Burke Animal Clinic

11/04/2024

Heartworms are common around here, and they are deadly! The treatment for dogs is involved and quite expensive. Sadly, there is no treatment for cats. All we can do is supportive care, and many die from it. Please keep your dogs and cats on heartworm prevention. Call us at 828-437-0481 for assistance. We are here to help!

10/08/2024

Hi everyone, we are now back in business with restored power, hot spot internet, and we are able to use a cell phone to answer our phones! We had some phone transfer issues earlier today so if you called and got a message please call us back at 828-437-0481. Alyssa has a list of all the numbers and will be trying to call everyone back. We still are waiting on some refrigerated supplies but expect to have everything we need by mid week. In the meantime, our thoughts and prayers are with those who are still suffering greatly in our region, and those who are about to get slammed by Hurricane Milton.

Thank you for your patience!

Dr Linda and the team at Burke Animal Clinic.

09/30/2024

UPDATE 10/3/24: thankfully, the power came on at the clinic late this afternoon. We have discussed the situation and decided that we are going to be available for urgent care and picking up medications between 9 AM and 4 PM on Friday, October 4. Some of our team live way out in the country, and this is to ensure that everybody gets home well before dark as they are still without power. PLEASE NOTE THAT WE WILL NOT HAVE TELEPHONE SERVICE, OUR PHONES RUN OFF OF SPECTRUM INTERNET AND IT WILL BE OUT FOR A FEW MORE DAYS. OUR TEMPORARY PHONE NUMBER FOR THE CLINIC IS 828-502-2713. This will be our phone number until we get our Internet back. We will only have the one line, so if you get our voicemail, please leave a message and we will call you back. Unfortunately, we lost a lot of our vaccines and refrigerated drugs in the storm due to loss of refrigeration, but we did get some out and into a generator powered refrigerator before they were compromised. We are going to be ordering more supplies and should have them coming in next week.

UPDATE: Unfortunately we are still without power and phone and internet, and have lost all our vaccines and refrigerated drugs and supplies. Rest assured we are working on this issue, but considering all that has happened to our fellow citizens in surrounding areas we feel very fortunate. If you get a notification of an appointment, it is automated and we are unable to stop them. We will call everyone who was scheduled an appointment and reschedule as soon as we are back in the office. Thanks for your patience and understanding at this stressful time!

Hello everyone. As our region recovers from hurricane Helene, we have also been impacted. Currently our clinic is without power or Internet or phone service. The call forwarding feature is not working so we cannot even answer incoming calls. We have been in the office and taken inventory of the losses of our refrigerated vaccines and drugs, which are nearly a total loss. I have called the insurance company and vaccine companies about that, and will get the products replaced via overnight shipment as soon as we have power. I do not have an an estimated time for the return of our power or Internet. We will be checking daily and will get going as soon as we can. In the meantime, Dr. Fichera at Shadow Ridge told me yesterday that they do have power. Hopefully she will be open so that she can do urgent care. Hickory was not impacted as badly by the storm so perhaps if you need help you can get help at one of the general practices in Hickory or at the Carolina Animal Specialty and Emergency Hospital in Hickory. As bad as it was for us. there are many in our great country who are worse off. Our prayers are with them as we are grateful for what we have. We are immensely grateful for all of you! Rest assured that we are working hard to get back to normal as soon as our utilities are restored. May God be with all of you, please be careful and stay safe out there.

09/26/2024

Hello everyone, after much thought we have decided that Burke Animal Clinic will be closed Friday, September 27th because of the expected tropical storm. If you have an emergency, the Carolina Animal Specialty and Emergency clinic can be reached at 828-328-6697. There are other emergency clinics in Asheville, Greenville SC, Denver, and Charlotte. We hope that you stay safe and dry in the coming storm.

08/31/2024

Approves this message....

DON’T LET YOUR DOG RIDE IN AN OPEN TRUCK BED

An estimated 100,000 dogs die annually as a result of being transported in the bed of a truck!

Please note…that number only reflects fatalities. An even larger number are severely injured due to this practice.

Open truck beds do not provide any protection from the weather. Hot sun can heat the metal floor of a truck bed enough to burn a pet’s paw pads or skin. Additionally, a dog left sitting in the broiling sun without water or shade may suffer from heat stroke in a very short period of time.

While many dogs appear to enjoy the wind in their faces, airborne debris, dust particles and other irritants can cause significant damage to a pet's eyes, ears and respiratory passages.

Do not leash or tie your pet to any portion of the truck bed. Many dogs have been strangled when tossed or bumped over the side of the truck and been left helplessly dangling. Be it the result of a collision or simply an unexpected attempt to jump from the vehicle, tying you dog to the truck is a dangerous practice.

