Talbot Road Veterinary Services

01/30/2025

Important reminder from the American Association of Equine Practitioners!

01/28/2025

Talbot Tuesday: A serious post

This past weekend, multiple television features were aired covering the rising costs of veterinary care. Members of our profession are devastated, but not surprised, at the volume of cruel comments and discourse that have ensued. Such remarks are made every day - to our faces, in reviews, in online posts, and more.

While the corporatization of veterinary care is a significant and complicated issue, the people on the 'front lines' are no more responsible for the prices you're charged than a cashier is responsible for the costs of your groceries.

As a privately owned clinic, Talbot Road strives to provide high quality, personalized care to all clients and patients. Like any other business, we need to remain financially viable in order to keep our doors open. We work hard to keep our costs as low as possible while paying our staff a living wage and ensuring room to meet the growing needs of our clients and community.

Unlike many clinics, we serve a wide variety of species. Our team recognizes the shortage of care available to all animals in our community, and especially to those not considered 'companion animals'. On top of working 5 days a week, our small team of doctors is then available for emergencies in the evenings, on weekends, and holidays, sacrificing time with friends and family. Our staff work in all climates, with higher safety risks and less-than-ideal working conditions.

Veterinary staff have one of the highest su***de rates of all professions. Long hours, tireless work, and physical, emotional and mental drain have led to a mass exodus of employees from the veterinary field. Contributing to the verbal and written abuse that staff face on a regular basis will only lead to further shortages. In turn, this will further raise the costs of veterinary care or, worse, result in gaps where no care is available.

These are very tough times for all of us. We understand and appreciate that all living costs have increased dramatically in the last few years, and veterinary care is no exception. However, we ask that you consider the humans behind such care before attributing these costs to greed or selfishness. Veterinarians discount more than any other profession. Veterinary staff pour literal blood, sweat, and tears into their jobs every day. They live on salaries dwarfed by other medical fields despite equivalent skills and training.

Not a soul in veterinary medicine is here for the money, but if the cruelty continues, many won't be here at all.

🐾

01/24/2025

Excellent tips for all pet owners, not just horse ones ❤️

Though we wish our horse doctors could be there for our equine friends in any emergency, the reality is that our horses' primary veterinarian cannot be available 24/7 and still juggle the needs of their own personal lives, health and happiness.

The most significant pain point for many veterinarians is caring for their clients during regular business hours and then also being on call for emergencies after hours. For single-doctor or small practices, this traditionally has been the case most nights of the week.

However, private veterinary practices and veterinary schools have more recently focused on developing new models for emergency care which ease the strain on individual practitioners. This includes the growth of emergency cooperatives where two or more practices in a geographic area work together to share after-hours care, as well as more emergency-only practices and the use of tele-triage services to address client concerns after normal business hours.

As equine veterinarians reevaluate what after-hours care looks like for their practices, the support of their clients is critical to creating a balance that works for both parties. If your horse doctor talks with you about changes in how after-hours care is delivered, we hope you’ll welcome the adjustments. This evolution of emergency care must take place in order for equine veterinarians to avoid burnout and continue to be at their best to treat all of your equine friends.

01/23/2025

Enrichment time!
Our clinic cat Nugget can get ‘emotional’ when there are other cats in the clinic. We try to keep him busy with treats hidden in an enrichment box!

01/21/2025

Edited to show answer in the comments!

Talbot Tuesday Trivia!

This handsome (and aptly named) boy, Red, came in to visit us yesterday. Bearded dragons are fascinating creatures who can live many years IF they are provided appropriate husbandry and care. So, how old do you think the oldest ever bearded dragon was? (No cheating!)

01/18/2025

Savvy Saturday!

