Halo Pet Cremation
4276 Todd Place V0E 1B4 Armstrong, BC, Canada

We have freezing temperatures in Edmonton, Red Deer and Calgary, which soon will get colder. This is a friendly reminder to tap tap tap on your hoods and wheel...s. PLEASE PLEASE take that extra minute before starting your cars. SAFE A LIFE

Here's a quick video that shows how to build an easy winter cat shelter.

Congratulations to Dr. Stephanie Royston, The Visiting Vet on her 5 year anniversary. Thank you for everything you do for our fur-babies

Rest in Peace beautiful little Thor

I always enjoy hearing stories of loved, happy pets. Here's one shared by Lulu's mom, Christa. Back in the 2000's I had a dog named Bob, and like everyone else would say, he was the greatest dog ever. Bob had a best friend named Crash, who he just adored. When Crash died, Bob was devastated, so I got him a girlfriend named Maggie and ended up becoming a breeder of Jack Russells! I took a course and got a licence and became very serious about the whole endeavour. In total, the...y had 4 litters. One of the things that I never thought about when I kept a puppy from 3 of the 4 litters Maggie and Bob had, was the fact that they tend to die one after the other as well. So, in the past 5 years, I have had to go through the death of 5 dogs that I loved very much. Anyway, Lulu was from the first litter that Maggie had and I watched her being born. She was named after Emmy-Lou Harris, because she was completely white. As soon as I saw her, I knew I had to keep her. Sadly Lulu died Thursday July 16th 2020 at the age of 15 1/2. The week before she was diagnosed with bone cancer and was crying a lot, with pain. You would think that after 4 of them dying - Bob, Maggie, her younger sister, PJ, and her baby brother, Rufus, who was the first to die because he was hit by a car - it would get easier, but it doesn't. Yeah, I know, first world problems, but I love my dogs and since I work from home most of the time, I am with them all the time. Lulu was quite a character. She definitely had a mind of her own and followed the beat of her own drum. If we took the high road, she would take the low road. She basically did what she wanted and didn't really listen to anything I told her to do! For example, for a while we had a llama named Rathbone. Rathbone did not like anyone, but Lulu tried her best to make friends with him. She was forever getting into his enclosure to play with him. Rathbone liked Lulu. Everyone that met her liked Lulu! After Crash died, we got another French Mastiff named Muggs. Lulu loved Muggs and she would play with him whenever he wasn't sleeping. Muggs loved Lulu. Everyone loved Lulu. Lulu was not very Jack Russell-like at all. Basically she was not very athletic. If you can think back on gym class, remember the kid who was the most uncoordinated and un-athletic; that would be Lulu. And as years went by and she started losing her hearing and her sight she got even worse. But she always got an "A" for effort. Lulu was the best ever big sister. She didn't have a mean streak in her body and helped Maggie take care of her baby siblings. The main thing about Lulu though was that she loved to eat. In her later years, I always knew what time it was because she would let me know when it was dinner time. Plus, the time of the dinner somehow ended up getting earlier and earlier. Up until the time she died, dinner had gone from 5pm to 2pm! She really was one of the best dogs I have ever had and I miss her very much.

This photo was created by Phil Orara

These are heat boxes, not shade!

Even when you think the temperature is OK or feels fine to you, your fur kid may feel very differently. Animals don't sweat like humans, so they heat up a lot ...quicker than we do. Their primary source of cooling down is through panting which is wildly inefficient when exposed to too much heat! The #1 cause of heatstroke in dogs is leaving them in a vehicle! Never-ever leave a dog in a car even on a mild day. While you're in the air-conditioned store grabbing a few things, your car is quickly turning into an oven. Dogs can suffer brain damage and die from heatstroke. Helpful Tips: Walk in the early morning and late evening when it is cooler. Carry water with you. Limit exercise on hot days. Avoid surfaces that absorb heat, like asphalt, pavement, metal, sand, and car seats. These materials absorb heat from the sun and can stay hot for hours (even after the sun has gone down). Temperatures on these surfaces can exceed 145 F Keep your fur kids cool! Fans, ice cubes, frozen treats, kiddie pools, and sprinklers can all help keep the kids cool on hot days. Make sure fresh water and a cool place to rest is available at all times. xo

I've also heard of tags getting caught in between deck boards

I had no idea that Benadryl gel caps were toxic to dogs! I wonder if you can squeeze out the Benadryl and use the liquid?

Happy Canada Day

We miss you and all your snuggles, Thomas

THE INVISIBLE SLIMY MONSTER IN THE WATER BOWL Ever rub your fingers on the inside of your pet's water bowl and you feel a slippery slime of sorts? Well that inv...isible goo is called Biofilm. Biofilm is a collection of organic and inorganic, living and dead materials collected on a surface. It is made up of many different types of bacteria bound together in a thick substance that acts as a glue to both hold the bacteria together and adhere it to a surface. Biofilm can often be good bacteria but there is also the bad! Biofilms provide a safe haven for organisms like Listeria, E. coli and legionella where they can reproduce to levels where contamination of products passing through that water becomes inevitable. Bad Biofilms have been found to be involved in a wide variety of microbial infections in the body such as urinary tract infections, middle-ear infections and bladder infections. Many pet parents are guilty of simply refilling the water bowl over and over without a wash and this becomes a wonderful environment for biofilm to soak around in. How to reduce Biofilm: Remember to clean your pet’s water bowl at least once a week if you can and change water daily. For pet daycares where a host of different bacteria float around in water bowls, wash daily! For best results, run your water bowls through a hot cycle in the dishwasher with an eco friendly, non-toxic soap to really clean out the biofilm! Rodney Habib Pet Health Site "An educated, informed and well-researched community of pet owners can only put more pressure on the pet food industry to be better! When pet owners know better, they will only do better!" (P.S. - I am going to get lambasted over the "wash once a week at least" concept. However, after a wonderful discussion with a well known pro-active veterinarian/scientist, when she studied the bacteria looming in pets' water bowls she found if you have a healthy beast, biofilm can actually be full of wonderful, healthy bacteria. It's like playing in the mud as kids and having good bacteria all over you! So sometimes cleaning regularly can wash all the good stuff away. ;) )

Let us remember our pets who already crossed the rainbow bridge. May their memories fill your hearts with warmth and comfort.