Nelson Animal Hospital

06/23/2024

Canada Day celebrations are just around the corner! If your pup experiences anxiety or fear with fireworks, we can help! Give us a call at 250-352-7861 📞

06/18/2024

Yesterday we had two wonderful Golden Retrievers, ages 6 and 2, come in for elective surgical procedures. Both dogs had a history of eating a well-known and popular grain free diet for several years. In one dog, an arrhythmia (irregular heart beat) was detected so an x-ray of his chest was taken. His heart was enlarged, so an echocardiogram was scheduled for that afternoon. An x-ray was also taken of the other dog's chest as a precaution, and his heart was also enlarged. He was able to get an echocardiogram same day, as well.

The reports on both dogs just came back, and both of these gorgeous, otherwise perfectly healthy dogs have Dilated Cardiomyopathy. The cardiologist suspects that in both cases it is related to their diet. Thankfully, this condition was caught early, and when fed a traditional diet, their condition should hopefully reverse. Their cases are being reported to the FDA, along with the thousands of others from across the country.

There is no evidence to support feeding grain-free. Most pet allergies are related to environment (pollens, etc) or protein sources. Grain allergies account for a tiny fraction of all food allergies in dogs. Unfortunately, many dogs are becoming very ill or even dying from eating so-called "BEG" diets (boutique, exotic, grain-free), and the terrible thing is nutritionally mediated dilated cardiomyopathy is 100% preventable. There have been zero reported cases of NMDCM in dogs eating foods that meet WSAVA guidelines, currently made by Purina, Hill's, Iams/Eukanuba, or Royal Canin. We strongly suggest if you are feeding a "BEG" diet that you change your dog over to one of the brands listed above. If you have any questions specifically related to your pet, please call us.

We are so hopeful we caught this disease in time for our two beautiful patients to reverse their disease. Their very caring and dedicated owners have already changed their diet to one that meets WSAVA criteria. The articles below will help explain this disease, WSAVA guidelines, and why grain-free was more marketing than science.

http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/11/dcm-update/

https://www.wsava.org/WSAVA/media/Arpita-and-Emma-editorial/Selecting-the-Best-Food-for-your-Pet.pdf

http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2016/06/grain-free-diets-big-on-marketing-small-on-truth/

https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/dogs-fed-some-popular-diets-could-be-risk-heart-disease/

06/16/2024

Puppies are curious little creatures, and often put things in their mouth that don’t belong! 🐶 Check out the ASPCA Household Pet Dangers list to make sure your home is puppy proof 🚫

https://www.aspcapetinsurance.com/101-things-you-didnt-know-could-harm-your-pet/

06/10/2024

Bonus points if you post a photo of your pet with the emojis! 🥰🫶🏼🤡

05/31/2024

We can’t think of a better way to spend a Friday night 💫

05/21/2024

Spring storms and firework celebrations are just around the corner ⛈️ If your pet experiences fear or anxiety with these events, let us know! We are here to help! 📞

05/16/2024

On May 8th, the CDC announced new border crossing requirements for dogs effective August 1, 2024

“Starting on August 1, all dogs entering the U.S. (including those that left the U.S. and are returning, and regardless of the country they are coming from) must be:
• healthy upon arrival
• at least 6 months of age
• microchipped
• accompanied by a CDC Dog Import Form receipt and required vaccination and veterinary documents.

Additional requirements may apply depending on where the dog has been in the last 6 months and whether or not the dog was vaccinated in the United States.

Use CDC’s Q&A tool (the CDC “DogBot”) to determine what rules apply to your dog: https://bit.ly/2rww2bq”

05/12/2024

It’s that time of year! We’ve been seeing quite a number of our doggy patients affected by allergies. Recognize these signs? Give us a call, we can help! 📞

05/02/2024

It’s baby bird season! Not sure what to do if you find one? Check out this flow chart! 😅

Found a baby bird out of its nest? Use this comic from Bird and Moon’s Rosemary Mosco to determine how to help! 🐣

04/29/2024

Keep an eye out for these pet toxins when starting your garden this spring! 🧑‍🌾🐌🪻

04/23/2024

We love to hear the stories behind pet names! Did your kids help pick the name? Did it come from your favourite movie? 📺

Let us know your pet’s name story in the comments 💬

04/19/2024

Ticks can be tricky to spot, especially under all that fur! The best treatment is prevention! Give us a call and we’d be happy to help you pick a preventative for your furry friend! 🐶

04/18/2024

🔔 An important reminder as we head into this beautiful sunny weather!

04/13/2024

Though you’ll always have memories of your time together, there are ways to memorialize your pet, including The Tilly Project 📸 We are so lucky to have a participating photographer in the area. To learn more, click the link below 🔗

"The Tilly Project is an international nonprofit organization that aims to connect pet owners with end-of-life pet photographers across the world and to provide accessible, educational, and supportive resources for photography, anticipatory grief, and pet loss/bereavement. The Tilly Project are extending an offer of photography services at no cost to those with pets nearing the end of their lives or senior pets with limited time left. This endeavor is particularly close to The Tilly Project's heart, as they believe everyone deserves to cherish special memories of their beloved pets."

https://thetillyproject.org
https://www.michelletphotos.com/

04/06/2024

Allergies can be a pain in the butt! They can also be caused by a number of things, including your pet’s food, or even their environment 🍗🌳

04/04/2024

Group Classes at Lucky Leash Doggy Daycare in Nelson on Saturdays!
Email to register: [email protected]

Stay tuned for upcoming weeknight as well as outdoor classes, courses and workshops this spring and summer ☀️

04/01/2024

Sharing is caring, except when it comes to chocolate! 🍫🚫

Keep your goodies out of reach to make sure you’re the only one taking a bite out of those chocolate bunnies this weekend 🐶

03/26/2024

Easter is just around the corner!🐰

Make sure you put in your food/prescription orders today, for them to arrive before the weekend!🐣

03/21/2024

03/14/2024

Need a hand with training? We have incredible trainers available in our area! Check them out! ⬇️

https://www.love2play.ca/nelson-classes/

https://pawandorderbc.com/contact/

https://www.inpartnershipdogtraining.com/classes

03/13/2024

⚠️ IMPORTANT INFO ⚠️

03/09/2024

We love this for us. Even more amazing women make up our integral team of support staff 🦸🏻‍♀️

03/08/2024

The sun is shining, and the fleas and ticks are coming out of hiding! It’s time to grab your flea and tick prevention ⏰

Welcome to Nelson Animal Hospital! Since 1972 we are a locally owned and operated veterinary hospital providing comprehensive healthcare services to pets in Nelson and all over the West Kootenays-now...

03/01/2024

Did you know that we’re here for you and your pets 7 days per week? 🗓️🩺

02/24/2024

Old age is not a disease 🐈💙🩺

02/20/2024

It’s national love your pet day!🫶🏼

Show us some pet love in the comments 💬

02/13/2024

🤎🤎

02/06/2024

The job isn’t always puppy breath and kisses, but we love when we can squeeze in a snuggle! 🐶

02/01/2024

Eugene is always watching 👀

01/27/2024

Cats are like potato chips, you can’t have just one! 😻