VCA Causeway Animal Hospital

02/13/2025

Raise your hand if you love caring for pets! 🖐️

02/11/2025

We love our pets, but have you ever wondered what your pets love? 🐶💙🐱

We're sharing some of your pet's favorite things 💙!

02/10/2025

Dental disease is one of the most common and serious health problems in dogs and cats. We're sharing ways to help keep your pet's teeth clean.

02/07/2025

Kennel Cough is a contagious respiratory illness, which means it can spread to your dog through exposure to other animals. If an outbreak is reported in your area, it’s important to take precautions to avoid spreading the illness.

02/05/2025

How important is pet dental health? Chew on these facts about why your pet's healthy smile is a happy smile.

02/03/2025

Planning on getting a pet in 2025? Let us help you pick a name! Comment below and let us know your pet's new name!

01/29/2025

Lunar New Year is one of the most important celebrations of the year among East and Southeast Asian cultures.

This year is recognized as the Year of the Snake, so we're sharing some fun facts about why snakes represent wisdom, creativity, and transformation! 🐍🧧

01/27/2025

Who says playtime has to be outdoors? Indoor activities can be just as enriching and stimulating for your pets!

Watch this video for fun ways to keep them active and engaged inside.

01/23/2025

It's the ultimate battle of the ages, Puppies vs Seniors!

Which do you think is more adorable? 👍 = Puppies ❤️ = Seniors

01/22/2025

If you’re committing to teach yourself a new activity in the new year, why not include your pet in that resolution. It's as easy as 1,2,3, Sit.

What tricks does your pet know? Let us know in the comments.

01/22/2025

Save 35% off your first order of Royal Canin food when you sign up for our Home Delivery service. Ask a team member for details.

01/21/2025

For the safety of our clients and VCA Causeway team members, we will be monitoring weather conditions regarding the possibility of opening on Wednesday, January 22nd.

If you need to reach out to us, please text our virtual number 504 784-6644 and a team member will respond. You can also reach a medical professional by using our Live Chat on the myVCA app.

Please check back for future updates.

Stay safe and warm.

01/21/2025

If you could describe your pet in one word, what would it be?

01/20/2025

For the safety of both our clients and our VCA Causeway team members, we will be closed on Tuesday January 21st due to the extreme winter weather we are expecting in the area.

If you need to reach out to us regarding your pet, please text us using our virtual number 504-784-6644. You can also connect with a medical professional through Live Chat using the myVCA app.

We will be monitoring the weather conditions regarding the possibility of reopening sometime on Wednesday January 22nd. Please check back for further updates.

01/17/2025

Did you know a dog’s sense of smell is up to 100,000 times stronger than ours? Their noses can detect scents we can't even imagine! 🤯

Watch this video to learn more fascinating facts about how dogs experience the world through smell.

🎥: VCA Baring Boulevard Animal Hospital

01/17/2025

When they hear the slightest crinkle of a wrapper...........

01/16/2025

Don't let a little snow ruin your pet's walk! We're sharing tips to help your pet avoid having jack frost nip at their nose on their next potty break.

01/16/2025

01/15/2025

Arthritis can cause complications with keeping your pet healthy, and low-impact exercises can be a great way to manage your pet's health.

Follow along to learn how you can help keep your pet active!

01/14/2025

Do you use a retractable leash when walking your dog? If so, we strongly recommend switching to a 6-foot leash!

Most owners think that using a retractable leash while walking their dog gives the pet more distance or "freedom" to exercise while still being on a leash. But actually, by increasing the distance between you and your dog, you are decreasing your control over your dog and increasing the risk of injury.

A dog walking 15ft in front of you can be hit by a car or bicycle or even attacked by an aggressive loose dog or predator like a coyote. Not to mention injuries such as rope burns, etc, that could occur to owners and their dogs if the nylon cord becomes accidentally entangled around them.

So to keep you and your pet safe during daily walks, get them a 6ft leash! 💙

01/10/2025

The Risk of Feeding Your Pets Raw Diets

Let’s talk about pet food today. According to a 2024 American Veterinary Medical Association study, there are 89.7 million pet dogs in the United States and 73.8 million pet cats in the United States. The majority of these pets are fed the conventional commercially available diets, but there is a growing trend to feed these pets raw or minimally processed foods, and these foods have been on the market for a few decades. So why do we want to discuss raw food now? The answer to that is concerns for nutritional integrity and food safety.

