Main Street West Animal Hospital
433 Main Street West L8P 1K5 Hamilton, ON, Canada

A regular check-up is important to your pet's health. Here's why: Veterinarians recommend regular wellness exams for the same reason your physician and dentist... recommend them if you can detect a problem in its early stages, it's more likely to be treated and resolved with less expense, less difficulty and better success. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Vaccinations, heartworm prevention and routine deworming are important components of wellness care and can prevent diseases that are not only life-threatening, but very expensive to treat. Your veterinarian can recommend a wellness program based on your pet's breed (some breeds are predisposed to certain health problems), age, lifestyle and overall health.

The Farley Foundation needs your vote! Trupanion wants you to vote for the next charitable organizations they support. The top three organizations will receive funds, and Farley needs your help to get there. The Farley Foundation funds emergency veterinary care for the pets of seniors and people with disabilities, who benefit greatly from the love and companionship a pet brings. This is the organization that Dr. Bourque fundraises for by participating in their Ride for Farley every fall. Please Vote now! The poll closes May 14.

A regular check-up is important to your pet's health. Here's why: Veterinarians recommend regular wellness exams for the same reason your physician and dentist... recommend them if you can detect a problem in its early stages, it's more likely to be treated and resolved with less expense, less difficulty and better success. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Vaccinations, heartworm prevention and routine deworming are important components of wellness care and can prevent diseases that are not only life-threatening, but very expensive to treat. Your veterinarian can recommend a wellness program based on your pet's breed (some breeds are predisposed to certain health problems), age, lifestyle and overall health.

Getting Pet Health Information Online: Keeping your pet healthy and happy is important, and understanding your pet's health is a critical part of that effort. ...The internet can be a great source of information, but it's also a major source of MISinformation. It can sometimes be very hard to separate the good information from the bad. So, where do you find reliable information about your pet's health? Your veterinarian should be your number one resource. Your veterinarian is familiar with your pet, and can answer your questions and concerns based on this knowledge. They also have the training and knowledge to provide you with accurate information. Consider the source of the information online. Is it coming from a veterinarian who graduated from a veterinary school? Regardless of where you go online to find information, there are some "red flags" that should warn you that a site may not be trustworthy: 1. The site tells you that you don't need a prescription for medications like heartworm preventives, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as Rimadyl, Deramaxx, Previcox or others)**, or other drugs for which your veterinarian tells you that you need a prescription. These sites may be selling illegal, unapproved or counterfeit medications that could seriously harm your pet. 2.The site (or someone on the site) diagnoses, prescribes medications, or tells you how to treat your pet's condition or problem based on information you provide. The person/site is basing their entire process on the information you provide, which may not be enough information to provide an accurate assessment of your pet's problem. The results could be very harmful for your pet. 3.The site is promoting a "homemade" remedy for a pet health problem (such as parvo, heartworm, etc.) and makes statements that the product is more effective than veterinary care. For your pet's benefit, be sure to ask your veterinarian questions so you understand your pet's health problem.

For those who walk in the Iroquois heights/ Chedoke/ Bruce trail area, there has been an increased number of coyote sightings. Be sure to keep your dogs on lea...sh, and bring your cats inside. Sharing space with our wildlife will keep our pets safe. Here's some information provided through the City of Hamilton Website: http://www.hamilton.ca//An/Education/LivingwithCoyotes.htm