Whitemud Crossing Animal Hospital

08/30/2024

Not all UTI’s are symptomatic! Some pets may not have any symptoms of a UTI for a very long time before the bacteria start to overwhelm the system leading to frequent urination, bloody urine, and incontinence. While these symptoms are not always due to an infection, a urinalysis is the best place to start. Here at WCAH, we have caught many hidden UTI’s due to routine wellness screening. This means that we can start treatment as early as possible and help prevent the infection from spreading.

08/29/2024

Please note our office will be closed on Monday due to Labour day. If your pet is experiencing an emergency please go to your nearest 24 hour emergency clinic. Wishing everyone a safe and happy long weekend!

08/28/2024

Missy loves to soak up the sun, wherever she can!

08/27/2024

A few weeks ago we had some new decals installed on the front windows, we hope you all like them!

08/26/2024

When we examine a pets urine there are lots of different things that we can find, one of them is crystals. Urinary crystals are formed by the body for many different reasons including high or low urine pH, metabolic conditions, excess nutrients in the diet and many more. The types of crystals we find can tell us a lot about your pets health.

08/24/2024

The urinary system (kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra) helps to balance nutrient levels in the blood and excretes excess and waste products. Since the kidneys are filtering blood to pull out excess and cellular waste, the resultant waste product (urine) can tell us a lot about the health of the body overall. If you have any urinary concerns for your pet, please bring a fresh urine sample with you when coming for their exam! (780) 756-5070

08/23/2024

Have you every wondered why a urinary diet has been recommended for your cat that doesn't have any urinary issues? Click the link below to learn how even healthy cats can benefit from being fed a urinary diet!

A wrong diet can lead to inflammation, bladder stones & crystal in cats. Learn how a cat's diet can affect its urinary health & find out what food to feed your cat.

08/22/2024

A happy and healthy urinary system helps regulate blood pressure, glucose, hormones, salts, water, waste, and more! This vital balancing assures that the other cells in the body can also function properly, and is essential to staying healthy. Blood work and urine testing can tell us a lot about how this system is functioning in your pet. From dehydration and stress, to diabetes and kidney disease, these tests tell us a lot about your pets health.

08/20/2024

Missy enjoys inviting herself to lunch and will gladly take advantage of your lap while you are distracted with eating! It can be quite lovely to spend lunch breaks with her, but sometimes she gets too nosy with our food and has to be politely excused.

08/19/2024

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) is a complex set of symptoms used to describe urinary issues in cats ranging from blood in the urine to crystals to blockages. There are many different ways of treating and controlling FLUTD so its best to talk to your vet if you think your cat is experiencing any of the symptoms listed in this link.

Understand the signs and causes of feline lower urinary tract disease (FLUTD), and see how you can support good urinary health for your cat.

08/16/2024

eTick is an organization that tracks the prevalence of various tick species across Canada. Access to the data is free and anyone can submit photos of a tick found on their person, pet, or in the environment for free. On July 14th, 2024, a Lone Star tick was found on a person in Calgary. While the species has yet to establish themselves in Canada, migratory birds and travel south of the border bring them northwards. Wearing long clothing and keeping your pet on preventives helps decrease the risk of being bitten in tick habitat (overgrown grasses and wooded areas). View the submission here: https://www.etick.ca/etickapp/en/ticks/public/view/86277

A public platform for image-based identification and population monitoring of ticks in Canada.

08/15/2024

Meet Vacula! Our little robot vacuum assistant! Missy has warmed up to it very quickly and doesn’t seem to mind it anymore. She does, however, wonder what the noise it makes in its litter box is all about. (self-emptying system)

08/14/2024

With the hot summer sun beating down, we all need to remember to stay hydrated. Giving our pets ample options for retreat into the indoors, shaded areas, and water all help prevent heat stroke and dehydration. Never leave your pet in a vehicle unattended, and give them frequent breaks when on the go outdoors. Cooling vests and pouring water on their back helps to cool them off as well. Ensure your pet stays healthy and hydrated while being active this summer to prevent emergency visits.

08/13/2024

Last week we had a few very sweet puppies in from ZOE's Animal Rescue Society to be spayed. These 2 were some of our donated surgeries for the rescue, we love helping them out! ❤️

08/12/2024

Did you know that August is national immunization month ? There is a wide range of diseases that can be prevented by keeping your pet up to date on their vaccines! Not sure if your pet is up to date? Give us a call at 780-756-5070!

08/10/2024

If you are planning on taking your pet out of province this summer, please inform our team! Even if you are not going far, for example to British Columbia, every region of the world has its own special considerations when travelling, especially with your pet! Different parasites live in different regions and may not be covered by your pets regular deworming schedule. Additional vaccinations may be recommended or even required by the destination’s government well before your travel date. Pre-travel exams, blood work, and even routine paperwork all take time to complete. Call us today if you are considering travelling with your pet! (780)756-5070.

