House Pet Vet Visits

02/04/2025

Toby, invisible in his favorite box!

02/02/2025

In case you needed to see an armadillo cozying up to a heater today. Cats approve of this post!

01/31/2025

When you just want to drive the car but someone is looking in your ear with an otoscope! 😄 Ripley is politely evasive about ear checks.

01/22/2025

Squirrels! 🥰

01/20/2025

One of my friends found this wee bat in the woodshed this evening after moving a piece to bring indoors to the fireplace! Our area bats do hibernate. If you accidentally disturb one, try to replace the housing situation as best as you can and leave them be. My friend wasn’t sure what they’d uncovered from the angry squeaking until they had a light! Our area bats really are this tiny, not at all like the big fruit bats we can more easily see at the zoo.

Hibernation sites
To cope with winter conditions, most bats use a hibernation site, called a hibernaculum.
Hibernation sites include cavities in large trees, caves, mine shafts, tunnels, old wells, and attics.
The hibernaculum protects bats from predators, light, noise, and other disturbances. Temperatures in the hibernaculum must be cool enough to allow bats to maintain a low body temperature but not freeze; humidity must be high and constant enough to prevent bats from dehydrating.
Bats hibernate alone or in groups, and enter hibernation sites in late September or October.

Taken from https://wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/living/species-facts/bats

01/17/2025

When cozy kitty time is interrupted by house call vet…😄

01/16/2025

Dog conversations…

01/12/2025

It’s kiss a ginger day! Fergus is our resident ginger kitty. He’s very helpful for all activities, including exercising and stretching as seen here. Do you have an orange critter to smooch?

01/10/2025

Lana! ❤️

01/06/2025

Seymour is a whipped cream fan! His little whiskers! 🥰

01/03/2025

Ollie gets straight to the point communicating he would like more whipped cream, thank you very much!

01/02/2025

More infections related to raw food.

Another brand of raw pet food has been found to contain bird flu and has made at least five house cats presumably sick with the virus, health officials say.

01/02/2025

Awww!

12/31/2024

If you’ve been considering adopting or fostering a dog, you might visit the Tacoma animal shelter.

12/30/2024

One of my little patients got into a bag of chocolate covered macadamia nuts. The amount of milk chocolate he ate was not a problem in this case, but macadamia nuts are! Dogs are the only species in which macadamia nut toxicity is reported. The nuts can cause weakness, vomiting, muscle tremors and stumbling, and a high fever. Fortunately most dogs' symptoms resolve in 24-48 hours, but wow, it's better to avoid that altogether. The dose estimated to cause issues is about one nut for every 2 pounds of the dog's body weight.

Here's a link to common foods which can be a problem for pets. In addition to the commonly known chocolate, you may not be aware of issues with onions, or grapes and raisins, which are perfectly fine for us but can be very serious for pets. Look over this list to refresh your knowledge of what foods can cause trouble for our pets.

While it is okay to share an occasional tidbit with your pet, learn which ones should not be shared at all.

12/26/2024

Pet food recall after a kitty died from the bird flu. 😔

A Portland-based pet food company issued a nationwide voluntary recall after a house cat in Oregon died from eating one of its products, which tested positive for bird flu.

12/24/2024

It’s a busy holiday celebration time this week, so many meals and gatherings planned. Please put your furry friends in a separate space if needed to keep them out of cooking food and displayed food for their safety. We all know how quickly a determined animal can eat a batch of cookies, a box of chocolates, or haul an entire roast off the counter when our back is turned.

12/22/2024

Sadly, many cats in this facility in Shelton, WA have died from infection with the avian influenza.