If your dog must ride in the back of the truck, put the pet inside a crate that will give it some protection from the wind and weather. Tie the crate SECURELY to the walls of the truck bed so it cannot slide about or be tossed out of the truck.

08/29/2024

UPDATE DAY 3: after being assured 24 hours ago by “our old communications company” that our phone number would be restored “within 30 minutes to one hour” we still have no service. I will be monitoring our email a couple times a day over the holiday weekend, so if you need an appointment for next week or have an urgent question about a current case, please send an email to [email protected]. For emergencies, the closest emergency clinics are in Hickory, Dallas, or Asheville. Also, Shadow Ridge usually sees urgent care cases on weekends, but you must call them for an appointment. We will be closed Labor Day and will reopen Tuesday. Not sure if we will still need the temporary number below at that point.

***UPDATE: WE HAVE SOME PROGRESS! UNTIL WE CAN GET THIS MESS STRAIGHTENED OUT, WE HAVE A TEMPORARY PHONE NUMBER FOR INCOMING CALLS: 828-807-1198. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS NUMBER WILL ONLY WORK DURING OUR OFFICE HOURS, AND PHONE CALLS WILL NOT BE FORWARDED TO OUR AFTER HOURS PHONES, BUT AT LEAST WE HAVE SOMETHING.
We have no problem making outgoing calls, so you will still be able to get calls from us. We are sorry for the inconvenience. It all started when we switched our VOIP phone and internet service from one company to another, and our number did not get ported, (as we were assured in writing that it had been) before the old company cut off our service and took our phone number away. We have faithfully paid every bill through auto draft for years. This is just wrong! I will make another announcement when we get our old number back, and hopefully it will be soon. Thank you for your patience as we navigate one of the many headaches of modern life.
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It has just come to my attention that our incoming phone calls have been off all day. We have been able to dial out, but are not getting any incoming phone calls. I guess I just thought that our phone traffic was slow today! Rest assured that we have our technical experts working on this problem and will have it fixed as quickly as possible. In the meantime, if you need us, please send us an email at [email protected] Be sure to leave your phone number and we will call you back! If it is a serious emergency, call the emergency clinic in Hickory at 828-328-6697. I am sorry for this inconvenience, and we thank you for your patience.

08/03/2024

Doing a little R and R after a crazy busy summer!
Never fear, my amazing team is helping Dr Mark take care of your pets while we are recharging our batteries. (And eating way too much seafood, if that is possible) Call us if you need help!

06/26/2024

We hope everyone is having a great summer so far! Just wanted to give you a heads up: Burke Animal Clinic will be CLOSED on Thursday July 4th and Friday July 5th, to give our staff a well deserved break. We will be open Monday and Tuesday as usual until 5:30 and will extend our normal Wednesday hours until 5:30 so that we can fit in anyone who needs to be seen. PLEASE PLAN AHEAD! If you need tranquilizers for the fireworks, or if you are running short on allergy or flea medications, or if you think your pet may be developing a problem, please call us as early as possible so we can help. On July 4th through 7th, all urgent cases will be referred to the Carolina Animal Specialty and Emergency Hospital in Hickory. 828-328-6697

06/14/2024

Please do not feed grain free, or “BEG “ diets!

Boutique brands
Exotic ingredients
Grain free

Veterinary cardiologists are researching this phenomenon. There is a strong association with these diets yet we have not developed a complete understanding of what is going on. Basically, the heart wall thins, and the heart cannot pump blood properly. This is something that is seen in some breeds, but what we are seeing in dogs on these diets is dilated cardiomyopathy in breeds that have never been associated with this disease.
BEWARE: if you Google this, you will figure out very quickly that the manufacturers of these diets do not want you to believe this information. They will say that the FDA stopped investigating, that it’s been disproven, etc. That is not the truth. The cardiology researchers at Tufts University College of Veterinary Medicine are hot on the trail of this disease. I have seen a couple of cases and they are truly devastating.

Yesterday we had two wonderful Golden Retrievers, ages 6 and 2, come in for elective surgical procedures. Both dogs had a history of eating a well-known and popular grain free diet for several years. In one dog, an arrhythmia (irregular heart beat) was detected so an x-ray of his chest was taken. His heart was enlarged, so an echocardiogram was scheduled for that afternoon. An x-ray was also taken of the other dog's chest as a precaution, and his heart was also enlarged. He was able to get an echocardiogram same day, as well.

The reports on both dogs just came back, and both of these gorgeous, otherwise perfectly healthy dogs have Dilated Cardiomyopathy. The cardiologist suspects that in both cases it is related to their diet. Thankfully, this condition was caught early, and when fed a traditional diet, their condition should hopefully reverse. Their cases are being reported to the FDA, along with the thousands of others from across the country.

