Coastal Care Veterinary Emergency & Referral Hospital

Coastal Care Veterinary Emergency & Referral Hospital Coastal Care Veterinary Emergency & Referral Hospital, a Nova Scotia first!

10/15/2025

✨It’s Medical Device Reprocessing Technician Appreciation Week✨

In emergency vet medicine, every second counts, and our MDR tech makes sure we’re always ready. From cleaning and sterilizing every instrument to ensuring our equipment is safe and surgery-ready, their work is essential to every patient we treat.

They may work behind the scenes, but their impact is front and center in every life saved.

Thank you to our amazing MDR Joanna for all that you do, our ER couldn’t function without you! 💙🐶🐱

10/14/2025

💕We’re celebrating RVT Appreciation Month this October💕

Our Veterinary Technicians are the unsung heroes behind every emergency case, they work tirelessly to provide care, comfort, and expertise to every patient who walks through our doors.

Their skill, compassion, and dedication make everything we do possible, especially in emergency care. We couldn’t do what we do without them!

Drop a ❤️ below to show our RVTs some love!

10/13/2025

🦃Our hospital is open and available for emergencies throughout the holiday. 🦃

While we hope your pets stay happy and healthy, please know that if something unexpected happens, we’re just a call away.

Wishing everyone a safe and cozy Thanksgiving with your loved ones, two- and four-legged alike!

10/10/2025

✨Staff Pet Collage✨

You know us as the team who cares for your pets, but now it’s our turn to show off ours ❤💙

From snugglers to adventurers, here are some of the adorable companions who keep our staff smiling and inspires us every day. 🐶🐱🐴

🦎CE OPPORTUNITY! 🦎We are excited to offer another Exotics CE event hosted by our exotics department with lectures by our...
10/06/2025

🦎CE OPPORTUNITY! 🦎

We are excited to offer another Exotics CE event hosted by our exotics department with lectures by our Dr. Noelle Webb. This event will take place Friday, October 24th at 6pm.

Lecture Topics:

1) INTRODUCTION TO LIZARD MEDICINE: ANATOMY, PHYSIOLOGY, AND HUSBANDRY HIGHLIGHTS

2) SIGNS AND MANAGEMENT OF COMMON DISEASE IN PET LIZARDS

As always, refreshments will be available during the lectures. RSVP today with [email protected] to ensure you save your space!

🐾This is little Calviee who completely melted into Sophie’s arms today. 🐾Emergency medicine can be busy and unpredictabl...
10/06/2025

🐾This is little Calviee who completely melted into Sophie’s arms today. 🐾

Emergency medicine can be busy and unpredictable, but we never pass up a chance to pause and cuddle a baby when we can. 💞

🔬 Urinary Crystals in Cats 🔬This image shows urinary crystals viewed under the microscope from a male cat’s urine sample...
10/03/2025

🔬 Urinary Crystals in Cats 🔬

This image shows urinary crystals viewed under the microscope from a male cat’s urine sample. Crystals form when minerals in the urine clump together. The most common types we see in cats are:

✨ Struvite crystals – often related to urinary pH and diet.
✨ Calcium oxalate crystals – can form stones that sometimes require surgery.

While some cats may have crystals without showing signs, in male cats they can become especially dangerous. Crystals may combine with mucus and cells to form a urethral plug, which can completely block urination.

🚨 A urinary blockage is a true emergency, without treatment, toxins build up quickly and can become life-threatening. 🚨

🐾What to watch for at home:🐾

🐱 Straining in the litter box with little or no urine produced
🐱 Crying out or showing pain while urinating
🐱 Blood in the urine
🐱 Licking excessively at the ge***al area
🐱 Hiding, lethargy, or loss of appetite, vomiting

If your cat shows any of these signs, please call us immediately. Early detection, proper nutrition, and regular veterinary care can make all the difference in keeping your cat’s urinary tract healthy. 💙

🐾 Patient Spotlight: Gizmo🐾Gizmo was referred to our Surgery Department from his family vet after a one-month history o...
09/29/2025

🐾 Patient Spotlight: Gizmo🐾

Gizmo was referred to our Surgery Department from his family vet after a one-month history of right hind leg lameness.
Radiographs from his family veterinarian revealed a right femoral neck fracture, a break in the “neck” of the femur bone near the hip joint.

To help him regain mobility and relieve pain, Dr. Joudrey performed a Femoral Head Ostectomy (FHO) a surgical procedure where the “ball” of the hip joint is removed. Over time, the surrounding muscles form a “false joint,” allowing the leg to function without the painful bone-on-bone contact.

