Pet Cremation

Leah — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:35:02 +0000

Many of you may have heard about or seen the disturbing results of the expose on aftercare of pet remains that has aired on CTV last week.

This segment revealed that the some (sadly the majority ) of the pet cremation services in the Lower Mainland and on the Island have been guilty of returning cremains that are not those of the pet submitted for cremation.

It came as no surprise to me that the service we use at GVH (Until We Meet Again) was one of the services that was NOT implicated in this despicable practice. In fact, if you watch the segments, the footage of the beautiful, modern facility with the professional
staff was shot at Until We Meet Again. I say this comes as no surprise as Kevin (from Until We Meet Again) has always treated our deceased animals with the utmost dignity and respect. He has emanated an incredibly genuine level caring from the moment that we met and this is truly reflected by all of his staff.

We at GVH attach a great deal of significance to the end of life stage for pets and do all that we can to advocate for pets and their owners. We try to help owners make the best decisions and provide the best services to create as much peace, dignity and closure as we possibly can at this time. Kevin and everyone at Until We Meet Again provide a fabulous, genuinely caring service that helps us to achieve that.

We have always been very conscious of the importance of after care services. Any service that we have ever used has been the leader in the field at that time.

If you visit Until We Meet Again’s web site and read the section on how and why Kevin and his wife came to open their service I think it speaks volumes.

Sincerely,

Dr. Tom Honey

Below is the link for Until We Meet Again

http://untilwemeetagain.ca/

CAAT is going to Botswana!

Leah — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:30:31 +0000

In July 2012, our very own Registered Animal Health Technologist, Aliesha will be traveling to Botswana, Africa with the Canadian Animal Assistance Team (CAAT). Aliesha plans to spend the month of July with CAAT (partnered with the Maun Animal Welfare Society). They will help to provide necessary Veterinary care including spay/neuter surgeries, and other health care. In order to take part in this wellness clinic, Aliesha will need to raise $3000 to cover travel expenses. Any monitary donations towards these expenses would be greatly appreciated. However small the amount, it will go a long way in forwarding our cause. Donations can be dropped off at Garibaldi Veterinary Hospital or you can contact Aliesha at 604-849-0574. Donations over $20 will be eligible for a tax receipt.

A few team members of CAAT

DINOS

Leah — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 23:50:11 +0000

Check out this video about DINOS… Keep this in mind when walking all the beautiful trails in Squamish!

http://notesfromadogwalker.com/2012/01/11/dinos-movie/

Updates from puppy land…

Leah — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:22:29 +0000

Here is an update from our weekly puppy class taught by Katherine Mutzke.

Great classes the past couple weeks! Here’s some highlights! We go over so much in class it’s hard to keep up!

Dr. Honey went over nail trims last week ( It was great to see the diagram and also details on how to know where to cut!) all three puppies did a great job enjoying their manicures

Dr. Dattolico this week talked and demonstrated basic emergency vital signs and also talked about TICKS…they’re out already!

Max, Milo, Niko started out a little over the top in their play and guarding behaviours but each week we’ve helped them learn that having others around when they’re chewing or in possession of something is actually kinda fun.

This week Niko and Milo’s play was very relaxed and both enjoyed it without becoming over stimulated, of course with our help!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EShJjKic2jE

Niko’s agility debut
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwsN4ELK1N0

Milo’s agility debut
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCKs8FYqensInterrupting when playing is going well then separating them to work on some basic cues like sits, down, shake a paw, helps their bodies relax themselves before enjoying another play session.

I talked about ensuring each puppy being free to vocalize their opinions. It’s dangerous to take that voice away.

Could you imagine if someone told us we have no right to voice our opinions?

I love Pat Miller’s article on the ‘Gift of Growling’

I also love this link about body language!

http://www.moderndogmagazine.com/articles/what-my-dog-trying-tell-me/15185

Getting to know benevolent signals such as your puppy going from all wriggly to stiff, or looking away, licking lips, so we can turn things around BEFORE they get to the overt displays is key in changing their M.O.

Something as simple as play especially…there are some dogs who are vocal and others who aren’t. Here’s a video of my guys, my little beagle and Aussie are chatty!!!! I love the conversations they have when they’re playing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMGjMg4QuvE

I also appreciate it when they let me know something’s just not right. I can work with that to create a more positive association.

Our puppies or dogs have voices and opinions, and in my books, it’s very important to learn what those vocalizations mean, so we can come to their rescue BEFORE things are going sideways.

–

cheers,

Kate
1-778-970-0770
cleverk9.blogspot.com

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” Maya Angelou

Body Language Facts!

