Ferdinand Veterinary Clinic, LLC

06/05/2025

Happy June, everyone.
We are approaching July 4th quickly. Many of our 4-legged friends are sensitive to the loud celebratory noises.

Some tips and tricks for these kiddos are below:
- Place them in a room that is far away from the fireworks. Make sure they are used to the room and have access to water.
- You can use pheromones to aid in relaxation in a room or crate: Feliway for cats and Adaptil for dogs. Both come as spray or as a diffuser that you can plug in.
- For dogs, we have thunder shirts available: these are like a tight hug and help some dogs with the stress of loud noises

If you know your furry friend will need prescription medication to be calm, please call the clinic as soon as possible. If we have not seen you and your pet in the last 12 months, we will need to schedule an appointment prior to prescribing medications, and we are booking out 3-4 weeks.

Also, we will be closed July 4th and 5th in celebration of Independence Day.

06/03/2025

Update: Owner of the FitBit has been found.
Good morning.
We found a FitBit in our parking lot this morning. If you are missing yours or know someone who's missing theirs, please call the clinic.

05/06/2025

I wanted to commend the King Rodeo Company and Rodeo Fever for the outstanding quality of their stock at the Riggins Rodeo last weekend. For those of you who may have witnessed or heard of the loss of a bucking horse during the event, please know she had a nondetectable, non-preventable medical issue. The King Rodeo wranglers did an outstanding job getting her to the back for medical care and do an excellent job caring for ALL the stock every day. Kudos! Kim Heezen, DVM

05/06/2025

I wanted to thank the Salmon River Cowboys Association for a very fun, family friendly Riggins Rodeo this past weekend. I am proud to be a small part of this wonderful event every year. Kim Heezen, DVM

05/01/2025

Happy May!
As we approach summer, many of you will travel and leave your furry companions (large and small) behind. When boarding or leaving your animals with a pet/house-sitter, please be aware of the following in case of animal emergencies:
1. The animal caretaker (boarding facility or pet-sitter) needs to have accurate contact information.
2. If you have a regular veterinarian, please let the animal caretaker know which clinic and how to contact the clinic.
3. Please let your regular veterinarian know who will be taking care of your animals and if the animal caretaker is allowed to make decisions about your animal’s health in an emergency.
a. Some animal caretaker’s have contracts that stipulate they are allowed to make decisions on your behalf.
b. You can also leave a signed note stating, “In the event of an animal emergency where {animal caretaker} cannot contact me, I {your name} authorize life-saving care for my animal(s) listed below.”
4. Final note: if you have a monetary cap on how much you can spend on your animals, please make sure the animal caretaker and/or the veterinarian are aware.

Please also make sure you stock up on prescription medications prior to travel, whether or not your animal travels with you. We request three (3) business days to refill prescriptions for pick-up and one (1) week if you would like the prescriptions mailed. If we have not seen your patient in the last 12 months, you will need to schedule an appointment prior to receiving your prescription.
As a reminder, we are booking out 4 weeks for ALL vaccination and wellness appointments, and we are unable to take new clients at this time.
Have a fun and safe summer.

04/25/2025

IMPORTANT UPDATE on the rattlesnake vaccines: Our staff searched multiple distributors and was able to locate more vaccine. This is sufficient to vaccinate all our canine patients for this year. We hope that the USDA will reinstate the licensure of this vaccine. Otherwise, there will be no more vaccine made at all, and this product will not be available next year.
If you need to schedule your dog for the rattlesnake vaccine, please call to do so now. We are booking out 4 weeks for ALL vaccination appointments.
As a reminder, we are unable to take new clients at this time.

04/24/2025

Thank you for the quick response for the rattlesnake vaccine. All the vaccine we have available here has been allocated. If you need a rattlesnake vaccine for your dog but wasn't able to call yesterday, we suggest trying other veterinary clinics in the area to see what their availability is. Please contact the USDA to tell them to reinstate the licensing for this product.

04/23/2025

We just received word that the Rattlesnake vaccine that many people get for their dogs and horses to minimize the effects of rattlesnake venom if the dogs are bitten has been taken off the market by the FDA. There is no medical basis for this decision, as the vaccine has proven safe and effective. It may be related to all the "government efficiency" cuts that have been happening over the last 2 months. Unfortunately, we only have a limited number of vaccine doses in stock, and when it is gone, we cannot get more. So if your dog has been vaccinated regularly for rattlesnake and is high risk for being bitten, please contact us in the next few days to set up the appointment. We will not be starting any new patients on the vaccine. If you wish to protest this decision, please contact:
Geetha Srinivas, DMV, PhD
Director - Center for Veterinary Biologics
1920 Dayton Ave, PO Box 844
Ames, IA 50010
[email protected].
Thank you.

04/18/2025

Sandra Honeycutt asked that we share this. (screenshot of original post as we are not part of the private Facebook group she posted on)

04/14/2025

Good morning, all.
Every year, we have animals interacting with bats. In Idaho, bats are the primary source of rabies. If you see a dead bat - or a bat that is acting abnormal - on your property, call the local health department: they will walk you through how to collect the bat safely and submit it for rabies testing. Rabies is transmitted through saliva, blood, and brain material, but the only method for testing requires submission of the brain.
If you have cats or dogs that may have been exposed to it, please call us - or your regular veterinarian - after you’ve talked to the health department, so we/they can schedule a rabies booster and discuss post-exposure quarantine. If your pet is unvaccinated, he/she will need to be quarantined for 4 months. If your pet is up to date on vaccinations, he/she still needs a booster, but the quarantine is only 45 days.
If your animal bites you or another person, please talk to the health department and seek medical attention immediately. After you are taken care of, the health department will give you more information about the 10-day post-bite quarantine required for your animal.
Rabies is a serious disease that has no cure once clinical signs present. Please call to schedule a vaccination appointment if your animal is due for a Rabies vaccination. As a reminder, we are booking out 3-4 weeks for ALL vaccination appointments, and we are unable to take new clients at this time.
The CDC has more information about bats and Rabies here:

Learn about rabies risks associated with bats.

04/12/2025

Update 4/12 at 12 pm: he is home now. Thank you all for your help.

Good morning.
This guy was found on 7 mile road by Winona near Red Rock Road. He is intact and doesnt have a collar or microchip. If you know anything about him, please call the clinic at 208-962-3300. We are open until 11 am this morning. One of our staff will ve monitoring the facebook messenger today if you want to message us that way too.

04/07/2025

Happy April!
As a reminder, if you are planning to board your furry companion, please contact your boarding facility to determine what vaccines and dewormer your pet needs to stay there (and to schedule their stay). Most facilities require vaccinations against Parvovirus, Rabies, and Bordatella/Kennel Cough. We have added Canine Influenza to our recommendations if you plan to board in the Lewiston/Clarkston area. All of these vaccinations (except Rabies) require a booster 4 weeks after the initial vaccination, then they require annual boosters.

Please call to schedule any vaccine appointments today. We are booking four or more weeks out for vaccination/wellness appointments, and these vaccinations do not provide protection from these diseases immediately upon vaccination.

Reminder: if you need flea or tick preventatives, we carry a non-prescription monthly topical called Vectra and a prescription 3-month oral chew called Bravecto. If you want Bravecto Flea and Tick preventative and we have not seen your pet in the last 12 months, you will need to schedule an appointment prior to receiving your prescription.