Northern Colorado Veterinary Center

12/19/2024

🎅🎄Reminder #2:
Christmas is fast approaching, so make sure you are prepared for our holiday hours and request your pet's 💊medications💊 accordingly; otherwise 💸expedition refill fees 💸 may apply.
We will be open Monday 12/23 (normal business hours: 9-5) but closed from Christmas Eve 12/24 to 12/26 (YAY BOXING DAY 🥊). We will be open again normal business hours on Friday 12/27 (9-5p).
Call us today to request your pet's refill: 970-447-6282.

PS: don't forget New Year's is also around the corner, so prepare your pets for fireworks accordingly. If you haven't been in or haven't seen us for anxiety meds, please schedule you pet's appointment before the holiday hustle and bustle.
Hurry as appointment times are filling fast!

12/10/2024

Remember they are cute decorations but are not safe for your pets! Many rawhides are processed with formaldehyde which is a known cancer causing agent. They also pose a risk for potential foreign body obstruction.

Please keep your pets safe this holiday season. Give us a call if you have concerns or questions regarding this information: 970-447-6282.

🚫⚠️ WARNING ⚠️ 🚫
❌ Every season these rawhide "treats" are available at several locations, but they are NOT safe for your pet‼️‼️‼️

❌ The chews are made from cattle or horse hides and their journey starts with the hides being soaked in a toxic sodium sulphide to remove the hair and fat. More chemicals are used in order to split the hide into layers which is then washed with hydrogen peroxide to give the white "pure" look and remove the rancid smell.
❌ Now comes the pretty festive colors and the glue to form cute shapes.
On testing, these chews have shown traces of arsenic, mercury, chromium and formaldehyde.

❌ If that wasn't bad enough, they regularly cause intestinal blockages, poisoning from chemical residue and CHOKING. The chews go slippery when wet and are near impossible to get hold of to save a choking dog.

⚠️ Please leave these pet safety hazards in the stores ⚠️
Do your research or talk with your Vet for ideas of safe treats for your pets. 🐕🐾

12/10/2024

🎅🎄Reminder:
Christmas is fast approaching, so make sure you are prepared for our holiday hours and request your pet's 💊medications💊 accordingly; otherwise 💸expedition refill fees 💸 may apply.

We will be open Monday 12/23 (normal business hours) but closed from 12/24 to 12/26 (YAY BOXING DAY 🥊🎁) and open normal business hours Friday 12/27.

Call us today to request your pet's refill: 970-447-6282.

PS: don't forget New Year's is also around the corner, so prepare your pets for fireworks accordingly. If you haven't been in or haven't seen us for anxiety meds, please schedule you pet's appointment before the holiday hustle and bustle.

11/28/2024

We're grateful for the opportunity to care for your pets and be a part of their health journey. This holiday, we give thanks for our wonderful clients and their beloved furry companions. Wishing you all a safe, healthy, and happy Thanksgiving! 🦃 🍂

11/26/2024

Holiday Hours reminder:
Tomorrow we will be closing early to begin our Thanksgiving celebrations early. Our hours are 8-1p appointments only.

We will be closed for Thanksgiving Thursday so make sure to request your pet meds, but please note there may be an expedited refill fee for last minute refill requests, as it takes time away from our clients who are scheduled for appointments in order to get approval from the doctor. Thank you for understanding.

On the subject of Thanksgiving:
We all love our pets to experience a fun Thanksgiving but please remember many Thanksgiving foods and treats are not safe for pets and can lead to pancreatitis.

Causes:
The biggest culprits that cause pancreatitis are turkey skin and fat, gravy, and any scrap meat with visible fat. Other items that can upset your pets stomach: buttery fatty or fried foods.

Symptoms:
- nausea (drooling or hypersalivation)
- vomiting
- diarrhea
- abdominal pain (hunched back posture)
- lethargy
- loss of appetite

Treatment:
Many moderate to severe cases of pancreatitis require radiographs or abdominal ultrasound, lab work, fluid therapy, supportive G.I. medications, and hospitalization, but mild cases are often treated with a bland low-fat diet.

Estimated costs of emergency treatment for pancreatitis can range between $500 and $2500, so save yourself a little money for the Black Friday deals by preventing pancreatitis in your pet.

Preventing pancreatitis:
- limit your pet's exposure to fatty foods during meal times
- educate your guests/kids about sharing their thanksgiving meal
- kennel or crate your pet if necessary during dinner time to prevent unsupervised counter surfing
- Use your pet's normal diet or appropriate treats instead of table scraps
- Some pet-safe foods include: unseasoned green beans, plain canned pumpkin (NOT PUMPKIN PIE MIX), cooked unseasoned sweet potato (boiled or steamed), fresh apples, carrots, SHUCKED corn kernels, not corn on the cob as the cob can become a foreign body obstruction. Plain cranberries, not cranberry sauce or jelly. PLAIN UNSEASONED mashed potatoes, BEFORE adding butter or other seasonings.

When in doubt, do not give it to your pet and as always remember chocolate is highly toxic to dogs and be aware of artificial sweeteners such as birch sugar or xylitol as these can be fatal if not treated immediately.

