Happy New Year



Happy New Year from all of us at Royal City Animal Hospital 



Happy New Year

As we say goodbye to 2011....and ring in 2012.....
we would like to wish you all a very Happy New Year.
May 2012 bring you all much love, success and happiness.

Happy Holidays

We would like to wish all of our friends, family and our wonderful clients a 

Very Happy Holiday. 

All the best to everyone and their pets this holiday season. 

Track Santa

Why not track Santa as he flies around the world delivering presents to all the good boys and girls.

click this link to track where Santa is on his ride

http://www.noradsanta.org/en/

Christmas Hedgehogs

Here is a fun Christmas game to play.

Singing Hedgehogs.

Christmas Dreams

Guelph Humane Society "Toy Drive"

 The Guelph Humane Society is a non-profit organization and as such they rely heavily on donations in order to operate. 

This holiday season we will be collecting donations of supplies and delivering them to the shelter. 

Your generosity will help the Humane Society continue to care for lost and abandoned animals and provide them with the love and attention they deserve

Here are a few items from their wish list. If you have any items around the house or wish to purchase something from the list, feel free to bring it to the hospital and we will make a special Santa delivery in time for Christmas.

•Unscented, non clumping cat litter
•Large newspapers for lining cages
•Shredded paper for bedding (No Staples)
•Hay and treats for Rabbits
•High value training treats (Rollover, dehydrated liver etc.)
•Peanut Butter
•Stimulating dog toys (Kong, Buster cube, treat balls)
•Furminator grooming tools
•Bleach, all purpose cleaner
•Laundry soap, dish soap
•Disinfecting wipes
•Hand Sanitizer

•Large, heavy duty garbage bags

•Paper towels, Kleenex, Toilet paper 

•Cotton pads/balls 

•Plastic bags 

•Brooms, dustpans, cleaning supplies 

•Rubber gloves, latex gloves 

•Work gloves, welding gloves 

•Duct tape 

•Office supplies (pens, paper, tape, sharpies etc)

•USB drives 

•Postage stamps 

•Reflective vests 

•Gift cards (Canadian Tire, Zellers, Staples etc)

                                                                                                                    

Cuba Canines

I recently spent a week in Varadero, Cuba where we went off our 5-star resort to explore the local streets.  Eating where the locals eat and experiencing the local culture can be challenging in the tourist town of Varadero.

The one thing that we found was not part of the ‘tourist trap’, were the local canines.  They seemed very much at ease criss-crossing the streets, greeting  all of the tourists as if they were employed by the local hotels to promote their business. Of course none of them were spayed or neutered, but they all seemed in good health.  Someone is looking out for each and every one of them I think. 

It was nice for us to get our ‘canine fix’ as we like to call it when we are away from our own canine companions.  It was truly a pleasure meeting each and every one who crossed our paths!

by: Martha, Pet Care Coordinator

Meet Jenny - our new dog groomer

Please check out the BEFORE and AFTER pics of my Toy Poodle, Honey!  She had her ‘spa day’ with Jenny today.  Doesn't she look absolutely beautiful! I am fairly fussy when it comes to my poodle and like her to be perfectly coiffed.  Honey is a bit nervous when here, but Jenny made her feel comfortable enough to give her kisses when she was done.

Thank you, Jenny for a wonderful job on my Honey!

Jenny Treutlein has 7 years of all breed grooming experience and we are happy to have her join the Royal City Grooming Centre team. She looks forward to meeting you and your dog too, so she can pamper them the way she pampered my Honey. 

 To book your dog’s ‘spa day’ with Jenny, please call us at 519-763-5788

by: Martha - pet care coordinator

Happy Birthday Lisa

Today is Lisa's Birthday. 
Which Lisa is that, you ask? After all we have 3 who work here.
That would be Lisa E., the technician.
Today she turns...............(i dare not say)
Perhaps someone will bake her a delicious home made cake for her special day.
ooopss...she is the baker - does that mean she has to bake her own cake for the rest of us to enjoy? I have no problem with that.

Have a Fabulous day Lisa. 

Happy Birthday from all of your friends and coworkers at Royal City Animal Hospital.

Pet Nutrition

With so much variety on the market today, which pet food should I choose?

There has been an exponential increase in the number of different pet food companies in the past few years.  Although all pet foods sold in stores must adhere to regulations set by AAFCO (regulator of pet food), the restrictions are quite lax.  This means that there is a huge variety in the type and quality of ingredients used.  For example, a certain brand can make a claim to have glucosamine but the amount in the bag may not be at therapeutic levels.  This means it is essentially useless in helping to relieve the pain of arthritis.  Also many pet food companies will spend a large majority of their budget on marketing and advertising to appeal to the owners, whereas other pet food companies spend more money on research and development to ensure that the food is indeed the best for the animal.

