Gate City Animal Hospital - Greensboro, NC

02/14/2025

Nico is smiling on this after his Zycortal injection which he receives every 28-30 days to keep him healthy.

When Nico was about 6 years old was very lethargic and just acting abnormal. After some deeper diagnostics he was diagnosed with 's disease. This is where the adrenal glands stop production of corticosteroids (steroids) and mineralocorticoids (needed to balance their electrolytes). Without these hormones, the body shuts down and will fail if not treated promptly!

He receives a small dose of steroids every day to help support his organ function (this replaces the steroids that the adrenal glands would have normally produce) and gets a monthly injection to support his electrolyte balance. If he were to have a stressful day (grooming, travel, boarding, etc) his owner must increase the steroid dose she gives him daily to allow his body to compensate for the stressful day.

This is for life, in order to manage his condition. Nico is living his best life! He does everything a normal dog would do and feels like he used to prior to his diagnosis.

02/12/2025

Handsome Zeke is waiting for his treat after heartworm test to ensure he is negative after his adoption from Guilford County Animal Services. And he is negative! YAY!

If a dog coms to the shelter they are then tested for heartworms on intake and started on heartworm prevention. It can take up to 6 months to test positive for heartworms after bitten by a mosquito. So if the pet was bitten a few months prior to shelter intake, they can pop positive on a heartworm test in the future even if you keep them on prevention. We always recommend after adoption that each dog is heartworm tested again at the 6 month mark to ensure they are truly negative. The goal is to catch the heartworm infection as early as possible to remove them to decrease their damage to the lungs and heart.

02/11/2025

Rozi is after her as she was adopted by her new family the day of her euthanasia at the shelter! She came right to us for a check up prior to heading home to settle in for her first night in her !


📸 cred: Alana, veterinary assistant

02/10/2025

Otis is showing off his what may appear to be cataracts to most, but is actually a normal aging change to his eyes.

At over 15 years old, Otis has a lighter/blueish colored lens (pupil). This most commonly is nuclear sclerosis or a thickening of the lens over time as the pet ages. Commonly seen after about 9 years old. This is NOT a cataract and the pet can see through this opacity in the majority of cases. If your pet has some ocular changes, please discuss this with us at your pet's next check-up to ensure cataracts are not a risk for your pet.

02/09/2025

Bahahahaha! Your funny for the weekend!

02/08/2025

If you think cats aren't at risk from heartworms, think again!

02/07/2025

Plum is so excited to be heartworm free after going through heartworm treatment (3 injections, oral medications, and heartworm prevention for new infections, and exercise restriction - spanning all over an entire year!)

Plum was rescued with heartworm disease and her new family ensured she was treated and now is on prevention year round to keep her protected.

It is very important, in the south especially, to have your dogs on heartworm prevention year round. When it warms up over 40 degrees (like it has this week), the parasites come back out to spread diseases.

02/04/2025

Bentley is not only rocking but also an adorable head tilt when asked if he wanted a cookie!

📸 cred: Eva and Alana

02/02/2025

The struggle is real

02/02/2025

Four excellent tips to help keep kids safe around any dog:
1. Leave a sleeping dog lie
2. Do not bother the dog when they are eating.
3. Pets are not climbing playthings! This can be painful.
4. No hugs, this puts them too close to the dog’s face

01/31/2025

"Thank you! For making my ears feel better. I'm having fun breaking the rules."
Love Jazzy!

01/29/2025

Dapper Dash is featured on this edition!

He was waiting to get his neuter so he could have his breakfast!
Male cats should be neutered between 4-5 months old to avoid unwanted litters (if you have an intact female/sibling in the house) or want to avoid unwanted urine marking around the house.

01/28/2025

Mouthing and Play Biting in Puppies
Biting is a normal behavior in puppies. Just like human babies, they often explore everything with their mouths. Since they don’t have hands puppies frequently use their mouths as part of the normal play with other dogs and humans. Although normal, puppies have sharp teeth and their biting can be persistent. It is not uncommon for puppy owners to quickly become frustrated, damaging the relationship between humans and dogs.
To reduce these unwanted behaviors, you will need to prevent, manage, and modify your puppy’s environments to reduce opportunities for mouthing and biting.

