Tank the Mastiff Cross

This is Tank, a one year old Mastiff X, whose owner brought him to the clinic because he was  not eating, not defecating and vomiting.  The “no eating”  was very unlike him!  His owner had a pretty good idea of the cause:  two days before she had witnessed Tank eat a kebab skewer and it had not re-appeared. A radiograph clearly showed the skewer in the stomach, sitting vertically. After performing surgery to remove it, I was amazed it was 8″ in length and completely intact! Swallowed whole!

Tank went on to make a full recovery.

Zoey the Shitzu

This is Zoey, a 14 year old Shitzu.  Over the years, Zoey had developed many problems:  a heart murmur and glaucoma to name a couple.  Her owner was struggling everyday to apply three different drops to her remaining eye (One eye had previously been removed) but the optic pressure was not under control.  Together, we decided to enucleate (remove) the remaining eye.  She was a very high risk because of her age and heart murmur.  Zoey survived the operation and, once healed, her comfort level vastly improved.  Her sight had been significantly compromised prior to the operation so she adapted very well to her new condition.

Peaches the Russian Hamster

Peaches is a young Russian hamster and a total sweetie!  The poor little one was being cannibalised by her cage mate. Russian hamsters generally are solitary animals and tend to become aggressive with one another when mixed with others.

Bearded Dragon

This is a young, male Bearded dragon.   When he came  to us, his growth was stunted, he was lethargy and not eating.  He was diagnosed with Metabolic Bone Disease which arises from incorrect husbandry practices – namely diet and housing.  In this picture we are giving Calcium Gluconate solution in fluids to rehydrate and help replenish lost minerals from his bones.

Micro Mini Pig

This is a male, 8 week old micro mini pig.  A friend of mine, who breeds them, needed four of the little guys neutered (castrated) under sedation.

They all did great and found good homes.

A Favourite Character

Camila, an Abyssinian, was one of our clinic’s most favourite patients.  She had many health issues but did not let that interfere with her sweet character.  As you can see she LOVED kisses!

Lion Shaving Tundra

Tundra is a 9 year old, female, Malamute with an extremely thick coat.  In the heat, she suffers from ‘hot spots’, areas of inflamed, infected skin which can be both painful and intensely itchy.  Every summer we shave her, keeping her legs, head and tail intact.  This keeps her cool and prevents the hot spots from occurring.  Ta da!  A happy Tundra!

Unexpected Guests

This container is full of roundworms. One of our patients actually vomited these lovely specimens, indicating a heavy worm burden. Pets usually have a low worm burden throughout their lives, you will never actually see these worms unless there is such a heavy burden that there is no more room for them to attach to the gastrointestinal tract. “Happy worms stay on the inside”. It is recommended to deworm your pets regularly to prevent this.

Rocky Our Mexican Rescue Dog

This is Rocky. A fellow colleague who works frequently at a Mexican dog rescue organization in Merida, Yucatan State, brought him back to Canada after a recent trip. He is the sweetest little guy. He is, however, completely deaf and did have terrible dental disease when he came to us. After a few extractions and some dental cleaning, a few baths and pampering, he was very quickly re-homed to a loving family.

Fledgling Crow

This awesome little guy was brought in by someone who found him on the side of a busy road. He is a fledgeling which you can tell by his plumage and blue eyes. He was not injured but just learning to fly and we released him back to the wild.