Just a reminder that with the cold front coming time spent with your horse may have to look a little different! Our doctors recommend avoiding riding or strenuous exercise if the temperatures are below -18 (or when you can see your breath in an indoor arena!). Working your horse at these temperatures can cause damage to their lungs and cause chills if they get sweaty. Alternative activities include leisurely hand walks to keep them (and their guts!) moving or working on ground manners!
Stay safe! 🥶 ❄️

01/14/2025

It's Talbot Tuesday!

Axis here would like to take a moment to talk about PVPs. And no, that's a not a sort of pipe!

PVPs, or pre-visit pharmaceuticals, are oral medications prescribed by your veterinarian to be given prior to a stressful event such as a nail trim, surgery, or appointment. These are safe, effective medications that cause mild to moderate sedation, decreasing feelings of stress, fear, and anxiety in your pets.

PVPs can make a difficult experience much more pleasant, safe, and comfortable for everyone involved. They allow our staff to provide the necessary care that may otherwise be difficult or extremely stressful for the patient.

Importantly, PVPs contribute to better veterinary care in the long run, because they prevent the patient from making a traumatic correlation between the vet clinic and negative experiences. TRVS strives for patients and clients alike to consider their time with us a positive experience.

If you have any questions about PVPs or would like to discuss options for your pet, please reach out to our veterinary team! Axis promises, you'll be glad you did!

01/09/2025

Job Posting Alert - Registered Veterinary Technician, 1-2 Positions

Welcome to Team Talbot Road!

We are a privately owned practice located in Delhi, Ontario. We are a mixed animal practice and provide services to a wide range of species including Equine, Ruminant, Exotics, and Companion animals. Our practice is equipped with up-to-date technology including in-house diagnostics. We strive and pride ourselves on providing personalized patient care, and might be looking for you!

We are looking to add 1-2 Registered Veterinary Technicians to our current crew of 10 staff members! As a fairly young team already, New Grads are more than welcome to apply and can ensure they’ll receive stellar mentorship and support.

The ideal candidate we are looking for should have an interest in mixed animal practice or companion animals only. Our hours of operation are Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. No evenings or weekends. We’re hoping to provide rotating schedules for both in-clinic and on-the-road teams to fit everyone’s interests! Full-time or part-time can be discussed, generous salaries, benefits, all dues paid for, and a negotiable start date!

If you are interested in joining our team then please send your resume, cover letter, and a description of your interests to [email protected]

Talbot Road Veterinary Services is a mixed animal practice just outside of Delhi, Ontario. We provide after-hours care that will be accessible for all our clients 24/7! Our dedicated and experienced team takes care of a range of species including equines, dogs, cats, ruminants, and more!

01/08/2025

Throwback!

You all guessed RVT Hannah without too much trouble in our last round. Who is this cutie patootie?

01/03/2025

As of December 31st, 2024, our old payment service provider discontinued support for our software and our payment processing service. We have since established a new relationship with a new company.

Unfortunately the new company’s policy is to charge an additional transaction fee for cards that are manually entered to process a payment and are not present at the point of sale (with authentication by either tap or client pin). The reason why this policy is in place is to combat fraudulent transactions, although the argument was made by our office manager to have this fee removed due to the nature of our business, we were unsuccessful.

Starting as of January 2nd, 2025, we will make clients aware of a 2.5% transaction fee if a payment is made by credit card over the phone using the information on the back of the card (card number, expiry, CVC).

There are no transaction fees if the client's credit card is present during the point of sale using their card’s security features (with authentication by either tap or client pin). We are set up to take Visa, Master Card, and now American Express.

There are no transaction fees on all other methods of payment (E-transfer, Debit Card, Cash)

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause our clients but we thank you in advance for your understanding.

12/31/2024

Happy Talbot Tuesday!