About a month later, Gizmo returned with lameness on his other hind limb. X-rays showed a new fracture in the left femoral neck, and he underwent the same FHO procedure with Dr. Joudrey on that side.

At his recent 2-week recheck, Gizmo was excited to see his favorite surgery assistant, Heather, and received plenty of love from the rest of the team. Gizmo is healing well and moving more comfortably.

Why FHOs are important:

☑They relieve pain from severe hip injuries or arthritis.
☑They allow pets to regain mobility even when a joint can’t be repaired normally.
☑Post-operative rehabilitation and monitoring are key to ensuring the best outcome.

Gizmo’s story is a great reminder of how surgery and dedicated care can restore comfort and quality of life for pets, even after challenging injuries. 💙

✨Skwash is Coastal Care’s very first patient and Nova Scotia’s first veterinary MRI patient! ✨We’re so proud to offer t...
09/25/2025

✨Skwash is Coastal Care’s very first patient and Nova Scotia’s first veterinary MRI patient! ✨

We’re so proud to offer this advanced service right here at home, giving pets and their families access to cutting-edge diagnostics and care. 💙

🐾 Patient Spotlight: Mildew 🐾Mildew was hospitalized for treatment of cholangiohepatitis and hepatic lipidosis (also kno...
09/22/2025

🐾 Patient Spotlight: Mildew 🐾

Mildew was hospitalized for treatment of cholangiohepatitis and hepatic lipidosis (also known as fatty liver disease in cats). Her care included IV fluids, antibiotics, supportive medications, nutritional support through feeding tubes, and even a whole blood transfusion when anemia developed. With treatment, Mildew stabilized and is now continuing her recovery at home. 💜

🩺 What is hepatic lipidosis?
Cats who stop eating for several days are at risk of this serious condition. When a cat becomes anorexic or severely in appetent, their body tries to use fat reserves for energy. Unfortunately, this fat accumulates in the liver, leading to liver dysfunction and sometimes life-threatening illness.

🩺 What is cholangiohepatitis?
This is inflammation of the liver and bile ducts. The liver performs many essential roles: aiding digestion, producing proteins, regulating blood glucose, and helping blood clot normally. When the bile system is inflamed, bile cannot flow properly and instead gets “trapped” in the liver, where it causes tissue damage.

🔎 What causes it?
A bacterial infection traveling from the intestines to the gallbladder
An immune-mediated condition, which tends to be more chronic and progressive

🚨 Why does this matter?
Both hepatic lipidosis and cholangiohepatitis are serious but treatable if addressed quickly. Early recognition of inappetence in cats is critical, if your cat hasn’t eaten for even 2–3 days, it’s important to seek veterinary care right away.

We are so proud of Mildew for her strength and thankful to her family for their commitment to her care. 💕

09/19/2025

🐾Why We Ask About CPR & DNR🐾

When you bring your pet to our emergency hospital, you’ll notice that during the initial triage with one of our Veterinary Technicians, we ask a few important questions. These questions are not just about the reason for your visit; they also help us prepare for the unexpected.

One of the most important questions is whether you would want life-saving measures, such as CPR, performed if your pet were to go into cardiac arrest, or if you would prefer a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order.

We know being asked about CPR or DNR for your pet can feel upsetting, especially if you’ve never been asked before.

We ask every owner this question at every visit because emergencies can happen quickly, and having your wishes documented on your pet’s chart allows our team to respond immediately and in line with your choices. This helps us provide the best possible care for your pet, while respecting the decisions you’ve made as their guardian. ❤💙

🩺 Ongoing CPR Training 🩺Our commitment to patient care goes beyond daily responsibilities, it includes ongoing training ...
09/15/2025

🩺 Ongoing CPR Training 🩺

Our commitment to patient care goes beyond daily responsibilities, it includes ongoing training to make sure our team is ready for any emergency.
This week, staff from multiple departments came together for inter-departmental CPR training.

💙 Jenn, our VTA Manager, practiced chest compressions
📝 Michaela, Neurology VTA, served as a recorder and provided breaths
💉 Brooke, our Specialty Technician Manager, led the code

By practicing together, each department learns how to work as one seamless unit!
These collaborative sessions strengthen teamwork and ensure that when every second counts, our patients have a highly trained and coordinated team by their side. 🐾❤️

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168 Hobson Lake Drive
Halifax, NS
B3S0G4

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