Nathan's Animal Care

11/10/2024

Anyone recognize this dog?

11/08/2024

The cuteness factor of these pictures merits their own post!😻

11/08/2024

Katy was delighted to see me today and did excellent during her nail trim.😺

11/07/2024

An update to my earlier post in regards to the ER visit:

The X-rays of wrist, Forearm and thumb revealed no broken bones, however while the doctor was having me move my thumb and wrist, while she manipulated it, she saw and heard a tendon pop out of place along the base of my thumb and side of my forearm, and I started crying from the pain, so they said I definitely have a tendon/ligament injury of some sort, and recommended that I talk to my doctor about getting a referral for an MRI and physiotherapy, which I will be doing.

I have very limited movement and use of my right thumb and wrist, even just trying to move my phone so it wouldn't fall out of my pocket led to my screaming out in pain and crying uncontrollably, and I felt something in my thumb "snap" and be forced downwards.

I don't anticipate any impact to my services for the time being as I can continue walking dogs using my hands free dog leash, and I'm going to try and adjust to doing nail trims using solely my left hand but I think this will be difficult and I may have to put my nail trim service on hold but I am hoping to avoid having to do so.

Should there end up being impacts to any of my services, I will make another post to inform my clients of the the specific impacts.
I'm feeling exhausted, in pain and emotional, so I will respond to any unanswered messages tomorrow.

Thank you,

Nathan

11/07/2024

Dear clients,

I'm headed to the ER as I walked into the side of a door frame, hitting the side of my right forearm and wrist pretty hard, which has caused swelling and I can't open or close my hand without significant pain.

I will try to respond to the rest of the messages I've received today, but there may be delays.

Thank you for your understanding.

11/03/2024

Drop-in visit for Aurora and Aladdin.😺

11/01/2024

With Halloween here and lots of people using glow sticks, I wanted to share this quick tip. If your pets get into a glow stick, don’t panic— the chemical they contain, known as dibutyl phthalate has a low toxicity for dogs and cats, however it is bitter so it may cause some alarming looking symptoms such as excessive drooling, retching and gagging.

As always, if in doubt, call pet poison control or contact your veterinarian for further advice.
The linked article below has additional information as well.🙂

Glow Jewelry such as glow sticks can be toxic to pets. One bite can cause DBP to leak from the glow stick, & cause profuse drooling, gagging, & retching.

11/01/2024

Happy Halloween, everyone! 🎃

I’m busy studying for my university course final exam, so I won’t be out trick-or-treating, but I’ve still got the house decorated and two candy bowls set up! The big blue bowl has fresh water for any thirsty dogs, too.

If you know my address, feel free to drop by, or message me if you need it!

I’ve even got liver treats for the pups – just let me know if you’re coming by with your dog, and I’ll come outside with them!🐶

10/31/2024

I finally decided to get set up with a business chequings account instead of using my personal bank account, and CIBC made a mistake with my business name.😅

Henceforth, my business is known as "Nathan's Animal Car", lol.
I had double checked that I spelt it properly, and that it was within the allowable amount of characters, so this is pretty funny.😆

10/30/2024

Great information to be aware of, on behalf of Laurie' Canine Consulting !

🚫🐾 Attention Dog Owners!🐾🚫

Did you know that raw dough can be dangerous for our furry friends? 🍞🐶 Here's why you should keep it away from your pups:

1. Expansion Risk: Raw, yeast-based dough can expand in your dog's stomach, leading to a serious condition called bloat, which can be life-threatening! 😱

2. Alcohol Production As the yeast ferments, it produces alcohol, which can lead to alcohol poisoning. Symptoms include vomiting, disorientation, and even seizures! 🍺⚠️

3. Digestive Issues Raw dough can upset your dog's stomach, causing vomiting and diarrhea. Not fun for anyone! 🤢

4. Toxic Ingredients Many doughs contain ingredients like onions that are toxic to dogs. Always check what you're baking! ❌🧅

5. Prevention is Key Store raw dough out of reach and be vigilant while baking. If your dog gets into it, contact your vet immediately!

Let’s keep our pups safe and healthy! Stick to dog-friendly treats instead! 🐕❤️

10/24/2024

Due to a last-minute cancellation, the pet sitting I had scheduled to begin tomorrow is no longer happening. Unfortunately, I'm still under the weather with a stomach flu and a cold, so I am still unable to reschedule the nail trim and dog walking appointments I had to cancel recently.

