Happy Tuesday! Today for our #tuesdaytips we will discuss dental health.

Dental disease affects almost 85% of cats and dogs over one year of age. It's caused by the interaction of oral bacteria (plaque) and the animal's response to these bacteria and their toxins. Dental disease is the most common health concern for dogs. Your pet may show few obvious signs, and still suffer from one of the four stages of dental disease.

We offer many different ways to help keep your pet's teeth healthy- dental diets which help clean the tooth surface and fight bacteria-laden plaque; CET chews which carry an enzyme to actually aid in breaking down the plaque; water additives which can also be squirted straight into the mouth, finger brushes, dental cleanings under anesthesia as well as full dental surgery to do extractions.

We also offer an Ultimate Dental Kit - each kit includes a trial size bag of food, bottle of water additive + mister, and for the dogs a finger toothbrush. (See photo) Over 15% in savings!! We are currently out of the cat kits, but hope to have more in soon!

​If you are concerned about your pet's dental health, speak to our veterinarians at your next wellness exam or call us to schedule a consultation so together we can find a plan that works best for you and your pet.

Happy Tuesday! Our Tuesday Tip for today we are going to focus on weight management.

We see many senior pets that are overweight, possibly due to getting less exercise or getting table scraps for looking so cute! As much as you may love them and love giving those extra treats sometimes it’s not the best thing for our best friends.

Obesity can cause a lot of health issues on its own such as arthritis, respiratory stress, diabetes, and the potential to reduce their life span. Don’t worry though here are a few options to help with weight loss:
- Meal Feeding: do not free feed (leaving food out all the time). Free feeding causes your pet to snack throughout the day whenever they’d like.
- Avoid offering table food or extra treats
- Try food-dispensing toys or puzzles to keep them active
- Feed one of our veterinary exclusive diets which are tailored to keep your pet satisfied in between meals, while promoting safe weight loss
- If you are giving treats try giving low-calorie treats, our veterinary exclusive brands all include weight-loss treats so your pet can still be spoiled

​If you are trying your pet on a weight management program we do recommend regular weight checks either at home or you can stop into the clinic at any time to weigh them on our scales. Regular weight checks are a good way to track your pet’s weight loss journey. If you are concerned about your pet’s weight, schedule an appointment with our veterinarians to see what the best course of action is for your individual pet.

Happy Tuesday! Continuing our senior themed #TuesdayTips we have more details on the senior wellness exams we offer.
Our pets age approximately 6-7 years for each of our years, and when they get older we suggest coming in every 6 months instead of annually for a full exam. We consider dogs over 8 years and cats over 10 years to be seniors and in need of a senior wellness exam. We send out a friendly e-mail when your pet is coming due for their senior wellness exam with helpful things to look for in terms of changes to your pet. Remember not every pet will have changes and our pets are masters at hiding when they are feeling ill.
At every senior wellness exam we will ask you to fill out a questionnaire indicating any changes you have noticed in your pet since their last visit. We use that to record when changes start or any progression to ongoing health concerns in a hope to intervene early or change a treatment plan. Our doctor will check your pet's teeth, weight, joints, skin and ears and discuss any concerns you may have. At the wellness exam you can discuss any supplements, medications or concerns you have about the changes to your pet's health. Sometimes the doctor will recommend diagnostic blood work, either to test for a particular issue or to get a baseline so if a health issue does come up we know what is normal for your individual pet.
We have attached photos so you can see approximately how old your pet is in human years.

November is #seniorpetmonth and in honour of our silver-haired beauties our #tuesdaytips will focus on senior issues.

​Today we will focus on joint care.

A few signs of joint problems for dogs include: limping, stiffness (especially after resting), slower to get up, difficulty climbing stairs, reluctant to play high activity games, lagging behind or tiring easily during walks.
Signs of joint problems in cats include: decreased activity, trouble jumping off/ onto surfaces, walking stiffly, limping, or increased social reclusiveness.

We have a few different options for helping combat joint issues in our senior pets. There are powder, liquid and chewable supplements that can add Glucosamine HCL, Omega 3 and other helpful ingredients to their diet. We also carry multiple veterinary exclusive diets with added joint care supplements. For more acute care, we offer injection medication and laser therapy.

​Speak to one of our veterinarians at your next visit or schedule a consultation to discuss what options would be best for your individual pet's needs