Banner Elk Animal Hospital

10/27/2024

OK, we are all set to reopen on Monday at 9 am! It will be an outpatient only clinic for the next 2 months. No surgery or dental procedures until we are back in our regular facility, but we can give vaccines, run laboratory diagnostics, treat illnesses and fill or write prescriptions. We will only be open until 4 pm during this time as well. Also, we have a new phone number, 828-783-9084. Or you may still call our long time 898-5120 number and it will be forwarded to the new number. We are looking forward to seeing everyone again!

10/25/2024

10/15/2024

Big news! Banner Elk Animal Hospital will be moving (temporarily) to the Banner Elk Caboose! Our target opening date will be Monday, Oct 28! Our services will be a bit limited, as we will not be doing any surgery or taking X-rays until we move back into our regular space. More info to come. We will have a need for a couple of folding tables as there will be no custom cabinets or shelves for storage.

10/14/2024

We are working on getting service restored but it is going to take several weeks. We were ordered to vacate our office space by the building owner due to flood damage and extensive renovations required. There is also no water service. We are busy all day and most of the night moving out and preparing insurance claims. We are unavailable for any type of service at present. That includes consultations and filling prescriptions. If you are local, you may get service at Animal Hospital of Boone. Their # is 828-264-7113. They will also fill prescriptions for our local customers without having to bring your pet in. If you are out of town for the season, you will need to obtain service in the city or town you are residing in. We will send a notice out once anything changes. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

10/06/2024

From Tuesday Oct 8 to Friday Oct 11th there will be times where we are available to dispense medication, pet food, flea and tick products at a discount to our customers. Cash or check only. We have no water or equipment so we cannot see patients. We do have power and phone service so you might want to call first to ask if we have what you need or see if someone is there. Spread the word please.

09/30/2024

The vast majority of people who would need to see this will not be able to because there is no internet service in Banner Elk. However, this post is to notify as many as possible that Banner Elk Animal Hospital will not be open until further notice due to flooding and storm damage at High Country Square. This will likely be the case this entire week, and we are unable to function until power, water and phone service have been restored. We will also be unable to communicate on this FB page until internet service returns. (This post is being made well away from Avery County.) So please notify your friends and neighbors, and thank you for your patience.

02/07/2024

This is another quick reminder that February is National Pet Dental Month, and Banner Elk AH encourages everyone to take the best care of their dog or cats teeth by offering a 20 % discount on all dental services this month. That includes professional cleaning, extractions, excision of gingival flaps and even pre-anesthetic bloodwork prior to any procedures. We want your pets to be able to keep their teeth for their entire life, but if there is severe enough periodontal disease, they will feel better and eat better after an affected tooth is removed. We still have space left for a few more discounted dental procedures the next 3 weeks, so give is a call at 828-898-5120 to make an appointment. Note: all pets MUST be current on their Rabies vaccine to take advantage of this offer. We can give this vaccine if needed. 🐕 🦷 😁

01/29/2024

If your dog or cat is named Taco, we will only be able to see him or her on Tuesdays, so please make your appointment well ahead of time. We are very sorry for the inconvenience. 🌮 😜

12/28/2023

This may be surprising to some, but even in this cold month of December, we (and our patients) are still finding ticks, on dogs, cats and people. All ticks are not alike - there are several different species found in our area. The American Dog Tick, Brown Dog Tick and Deer Tick are the 3 most common. And they can potentially carry Rocky Mtn Spotted Fever, Ehrlichiosis and Lyme Disease respectively. If you find one on you or your pet, gently pull it off, drown it in alcohol and bring it to us if you’d like to know which species it is. We can determine this by looking at the body and head parts under the microscope. We highly recommend giving monthly Credelio or Bravecto every 2-3 months to your dog or cat to kill ticks and fleas before they begin feeding (and transmitting disease.) It WORKS! Also, if you are in an area where deer and deer ticks are abundant, consider getting a Lyme disease vaccine for your dog. PS - we heard Santa uses Credelio on his entire fleet of reindeer so he doesn’t bring any ticks into all the homes he visits. 🎅 🦌 😁

08/11/2023

Dr. K. will be out of the office next week, Monday, August 14 until the following Monday, August 21. There will be staff present to make appointments, assist with approved medication refills, flea and tick prevention, special diets and such. On Thursday and Friday 24th-25th we will have a relief veterinarian present all day, Dr. Elizabeth Niciu of Columbia, SC. Dr. N owned a small animal practice in Columbia for many years and is now doing relief work full time in NC and SC (and even Jackson Hole, Wyoming!) so your pets will be in capable hands should need arise. Be careful out there! 😎

06/08/2023

Well, hello there! I can’t wait for you to give me my shot. 😳😁

04/20/2023

Rodenticides Part II - Most rodenticides are Coumadin - like compounds, meaning they do damage by preventing blood from clotting. This leads to internal bleeding and acute destruction of red blood cells, in mice and rats but also in dogs and cats. And people. The good news about this is that if you know your pet ingested some (you saw them eat it or there is a chewed up box of it out on the floor) it is easily treatable as long as it is begun within a few hours of ingestion. First, vomiting is induced and then they are given something to coat the GI tract and then finally a medication to take for 1-3 weeks to restore the coagulation process. However, often the affected pet comes in several days after ingestion, weak and lethargic, and no one knows why. These cases are much more difficult to diagnose and manage. By then it is too late for vomiting and coating the GI tract to be of any use. There are many other potential causes for blood loss as well and it can be difficult to determine that cause and proper treatment of it. REMEMBER, it may take SEVERAL DAYS for the signs of rodenticide poisoning to become noticeable. So if you have any suspicion at all that your dog or cat ingested some, call us or your vet at once. Don’t wait to see if ’things turn out ok or not’ as that could mean the difference between easy correction and a life threatening condition.

