Animals First Clinic

01/27/2025

Happy monday!!

If your puppy has had more colors appear on their coat as they have gotten older share your before and after pictures in the comments below!!

01/27/2025

Can you guess what these wriggly little things are?
Tip: They are from a cat!

01/25/2025

Percy is enjoying his lazy Saturday & we hope you are too! If you are needing to pick up medication or food we are open today from 8:30-5pm.

01/24/2025

Give your dog a " Boop" on the nose for us, And tell your cat we said "pspspsps"

01/23/2025

Need eyes or ears checked? Maybe past due for some vaccines? we have open appointments spots for you today! Give us a call to book in!

01/21/2025

We are so happy to have been able to help with Galaxy's care! She really is a wonderful cat and our staff hope she finds her forever home very quickly.
Good luck, Galaxy!

Our girl Galaxy is looking a lot different since last time you saw her! She arrived just before Christmas with a severely swollen eye that was unfortunately beyond repair. The amazing team at Animals First Clinic gave her the best Christmas present by removing her damaged eye, allowing her to start the new year without pain 😺

Galaxy has been hanging out as she awaits her spay appointment tomorrow then will be looking for a forever family. Keep an eye out on our website for her bio! (pun intended 😸)

01/16/2025

With the weather and road conditions expected to deteriorate this afternoon, we want to make sure all of our clients are driving safely!
If you are going to be late, just give us a call at 780 814 8544 to let us know.

Take care and stay safe, everyone!

01/15/2025

Enrichment is always important, and Percy sometimes gets bored in clinic. We like to offer him new things to keep him occupied.

Unfortunately we sometimes underestimate how fast he will figure things out. Our snuffle mat idea would work great if he didn't fling it!

01/14/2025

It's a new year, which means spring will be here before you know it. We often get an influx of appointments before the spring/summer for updating vaccines to go to kennels, camping, or travel.

If your pet is due for their vaccines, make sure you get them updated before you make plans! Not only to get them in to kennels, but to make sure they don't catch anything on their travels.

If you aren't sure if your animal is up to date, please give us a call at 780 814 8544!

01/13/2025

Dogs and cats have different collars for very good reasons!

Cat collars are designed to snap off if it gets caught on something. Cats like to climb onto things, so if they fall and their collar gets stuck, it will release to prevent injury to the cat.
In contrast, dog collars are designed to hold on to the dog with a leash, so the dog can't get away if they start to go after something.

This is the opposite of what we want with cats, so you should never use a dog collar on a cat!

01/10/2025

It’s the season of the Bohemian Waxwings!

How can you tell the difference between Cedar Waxwings and Bohemian Waxwings? There are a couple of important things to note!

First, consider the season. Since it is winter, it would have to be a Bohemian Waxwing, as they spend their summers in northern Canada and Alaska and their winters in Alberta. In contrast, Cedar Waxwings migrate to Alberta for the breeding season, spring and summer, and then winter in the southern United States and Central America. A fun trick to remember this is to think Cedar = Summer.

Another way to tell them apart is by their coloring. While they appear very similar, a trained eye can distinguish between the two. Bohemian Waxwings have gray bellies with rusty undertones and white barring on their darker wings. On the other hand, Cedar Waxwings have yellow bellies and white undertones, making them lighter in color overall.

As many of you may already know, this species is notorious for eating mountain ash berries, feeling a bit intoxicated, and then flying into windows! If this happens at your house, we recommend capturing the bird and bringing it to our wildlife hospital, or 24 hour emergency vet, as soon as possible. The individual pictured here fell victim to this exact situation and is currently receiving treatment for head trauma.

Now you know that if you spot a Waxwing this winter, it’s a Bohemian, not a Cedar! Either way, they are certainly beautiful birds.

01/09/2025

One of our favourite sayings is that old age is not a disease.

Senior pets are at a higher risk of certain issues, and so regular bloodwork and exams are recommended to catch anything developing. Age itself is not a disease, and so even if your pet is considered old, that doesn't mean they are less healthy than a younger animal!

01/08/2025

Is your pet microchipped? If yes, when was the last time you updated your personal contact information?

Microchipping is an easy way to make sure your pet has the best chance of coming home to you if they happen to get lost. Cats are 20 times more likely to be returned to their owners when they have a microchip. Over half of dogs with microchips are returned to their owners when they are found.

The #1 reason pets with microchips don't end up being reunited is inaccurate or outdated contact information. Make sure you call your microchip company and check! If you don't know, bring them by the clinic. We can scan the number, see who it is registered with and give you the company to call.

01/07/2025

There have been two cases of raw diets being linked to H5N1 (avian influenza) infections in cats in the United States - one in Oregon, another in California. H5N1 is extremely dangerous for cats, and at least one cat has passed away due to the contamination.
While these cases are currently only in the US, at least one of these brands was sold in British Columbia.

Please be careful with these diets. Raw diets are at a very high risk of contamination under normal circumstances with pathogens such as Salmonella and E.Coli, and now we know that H5N1 can be passed through them as well.

We do not recommend feeding raw diets. If you must feed a raw diet, please consider cooking it. An internal temperature of 165F/74C will kill most viral and bacterial pathogens. All of the ingredients stay the same, and your pet will not lose any nutrients from cooking it.

You can read more about raw diets, the risks and what you can do here:

Issues with raw diets and H5N1 influenza risk in cats (and dogs) have gotten a lot of attention in the last week or two. Like most emerging disease

01/06/2025

Before getting a puppy or adult dog, it is recommended that pet owners seek out training material that is breed and age-specific. The material should also provide information on appropriate behaviour and development and sensitive developmental stages influencing socialization, as well as strategies for managing and minimizing fear and distress brought about through environmental and social exposures.
https://bit.ly/3Rjp5XK

01/03/2025

Avery won our pet drawing contest back in October, and this past week was able to get her specially made plushie based off of her drawing!

Congratulations again, Avery, and enjoy the puppy!

01/01/2025

Happy New Year from our team to you!!

12/30/2024

Just a reminder of our hours for this week!

Dec 30 - 8:30am-6:00pm
Dec 31 - 8:30am-2:00pm
Jan 1 - CLOSED
Jan 2-3 - 8:30am-6:00pm
Jan 4 - CLOSED

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to give us a call! Don't forget to grab your pet's food and prescriptions prior to the closures so that you don't run out when we are closed!
Happy holidays!