08/08/2024

When we test your pet's fresh urine sample, we are looking for any evidence of the following: crystals, blood cells, bacteria, protein, glucose, ketones, and some liver values. Along with the colour, clarity, pH, & density, these values show your veterinarian what is happening in your pet's bladder. From bacterial infections to stress, diabetes, and more, their urine can tell us a lot about their health. If you have any concerns with your dog or cat, please contact us! (780)756-5070

08/07/2024

Can anyone guess what Missy is so concerned about? What could possibly be around the corner!?

08/06/2024

Please remember that there are new travel requirements for dogs going to the USA as of August 1st. Please visit the CDC website to look over these new requirements and prepare in advance for your trip!
https://www.cdc.gov/importation/dogs/index.html

08/05/2024

When we ask you to bring a urinary sample to your pets appointment there are lots of things we can find that may indicate an underlying health concern. This image shows just some of they things we can see under the microscope!

08/02/2024

This month we are trying to bring more awareness to urinary issues in pets. Symptoms of many urinary tract problems present similarly whether there is an infection, crystals, stress, renal disease, diabetes, or behavioral issues: Peeing outside the litterbox for cats or in the home in general for dogs, blood in urine, straining to urinate, urinating small amounts, licking at their back ends, excessive thirst, and urinating/trying to urinate frequently. If your cat or dog is experiencing any of these symptoms, it is always best to bring your pet for an exam with a fresh urine sample!

08/01/2024

For the month of August we want to bring awareness to the importance of urinary health for our pets! Their urinary health can tell us a lot about their overall wellbeing and even give us hints in to possible underlying conditions.

07/31/2024

As any fellow cat owners will know, as hard as we may try to keep Missy out of things she always manages to find a way to sit in boxes, bags, and baskets if we leave them out for even a minute! (I like to imagine Missy is blowing raspberries at us in this image because if she could, she totally would!)

07/29/2024

When you hear the word ‘protein’, do you think of meat? Technically, proteins are just a folded chain of amino acids! They are the building blocks of major structures of cells and perform important functions. Getting enough in the diet ensures that cells are able to multiply, grow, and function properly. For example, keratin makes up hair and nails and helps to toughen skin, while haemoglobin enables red blood cells to transport oxygen. When we eat a protein, our body does not immediately use it the way it is. Enzymes pull a whole protein apart into smaller chains of amino acids, and modify them for use. Everything our pets eat has some amino acids and some whole proteins. Ensuring they are eating a variety of foods gives them access to the whole range of amino acids to create the proteins their body needs to function properly. When creating a feeding regimen for your pets, these essential nutrients are key to a healthy diet (water, proteins, carbohydrates, fibres, fats, minerals, and vitamins).

07/26/2024

On busy, stressful days, we try to find moments of calm where we can which includes listening to calming music. All of us at the clinic have different music tastes and take turns choosing the music genre of the day, and some days we need a small reminder to breathe. Missy seems to also be enjoying the relaxing music, don’t you think?

07/23/2024

Last week we saw a very sweet puppy named Sasha for her final round of puppy vaccines! She is such a beautiful border collie puppy! 😍

07/22/2024

07/19/2024

Soluble and insoluble fibres are essential to maintaining a healthy digestive tract. Soluble fibre is dissolvable in water and regulates the body’s uptake of glucose, helps to regulate cholesterol, and slows digestion. Insoluble fibre does not dissolve in water, and helps form proper stools and also acts as a cleaning agent as it can easily carry with it certain toxins, infectious agents, and waste products out of the intestines. For our dogs and cats, a diet with the right amount of fibre also helps them express their a**l glands when they have a bowel movement and helps prevent impaction of the glands (buildup which can easily lead to an infected gland which often needs immediate treatment). When creating a feeding regimen for your pets, these essential nutrients are key to a healthy diet (water, proteins, carbohydrates, fibres, fats, minerals, and vitamins).

07/18/2024

Both dogs and cats are technically carnivores, however, while dogs lean more into omnivory and will gladly eat and digest fruits and vegetables, cats are known as obligate carnivores. This means that cats are unable to process plant material to get any meaningful amount of nutrition from them. Yet, fibre is still an essential part of their balanced diet, therefore, while cats are not capable of digesting plant matter, fibre from plant sources will still benefit their G.I. tract. Fibre helps regulate glucose uptake and improves stool quality. When creating a feeding regimen for your pets, these essential nutrients are key to a healthy diet (water, proteins, carbohydrates, fibres, fats, minerals, and vitamins).

07/17/2024

Keeping your dog active is a great way to help them maintain or even lose weight. Click the link below to learn some different ways to incorporate more activity into your dogs lifestyle both indoors and outdoors!

The amount of puppy and dog exercise will be unique to your dog needs. Check out our advice about walking a puppy, fun indoor games and making walking my dog more stimulating!