04/05/2023

This month’s topic is Rodenticide Toxicity, as having small rodents such as mice in the house is a quite common event here in the mountains of NC. It’s definitely hard to keep them out. However, if you have dogs or cats in the house, we do not recommend placing mouse bait anywhere in the house to deal with this problem. If you do, make sure it is enclosed in a device that only a mouse-sized creature can have access to. And most importantly, SAVE THE PACKAGING with the active ingredients listed. This is critical, as treatment for ingestion depends on the specific toxin involved. We will go into more detail in a few days.

02/28/2023

Now that Pet Dental Month is winding down, let’s mention another important condition all vets encounter on a weekly basis - decreased mobility in older dogs and cats. Many people do not realize how much can be done to improve standing, walking and running. They just say ‘well, he’s getting old, that’s just what happens,’ and leave it at that. We beg to differ. First we perform spinal and hip x-rays to help assess the severity of the condition, and to determine if surgery is best (hopefully to rule that option out.) Then we check blood to make sure internal organs are working well enough for certain medications. From that point, there are a number of medications both oral and injectable that can work wonders in restoring your pets ability to move around comfortably. One example of this is Adequan, a compound originally developed for horses, given as a series of 2 injections per week for 3-4 weeks which actually helps restore the joints, not just mask pain. But there are many other options. If your older dog or cat seems to be slowing down, give us or your home vet an opportunity to make life better for him or her. You’ll be glad you did.

01/22/2023

This is our 1st reminder that February is National Pet Dental Month, and we at BEAH honor it by offering 20% off of our fees for any dental procedure we do, namely full teeth cleanings including pre anesthetic bloodwork and even extractions. We cannot stress enough how important dental health is - years of plaque and tartar buildup lead to rotten and lost teeth, mouth infections that spread to other more critical areas such as the heart and kidneys, and a painful mouth leading to what appears to be decreased appetite but is really just inability to chew food. There is no better time than next month to get this taken care of, especially if you have an older dog or cat (with bad breath.) 😁 Make your appointment this week by calling us at 828-898-5120. Note - all patients must be current on Rabies vaccinations to participate in this program.

12/28/2022

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Banner Elk Animal Hospital! One of the most frequent conditions we see and treat here are red, itchy and sometimes infected EARS. Sometimes the animal is shaking his or her head, which could lead to a broken blood vessel, called a hematoma. To prevent ear infections, always keep your pets ears clean and DRY. That means being careful during bathing, and drying the ears out after playing in wet grass, jumping in lakes/creeks or even snow like we have right now. We also recommend cleaning your dog‘s ears monthly with a commercial pet ear cleansing solution from your vet or a pet store. More frequently if you have a long eared dog like a Cocker Spaniel or various hound breeds. These solutions have agents to break up various buildup and drying agents to prevent bacteria and yeasts after wiping clean. From now until January 15, come by our office and mention this posting to receive a 15% discount on any ear cleanser (OTC) or medication (by prescription only.)

12/11/2022

Banner Elk Animal Hospital is looking to hire a new veterinary assistant/veterinary technician beginning in January or February. This position involves holding dogs, cats, rabbits etc., running simple laboratory analyses, administering medications and progressing to assisting in surgery. We are looking for someone with some experience working with animals in any capacity (even volunteering in a shelter or working on a farm) but you don’t have to have specific education for this position (other than a minimum of high school graduation and NO history of drugs)or have worked in an animal hospital before. We will train you. It’s like being paid to go to school! This doesn’t happen often. If you are interested or know of someone who may be interested, please call us at 828-898-5120. You may also submit a resume to [email protected]. Thank you.

12/06/2022

This week’s topic is North Carolina Rabies Law - something very few pet owners know the full extent of, and even fewer people traveling to our state with pets know. BY LAW (G.S.130A - 185), ALL dogs, cats and ferrets 4 months of age and older are required to be vaccinated against rabies, and maintained according to both NC rabies schedule and the labeled efficacy of the vaccine given. The first vaccine may be given as early as 12 weeks of age but no sooner. If given earlier than 12 weeks, it is invalid. A booster must be given one year after the first vaccine. After the one year booster, each subsequent booster may be given every 3 years. Rabies vaccines may only be administered by a veterinarian LICENSED IN NC , or by a REGISTERED vet tech with a licensed vet present. All vaccinated animals are given a Rabies certificate and tag with the YEAR, state, and rabies number stamped on it, and all dogs are REQUIRED to wear this tag. Also, it is a violation of NC law to transport your pet into NC from another state if it is of proper age and not current on rabies vaccination AND carrying documentation. There are NO exceptions to these laws. That includes history of vaccine reactions (which can be managed prior to vaccination) or recommendation from a veterinarian in another state to not vaccinate your pet due to age, medical condition, or opposition to vaccines in general. Also, titers are valuable, but they are not permitted as a substitute for vaccination. Rabies prevention programs and laws are implemented to protect PEOPLE as opposed to pets. If a human gets rabies, it is 100% fatal. That does not mean that if you are exposed to rabies, you will get the disease, but if you do get it, it is fatal. There are many more specifics to our rabies laws, including what can be done to pets not current (it’s bad.) For more details visit the NCDHHS website. And if your dog or cat is even 1 day past due for the vaccine, or never vaccinated, please make an appointment to do so today.