Our pets give us so much over the years.  They share our adventures, our joy and sowrrow.  Pets rely on us always for love, care and attention.  As they age, they need more from us.

Barron is a 15 year old miniature schnauzer.  Over the past few years, Barron has faced challenges with bladder stones, dental disease and a heart murmur.  More recently his kidneys have started to have difficulty functioning.  Routine monitoring of his kidney function showed that bladder stones had reoccurred.  Here at Martindale, we removed the stones and performed an extensive dental cleaning.  Barron is now happy at home with his other family members.

Annual wellness and senior wellness blood testing and urinalysis help up track changes and identify areas of concern.  THis allows parent and The Martindale Veterinary Team to help our pets age with dignity and the best medical care.

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 It is always fun and exciting to bring home a new family member.  Brodie is such a lucky guy to be in his new home.

His new family noticed that he had diarrhea and brought him in to Martindale Animal Clinic for one of our Veterinarians to exam.  They also brought a stool sample.  After examination, a Parvo test and the fecal test, Brodie was found to have Giardia.  Medications, a healthy diet and some strong clean up routines has Brodie on his way to recovery.

Giardia is not a worm.  It is a single celled organism called a protozoa.  It is a parasite of the gastro-intestinal tract that causes diarrhea and sometimes vomiting.  It affects dogs, cats and people, too.  It is spread through the stool of infected animals.

We are so very glad to be able to help Brodie and his family develop ways to keep him healthy and be aware of concerns to watch for.  Each of our new pets are invited to have one of our free puppy or kitten pack discussions with a member of our team at the time of their first visit.  This allows families an opportunity to ask questions and gain information to help them care for their new family member.

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This past summer we were blessed to be able to help a pregnant mom cat have a home.  She came to us just one week before her little ones were born.  What a fun morning to come in and have five new little kittens to care for!

Since then, each of the kittens and the mom has found a new home.  Our thanks to those who opened their hearts and homes to these feline friends.

Cooper is one of the kittens from this family.  He spent his first eight weeks with us, playing, growing and occasionally getting into mischief with his brothers and sister.   He now has a lovely home and has come to visit a few times in order to get his vaccines and checkups.  Last week Cooper had his neuter procedure.  Now he is ready to really have a wonderful life in his new home.

Spaying and neutering your pet is one of the greatest choices you can make.  Not only does this help with population control, but also helps protect your pet from future health concerns.  Spaying before the first heat cycle is the best prevention of mammary cancer and cancer of the uterus and ovaries. Neutering effectively prevents testicular tumour and is the best prevention of prostate disease and prostate cancer.

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We thought Caesar was a wonderful choice for our first feline Pet of the Week. 

Ceasar is a 5 year old cat that was rescued by his owner a few months ago.  He developed a bad infection in his mouth and was not eating.  Blood testing showed that he was infected with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus.  This virus is in the same family as HIV (not contagious to humans though), and cats can get very sick because their immune system is compromised.  Cats with this virus get a lot of infections that they can’t fight off very well.  It is usually spread by a bite wound, but can be spread from mother to kittens as well.  It can often take years before they will show signs of infection.  He is currently being treated with antibiotics for his infections and is doing well at home.  The virus has affected his bone marrow though and he will need long-term treatment.  He will also have to remain indoors at all times and not be in contact with other cats to avoid spreading the virus.

We are so very pleased that Ceasar is doing well.  The benefits of screening our feline friends for FIV is so very helpful.  Early detection allows us to care and prepare for the best health plan.

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We are often asked where clients can look up  information on the internet.

When surfing the internet, please  look to sites that end in .edu or are veterinary college sites.  These sites will give you impartial information based on clinical studies, findings and professional recommendations.

We have also found www.veterinarypartner.com very helpful.  It is the partner site to the information sharing site used by veterinarians to give and obtain support with various cases.

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This week we had a hard time picking one pet of the week.  Instead, our choice is for two brothers who love to do everything together.  Chester and Teddy follow each other around the house, sleep together and even come to Martindale Animal Clinic together.

Chester and Teddy visited us recently to discuss the importance of dental care.   As two dogs starting their senior years, their petite mouths and breed lead to an increase in gingivitis and higher risk of dental disease.  After a full dental examination and cleaning, Chester and Teddy are ready to continue to follow each other everywhere.

Dental care is so very important to help reduce the bacterial load in the mouth, help prevent tartar build up and gingivitis, and ensure a pet’s ability to eat is maintained. Routine cleaning, daily brushing and occasional chewing of quality food and CET chews help maintain a healthy mouth and fresh breath.
 

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Bear is always energetic when he comes to visit us at Martindale Animal Clinic.  His happy go lucky attitude never sways, even when he is having difficulty with his ears.  Bear has had surgery in the past for an aural hematoma of his right ear.  An aural hematoma is due to a burst blood vessel inside the ear flap causing a lot of swelling.  This usually occurs from shaking the head because of an ear infection.  Though in some dogs these are caused by a problem with their immune system. He visited us this week with his left ear swollen.  Afterexamination, another aural hematoma was suspected.  Surgery revealed inflamed tissue that was filled with pockets of fluid. A drain was placed in his ear flap to help fluid drain. Always in a good mood, Bear went home with a head bandage to be proud of.

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  Our first Pet of the Week is Sampson, a 3 year old Bernese Mountain Dog, He is a joy to have visit the clinic. Always full of energy and excited to see the staff. His first visit of the year was a bit different.  He came in just not feeling like his usually happy and energetic self.   Diagnostics revealed an obstruction. Surgery was needed to remove the T-Shirt, that’s right, T-Shirt, Sampson had eaten.  Being a larger dog, he needed some additional support in healing.  Now he is back playing with his family and the other pets in the home. We are overjoyed that Sampson is doing so well!

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We are so happy to announce the arrival of a new baby girl into the world.  Jay, one of our Registered Veterinary Technicians, is welcoming her baby girl, Harper Marie.   The beauty was born Wednesday, December 27th and the family is doing well.  All the best to them as they begin a great adventure!

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Holiday Hours

We will be closed from Saturday, December 24, 2011 thru Tuesday, December 27, 2011 and  on Monday, January 2, 2012 If you need medical attention for your pet Please visit the Niagara Veterinary Emergency Clinic 3300 Merrittville Highway Unit #1A, Thorold, ON 905-641-3185 All the best this holiday season from our family to yours Hrs

We will be closed from Saturday, December 24^th

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