Oak Valley Animal Health

08/31/2024

Hope you have a great Birthday weekend! We're so glad you're a part of our team!

08/29/2024

Our office will be closed Monday, September 2nd in observance of Labor Day. Emergency services will still be available!

08/25/2024

Hope your day is extra great Dave! We're glad you're here and that you take such good care of our boarding animals!

07/19/2024

A couple weeks ago we had the teeniest leg amputations that Dr. Kate has probably ever done! This cute little puppy was barely 1 week old (her eyes weren't even open yet!) at the time of surgery. She had a damaged foot from having the umbilical cord wrapped too tightly around it. She flew through surgery beautifully and is much happier now! Teeny kitten had a birth defect causing a sharp point on the end of her bone that was damaging the tissue around it and at the time of surgery was just 2 pounds - after amputation, kitten has taken off growing and looked amazing at her suture removal appointment!

07/01/2024

We hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July! Remember, the best place for pets on that day is inside!

06/27/2024

Happy Birthday Dr. Krista! Hope it's as happy as that goat is!

06/20/2024

Well, Dennis left for his new home today! Dacey’s family now has a new kitten!

06/18/2024

As an owner of a couple anxious dogs myself, I will share this every year.

Quick PSA: During the Fourth of July holiday, and the days leading it up to it when folks start celebrating with noisy fireworks, scores of pets run away from the sights and sounds, making the day after Independence Day the busiest of the year for animal hospitals and shelters. Please do your due diligence. And if you feel as though your pet may need medication to help them relax during firework season, now is the time to speak with your veterinarian!

06/14/2024

Dennis spent some time this afternoon honing his bird watching skills. Can't believe no one has inquired about this sweet little guy!

06/12/2024

Dennis was taking some time to check out the fish. He is thinking of putting fish inspector on his resume. Dennis is still waiting for his forever home, so let us know if that’s you!

06/12/2024

Sampson is currently watching over a tiny kitten that was found. We have been calling him Dennis (the Menace). Dennis is currently in search of his very own home. He is very sweet and playful. His little motor is always purring. He has had his first distemper shot and has been dewormed. So if you are interested in a new kitten please call and inquire about adding Dennis to your home. Sampson will need to have final approval of the new home.

06/12/2024

UPDATE: As of late last night, 4/12, our website is back up and running!

Update: We are aware our website is currently down. We apologize for the inconvenience. Our hosting company is working to get all their sites back up and running. We will let you know when ours is up again. In the meantime, you can call our office at 712-623-5511 or email us at [email protected].

06/01/2024

Wishing this girl a super Happy Birthday!! Hope you have a great one Dacey Henneman!

05/24/2024

05/22/2024

Another Arthritis Awareness Month post! This time about cats! The most common signs cat owners may notice include:

- Difficulty getting up and down
- Walking stiffly
- Lameness in one or more legs
- Reluctance to go up or down steps or changing the way that they do it
- Reluctance to jump up or down or adding steps - IE instead of jumping from the floor to the counter, they jump from the floor to a chair to the counter.
- Reluctance to play
- Stiff, swollen, or sore joints
- Reluctance to be touched on some parts of the body
- Unexpected aggression toward other cats or humans
- Hiding more than usual
- House soiling (if a cat has difficulty getting in and out of the litter box)
- Poor coat condition (because self-grooming becomes difficult)

There are MANY different approaches that we can take to managing arthritis in cats, just like in dogs - these include supplements, NSAIDs, Solensia (a once monthly injection that we've had excellent results with), and others. There are also some simple ways you can help your cat with comfort and mobility, including:
Provide soft, padded bedding; Raise food and water dishes (elbow height); Provide non-skid floor surfaces; Have a ramp or stool/step for getting onto higher surfaces; Adhere to prescribed feeding and medication recommendations.

Contact us today if your cat is moving differently or showing any of the above signs. We would love to help improve their quality of life!

Pictured: Razz, 15yr old cat that LOVES her Solensia injections

05/21/2024

Did you know that our cattle pens can also double as vehicle shelter for hail? We didn't either, but thought it was worth a try today! Apparently we can fit 3 vehicles in the first pen 🤣 Stay safe out there everyone!

05/20/2024

May is Arthritis Awareness Month. Signs of pain and Arthritis can vary between species. The most common signs of arthritis that dog owners may notice include:

- Difficulty getting up and down
- Walking stiffly
- Lameness in one or more legs
- Reluctance to go up and down steps
- Reluctance to jump up or down (onto/off furniture or into/out of a vehicle)
- Reluctance to be touched on some parts of the body
- Loss of stamina or being slower on walks or cutting them short
- Unexpected aggression toward other dogs or humans

There are MANY different approaches that we can take to managing arthritis in dogs, including supplements, NSAIDs, Librela (a once monthly injection), and others. Simple things that can be done at home to help with arthritis include: Soft, padded bedding; Raised food and water dishes (elbow height); Non-skid floor surfaces or Dr. Buzby Toe Grips; A ramp/step for entering and exiting a vehicle or getting on and off furniture; Adhering to prescribed feeding and medication recommendations

Contact us today if your dog is slowing down or showing any of the above signs. We would love to help improve their quality of life!

Pictured: Murphy, Dr. Kate and Tim's old man

05/18/2024

Manager of Mischief Sampson is an excellent nurse. He was quite dedicated to monitoring the recovery of these two goat kids that were disbudded this week.

05/16/2024

Mischief Manager Sampson is an expert emotional support kitty for patients. Here he is pictured with Paisley the Great Dane as she recovered from her spay procedure. Paisley is wearing a surgical suit so that she can't lick at her incision - it is a great alternative to an e-collar/cone for pets that may be prone to licking at things.

