Healing Hands Small Animal Emergency Hospital

12/03/2023

Pregnancy is exciting but sometimes delivery doesn’t go as planned. A big part of our success is your early recognition of a delivery having difficulty. While large litters can take a while the delivery each puppy should be quick. Once a sack/leg is appreciated or mom has started good contractions we want to see a puppy out in 30 minutes. If there is no progression in 30 minutes, call or visit a veterinarian for assessment. While clear fluid, some blood or brown discharge is expected green discharge can be a sign of fetal distress, especially if labor is not progressing have mom evaluated if green discharge is appreciated. Especially with big litters Mom may take long periods of rest between puppies usually 2 hours or less and that can be completely fine but if she is actively pushing and puppy is not coming out she may need medical/surgical intervention.

08/28/2023

Just have to give a shout out to Chloe. One of the best patients we have had the pleasure of working with. She may have gotten a little (a lot) of cuddles in our down time. Happy to see her go home tonight

06/18/2023

Foxtail (cheat grass) Season is upon us. These little grass seeds generally start to account for 1-5 cases we see each DAY. They have tiny little barbs that help them attach to your animal's fur and imbed themselves into your animal. The list is endless of where they could end up but the biggest ones you may prevent this summer are:
Between the toes-a common favorite, they can fully tunnel into your animal's skin and cause infections and abscesses and ideally should always be removed by a medical professional. If you can't see it let us handle it.
In their ears- Seeds in the ears very quickly travel down and poke/rupture the ear drum and suddenly cause your animal a lot of discomfort. Most animals have to be sedated to have these removed safely.
In the eye lids- your animal start squinting really hard and pawing? seek a veterinarian, the sooner these are removed the less damage they can do to the surface of the eye.
General tips: check the feet frequently especially after hiking. Do not allow your dog to roll around in the tall grass that is often how they get into ears. Remove it from your yard and attempt to limit animal exposure.

02/19/2023

We will be closed Sunday February 19th and Monday February 20th. We will return to normal business hours on Wednesday February 22nd. If you have any emergencies in the mean time contact your regular veterinarian or West Vet in Boise for assistance.

12/24/2022

We will be closed Christmas Eve through the 27th and resume normal business hours on Wednesday the 28th. May you have a safe and cuddly Christmas while we take a pause to love on our own furry families. If you do have an issue in the mean time your regular veterinarian may be available and West Vet in Boise is a 24 hour referral and emergency service.

11/23/2022

We will be closed today and tomorrow in observance of thanksgiving, we will re-open as scheduled on Friday

10/13/2022

Due to staff shortages we will be closed this Friday and Saturday (10/14,15) with return to normal hours on Sunday. We also have a planned closure for Halloween

09/05/2022

We will be closed in observance of Labor Day and the Wednesday after. We will re-open on Thursday the 8th at our regular business hours.

08/05/2022

This little girl came to us last night with a broken leg and looks like she caught ring worm on her adventure. We are working with Furever Friends to get her surgery for the fracture but we are reaching out to see if an owner is missing her. She seems social and has some manners. She was found on the North West side of Twin Falls. If this is your dog feel free to give us a call or call directly to Furever Friends.

06/29/2022

Due to low historic demand we will be closed July 4th and resume normal business hours on July 6th

05/24/2022

Due to high community demand, we will periodically hold a day for Spays and Neuters.
Prices are flat-fee at:
Spay (dog/cat) $390
Dog neuter $290
Cat neuter $130
vaccinations are generally about $30 per vaccine and Presurgical blood work for patients over 7 years of age will be an additional $40.
If you are interested please message or call us for more information.

05/22/2022

We will be closed on Memorial day. Will resume normal business hours on June 1st.

05/11/2022

It has come to our attention that Parvo is beginning to strike again and we are seeing a more devastating version than we have seen in the past year.
If your have recently obtained a puppy or adult with unknown vaccination history please have it vaccinated and boostered. Puppies under the age of 16 weeks despite routine vaccinations every 3-4 weeks will be considered susceptible due to their immature immune systems. Please keep these vulnerable dogs away from high social spaces such as dog parks or pet stores until fully vaccinated. If finances are an issue the D+B store carries Parvo combo vaccines and can be administered at home however do note that if your animal has symptoms consistent with parvo and have been given at home vaccines we will still test them for parvo to minimize exposure and contamination of our hospital.

05/01/2022

Welcome spring! As things start warming up remember to be conscientious of the temperature with your pets. Please leave your pets in air-conditioned cars when the temperatures start rising over 70 degrees and check on them frequently. Especially if your pet has a smooshed face or heart issues, excessive panting can agitate any original respiratory issues. Provide water frequently and enjoy swimming when you can.

04/18/2022

We will be closed tomorrow Monday 4/18. We will reopen Wednesday 4/20 during regular business hours. If you need medical assistance in the mean time please contact your regular vet, West Vet in Boise or Emergency animal clinic in Idaho Falls are 24/7 emergency Hospitals.

