Battlefords Animal Hospital
11204 Railway 7A Ave E S9A 2R7 North Battleford, SK, Canada

Many foods we indulge in during the holidays are often dangerous for our pets! Please keep the following away from your pets: Cooked bones... Garlic & Onions Fat/Grease Alcohol Raisins Chocolate/Candy Desserts It is a nice feeling to treat our pets at Christmas and there are festive foods you can share. Here are some safe dog-friendly recipes you can make for them instead of giving them table scraps that may contain foods that are toxic! https://www.rover.com/blog/diy-christmas-dog-cookie-recipes/

The Battlefords Animal Hospital would like to apologize for any inconvenience booking appointments during this time as we have quite a hectic schedule. We thank you for your continued support through these crazy times. Clinic staff appreciate your patience while booking appointments for your pets and livestock. We are trying our best to fit everyone in, the health and well being of your animals is so important to us!

With Christmas approaching, we would like to share some tips on how to cat-proof your Christmas Tree during the holidays! - Place more ornaments at the top and more in the center of the tree instead of the end of the branches. This will be more out of reach of your cat. - Avoid decorations like sparkly tinsel, dangling strings and ribbons as they attract cats the most! If these materials are ingested by your cat it can cause a foreign body obstruction that requires surgery.... - Wrap the base of your tree with aluminum foil. Many cats hate the feel of foil and the loud crinkling noise it makes when they walk on it. - Try to place the tree away from furniture, perches, staircases, etc. that your cat might use to jump from! - Secure your tree to keep it from getting knocked over by your cat! You can use a tree stand with a wide, stable base. You can also use fishing line to tie the tree to a hook on the wall, or something else solid. - Having a tree with less area to play may help keep your curious cat out of it. Choose a slimmer artificial tree model, like a pencil tree. - Hang lights out of reach of your cat and secure loose cords so they don't dangle or slide on the floor. If your cat plays and chews electrical cords they may get electrocuted and burned. - If your cat just won’t leave the tree alone no matter what you do, consider putting it in a different room where they can’t access it. These are just a few ideas to help minimize the chaos. For more help, contact the clinic! https://www.preventivevet.com//how-to-keep-your-cat-out-of

It is Senior Pet Month! Pets over the age of 7 years and large breed dogs over the age of 5 years are considered a senior. It is important to provide pets with a life that is as close to free from pain and discomfort as possible. Our best chance at achieving this is through preventative medicine and early detection of health problems. There may not be any signs in the early stages of disease or compromised organ function. For this reason, we recommend annual wellness exam...s and diagnostic screening on all senior pets. Early disease detection can result in earlier treatment, which will impact the quality and length of your pet’s life. Although our pets may develop age-related problems, good care allows them to live happy, healthy and active lives in their senior years. Celebrate senior pets by sharing a photo of yours! For more information on senior pets and age related healthy problems visit the link: https://www.avma.org/resources-too/pet-owners//senior-pets

Happy Halloween! We want to remind you that Halloween may involve some potential dangers to your pets. Please keep in mind over the weekend: Halloween can be scary for pets! It may be best to move your pets to a quiet and comfortable place so they don't run out the door or get scared by dressed up trick-or-treaters.... Halloween candy is not safe for any pet! It can be toxic so keep it away from them. Decorations may look like toys to your pets. Be sure wires are kept out of reach and watch that they don't eat something they shouldn't! Curious cats and dogs can easily burn themselves on an open flame or even knock over a candle accidentally. Be cautious using candles around your pets or opt for LED candles in your jack-o-lanterns instead! Keep your cats inside as it may be dangerous for them during Halloween night festivities. We hope you have a fun and safe weekend!

Does your cat or dog have Diabetes? Diabetes mellitus is an endocrine disease of dogs and cats. This condition occurs when the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin and the body can not use glucose (a type of sugar) normally. The treatment for diabetes includes insulin injections, dietary and lifestyle changes. Successful treatment of diabetes requires regular examinations, blood and urine tests, and monitoring your pet’s weight, appetite, drinking and urination. We unders...tand our clients may feel overwhelmed managing their pets diabetes, it can be tough to adjust to the lifestyle changes and it requires a lot of patience. Fortunately, Merck Animal Health offers an app "Pet Diabetes Tracker" to simplify your pets diabetes management. Merck Animal Health provides pet owners with reliable information regarding Diabetes mellitus. To better understand diabetes in pets visit the Merck Animal Health website link: http://www.caninsulin.ca/diabetes-mellitus.asp

Halloween is just around the corner, be sure to prevent stressing your pets and keep them safe this year!

Royal Canin has 3 great customer rebates for you to use! #1 - When you buy any Royal Canin diet you will get a $10 cheque in the mail if you fill out the required information. #2 - Literally if you bring your cat to the vet clinic, you will get $25! No purchase of a Royal Canin diet necessary.... #3 - Buy an 11kg bag of the Hypo HP Moderate calorie diet and get a cheque for $15 in the mail. These offers are valid until December 31, 2020 and be sure to read the terms and conditions! Here is the link to the rebates: https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/

Happy Friday! We had Thunder and Lightning in for a neuter and a spay today. Can you guess what breed these two are?

This week is Animal Health Week! The theme for this year is "Zoonotic Diseases" which are diseases that can be spread between humans and animals. For example, the rabies virus can spread to humans by the bite of an infected animal. Another example are parasites, which can be transmitted by pets and infect humans. ... We recommend making sure your pets receive wellness checks, are always up to date on their vaccines and dewormed regularly to help protect you, your family, and your pet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80FR9bhqwpM

Help keep your cat healthy with regular deworming. Call the clinic (306) 446-8387 to discuss deworming products that will work best for your pet!

It is a cats natural instinct to scratch objects in their environment to stretch their muscles, sharpen and clean their claws, and to mark their territory. Having several scratching posts for your cat to use and rewarding them with treats or toys when scratching appropriately can minimize destruction in other areas of your home.Trimming your cats nails regularly can help prevent damage when scratching and if necessary, plastic nail caps are available to cover the claws of cats. The attached link includes more information on how to prevent problem scratching in cats. If you have any questions about preventing destructive scratching, needing assistance with trimming nails or applying nail caps, give the clinic a call, we're always happy to help! https://www.paws.org/resources/destructive-scratching/

Dr. Tom and Tiandra, a student of the WCVM Class '22, went on a call the other day to pregnancy test a herd of 'tiny' cows!

Kittens make Mondays so much better! This is Sal, he came in for his first set of vaccines last week!

Please join us in welcoming our new veterinarian to the Battleford's Animal Hospital team, Dr. Jasmine Tenkink! She looks forward to meeting you next time you come in with your pet.

Happy Friday! Dr.Tom took photos of these gorgeous lilies he found along the road out on a call a few days ago. The prairie lilies are in full bloom just in time to celebrate summer!