05/13/2024

Have you ever seen fleas crawling on a dog? If you haven't, check out the video below! Now you know what they look like! This is a pretty severe infestation, sometimes we only SEE one or two, but typically if there are far more than what we are finding on an exam. Female fleas can lay up to 50 eggs PER DAY that both stay on the pet and fall off into their environment. This is why it is important to treat not only the pet, but also the environment that they live in if you are having issues with fleas.

Fleas are far easier to prevent than they are to treat/get rid of - contact us today if you need any flea/tick products or recommendations! The ticks are out in force already this year, too!

05/12/2024

Congrats Dacey! We are happy you’ve been a part of our team!

🍀Senior Sunday🍀 Congrats Dacey!

Dacey Henneman, a member of the Stanton Strivers, will be attending Iowa State University studying Animal Science, Pre-Vet. Her favorite 4-H memory was working with her family and getting four calves ready to show.

04/27/2024

The AVMA proudly joins the World Veterinary Association, HealthforAnimals, and colleagues from around the world in celebrating World Veterinary Day. The 2024 theme is "Veterinarians are essential health workers."

Today's veterinarians are the only doctors educated to protect the health of both animals and people. They work hard to address the health and welfare needs of every species of animal. Veterinarians also play critical roles in environmental protection, research, food safety, and public health. Thank you to all the veterinarians around the world!

04/19/2024

Update on Manager of Mischief Sampson - he is adding new duties to his plate every day! Quality control for the laundry and autoclave, Fish monitor, and Lunch Inspector. He's quite the busy kitty!

04/17/2024

This week is National Pet ID Week! Does your pet have any identification that it wears or is permanent? This applies to many species - cats, dogs, horses, cattle, pot bellied pigs, etc!

Types of ID:
- MICROCHIPS - Permanent ID in the form of a small grain of rice-sized implant that goes under the skin
- ID TAGS - Come in many shapes and sized and can be attached to collars or, in cattle, attached to the ear
- RABIES TAGS - For our small animals, a rabies tag also works as an ID tag - each of our rabies tags that we hand out has a specific number that is attached to each pet
- TATTOOS/BRANDS - This applies more to large animals, especially the branding, but these are great forms of permanent ID

Identification is important in all species - it helps return lost animals to owners in the event of an accident. Natural disasters (flooding, tornados), animals getting out of their house/pen, etc are all ways that animals can go missing. Proper identification increases the likelihood that an animal will be returned to its owner if it is lost. We actually had a cat this spring that was returned to its owner after being lost for a couple months because it was microchiped!



Pictured: Our Manager of Mischief, Sampson

04/10/2024

Offer good for the month of April only! Stop by our clinic at 1703 200th St. in Red Oak, or shop online at oakvalleypharmacy.com!

If you need assistance with the online pharmacy, call us at 712-623-5511

Please note: A valid client-patient relationship must exist to purchase any prescription medications!

04/10/2024

Children are one of the most likely groups to get bit by dogs. While we like to think that our dogs would never bite, unfortunately there is no guarantee because ANY DOG CAN BITE! Just like people, dogs can only tolerate things to a certain level (granted, some dogs and people are far more tolerant than others!) and they can have bad days, too, where it doesn't take much to set them off. Unfortunately, all we can do is read body language in dogs - they can't use words to tell us that they have a short fuse today.

Most kids want to pet and interact with all the dogs. Unfortunately, not all the dogs are safe to be interacted with. Teaching kids to ask before attempting to interact with strange dogs can help tremendously, but what is even more important is teaching them how to properly interact with the dogs they are around on a daily basis. Too often it is the family dog that bites due to multiple improper interactions over time - it is SO important to teach everyone (kids and adults alike) how to properly interact with pets to avoid a potentially dangerous situation.

04/09/2024

One of the first ways to avoid a dog bite is to be able to read a dog's body language! If you would like to see good video examples of the behaviors that are in the graphic below, there are many videos of dogs with humans on the internet that are posted because they are "cute." If you have much knowledge of canine body language, though, some of these videos are actually a little scary. Many times the dog is showing subtle signs of fear and anxiety about the situation that is being deemed "cute". Don't get me wrong, this is not every dog video, but if you study the graphic below, you might be surprised how often you will see these things. Thankfully these dogs seem to have a great bite inhibition at the time of the video, but when things that make the dog uncomfortable repeatedly happen without intervention, bites become more likely to happen. And because we silly humans miss the subtle body language, many times the bites seem to "come out of nowhere"! Know your body language cues!

04/08/2024

This week marks Dog Bite Prevention Week! This is one of our passionate topics at the clinic. THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF INFORMATION ALL WEEK: ANY DOG CAN BITE. Biting is not reserved for specific breeds or types of dog. ANY dog can bite if provoked. It is not a dog's breed that determines whether it will bite, but rather the dog's individual history and behavior and situations it may be put in.

Dog bites are a serious problem - it doesn't matter if it is a full blown attack or just a "nip". Hundreds of thousands of people in the United States seek medical attention for dog bites each year, with significantly higher numbers of bites occurring in children than in adults. The elderly and service providers that come to homes, such as mail carriers and meter readers, are also more likely to become dog bite victims.

Fortunately, there are several things we can do to prevent dog bites, so we will spend multiple posts this week discussing dog bite prevention!

Pictured: Dr. Kate and Tim's dog Otis, who was not thrilled to have to come to work

04/08/2024

Ashley and Adriana were providing an emotional support feeding for this cute little bottle goat that was disbudded on Friday!

04/01/2024

Please contact Animal Alliance if you are interested!