As 2024 comes to a close and a New Year approaches, the TRVS staff took a moment to reflect on their goals for 2025. Below are our hopes for new skills, experiences, adventures, and more! Feel free to share yours, as well 🎉

Dr. Emily: Hopes to make it to a few horse shows this year 🐴

Amanda, RVT: Would like to try her hand (nose?) at some nose work trials with her dog 👃

Eric, office manager: Aims (no pun intended) to participate in a precision shooting competition 🎯

Dr. Courtney: Wants to keep up with her wall pilates schedule 🙆‍♀️

Hannah, RVT: Would really, really, REALLY like to take ownership of a Belted Galloway (or two) 🐮

Emily, RVT: Intends to make more time for horseback riding 🐎

Dr. Carleigh: Dreams of the Leafs winning a cup.
Only slightly more likely would be her getting more sleep 💤 🍁

Ainsley, VA: Would like to travel somewhere tropical 🏝️

Etta, head of reception: Did not respond before press time. We predict her answer will involve her 4 dogs and the many adventures they take together! 🐕

Nugget: Is going to try his very best to improve his behaviour. Allegedly. 🐈‍⬛

12/24/2024

A Christmas special 🎅🎄

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the clinic,
Every patient was stirring, not minding their business.

The IVs were hung by the cages with care,
In hopes Santy Paws soon would be there;

The kitties were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of tuna danced in their heads;

And Drs. Courtney in long-johns, and Carleigh with hat,
Had just settled Nugget (who was being a brat);

When back in the stalls there arose such a clatter,
They sprung from their chairs to see what was the matter,

Away to the driveway they flew like a horse,
Tore past the stocks and then opened the doors.

The moon on the work trucks seemed whiter and paler
Than the brightness of day that lit up the trailer.

For what did appear to their curious eyes,
But an interesting mammal of moderate size.

The driver emerged from truck cab with glee,
And the girls knew in a moment it was Dr. Emily.

More rapid than greyhounds she called to team,
And out each member came to a wondrous scene.

“Now Eric! Now Etta! Now Nugget and Hannah”,
On Ainsley! On Izzy! On Emily and Amanda!”

As a present for all of your hard work this year
I’ve found us our very own clinic reindeer!

“As sure as a lamb or a kid is to bleat;
This North Pole addition is quick on his feet.”

“So with him we’ll answer to calls and we’ll frolic,
For he is said not to be prone to colic!”

And then with a smile and flick of lead rope,
Dr. Emily pulled out her black stethoscope.

She checked out his heart and she checked out his lungs,
Examined his teeth and looked under his tongue.

He was dressed all in fur from antler to tail,
And munched happily from a round hay bale.

A bundle of meds she had flung on his back,
Like heartworm prevention, in 3- and 6-packs.

His eyes twinkled brighter than Rudolph or V***n,
This boy clearly was not in need of flunixin.

The doctor had placed on his head without falter,
A sharp Christmas green, embroidered new halter.

“He’s friendly with cats and the puppies we see,
He’ll even hold a rabbit for Dr. Carleigh”.

The staff asked his name, but she said with a smile,
“We’ll have to decide as a team in a while”.

“But right now we’ve got vaccines to inject;
surgeries to do, and health to protect”.

With a flick of the rein and a wink of her eye,
Dr. Emily’s new friend headed up to the sky.

Neither she nor the reindeer had much to say,
But took their supplies and headed out on their way.

And being a horse vet she embraced the battle
Of riding a reindeer with just an old saddle!

Together they flew, steady up through the air,
Ready to deliver the county vet care.

And we heard her yell, off away with her load,
“Merry Christmas to all from us at Talbot Road!”

Send a message to learn more

12/20/2024

Exciting news! After a year-long lameness certification program that's almost complete, Dr Emily will now be offering Equine soundness & Lameness packages in the new year!
Please read below to understand the why, how and what!
🤓🐎👀

12/17/2024

Talbot Tuesday throwback!

You all guessed Dr. Courtney pretty easily a few weeks ago. So, which TRVS team member is this adorable child?

12/16/2024

Good Morning and Happy Monday!