If you are considering a specific type of food, or if you have any questions or concerns about pet nutrition, we encourage you to discuss this with your veterinary team.  We know your pet and may be able to offer some useful suggestions based on your pet's specific needs.                    



mmmm ...delicious AND nutritious

Holiday Pet Emergencies

Holiday Pet Safety Tips

The holidays can be a fun and exciting time of year for everyone, including your furry little friends.  Unfortunately we see a lot of emergencies at this time of year. Chocolates are common gifts but can be quite toxic and even fatal to dogs.  Theobromine, the active ingredient in chocolate that is toxic to dogs, can be quite damaging to the heart so make sure you keep those tasty treats well out of reach.

Pets love turkey but we urge you not to give your dog or cat any of the trimmings or bones from the carcass.  Trimmings tend to be high in fat and can cause pancreatitis, a very painful inflammation of the abdomen often requiring hospitalization and intensive care.  Bones (cooked or raw) can be harmful as well.  Raw bones have the tendency to fracture teeth requiring them to be surgically extracted while cooked bones will splinter into tiny bits and can act like little razor blades on the inside of the gut (ouch!).

Try to keep these bits of information in mind while you are enjoying this festive time of year.
For a more detailed list of Holiday Hazards - please check out this link from the ASPCA. 

We wish you and your pet(s) a safe and happy holiday!!

 



Definitely a bad idea.

Saying Goodbye - over the Rainbow Bridge

The past six weeks have been really hard for us at Royal City Animal Hospital. 

 For some reason, we have experienced more than the average number of deaths in the pets that we look after.  Several dogs and cats died at a ripe old age:  Shira (19 years), Chester (16 years), Molly (16 years), Sammy (16 years), Uey (14 years), Ozzie (14 years), and Jake (13 years).  Many of these dogs and cats had medical or surgical problems that we were able to help their families treat so their beloved pets were able to live long and happy lives.   Others died suddenly, with little warning and before their time: Autumn (10years) and Baxter (6 years).  Others had severe illnesses and were not able to recover: Jasmine (5 years), and Barley (8 years).

Of course it is the families who hurt the most when a beloved pet dies but their deaths certainly affect us too.  

One of our clients who is a family physician said it best as he was holding his sick Labrador Retriever in his arms: “This must be the hardest part of your job.  Do you ever get used to it?” No, we never get used to it and it breaks our hearts each time we have ease the passage of a beloved dog or cat into their next life over the Rainbow Bridge.

These are animals we have seen since they were puppies and kittens: we’ve watched them become part of your family and we watch you grieve now that they are gone.  We treasure each and every pet who comes here and wish we could make them all live forever.       By: Barbara Drewry

Happy Birthday Trace

Today is Dr Trace Mackay's Birthday.

Although she no longer works with us, we still adore her and she occasionally fills in a shift when the other doctors need a day off.

Happy Birthday Trace

With love from all of your fans at Royal City Animal Hospital. 

Teya's Injury Update

 Several of our clients at Royal City Animal Hospital have been asking about the “contraption” that Teya has on her back leg.  As you may remember, she had surgery a while ago to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon.  (In horses, this injury is referred to as a “bowed tendon”.)   In order to allow the tendon to heal after surgery there must be minimal extension or flexion of her ankle.  The best way to achieve this is to use an “external fixation device” affectionately referred to as an Ex-Fix!

As you can see from the picture, an Ex-Fix is a series of pins that go through the bone in her lower leg.  The pins are joined together by rods that are outside her leg (i.e. “external” as opposed to an “internal” fixation where there would be a metal plate such as that used in a fracture repair.)  This allows the hock (ankle) to be held in relative flexion so that there is only a small amount of tension on the weakened tendon.  Her knees and her hips are fully mobile so that she can still walk, run, jump, scratch herself etc.  Of course, she is not supposed to be doing any running, or jumping, but sometimes it is hard to stop her!

Although the Ex-Fix looks ungainly Teya has tolerated it very well and it has actually allowed her much more freedom than a splint or a cast, which would immobilize the whole leg.  There aren’t the problems with pressure sores, moisture and frequent bandages changes that you have with a splint or a cast.

The other big advantage with an Ex-Fix is that it can be adjusted to allow more or less flexion or extension as healing progresses.  She saw her surgeon at the referral hospital yesterday and she was very pleased with the way the leg is healing.  Our next recheck is in a month, at which time adjustments may be made to change the angle of the hock.

Unfortunately, this type of injury requires a long recovery period (usually 6 – 8 months).  Once the Ex-Fix has been removed (hopefully in another 8 weeks) we’ll start her rehabilitation; our goal is that she can resume training this spring!  We hope she makes a full recovery so that she can get back to retrieving which is what she loves to do most of all!!

Royal City Animal Hospital: Teya