The team at West Kootenay Animal Hospital has so much to be thankful for and we are sure you do too!  We  are looking forward to celebrating one of our favorite holidays with family and friends. We will be closed Saturday October 10, Sunday October 11 and Monday October 12, 2015 for the Thanksgiving Holiday.  Our office will be open again for regular office hours at 8:15 am on Tuesday October 13, 2015.

If you have a veterinary emergency during the Thanksgiving weekend, a doctor on call can be reached at: 250-364-1910 and follow the directions given.

Given the hot, dry summer we are having in BC, it seemed inevitable that forest fires would eventually affect the beautiful Kootenay Boundary region.  Seemingly overnight, we have become surrounded by fires with dense smoke hanging in the air, affecting us as well as our pets.  While we all know about the concerns surrounding air quality, the question for many of us is "should I be worried about my pets?". 

Our clinic has recently purchased a new digital X-ray system (both radiology and dental xrays). Having digital X-rays allows us to be more efficient when taking X-rays and the images are clearer giving us better results. The digital system is also more environmentally friendly and exposes staff and pets to less radiation and chemicals. Being digital also means we can quickly and easily e-mail X-rays to referring clinics.

You have found a tick on your animal, now what? Here are a few simple steps to removing a tick from your pet:

1. Grab a small container and some tweezer (or handy tick pickers if you have some, which you can get at your veterinary clinic). You may actually want to hold onto the tick for awhile in case your pet starts to show signs of any tick borne dieases. We can send the tick away for such analysis.