Let’s start with nutritional integrity. Raw food diets and minimally processed food can be separated into homemade and commercially prepared. Before we get into details between homemade and commercially prepared diets, it is good to keep in mind the difference between complete and balanced. Complete diets are those that contain all the required nutrients essential to life and thus preventing deficiencies. Balanced diets are those that have proportional nutrient concentrations to the diet’s energy density (calories). Homemade diets are often made without help from a veterinarian or veterinary nutritionist. Homemade diets are often considered not complete nor balanced, and it happens with both raw and cooked diets. Although it can be difficult to achieve, these diets can be reformulated to be both complete and balanced with the help of a veterinary nutritionist. Commercially sold raw food diets and minimally processed foods can be sold as “Complete and Balanced” or “For Supplemental or Intermittent Feeding.” These statements should be seen on the packaging, but when looking at the “Complete and Balanced”-labelled food there is often a note about it being complete and balanced based off a lab analysis. Lab analysis is when the food is tested in a laboratory setting for its nutritional value. This helps determine if the food reaches the required nutrient thresholds, but it does not say anything about the pet’s ability to absorb and use those nutrients like those diets labelled complete and balanced by a feeding trial. The “For Supplemental or Intermittent Feeding”-labeled diets are not meant to be the sole source of food for our pets due to missing nutrients or being unbalanced. Each product has its own labeled use, but you can often think of them as treats or “toppers” to a complete and balanced diet. There is also no known significant nutritional advantage to feeding raw food compared to cooked food according to the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, which compares rare, raw, and fully cooked meats.

Now let’s get into the concern for food safety. Food safety can be broken down into physical, chemical, and biologic concerns. Physical concerns would be foreign objects such as metals and wood, while chemical concerns would be items like bleach, insecticides, and pesticides. Biologic concerns include contamination with drugs, ingredient adulteration, errors in nutritional formulation, and microbiologic. Although these are all important hazards to consider, we will be focusing on the microbiologic concerns, which include bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. Raw diets have also been linked to a variety of bacteria through the years, including but not limited to Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter, Clostridium, Listeria, and Staphylococcus aureus. These bacteria have the capability of not only getting humans sick due to direct contact with the contaminated food, but they can also be transferred from the pet to the human. For example, a 4-month-old boy with chronic diarrhea had Salmonella Virchow isolated from his stool. Two of the three pet dogs in the household had stool positive with the same strain and antibiotic sensitivity as the Salmonella isolated in the infant’s stool. Viruses have also been found contaminating raw food. Recently, two raw cat foods were recalled due to being contaminated with avian influenza, one which is linked to a cat’s death in Oregon. Studies have also shown that dogs and cats can get Pseudorabies virus from ingesting affected pork, and dogs can get African Horse sickness from affected horse meat. There are also a variety of protozoa that can contaminate raw food including Toxoplasma, which can also be spread to humans from pets. All of these are especially dangerous for households that have an immune-compromised person, elderly, or young children.

If you have any questions or concerns about your pet’s food, please reach out to your pet’s veterinarian.

References:
• 2024 AVMA Pet Ownership and Demographic Sourcebook. https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/reports-statistics/us-pet-ownership-statistics
• “Feeding Raw Diets to Pets – so where are we now?” Rebecca L. Remillard, PHD, DVM, DACVN. 03-16-2014.
• “Raw diets for dogs and cats: a review, with particular reference to microbiological hazards.” R. H. Davies, et al. Journal of Small Animal Practice. Volume 60. June 2019.
• “Los Angeles officials warn against raw pet food as H5N1 bird flu infections in cat confirmed.” CBS News. 01-01-2025.

01/09/2025

All donations made to VCA Charities at any VCA Animal Hospital in California will support disaster relief efforts, including our work to help pets impacted by the current devastating fires in Los Angeles now through January 31st.

01/08/2025

Have you checked your pet's supply of heartworm and flea prevention? It may be time for a refill. We recommend year round protection to prevent heartworm disease, intestinal parasites, and flea allergies as part of their wellness routine to keep them healthy & happy!

01/07/2025

24/7 veterinary assistance in the palm of your hand! Go to https://vcahospitals.com/myvca-app to download the myVCA app today.

01/07/2025

Keeping our pets safe is our top priority!

Visit https://pets.vcahospitals.com/er-holiday to claim your 50% off coupon, find a VCA Animal Hospitals Emergency Care location near you.

Offer for free ER exams available for CareClub Members only. Offer for 50% off one ER exam. Both offers available at participating ER locations through 1/15/25. Terms and conditions apply.

01/06/2025

As the seasons change, it’s crucial to keep your pet cozy and safe from the elements. Our winter safety tips will help your pets stay safe and warm, no matter the weather!

01/03/2025

Did you get a new puppy or kitten for Christmas? We have a wellness plan to fit your budget! Call 504-828-2700 to schedule an appointment today!

01/02/2025

Start the year off on the right paw! Call 504-828-2700 to schedule your pet a wellness exam today!

01/01/2025

Here's to a year filled with belly rubs, wagging tails, and endless cuddles!

12/31/2024

Happy New Years from VCA! We hope you and your pets have an amazing day to welcome the new year! #2025

12/31/2024

Happy New Year's Eve!!!

Our hospital will be closing today at 4pm and remain closed through January 1st. We will reopen at 7am on January 2nd.
If your pet is in need of emergency assistance, please contact MedVet at 504-835-8508.

12/30/2024

We’ve had some paw-sitively amazing pet moments in 2024! We’re thrilled to have cared for over 3.7 million animals this year!

Thank you for trusting us with your pets—it's been an honor to be a part of their journey. Here’s to many more unforgettable moments in the year ahead! 💙