I apologize for the inconvenience and lack of posts as a result and I appreciate your understanding during this time. I’ll be back to normal operations as soon as I can.

How is everyone else doing? I've heard that lots of people are being hit hard by the flu and colds going around.

10/22/2024

Availability update:

Due to a cancellation I have November 1st-14th and 19th-21st available for overnight pet sitting.

These dates likely won't remain available for long, so please contact me as soon as possible to secure your booking should you require care during any of them.

10/21/2024

Welcoming Max and Benny back into my care.🐶🐾

10/17/2024

A Message of Accountability and Transparency

Hi everyone,

At Nathan's Animal Care, accountability and transparency are two of my top priorities. In light of these values, I want to share something with you, as I believe it's the right thing to do.

Earlier this year, I transitioned from managing bookings, payment processing, and other administrative tasks manually to using a software called Time to Pet. This change has greatly reduced the time I spend on administrative tasks, but it hasn’t been without some hiccups.

Time to Pet's payment processing allows me to set up automatic charging for clients with credit cards on file at specific times—currently every day at 2 p.m. As per my policies, I require a 50% deposit when a booking request is approved and the remaining balance within 48 hours after the booking ends.

When I create an invoice, both the creation and due dates are, automatically set to the same day. I send the invoice to clients with a note explaining the payment policies, methods, and that the due date will be adjusted to 48 hours after the booking’s end once the deposit is received. Unfortunately, Time to Pet doesn't currently allow for separate due dates for the deposit and final payment.

While I typically manage this process well, I have, on occasion, forgotten to change the due date. In some cases, this has led to clients being auto-charged the full booking amount before it was due. When this has occurred, I've always refunded the full amount immediately, and my clients have then manually paid the 50% deposit—except in cases where they opted to pay in full upfront, and things were left as they were.

Even though I've corrected these issues promptly, I understand that these mistakes could potentially cause concern or mistrust, which I take seriously. Therefore, I’ve decided to temporarily disable auto-charging for all clients until I can better familiarize myself with the system, consult with other business owners that use this software, and establish a more reliable process.

I sometimes struggle with being open about my mistakes, but first and foremost, maintaining trust and strong relationships with my clients is incredibly important to me. While my expertise is in pet care and related aspects such as animal behaviour, I’m continuously learning the administrative side of things, and I truly appreciate the patience and understanding of those who have stuck with me through these growing pains.

Although the administrative side of things can be frustrating, especially trying to find solutions and testing out sometimes dozens of potential fixes, I've actually come to enjoy it(Nowhere near as much as spending time with all of your adorable pets of course!).

That was a long post, but I thank you for reading it,

Nathan

10/15/2024

Dear Clients and Supporters of Nathan's Animal Care,

I hope you're all doing well. Unfortunately, I’ve fallen sick again, this time with a stomach flu and a cold, and I have had to cancel all the nail trim appointments I had booked for today and over the next few days.

I’ve already reached out to each of you individually, but I also want to publicly apologize for the inconvenience, especially to those of you who’ve had appointments rescheduled twice now due to my illnesses. I know it’s frustrating, and I really appreciate your patience.

To hopefully avoid having to cancel again, I’ll be focusing on resting and making sure I’m fully recovered before rescheduling any appointments. I’ll likely take a few extra days even after I’m feeling better just to be sure I’m back to 100%.

Over the next few days, there may be less content on my page, and it might take me a little longer than usual to respond to messages. I appreciate your understanding, and I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Thank you so much for your support, and I can’t wait to see you and your pets again once I’m feeling well.

Warm regards,
Nathan

10/14/2024

Wishing everyone a joyous Thanksgiving!

Many delicious foods will be passed around the dinner table tonight, but many are not safe for pets to consume; please be dillegent to ensure that your pets also have a safe and happy thanksgiving.🐶😺

For information on foods to avoid giving your pets, visit the website link below, or contact me for a more detailed list.📄🚫

https://vcahospitals.com/shop/articles/top-safety-tips-to-avoid-a-pet-emergency-this-thanksgiving

Sincerely,

Nathan

10/13/2024

Naptime!💤😆

10/12/2024

Early morning catnip feeding frenzy.