes often make it difficult for us to read our pets’ body language so we may miss vital clues that they are becoming anxious in the situation. If you must bring your pet with you try to stay away from large crowds, have lots of treats available to reward good behavior and act as a distraction, use an appropriately sized leash and collar so that you have good control. Remember, the safest place for your pet this Halloween is usually at home in their familiar environment.
Keep in mind, also, that chocolate and artificial sweeteners can be harmful to your pets. If they decide to taste-test the candy stash and you are concerned, please don't hesitate to give us a call. We can help determine whether they have ingested enough to be toxic. The type and quantity of chocolate as well as the size of your pet will let us know if there's a reason to be worried. Artificial sweeteners like xylitol can cause reactions in your pet as well, and they should be monitored if they've eaten sugar-free candies.
Whether you end up leaving the furry family members at home or taking them along for the evening, we wish you and your pets a safe and happy Halloween!
P.S. Did you know that we now have a Facebook page? Find us at Guelph Lake Vet Hosp!
A few of our Guelph Lake Veterinary Hospital team and their family members joined up with friends at our affiliate hospital (Woodlawn Veterinary Hospital, also in Guelph) to run some of the Thanksgiving Day races at Exhibition Park. An annual event put on by the Guelph Victors running club, the races range from a 100 m dash for the little kids to a qualified-time 10km run.
Our group covered all the bases - little Emily put forth a good effort in the 100m. Dr Gardiner, Sarah and Julia ran the 1.6 km Nicolas Lambden Memorial Mile with Dr. Cirinna. Then Dr. Cirinna, Dr. Waldron and the amazing Gayle (she's almost 70!) ran the 5km... before Dr. Cirinna did the 3km, too, to wrap up her day!
It was a chilly, gloomy wet day, but we all had a great time and left with smiles of pride and a job well done. Perhaps a new tradition has begun.
As I type, I can hear Mowgli and Shanti chasing each other through our treatment area, wrestling over one of their toys. They aren't littermates, but they certainly act like it, playing and tumbling like brothers and sisters do.
Meet Mowgli:
A 2 month old grey tabby, this guy is speedy and lots of fun! He loves to lay in your arms like a baby and have his belly rubbed. He has an instant purr when he is picked up!
And here's Shanti:
A 3 month old grey female kitten with pretty amber eyes, she is playful but snuggly. She's a little quieter than Mowgli, but just as feisty when she's wrestling or protecting a toy! She has a perfect rumbly purr.
These kittens could be adopted separately or together. As mentioned, they aren't littermates, but they have been together since they've been with the Guelph Humane Society - first at the same foster home and now with us. They get along well, and are often found sleeping curled up together.
If you or someone you know might be interested in adopting either Shanti or Mowgli (or both, for double the fun and love!), just drop by GLVH during our regular business hours and we'd be happy to introduce you in person. Cats adopted through our partnership with the Guelph Humane Society will receive a $25 gift card to be used at GLVH for future pet care.
Thanks to Dr. Mel Cirinna for sharing her tips for gardening safely with pets, and including them in your landscaping plan!
Growing up my family always had a vegetable garden as well as a number of flower gardens that my mother tended. I always enjoyed seeing the cats relaxing under the bushes and sharing veggies with the dogs. There is nothing tastier than a tomato fresh from your own garden! However, while these are wonderful images from my childhood, I am now learning that there is some planning that goes into enjoying your garden with your pets. The first time I planted my own tomato plants it became a race to see if I could get to them before our black lab Sadie did. The same held true of the raspberry bushes. It was not uncommon to see the rear end of Sadie sticking out of a raspberry bush while she delicately removed all the berries with her front teeth. It wasn’t just the vegetable garden that was at her mercy, Sadie loved to lay in the shaded areas of the flower gardens as well. Any flowers in her way just provided a soft green mattress or she would dig out a cool spot in the dirt below a bushy plant. Thankfully our gardens were never frequented by the local cats, but this is a problem that many gardeners have as cats see our wonderfully tended gardens as giant litter boxes. As the years have passed we have made some changes that allow us to enjoy our gardens and the pets to enjoy the backyard. Hopefully these suggestions will help if you are also struggling to share garden space with furry family members.
Teaching your pets to respect garden boundaries is best done at a young age; however, even older dogs and cats can learn new tricks. For dogs, start by designating a certain area of the yard for elimination. In the beginning you will need to go out with them each time to show them where to go and provide lots of positive reinforcement when they use the appropriate area. With time they should automatically eliminate in the designated area. For cats it can be helpful to provide one sandy area for them to use as a litterbox. The remainder of the garden should be densely planted or mulched. To encourage your cats to use the designated kitty area, plant cat grass and catnip in that area of the yard. Be sure to keep children’s sandboxes covered when not in use!
Once a designated washroom area has been allocated, the next step is to create visual boundaries to keep pets out of garden beds. Fences work best, but can be less aesthetically pleasing than decorative garden edging such as stones and bricks. Keep in mind that even a half foot fence can be enough to visually deter dogs from entering flower beds. Plants can also be used as visual borders, try varieties such as barberries, roses, euphorbia, Joe pye weed or bamboo. Coleus Canina (Scaredy-Cat) can be useful in deterring cats, as can lavender. Also helpful is to create pathways through the garden with mulch, flagstone or pebbles. By nature, pets will use a groomed path over forging their own way through the garden.
Cats often need more than a visual barrier to be convinced to stay out of gardens. Try deterrents such as cayenne powder, crushed chili peppers and citrus rinds. There are also motion activated products on the market that spray water or emit high pitched sound to deter cats.
Another important thing to consider is the potential toxicity of some plants for our pets. Many plants will cause gastric upset when ingested, but some can lead to liver and kidney failure. An extensive list of potentially toxic plants can be found at www.icatcare.org/advice/keeping-your-cat-safe/cats-and-poisonous-plants.
Taking the time to carefully plan out your garden so that it provides space for you and your pets is well worth it so that everyone can enjoy the space. Hopefully with our newly fenced in vegetable garden I will be enjoying some tomatoes this year, although I will be sure to save a few for Sadie! Happy gardening!
The Just For Cats Film Festival is coming to Guelph this week! We love the idea of this fun community event and fundraiser.
Thursday June 19th, starting with a VIP cocktail reception and screening starting at 5:30pm and a second general admission screening at 9pm, cat lovers of the Guelph area will be treated to an event for anyone who has clicked that "you have to see this cat video!" link in their email.
The Bookshelf Cinema is hosting this fabulous furry feline event, featuring the best of the internet's many cat videos (Grumpy Cat and NONONONO cat to name just two!), along with some feature appearances by local kitties.
The event is a fundraiser for the Guelph Humane Society, and tickets can be purchased online, or in person at the Humane Society.
