Pacific Northwest Pet ER & Specialty

Spend the day with us at Pacific Northwest Pet ER & Specialty Center. When you are this cute, there is a good chance you will get an up close and personal look at how things are done! Brooks never had the chance to make it to his kennel as he got an in-depth tour of the day to day operations of our hospital. We believe in spoiling our patients to ensure their time with us is paws-itively amazing!

Prince Kaikoa - Internal Medicine

Meet Prince Kaikoa! This sweet boy carried his own bag of goodies into his Internal Medicine appointment today. We love seeing the fun personalities of our patients when they come to see us!

We love when owners reach out after an emergency to let us know that their pets are doing well! LeeLa came to us unable to walk and needing an emergency back surgery called a hemilaminectomy. She was immediately triaged by our neurology service and received the surgery the same day. We are so happy that she is able to run around again, and we just adore her sunflower photo shoot!

It's #NationalPetDay! For us it is National Pet Day every day, but we want to celebrate the joy, support, and connection pets bring to our lives a little extra today! ♥ Share a picture of your pet or pets in the comments below!

Introducing Harley, this week's Critical Care Case Study: Harley is a 5-year-old, male neutered German Shepherd who presented to Pacific Northwest Pet ER & Specialty Center's Critical Care Service with a fast-progressing hind limb weakness, incontinence, and coughing. He started having a short, choppy, hind limb gait with progressing weakness that would require him to rest after 2-4 steps and had a minimal to weakened palpebral reflex. Within one week his neurologic dysfunction was so poor that he was unable to empty his bladder and was dribbling urine despite having a large, distended bladder. He was also unwilling to eat and drink. Chest radiographs were performed and showed megaesophagus. He received a challenge dose of neostigmine which improved his gate within minutes, confirming a diagnosis of generalized myasthenia gravis. In Harley's case, this is an acquired disease where his immune system made antibodies against certain receptors at his neuromuscular junction. These antibodies cause decreased activity of neurotransmitters leading to severe muscle weakness. Human patients in myasthenic crisis are treated with either total plasma exchange (TPE) or IVIg, with the former considered most effective. TPE is a therapy that removes the plasma, which contains these immune mediated antibodies, and replaces it with plasma donations and other fluids. This is considered a short-term therapy to remove antibodies, decreasing progression of disease as the medical therapies start working. This can be a lifesaving therapy in many autoimmune diseases. Harley received two TPE therapy sessions with our critical care team and started oral therapies for his disease. After his second treatment he had an improved gait and was able to walk increased distances without growing too weak. After the second therapy, he was able to urinate on his own and keep food and water down, despite his enlarged esophagus. Harley continues to improve at home with long term management from

Emergency veterinary visits can be scary for pets and owners. It helps to know what happens during an emergency visit and how to prevent pet emergencies. Our very own Emergency Department Head, Dr. Paul Chauvin, met up with KATU News & Afternoon Live for a behind the scenes look at what the emergency team does at Pacific Northwest Pet ER & Specialty Center. To learn more about our emergency or specialty services visit our website here: https://www.pacificnwvets.com/service/24-7-emergency/

Did you know that dogs can suffer from a ‘slipped disc’ just like people? Cooper presented for difficulty walking in his back legs and was diagnosed with a ‘slipped disc’. The medical term for these injuries is intervertebral disc herniation or intervertebral disc disease (IVDD). In people, disc herniations are usually associated with pain or mild weakness. In dogs, symptoms can range from spinal pain alone up to total paralysis of their legs. Sometimes just the back legs are involved and other times all four limbs are affected. Severe disc herniations are considered surgical emergencies and dogs should be seen by a veterinary neurosurgeon as quickly as possible, especially if they are struggling to walk on their own or are totally paralyzed. Luckily, the prognosis with surgery is excellent in most cases if dogs receive prompt care. Just two weeks after surgery Cooper was walking strongly and was much improved! We were so happy to be able to provide surgical treatment for Cooper and get him back up on his feet again. Our new neurologist, Dr. Joe Kowal, is able to provide a range of medical and surgical treatments for patients suffering from various neurologic diseases such as the disc herniation in Cooper.

Ever wonder what a Veterinary Cardiologist does? Our very own Cardiologist, Gabrielle Wallace, met up with KATU News & Afternoon Live to share a bit about what the cardiology team does at Pacific Northwest Pet ER & Specialty Center. We take your pet's heart to health. Interested in learning more? Visit our website here: https://www.pacificnwvets.com/service/cardiology/

Sometimes, all you need in life is a dog 💚 Our Hospital Director, Shannon, caught the sweetest moment as her son read a bed time story to his pup. Clearly, it put him right to sleep 😂

Happy New Year from your friends at Pacific Northwest! 2021 was a challenging year for all of us. We are grateful for the continued trust and confidence that you place in our team when caring for your furry loved ones. We are honored to serve our Vancouver community. We're always here - should you ever need us.

All of us at Pacific Northwest wish you and your furry loved ones a Merry Christmas! 🎄