Skunks are very common, both in the city and the country. Know what to do if your pet gets sprayed.

Even though the weather isn’t co-operating, spring really is here. We wanted to remind you about a couple of potential pet hazards that come with the season.

Skunks

You and your dog are out and about more, and so are skunks.  To lower the chances of a dog vs. skunk encounter, avoid letting your pooch explore bushes and shrubs on his or her own, especially in the early morning and evening.  If you and your dog do encounter a skunk, do everything you can to not alarm the skunk, and get your dog away before the skunk lets fire. If the worst happens, and the skunk lets loose on your dog, read what to do, including our most effective “de-skunking” recipe on our previous post: So your dog has met a Skunk.

Anti-Freeze

Another very common hazard at this time of year is anti-freeze in parking lots and gutters. It’s the time of year when people change over their windshield washer fluid from the type with anti-freeze in it to the kind with anti-bug chemicals. Unfortunately not everyone is aware of how toxic anti-freeze is for both pets and people, and not everyone is careful about spillage when they make the change. When you change over your own fluid, be extremely careful about spilling it and dispose of any excess properly at a city hazardous waste depot. When you are walking your dog, don’t let them drink from puddles or gutters, where any number of toxic chemicals may lie in wait, but particularly sweet-tasting anti-freeze. Anti-freeze is an extremely dangerous, and often lethal toxin. If you believe your dog has consumed any anti-freeze, no matter how small the quantity, contact us immediately for veterinary care.

Blue Cross Animal Hospital | Toronto Veterinarian | Spring Things: Skunks and Anti-freeze

A tiny wet, newborn kitten, one minute old.

Two newborn kittens, around one to two hours old, suckling and starting to grow already.

Closeup of a single one-to-two hour old kitten.

Day 2: One of Tangle’s kittens sleeping on her.

Close-up of one of Tangle’s kittens on the morning of their second full day.

Day 2: Mother cat Tangle and two of her kittens.

Blue Cross Animal Hospital | Toronto Veterinarian | New-born kittens!

As you can tell by her big belly, and the X-Ray below, Tangle is expecting to be a Mom very soon.

We are expecting five kittens in the very near future. Hint: Count the heads!

It was so much fun, we’re doing it all again. Our latest resident Mom-to-be is Tangle, a lovely young brown tabby. The X-Ray above shows five kittens, who are very near to being born.

Blue Cross Animal Hospital | Toronto Veterinarian | Kitten X-Ray: Our soon-to-be new kittens

A persistent itch can be a sign of seasonal allergies or another skin condition.

It’s spring. The trees and flowers are blooming. Is your nose runny? Are your eyes itchy? You may notice that your pet is experiencing similar discomfort. It’s allergy season!

Inhaled allergies, such as those caused by the proliferation of pollen in the spring can cause symptoms in both dogs and cats.

Dogs

Most dogs experience allergies as skin irritation. They scratch constantly, and can develop “hot spots”. Their ears often seem to be infected. Sometimes they will have runny eyes or a runny nose, but more often their skin is extremely itchy. Sometimes dogs will scratch so hard that they will break the skin. You know how frustrating it can be to have an itch, but you can help your pet not to suffer:

• Regular bathing removes allergens from the skin surface.
• Omega-3 fatty acid dietary supplements are anti-inflammatory. Make sure that you get the appropriate supplement and dose from your veterinarian.
• Various medications are also available, if necessary.

If your dog is experiencing any of the above symptoms, bring them in to see if allergies are the cause. These symptoms may be caused by things other than allergies. It’s important to get a correct diagnosis and appropriate recommendations for treatment.

Cats

Cats, even indoor cats can suffer as well. they too can have itchy skin and ears, and runny eyes or noses. Cats are also prone to asthma, and the pollen at this time of the year can cause them to wheeze and cough. they may look like they are trying to bring up a hairball, but in fact may have significant lung changes that can make breathing difficult. asthma can be serious and should be treated by a veterinarian. Again, a consultation is important to correctly diagnose allergies, and recommend appropriate treatment.

Blue Cross Animal Hospital | Toronto Veterinarian | Seasonal Allergies in your Pet

The new smaller microchip injector with the "Uncover a Cure" ID tag.

A comparison of the old microchip injector with the new smaller minichip injector shows how much the size of both the injector and the chip have been reduced.