01/18/2022

12/24/2021

We will be closed for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We will be back on Sunday at 2pm

12/17/2021

During the is joyous season give yourself some peace of mind with a New Year resolution to build an emergency fund for your loved ones. We never plan for or hope for emergencies but minor emergencies can cost $200, diagnostics and hospitalizations can cost $500-700 for the first 24 hours, emergency surgery can cost up to $2,000-2,500, if we need to refer you for specialty services or surgeries it can cost $3,000-7,000 depending on the length of hospitalization.
Most banks offer special high-interest accounts with a limited number of withdrawals per year, if you contribute 5, 10, 15, 20 dollars a month this can quickly add up so you can be confident in giving your pet the care they need whenever and if ever they need it!

11/20/2021

We will be closed Wednesday and Thursday in observation of Thanksgiving. Wishing everyone a happy healthy Thanksgiving!

11/06/2021

Emergency work can see some sad, scary and stressful scenarios and a lot of paperwork. Sometimes it’s nice to take a pause to enjoy the little things in life.

10/26/2021

Kennel cough is having a second season in Twin Falls. Kennel cough is very infectious and even dogs that are vaccinated can still show symptoms.

If you find your dog coughing it might develop some more interesting symptoms. Terminal Gag and Reverse Sneezing may be terms you hear from us. Youtube has wonderful examples of both but essentially a terminal gag is often confused with vomiting with the amount of mucus a dog can cough up from the inflammation and irritation that the virus causes. Reverse sneezing is much akin to a hiccup, its an involuntary reflex that some owners can find very concerning thinking it is a sign of difficulty breathing but both signs are harmless just a sign of inflammation.

Most dogs will build immunity and get over kennel cough naturally however some animals may need antibiotics if a secondary infection takes advantage of the situation. When in doubt best to get it checked out. If your dog shows signs of fever, loss of energy or difficulty breathing best to get them evaluated sooner rather than later.

09/07/2021

Have you checked your pets gums lately? the color of your pets gums can tell you a lot about their health. We like them to be a pretty pink and moist. Please note that some animals naturally have pigmented gums and can normally be more grey or black.
Cats are more prone than most other domestic species to a condition called hepatic lipidosis. This occurs when they have stopped eating for several days and their body mobilizes more fat than their liver can handle and the liver has difficulty functioning. When this occurs it can cause your cat's gums to turn a shade of yellow. The only way to reverse this is to get your cat the nutrition the liver needs to function. A feeding tube will be placed to provide nutrition until your cat is healthy and happy enough to eat on their own but depending on severity may take weeks to resolve. This is almost always secondary to some other issue that will need to be identified and resolved as well. The photo shows more mild yellowing of the gums (credit to ATCpettalk.com) . This can also be seen in the whites of the eyes and potentially the skin in more severe cases.

09/04/2021

One all too common scenario we hear at Healing Hands is dogs jumping or falling out of moving vehicles. While it is not a hard statistic I would say we probably see 3-4 cases or more a month of dogs either jumping out of vehicles or falling off during a bumpy ride. This can lead to major broken bones and sever traumatic skin injuries or death. This can be prevented with the right safety precautions. Please tether your dogs on a short leash, kennel in the back of the truck, or let them ride up front. When riding up front leave the windows rolled up or only slightly cracked. Keep your loved ones safe in your vehicle, we don't want to see them hurting but we will be here if they need us.

08/20/2021

We have approximately half our staff and doctors testing negative for COVID so we have reopened this evening. We will be operational in limited capacity until about early to mid next week. we have encouraged the surrounding clinics to accept some cases during our regular business hours. As this is a very unpredictable industry it is best to call us ahead of time in non-urgent cases to find the best time to come in to avoid long wait times. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

08/18/2021

08/18/2021

We are currently still waiting for COVID tests to come in, currently we are down 1 out of 2 doctors until Monday. As we are currently still waiting for results for our other doctor we will be closed again tonight.

08/16/2021

We apologize however one of our employees came up COVID positive on PCR this evening after an initial rapid test taken on Friday was negative. One of our doctors is symptomatic as well so we are temporarily closing until all staff are tested. We hope to be partially operational by Wednesday but may be understaffed for sometime. We will keep you updated as we gain more information.

08/14/2021

Here in emergency medicine we see a lot of animals come in already on some over the counter medications. This can alright however our cats and dogs are usually more sensitive to them than we are.

Tylenol is considered the least safe over the counter medication for dogs and is lethal to cats. It is transformed into a toxic metabolite that causes significant liver damage.

Other medications, usually liquid suspension may contain xylitol which can cause your animal to drop their blood sugar dangerously low and in extreme amounts leads to liver damage.

If your animal has an injury that requires pain management, aspirin is the safest option, however, if you plan on going to a vet our pain medications should not be given at the same time as aspirin and are more effective at pain management so ideally you hold off until seeing a vet or discontinue at least 24 hours before the appointment.

Always let your vet know if you have given any medications to avoid adverse drug interactions.

If you are unsure always ask a vet before administering human medications to your animal.

08/04/2021

We will be closed tomorrow (8/4/21) We will be back for regular business hours on Thursday.