Leah — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:44:15 +0000

Ever wonder what your dog is trying to tell you? Here is an interesting article sent to us by our puppy trainer Kate Mutzke!

http://www.moderndogmagazine.com/articles/what-my-dog-trying-tell-me/15185

Updates from Puppy Classes!

Leah — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:15:45 +0000

Puppy class has been a lot of fun! Here are some update’s from Kate Mutzke:

I combined last week and this past week’s puppy class update. We touched the same subjects, only with Angela she also demo’s a hug and went over nail trims.

Last and this week class was jammed with puppy love and mischief We covered pretty much the same hot topics!

We touched how important rev’n up and spending time calming down is with puppies. It helps to practice during play! Recalling to you during play, then calming down after play, means they’ll get another playtime as a reward for chilling out.

Here’s a video from Dec. 3rd class, thanks to Loraine & Magda! Very very nice sharing and play with a great start to recall!

We practiced going in the middle of play and asking another person’s puppy to sit, and touch their collar while handing the a treat, then loving them up, means that puppies learn to sit when others ask instead of jumping up and they get cuddles and treats! Adding the collar touch as a safety measure, has come in handy!

Being able to hold (gently) a stray dog by the collar or your dog for that matter is very important! These puppies, later adolescent dogs, will have atleast one incident where they’ll get away from their guardians. I’m being realistic. If you’re responsible about your training, hopefully it will just be one or a handful. Managing their environment, using harness and long line dragging, keeping their racing around away from you very short, ensuring you add in recalls often means that their body will get used to racing around then checking in with you.

Sometimes unsupervised accidents happen. Doors get left open, or another dog comes around a blind corner and it’s too late…your dog is racing to your horror towards another person or dog without having permission to do so, and you don’t have a reliable enough recall to have them zip back to you. It’s also actually a Squamish By Law that your dog actually needs to be leashed and under your verbal control. You can be fined and also charged for a dog at large.

Here’s one of my favourite trail etiquette links by Bark magazine.

http://thebark.com/content/proper-trail-etiquette-hiking-your-dog

I can’t tell you how many times, asking a loose dog to sit has come in handy while their owners catch up and or being able to hold them by their collars has helped many people retrieve their puppies and or dogs!

1-Collar Grab & Treats to round up a stray or lost dog….

Just a couple months ago a Siberian Husky crashed one of my Misfit agility classes at the Rod and Gun Club. We were outdoors doing some work and this lovely husky trotted up to where I had toys. There was no owner in tow, and being close to a main road and highway, my conscience couldn’t just let this dog roam.

Lucky for me she enjoyed the scent of my treats and after some happy sounds from me, calm but playful body language, I was able to invite her closer to cash in on the treats. I then reached for her collar at the same time she was enjoying a treat from my hand, leashed her up and then call her owner to come get her. I was happy she had a tag! If not she would have spent time in a strange place and next day Animal Control. Not good.

2-I never leave home without TREATS in my pocket! It’s also a GREAT way to TRY to ward of a dog attack or overly exuberant uninvited “hello”.

I’ve actually been able to ward off a dog attack by throwing pepperoni at a dog that was charging mine! The dog put on the breaks as the peperoni was hit his face and we were able to get away while he sniffed for pepperoni.

Even if they’re just exuberant dogs racing towards yours. It’s not fair for owners who have dogs which are older and arthritic, injured or fearful, to endure having another dog race up into their face. I

Those are only a couple of the many reasons it’s really important to ensure puppies learn that the approach of others means good stuff is coming their way. No need to duck and try to run away or growl and snap in fear.

We both spoke on the importance of building a reliable recall and how important it is to ensure you don’t dilute the cue by repeating or asking your puppy to “come” when you can’t bet your paycheck…they will.

Diluting a cue by repeating it, will not teach a puppy and later, an adolescent dog to come the first time you ask. There’s a fun way to build a reliable recall which I cover in the Advanced Puppy Classes.

http://cleverk9.blogspot.com/2011/12/recalls-are-fun.html

We worked on puppy push-ups, briefly touched on how to be a magician and fade treats from hands, when asking your puppy to sit, down, stand, also talked about being realistic about how to successfully recall their puppies out of play at this time.

Dr. Honey talked about Christmas, the presents, ornaments…that will attract a curious puppy to investigate, and how supervising is key to ensure puppy doesn’t ingest anything that will result in a vet visit or stay.

Till next week!