We all know the benefits of having our pets micro-chipped: it’s a fast, safe permanent way to identify your pet. Collars can be lost. Tattoos can become illegible in older dogs, and often aren’t linked to current ownership records. Microchipping is a quick, painless way to identify your pet in a way that is linked to your current information (Make sure to update your records with the microchip provider). Microchips provide the best chance of recovering your pet should it become lost–barely a week goes by when we don’t hear a story of a pet who was reunited with its family, sometimes from hundreds of miles away.

And now the microchips we use Blue Cross Animal Hospital are even better! We’ve switched over to using the new mini-sized microchips. As you can see from the pictures above, these minichips are one third the size of the previous chips, allowing for a smaller injector. As well 24PetWatch, our microchip provider has launched “Recover a Pet, Uncover a Cure”. In support of breast cancer research, a portion of the proceeds of each minichip will be donated to breast cancer charities.

Blue Cross Animal Hospital | Toronto Veterinarian | Recover a Pet, Uncover a Cure

To pass on a heartworm infestation, a mosquito only needs to bite one infected dog before it bites yours.

What is Heartworm?

Heartworms are exactly what they sound–3-6 inch worms that live in the heart and vessels that lead to the lungs. Baby worms called microfilaria circulate in the blood of an infected dog. These microfilaria are picked up by a biting mosquito and passed on to the next animal it bites. Over seven months microfilaria mature into adult worms living in the heart and begin to produce another generation of microfilaria. Over time, adult worms living in the heart can damage it potentially leading to heart failure and death. The good news is that prevention is easy.

How common is Heartworm? Is prevention really necessary?

Heartworm is spread by mosquitos, so any dog in your neighbourhood who has gone unprotected could be infecting your own dog. It is becoming much more common for dogs to travel, especially to areas like Florida where the infection rate is very high. Also, people adopt dogs and bring them home from their winter holidays. Often these rescue dogs are carrying heavy worm burdens. Closer to home, there are parts of southern Ontario that have large numbers of reported cases. All it takes is one mosquito, biting just one of these infected dogs, then biting yours, to spread the infection.

Every year a survey is sent to Ontario veterinarians and we report the number of dogs tested and the number of positive tests we have seen. Toronto always reports cases and some areas such as the shore of Lake Eerie show a high rate of infection. By its very nature the survey results are skewed towards the low side. Only owners who take their dogs for testing and put them on preventative are represented in the survey. There are thousands of dogs out there that are not tested or on preventative, so the number of cases and therefore potentials infectors may be much higher. As mentioned before it just takes one of those dogs to be in your neighbourhood to put your dog at risk.

Heartworm Prevention

To protect your dog, you first have a blood test, after the 15th of April. We are testing for infections from the previous mosquito season. It takes that long for the infection to appear in the blood. Puppies born before the end of mosquito season in Ontario, that is before November 1st,  need a blood test. If by chance, they were infected at the end of last fall, letting those worms live in the heart until we test next year could cause serious illness.

Once a dog or pup is found to be negative we put them on a preventative program for the summer. Pups born after November 15th can go straight onto Heartworm preventative this year.

Read more about the lifecycle of the heartworm.

Call us to learn more about heartworm, or to make an appointment for your heartworm test.

Blue Cross Animal Hospital | Toronto Veterinarian | Heartworm Testing and Prevention: Beat the Worm!

Adzuki is an adorable orange tabby kitten. He has been adopted along with his sister Fava, and will go to his new home when he is old enough to leave his mother.

Fava is an almost all white kitten, except for her black "beret". She has been adopted along with her brother Adzuki.

Garbonzo is a mostly white kitten with orange tabby patches. He has been adopted by the same family as Lima.

Jelly is one cute kitten, male, mostly white, with orange tabby markings on his head, looking for a great household to adopt him.

Lovely Lima has a lucky family waiting for her to be old enough to leave her mother. The same family has adopted two kittens, so Lima will be living with Garbonzo.

Lupini is a lovely little female kitten, mostly white with a tri-color tabbie head, still available for adoption by a loving family.

Turtle is a mostly white male kitten with dark grey tabby markings on his head. Turtle is available for adoption, seeking a loving forever home.

Pinto’s kittens are four and a half weeks old, and getting cuter and bigger with every day that goes by. After an intensive all-staff voting process, all of Pinto’s “Beans” have been given names: Adzuki, Fava, Garbonzo, Jelly, Lima, Lupini, and Turtle. Four of them, along with Pinto herself have found “forever homes” when the time comes for the kittens to leave their mum, but we are still seeking caring households for Turtle, Jelly and Lupini. Of course we at Blue Cross Animal Hospital are all very attached to these little darlings and we are screening prospective placements very carefully . If you are interested in adopting one of these cuties, please call us at 416-469-1121 or email us at: contact@bluecrossanimalhospital.ca

EDIT: Pinto’s kittens are now all spoken for! Thanks everyone for spreading the word.