There is no evidence to support feeding grain-free. Most pet allergies are related to environment (pollens, etc) or protein sources. Grain allergies account for a tiny fraction of all food allergies in dogs. Unfortunately, many dogs are becoming very ill or even dying from eating so-called "BEG" diets (boutique, exotic, grain-free), and the terrible thing is nutritionally mediated dilated cardiomyopathy is 100% preventable. There have been zero reported cases of NMDCM in dogs eating foods that meet WSAVA guidelines, currently made by Purina, Hill's, Iams/Eukanuba, or Royal Canin. We strongly suggest if you are feeding a "BEG" diet that you change your dog over to one of the brands listed above. If you have any questions specifically related to your pet, please call us.

We are so hopeful we caught this disease in time for our two beautiful patients to reverse their disease. Their very caring and dedicated owners have already changed their diet to one that meets WSAVA criteria. The articles below will help explain this disease, WSAVA guidelines, and why grain-free was more marketing than science.

http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2018/11/dcm-update/

https://www.wsava.org/WSAVA/media/Arpita-and-Emma-editorial/Selecting-the-Best-Food-for-your-Pet.pdf

http://vetnutrition.tufts.edu/2016/06/grain-free-diets-big-on-marketing-small-on-truth/

https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/dogs-fed-some-popular-diets-could-be-risk-heart-disease/

05/30/2024

This is spot on! 💯

Please take this seriously:
Please please understand that when we give instructions/advice, there’s a reason behind every word. If you find injured, orphaned, or sick wildlife, do not handle/pet. Do not feed. Do not give water. If you have the animal contained, put it in a ventilated box/container and keep it in a dark quiet area away from pets and people. Then reach out for help. Don’t do anything else unless instructed to do so by a rehabber…not your neighbor, not Google, or someone who raised a chipmunk once, but a rehabber or wildlife professional.

Today someone who reached out to GWN for help with a rabies vector species was bitten by the animal. It seemed docile so he reached in to place a bowl of water in the crate and it bit him. GWN had to contact environmental health and the animal was picked up by animal control. It will be euthanized and sent off for rabies testing. If it is positive, the person will go through a series of expensive shots. This is protocol for any RVS animal that bites someone, whether it is exhibiting any symptoms or not.

Do NOT touch a rabies vector species without gloves!! The most common animals to carry rabies are bats, raccoons, skunks, & foxes but this doesn’t mean they all have rabies. All animals can carry mites, fleas, & diseases so wear gloves anyway. And unless you are actually Snow White, a wild animal that approaches you needs help. Proceed with caution and follow the advice of wildlife professionals.

Facts: Putting water in a birds mouth can literally cause them to choke to death. Not all birds eat worms. Domesticating a fawn by bringing it in your home to “help it” is a death sentence. If you give a baby squirrel or bunny the wrong kind of milk, you can make it so ill that it will take days for a rehabber to stabilize. Baby opossums do not suckle; they are attached to a feeding tube inside their mom so you can’t feed with a bottle. Some animals require rehydration before they can be fed. Turtles live in a 1 mile radius their entire lives. Baby birds can get food lodged in their throat and suffocate. If you use the wrong kind of syringe/nipple and feed a baby animal too fast or too much, it will aspirate and die. Ducklings can drown. You cannot judge if it’s a venomous snake by its head or pupil shape. The animal that you just found doesn’t “like you”, he’s in shock and afraid to move. Baby animals can’t have breast milk. Everything we tell you is for a reason.

If you’re still reading this, thank you. Today was a scary day. We hope our human friend has a clean bill of health. We ❤️ our wildlife and we ❤️ our wildlife loving humans. Today’s incident was avoidable. This post isn’t to criticize; it’s to teach someone who may not know so we can avoid another incident tomorrow.

xoxo, GWN
The Georgia Wildlife Network

Photo is of another raccoon who also sadly had to be euthanized last week. 😞 This work really sucks some days.

04/26/2024

We are so happy to announce the arrival of our newest family member. Thomas John Schilkowsky, newborn son of our oldest son John and his wife Rachel, was born on April 24th at 4:10 am. Looks like he already had practice keeping his parents up all night! 😂 Welcome to the world, little guy! I cannot wait to meet you!

04/20/2024

Heartworms are deadly, and easily prevented. Check out this excellent short video to learn more!

Do YOU know how pets get heartworms? Once you understand it, you won't question why YOUR pet needs protection. http://bit.ly/341dKjw

04/07/2024

Hey everyone we just wanted to let you know that we will be closed this Monday, April 8th from 2:00-4:00 pm for a staff eclipse party. Hoping for a clear afternoon so we can all witness this special event. Either way it will be fun. Enjoy!