Helwinn Kennels

20/06/2023

07/06/2023

~OUT ON TRIAL~

“Why doesn’t anyone want me?”

Pebbles wants to know why she’s been waiting in the shelter 101 days without a single person interested. She is a sweet senior estimated around 9 years young. Healthy, docile, unique and beautiful! Oh and her adoption fee is completely sponsored by Mission Kitty Inc! 🙀💗 What is the hold up? Pebbles and her cat family lost their loving home due to their owner having to move into a personal care home. She has been loved her whole life and should be enjoying her golden years in a loving family. She gets along with other animals as long as they’re respectful of her space. She’s been known to cuddle with the other cats from her home. Please share! Help Pebbles find her retirement home! 🙏✨

If you’re interested in adopting please apply at the link below! Public visiting hours are 10:30-11:30am and 2:30-4pm daily. 😺

-✨APPLICATION FORM: https://forms.gle/UhZFqFL7qWPPDsUV6 ✨-

If you need to speak to a staff member please call 709-489-3604 this page is managed by a volunteer! 😽💗

07/06/2023

📣 Don't miss our 4DX Testing Clinic at Sackville Animal Hospital on June 9, 8am-1pm! Call and book your appointment today! 🐾 Discover the health insights you need for your furry friends with results available as soon as June 12.

📞 Please note, this screening clinic is not for sick pets. 🐶🐱

01/05/2023

Eldon came to the Metro after ingesting 10 to 20 pieces of Trident Vibe gum. So what's the problem with that?

Trident Vibe contains xylitol, an artificial sweetener that can be deadly for dogs. The problem with xylitol is twofold : it can cause a life threatening drop in blood sugar and it can cause serious liver damage, even liver failure. Dogs can and do die from ingesting xylitol.

Careful monitoring of both blood sugar and liver values, IV fluids, hospitalization and nursing care - plus some extra TLC - kept this happy boy wagging his tail while staying with us 🙂

01/05/2023

SPONSORS NEEDED

We are, once again, working with rescue partners in the Canadian North to rescue at least 30 dogs and bring them to Nova Scotia. It will cost $80 per dog for transport - and that price is only as low as it is thanks to the Bark Bus, which is generously transporting from Thunder Bay to Nova Scotia for free.

If you'd like to sponsor or partially sponsor one of these beautiful dogs, please consider sending a donation to [email protected] via eTransfer. All funds will go directly to our Northern rescue efforts, so we can help more dogs like the ones pictured.

We will be posting pictures of the dogs looking for sponsors. Please consider these beautiful young dogs who have no chance without rescue.

The first beautiful pups looking for sponsorship are Tater(m), Cassie(f), Mash(m), and Chip. These beautiful babies are from Deer Lake and approximately 10 weeks old. Expected in NS mid May.

To sponsor e-transfer to [email protected]

Transport cost $80.

28/04/2023

Sometimes a simple perspective change can help us understand and help our dogs better. They don’t mean to give us a hard time, sometimes they’re simply having a hard time.

See our previous post to this one if you’d like to start helping your dog through things they have a hard time with by getting a discount on training with MAX Potential Dog Training

27/04/2023

ADOPTED!

Look who arrived in his grey suit and 4 white boots! 🤍😻 This is Mervin, he is 12 weeks young and would really like to find a family ASAP! He’s a little scared and overwhelmed in the busy shelter and clings on for dear life when you pick him up. He likes to be held close and is really hoping someone will take him home for cuddles!

Mervin’s been dewormed and had his first vaccine. If you’re interested in adopting please apply at the link below! Public visiting hours are 10:30-11:30am and 2:30-4pm daily. 😺

-✨APPLICATION FORM: https://forms.gle/UhZFqFL7qWPPDsUV6 ✨-

If you need to speak to a staff member please call 709-489-3604 this page is managed by a volunteer! 😽💗

25/04/2023

A little word about porcupines!

Porcupines are a part of life in Nova Scotia, but there are a few old wives tales about these gentle creatures that just won't go away. So today we're going to dispel a few myths!

Most popular myths about porcupines and quills:

1) A porcupine can aim and shoot quills.

Porcupines CANNOT shoot their quills. Contact has to happen, either with the porcupine itself ( alive or deceased) or very occasionally, with a few quills on the ground. There is no malice involved ...if a dog gets quilled it is because it touched someone who did not want to be touched.

2) A dog will learn from getting quills, especially in the face.

This one is a bit trickier, because it depends on the dog. Your dog *might* learn, but they also might not. The higher the prey drive, the less likely they are to remember in the moment.

3) Cutting the tips of quills will deflate them, allowing them to fall out naturally. Or, cutting them near the skin will make them fall out.

STOP!!!!! PUT DOWN THOSE SCISSORS!!!

Cutting the quills does absolutely nothing except make them much harder to remove.
Quills are barbed: this means their natural trajectory is to go forward, not backwards. If you cut them, it may certainly look like they fell out but this is only because they have now slipped fully under the skin or into tissue. They are still there - but now they are a much bigger problem. Never cut them and do not believe people who tell you to do so.

4) Porcupines quills are uncomfortable but not dangerous.

Untrue. Porcupine quills in the chest, abdomen, or quills that have been swallowed can all be life threatening. As stated above, due to design a quill naturally moves forward. Quills in these spots can migrate to vital organs causing death.