11/13/2024

Sorry for the delay:
Check out our upcoming holiday hours for the next two months!!

Don't forget with the holidays and holiday guests can bring an unwanted visitor for your pets: Pancreatitis. Pancreatitis can occur after eating table scraps so make sure to educate your guests/family on what they should not give to your pets as treats. Here are some examples of what can cause pancreatitis:
Bacon
Bacon grease
Fat trimmed off meat or bones
Ham
Ham drippings
Turkey or chicken skin
Turkey, chicken, or other meat that’s been seasoned

Remember this is not exclusive to the list above, many high-fatty foods can cause pancreatitis. Also be aware of fruit cakes and panettone as they contain raisins which is toxic to dogs and would need fluid therapy for diuresis.

Tips to help prevent pancreatitis:
Keep it out of reach!
Remember that even normally well-behaved dogs and cats may not wait for an invitation to sn**ch up a tasty-looking treat from a countertop or off a guest’s plate. Help keep your pet safe by:

Covering food if it’s sitting out.
Covering or putting away food right after a meal to prevent your pet from getting into leftovers or table scraps.
Warning guests to keep their plates out of your pet’s reach and not to feed them.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and any other holiday you choose to celebrate!

11/11/2024

We are proud to salute veterans for their service and sacrifice for our nation.

10/31/2024

Hope you have a fur-tastic Halloween with tricks and treats! 🎃 👻

10/30/2024

🎃Halloween is coming up this week so we wanted to share a couple helpful tips to keep your pets safe while you have a little fun! 🎃

1) Toxic Treats- 🍭🍫🍬
Many delicious treats that your little ghouls will collect on Halloween can pose a serious risk to your pets. Make sure to educate your ghouls and goblins about the dangers of sharing their candy with their furry friends. For once sharing is NOT caring! The high sugar content in these treats can lead to nasty stomach upset that could lead to pancreatitis, which is inflammation of the pancreas. For diabetic pets these treats can be especially dangerous. Also be on the look out for sugar-free candies as these may contain xylitol which is fatal to pets. Chocolate is very toxic to dogs and requires veterinary intervention when it is ingested, so make sure to store your ghouls’ treasures out of reach of your tricky pets like high up on a shelf or cabinet.

2) Fright Night- 🚪🧟
Pets like a normal routine, and Halloween brings new and frequent visitors which may disrupt this routine and cause unintended anxiety. One way to help soothe your pets during the excitement is to find a quiet comfy spot in the home away from the action. A quiet bedroom is a perfect place for your pets to snooze while the Treaters visit. You can also play soothing music or white noise to drown out the commotion outside. On another note: your more adventurous pets may see this as an opportunity to explore the neighborhood. We want to keep our pets safe and secure this Halloween while we enjoy the festivities.

3) Consensual Costumes 👻🐈‍⬛🐩
Everyone loves a cute costume, but your pet may not agree. Although it is cute to get a photo op with your pet on Halloween, some pets don’t appreciate the extra adornments. Some costumes may even become a possible foreign body obstruction which could require surgical removal. Save yourself and your pet a frightful night by respecting their wishes. By all means, dress your pet if they enjoy it, but remember to pick out a consensual costume 😉

⚠️⚠️One last reminder: check the weather, we have a storm system moving into the area with possible freezing temperatures and moisture. Make sure to dress your ghouls and goblins appropriately for the frigid temperatures, and provide shelter for your little Cerberus and Spooky Cat during the freeze. 🥶

10/23/2024

ONE WEEK AWAY FROM OUR FAVORITE EVENT OF THE YEAR!!
👻Main Street Trick or Treat 👻
We can't wait for you to see what we have in store for your this year, but let's take a trip down memory lane, from our first year to last year it has been a blast to celebrate Halloween with our community!! 🥰
We can't wait to see your costumes this year!! And as always show us your pet's spookiest costumes!!

10/18/2024

October is Vet Tech Appreciation season, but our gratitude is year-round! Let's take a moment to thank our team of dedicated Veterinary Technicians who work hard to help pets and their families day in and day out. We appreciate all you do!

10/18/2024

Despite what people believe, this is one of the few times we get to actually play with puppies while at work.
Courtesy of our brief power outage! What a great way to finish off Tech Week 😂

10/18/2024

Due to the power outage in our community, we are experiencing technical difficulties at this time. We anticipate power returning shortly but please bear with us as we work through this inconvenience.

We appreciate your patience.

10/17/2024

We want to wish all the amazing vet techs out there a wonderful Vet Tech Appreciation Week!!
It takes a special kindhearted person to dedicate their blood, sweat and tears to giving the best care possible to our furry friends 🥰
If you happen to stop by this week, please let our techs know how much you appreciate them while you’re here.
💙🧡💙We wouldn’t be the same without them 💙🧡💙

10/15/2024

Show off your costumed cutie and enter Trupanion’s Tricked Out for Treats Pet-Tacular for a shot at fa(boo)lous prizes, including a custom pet portrait and limited-edition swag! For more information and full terms and conditions, visit: https://tinyurl.com/tricked-out-pb