Prevention
Don’t rough house with your puppy.
Don’t yell or shout at your puppy. This is likely to make the behavior worse. It also teaches your puppy that humans can be unpredictable and scary.
When your puppy has frantical play, run, and “zoom” around the home this is when play biting is likely to be most severe.
Provide opportunities for downtime and independent play when the “zoomies” are most likely to occur. You can use an exercise pen or safe haven for short periods of confinement but make sure to provide your puppy with a long-lasting treat (like a frozen stuffed chew toy) when placing your dog in this space.
Make sure your puppy’s basic needs are being met in terms of adequate exercise, positive reinforcement training, and interactive play time with you and other pets in the home.
Teaching basic social skills such as eye contact, stationing on a mat, sit, and walking nicely on a leash can help build a repertoire of behaviors for reinforcement when needed.

Interrupt and Manage the Mouthing or Biting
Freeze when your puppy jumps, mouths, or bites. Reward when they stay calm. This is important if children are the target for this behavior. Since excitement and these behaviors are often triggered by movement and high-pitched screaming, teach children how to freeze, cross their arms, and look down. You can tell children to stand still, like a tree, which can cause your puppy to lose interest, giving time for an adult to redirect them.
Keep a tug toy nearby and engage your puppy in a fun game.
Change the environment. Clip on a leash and take your puppy for a walk or a game of fetch outside the home.

Modify Mouthing and Play Biting
Capture behaviors that you would rather see from your puppy.
Hold out 50 pieces of their kibble every day. Drop a piece of kibble with a “good dog” praise when you catch your puppy sitting, lying down on their mat, or any other behavior that you would rather see replace the biting and mouthing behavior.
If your puppy is grabbing your pants while you move around, stand still. Once your puppy stops chasing you or mouthing you, mark the behavior with a clicker or “yes” and reward them with a treat.
Teach your puppy to pick up and then drop items on cue to provide alternative behaviors to reinforce.
Brought to you by CattleDog Publishing

01/27/2025

Kobe passed his wellness check-up with flying colors (including his blue feet!)
Does your pet get fun colors with their grooming?

01/26/2025

Fynn is SOOOO excited he is fully protected from canine influenza.
He is ready to mingle and hangout with everyone!

We recommend dogs who are at risk of canine influenza (dogs who interact with other dogs, visit dog parks/boarding facilities/grooming facilities/day care facilities, dog shows, dog play dates) should be vaccinated for both strains of canine influenza.
We carry the bivalent vaccine here to protect against both strains.

If your pet is at risk, please schedule an appointment NOW to get their vaccine to protect them from this contagious virus before we see cases here in Greensboro. You can schedule an appointment on our PetDesk App or call us at 336-286-9500.
For further info on dog flu, outbreaks, and prevention, go to dogflu.com

📸 cred: Alana, veterinary assistant

01/24/2025

Marley is SUPER EXCITED for Peanut Butter Day!!!

Did you know that dogs are very rarely allergy to peanuts like humans are.
BUT ensure you check the label to make sure there is NO xylitol (also called Birch Sugar) in your peanut butter (added to sugar-free products) as this is TOXIC to dogs and can rapidly cause low blood sugar causing a life threatening emergency!

If your dog consumes xylitol (sugar free treats or gums) this can be life threatening within 30 minutes. You need to seek veterinary care IMMEDIATELY. Please call prior to arrival to any veterinary hospital so they are prepared.

Please ensure your is safe prior to giving to your pets.

📸 cred: Ellery, veterinary technician

01/22/2025

This is a fun visualization of what a dog can smell with numerous paths of various animals walking just through the neighborhood.
This is natural enrichment for your dog during a “sniff walk.” Yes it is important for you dog to be able to “heel” but please remember to let them sniff during their walk to interact with their environment.

A fun visual representation of what your dog sees (smells) every day. Look at how noisy it is and how many tracks there are intertwining. The different animals, people, and dogs movement in just one area. The snow lets us humans see the history of this area and what animals and people have passed through. A dog will smell this every day and know who and what animals have passed through. Smellavision!!!!

Dogs are incredible.

Imagine tracking and detection dogs needing to filter out all this noise and track a single scent down. Amazing!

(Note this is a fun representation, not accurate)