Blue Cross Animal Hospital | Toronto Veterinarian | Pinto’s Kittens looking for Forever Homes

Try the new Subscription feature on the Blue Cross Animal Hospital Webstore and save on automatic deliveries.

Our Webstore now has a new feature–you can “subscribe” to your regular products! This is an incredibly cool new capability that means you only have to order your product once, and it will be automatically delivered to your door when you need it. EDIT: Note that for clarity “Subscribe” has now been changed to “Autoship”, but the feature remains the same.

Here’s how it works:

1. Sign Up for the Webstore.

2. Order your product.*

(*For some products, you may need clinic approval to make sure that the product is appropriate for your pet.)

You will be presented with the normal size selections, plus an option to set up the product as a subscription.

3. Select the Subscribe option.

You will be presented with the subscription options. You just need to fill in the delivery frequency that you want, and your product will automatically be delivered to you door. You only pay for products as you receive them.

4. Change the Subscription at any time.

You can change the subscription at any time to adjust the frequency or change the next shipment. You can delete the subscription at any time. go into your account and select “My Subscriptions”.

Select the Subscription you want to edit and make your changes.

5. Save by Subscribing.

In most cases, subscription pricing is lower than our already competitive on-line price!

6. Remember you get free shipping on orders over $75 (some conditions apply).

Note that “Subscribe” has now been changed to “Autoship”, but the process remains the same.

Blue Cross Animal Hospital | Toronto Veterinarian | New Webstore Feature: Subscribe and Save!

Easter can be a good family weekend, but make sure to keep your cats and dogs away from the flowers and goodies.

1. Easter Lilies are extremely dangerous to all pets. Please avoid having them in your home. Cats, especially indoor cats or those who have been housebound by the cold weather, are likely to snack on any greenery brought into the house. Even a small amount of Easter Lily can cause severe and usually fatal kidney damage. The plant causes crystals to form which literally shred the kidney as they pass into it.

If you suspect your cat has tried even a small amount of Easter Lily, bring them in to see one of our veterinarians immediately. If the amount was minimal, we may be able to limit the damage by treating with IV fluids.

2. While easter lilies pose the greatest hazard as they are the most likely to be brought indoors, all kinds of lilies pose the same dangers, including day lilies and wild lilies.

3. Daffodils and Tulips, particularly the bulbs can also be toxic to both dogs and cats if ingested, causing vomiting, salivation, and diarrhea.

4. Chocolate is also extremely poisonous to dogs, and can sicken or even kill them. It’s one of the most common causes of poisoning in dogs. Chocolate is also toxic to cats, but as cats can’t taste sweetness, they are less likely to ingest it. Even small amounts of chocolate can cause vomiting and diarrhea in dogs. Large amounts can induce hyperactivity, quivering, elevated blood pressure, a rapid heart rate, seizures, and eventually respiratory failure or cardiac arrest. Be very careful your dog doesn’t get some of the loot from your Easter chocolate hunt.

If you suspect your dog has eaten chocolate, seek veterinariany attention immediately.

5. Bunny ears are embarrassing, but they do make for some cute photos.

Blue Cross Animal Hospital | Toronto Veterinarian | Easter Tip Sheet

Eight kittens, a couple of hours old, waiting for Mom in a warm basket.

All hands on deck to dry, warm, and stimulate our newborn kittens.

Newborn kitten sleeping.

Pinto cuddles one of her kittens.

Day One. Pinto sleeps while her kittens cuddle and feed.

Twenty-four hours later, and all is well. All the kittens appear to be active and feeding, and Pinto is a lovely mother cat. Like any new mother she is tired but proud, showing off her kittens a bit, but mostly resting, cuddling her brood and letting them feed.

A big round of applause to the whole team who stayed on at the hospital until late in the night, helping with this fantastic event: Veterinarian Dr Swarney, Registered Veterinary Technician Mel, from the Client Care Team Erina and Diana, Animal Care Attendants Jenna and Robert, and Hospital Manager Gail. You guys rock!

You can see picture updates of the kitten’s progress on our facebook page.

Check out video updates on our YouTube channel!

Blue Cross Animal Hospital | Toronto Veterinarian | Kittens! Meet Pinto and the Beans