Cheers

Kate

December is Winter & Holiday Pet Safety Month

Deborah Morriss McKenzie, Hosp. Admin. — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:04:27 +0000

Pet Health Tip of the Month:

An excellent habit to get into is performing a thorough exam of your pet’s body to check for lumps and bumps. This should be done at least once a month, and include places you may not pat on a regular basis. You should be sure to include your pet’s head, back, chest, stomach, neck and limbs. If a mass is found it should be noted and further investigated by your veterinarian. Some masses are benign, but some can be a serious concern. Some characteristics of more troubling masses are: fast growth, discharge, change in shape or colour, or if the mass is bothersome to your pet (licking, scratching).

Please click on our Holiday Health Hazards to read some fascinating and great information on how to keep your pet safe over the Holidays.

Polar’s Case of the Month

Let me introduce myself…my name is Polar and I am the resident hospital cat at GVH. You probably won’t recognize me as I am quite shy, and I like to spend my days in the treatment area. Also, that is the place where all the action happens!! From my vantage point on my scratching post I am able to observe all the interesting cases that come through the hospital and often get to meet the patients (I love dogs).

Although it doesn’t slow me down, I have only have 3 legs. When I first came to GVH, I was just a teeny, tinny kitten from the SPCA. At that time I had 4 legs, but my right hind leg was very deformed from a birth defect. I was too small for surgery at that time, so the staff at GVH took care of me until I was old enough to have my leg removed. Of course everyone at the hospital fell in love with me, and couldn’t bear to part with me after my abnormal leg was successfully amputated. I have been living here at GVH for 3 years now. My duties include overseeing the operations of the hospital (of course, I am a cat you know) and assisting in the recovery of dogs after anesthesia. My favorite place to be is curled up beside a sleeping dog, I am sure to keep them warm and comforted.

I look forward to have the opportunity to continue sharing some of my behind the scene stories from GVH.

Dr. Honey, Dr. Dattolico and all the staff at GVH want to take this opportunity to wish your whole family (two and four-legged) a happy and safe Holiday Season.

STOP BY TO PICK-UP A CHRISTMAS TREAT FOR YOUR PET!

Our hours over the Christmas Holidays are as follows:

December 24^th: 8:30am-1:pm

December 25^th: Closed

December 26^th: Closed

December 27^th: Open as usual

December 31^st: 8:30am-1:00pm

January 1^st: Closed

January 2^nd: Closed

January 3^rd: Open as usual

For after hours and Holiday emergencies please call 604-898-9089.

Please contact GVH for more information.

The Original Dog Whisperer….my kinda guy…

Deborah Morriss McKenzie, Hosp. Admin. — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:32:09 +0000

Socialization and Training BEFORE going into New Homes…….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbmY3ptoERY

cheers,

Kate
1-778-970-0770
cleverk9sports.blogspot.com

Advanced Puppy Class a HIT!!

Deborah Morriss McKenzie, Hosp. Admin. — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 17:01:41 +0000

Kate explains below what she and the older puppies did in the Advance Puppy Class last Sunday.

“I went over when to & how to add a verbal cue to a behaviour

i.e. if you can bet your paycheck they’ll perform the behaviour when you provide a hand signal…then it’s time to add the verbal cue

We worked on sits and added eye contact, recalls, play with other dog & play with delicate humans. The games I demonstrated will help dogs control their impulses to jump and nip. Lastly I introduced the puppies to scent work!

We started off with food as lures, then added no food in hands, and reward w/toys. Buzz was able to work off leash. Charlie didn’t lunge at the end of his leash. It was a really challenging request for a puppy to ignore a play pal but they did a great job!

Videos below are their starting point… it will only get flashier from here on in

Play
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaGlSOEbswA

Sarah
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJ70CB4ae-Q

Louise
http://youtu.be/uzwNSAW5H0c

cheers,

Kate
1-778-970-0770
cleverk9.blogspot.com“

SAFE Chew Toys for Puppies!

Deborah Morriss McKenzie, Hosp. Admin. — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 19:56:04 +0000

“This week at puppy class we discussed appropriate chew toys for puppies. Pigs ears and raw hides are not advised as they can pose a choking hazard and also can be contaminated with bacteria that can cause major GI (Gastro Intestinal) upset. Sticks are also not a good choice as they can become easily lodged in the mouth, throat, esophagus or trachea. Swallowed bits of nature (leaves, sticks etc) can also cause GI upset.

The best chew toys for puppies are heavy duty rubber toys (such as Kongs) that are designed to stand up to puppy wear and tear and can be filled with healthy treats. Not only is this a safe option, but it provides puppies with brain AND jaw exercise!! ”

Kate Mutzke, our puppy class instructor, has created a fantastic Blog Post for you to read!