Please be advised our regular appointment bookings for our hospital will be closed on the following days for Christmas & New Year's Day;

Tuesday December 24th, 2024 - Closed
Wednesday December 25th, 2024 - Closed
Thursday December 26th, 2024 - Closed
Wednesday January 1st, 2025 - Closed

We will still be offering emergency after hour services for our existing clients (Patient has been seen within the last year during regular office hours). Please call the clinic phone number at 226-931-5362 and leave a voicemail for the oncall Veterinarian for further assistance should you need our emergency services.

In order to better understand what should constitute a middle of the night call we’ve created a chart with examples for each species of urgent (should be seen within ~24 hours) versus emergent (needs to be seen immediately or within a very short time period). Only emergent cases should prompt a late night/early morning call.

Dogs:
Urgent case examples: Not eating, vomiting, lethargy, fever, smaller wounds
Emergent case examples: Broken limb, non-productive vomiting/gagging in a large breed dog, toxin ingestion (chocolate, grapes, rat poison, anti-freeze etc), a wound with uncontrolled bleeding, seizures lasting longer than 5 minutes, sudden onset paralysis

Cats:
Urgent case examples: Not eating, vomiting, lethargy, fever, smaller wounds, struggling to p**p
Emergent case examples: Male cat unable to urinate, broken limb, toxin ingestion (grapes, lilies etc), wounds with uncontrolled bleeding, respiratory distress, sudden onset paralysis

Horses:
Urgent case examples: Off feed, fever, leg that is suddenly swollen but without trauma, lethargy, smaller wounds
Emergent case examples: Broken limb, colic signs (call vet to help triage the seriousness), wounds with large amounts of bleeding or that are overtop/near joints, choke, any birthing complication, down and unable to rise

Ruminants (Cattle, goats, sheep):
Urgent case examples: Off feed, fever, lethargy, small wounds
Emergent case examples: Uterine prolapse, birthing difficulties, “down cow”, bloat, sudden onset paralysis

Send a message to learn more

12/10/2024

Scarlett wants everyone to know as the holidays approach that Talbot Road will be short staffed some days. Our employees are hard workers who deserve time off with their families, too! We will post our Christmas hours closer to affected dates, but we wanted to express our appreciation in advance for your patience. Our staff are replying to emails, and doctors are reporting results to our valued clients, as soon as possible. Please provide advanced notice for prescription requests and non-urgent matters. As always, emergency services will be available for active clients and patients. Thank you for your understanding!

12/04/2024

Wowza Wednesday!

Today, Dr Emily and RVTs Amanda and Emily welcomed this handsome boy into our equine suite for some serious dental work!

Last month he was diagnosed with a condition known as EOTRH (equine odontoclastic tooth resorption and hypercementosis). This excruciating disease occurs in older horses and involves the body breaking down normal tooth structure and replacing it with a very firm tissue called cementum. It typically affects the incisor teeth and the recommended treatment is extraction to prevent further pain and damage to the jaw bone.

The x-ray shows characteristic bulbous roots of some of the teeth which can be seen again when looking at the teeth that were removed. The tip off to take X-rays? Dr Emily noticed on his annual exam that the upper incisors were abnormal looking, had bruising of the gums and were extremely sensitive, requiring high doses of sedation to even examine them. (Another reason why only a licensed veterinary professional should ever float your horse’s teeth and do an oral exam!) Based on those findings x-rays were recommended.

The good news is that with some good pain medication, sedation and local freezing this guy made it through surgery amazingly and was back home eating a mash by this afternoon!

If you have any suspicions that your horse may have this condition don’t hesitate to give us a shout!

12/03/2024

A Talbot Tuesday apology from miss Cookie:

Cookie would like to apologize for the stinkier-than-usual aromas that may be smelled around the clinic in the next few weeks. She recently had surgery at the Ontario Veterinary College to fix an abdominal hernia (surgery went well!), and is now on stall rest for about a month to ensure the incision site remains clean and the sutures intact.

As owners, even Dr. Emily and Eric have to follow post-op instructions!