A few other points of note :

It's easy to say " A dog should be on a leash" but a lot of quill accidents happen in the dog's own yard, often late at night or early morning. Porcupines can easily climb fences or trees with overhanging branches.

Porcupines are here all year but become a lot more active in the spring. April, May and June are busy busy busy with quill removals - these can vary from a dozen quills to the nose to thousands of quills all over.

Pulling quills is painful for the dog and even the gentlest and kindest will object to more than a few being removed - not unreasonably! Sedation is used for both comfort and safety.

And it's not only dogs...curious cats and even horses will get quills now and then. Many animals just go over for a little friendly sniff and then...oops.

And finally : your veterinary team will do everything they can to remove all the quills, but due to many factors some may be left behind. Once the quills have moved under the skin or into tissue, there is simply no way to find them. If they can still be felt a small incision can be made to extract them, but often they cannot be seen, felt or found. It is not uncommon for quills to slowly migrate and then emerge weeks or even months after the initial incident.

How can you prevent hidden or " buried" quills? You might not be able to, but the best course of action is seek veterinary care quickly - the longer they stay in and the more your dog moves, the more likely it is that some quills will slip under the skin. This is especially true if your dog is very agitated and upset or if you try to remove them without proper technique.

So happy spring! Be sure to do a quick check of your yard before letting your dog out at night or early morning, be aware of your surroundings on walks, keep practicing good recall and remember...it's not anyone's fault, especially the porcupine! 🙂

20/04/2023

ADOPTED!

Senior man Rory has gone from his cozy home, to the shelter, to a cage. Though he came to the shelter with other cats, he has started getting bullied/being a bully to other males. Some cats just don’t do well in the shelter setting and Rory is one. He’s unhappy here and needs a family! Rory is 9-10 years old, neutered and loves people. He lost his home due to his owner moving into long term care. Mission kitty has sponsored his adoption fee and all the other seniors who came with him! Someone out there must have a retirement home for Rory! A cage just won’t do. 😿🖤✨

If you’re interested in adopting please apply at the link below! Public visiting hours are 10:30-11:30am and 2:30-4pm daily. 😺

-✨APPLICATION FORM: https://forms.gle/UhZFqFL7qWPPDsUV6 ✨-

If you need to speak to a staff member please call 709-489-3604 this page is managed by a volunteer! 😽💗

20/04/2023

19/04/2023

14/04/2023

Are you ready to rock? Saturday, April 15th from 8pm to 10pm Lunn's Mill Beer Co. is hosting a Hard Rock and Metal night, featuring Midnight Genny. The $5 cover fee will be going to support Misfit Manor Dog Rescue.

Double up on your giving when you order a Curry Up Summer burger, $1 of each sold will go to support Burger Wars for Campaign for Kids.

Rock out and raise some funds for these two worthy organizations!

14/04/2023

16/03/2023

Just a reminder, and not trying to sound like a nag but we at the ARC house want to try and make sure every pet is kept safe as possible
With Easter coming up April 9th we are putting this out early because lilies are appearing in stores now!
•Don't kill a cat by buying lilies.
•All lilies (genus Lilium) are lethal to felines. Get some other flower instead!
•This token of concern will make you even more loved. -Promise!
True lilies, in the genus Lilium, destroy the kidneys of cats.
All parts of the lily are poisonous -to cats.
That includes even the pollen. Lilies aren't as toxic to dogs, porcupines, humans, tortoises or any other animal; only to felines (all kinds of cats). IF a cat is poisoned URGENT treatment is important and often result in complete recovery. Waiting until symptoms manifest means the kidneys are already permanently damaged.
Not all plants called “lily” in English are true lilies. None are as toxic as true lilies, genus Lilium, and treatments will differ. But please note cut flowers are treated with biocides to prolong their vase life. These, too, are toxic. Hence, keep ALL purchased cut flowers out of reach from pets and children!
If your house has a cat, don’t buy any true lilies, and if you’re not certain, avoid anything called “lily”.
your heart, your vet and your wallet but most of all your cat will thank you.

26/02/2023

We had a client come in with a sick cat and the underlying cause was ingesting Voltaren gel, an over the counter, very commonly used product in households. She requested a spotlight be put on this medication.

Voltaren gel is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used topically on humans for muscle pain relief. For dogs and cats, when NSAIDs are ingested in inappropriate qualities it can result in severe gastric ulceration or acute kidney failure. Voltaren can make your pets sick if they lick your skin, if you pet them after using it and they lick it off their own fur, or if they get ahold of the tube itself.

This cat had a habit of jumping up on the counter and licking the tube! The owner was stumped on what she could have gotten into until they actually caught her in the action...you know what they say about curiosity & the cat. Lucky for this cat her owner noticed she wasn't feeling well early enough that with supportive care this cat is back to feeling well. 😄 As with all human medications, this is a friendly reminder to use extra caution around our curious furry friends!

26/03/2021

It's tick season folks!!

This is a handy little chart to differentiate between the ticks in our area.
Deer ticks and American Dog Ticks are most commonly found in NS.

View this as another reminder to start your pets on their preventive flea and tick medications!

22/12/2020

Merry Christmas from Lexi Reign!