Your Pet Gazette – Spring Issue

Tick Prevention Recommended

Tick prevention remains a priority for our pets this spring:

As the temperatures rise above 4 degrees, ticks become active and quest for food.  Toronto Parks, woodland trails, grassy regions, and leaf piles all have the potential to contain ticks just waiting to hitch a ride on pets and humans.  As we are already seeing pets with ticks this spring, our veterinarians feel that it is important to maintain vigilance by using tick protection on our pets.

Last year, the incidence rates for tick-borne disease in pets were on the rise.
IDEXX Pet Disease Report Ontario 2019:
799 Lyme Disease
118 Anaplasmosis
99  Erlichia

There are already 33 Lyme disease positive cases in Ontario for 2020.

Tick in fur

The use of preventive medications is key to reducing the possibility of exposing our pets to tick-borne diseases.  There are some very good products available in either oral or topical formats. The choice is yours and we currently have stock ready for dispensing. No vet visit is required to refill your pet’s tick preventive medication.  We do however require a current weight on your pet. If you had a growing kitten or puppy come in to see us last year, then please call for instructions on how to weigh your pet at home or book an appointment if you are unable to do this at home.

Once again, Merck is offering an excellent rebate program with the purchase of Bravecto flea and tick prevention.  This product comes in both oral and topical formats. There is no need to purchase all the product you need for the year. To qualify for the maximum rebate of $30, save all your receipts and submit to Merck before the end of the year. Please call us for complete details.

Due to the COVID outbreak, we have safe pick-up protocols in place or we can arrange delivery to your door for a small fee. Please be sure to call ahead to order your supplies at least one week before you need them.

We are open poster with new clinic hours

Everything will return to normal eventually:

Many of you have expressed concern for pets overdue for their annual check-ups and vaccinations. Please don’t worry!  We are really looking forward to seeing all our furry patients again soon and we will be in touch to remind you about booking them in to see the doctor. It may take a little time to catch up but we will make every effort to see our patients once the COVID restrictions are lifted and we feel that this can be done safely for you and our team.

In the meantime, we are here for all your urgent care needs. Please call us to book a safe, no-contact vet visit should the need arise.

Happy dog on a leash at the clinic

Welcome Baby Lily!

Dr. Kahn, new baby girl Lily and their family

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Kahn had a healthy baby girl named Lily in March. Both Mom and baby are doing very well tucked safely up at home with their family. She sent us this lovely family photo since we are unable to visit yet. We sure are looking forward to meeting baby Lily once it is deemed safe to do so.

Please Welcome Dr. DiGregorio

Dr. Donna DiGregorio has joined our team while Dr. Kahn is on maternity leave. Dr. DiGregorio recently relocated from Collingwood to join our team. She also worked with us prior to attending the University of Edinburgh where she studied veterinary medicine. It’s been a great experience working together again and we hope you will meet her soon. We promise to have her photo up on the website real soon!

Please welcome our new team members:

Chantal Klein, RVT

Chantal Klein with a dog

Chantal is a recent addition to our team, but she has been working with animals since high school. She has spent time volunteering within animal shelters, and different specialties within the veterinary field such as Neurology, and even started her own nail trimming program for local shelters and charities. Since graduating from the veterinary technician program at Seneca College in 2018, Read more.

Tyler Thorkildsen, RVT

Tyler Thorkildsen with colleagues and a dog

That’s Tyler on the far left in the photo above. Tyler joined our team in February this year. He brings a special skill set to the practice with his experience working with the Toronto Wildlife Center, Toronto Humane Society, and Annex Cat Rescue. Tyler has two kitties that he fostered and adopted while working at the humane society. Please stop in sometime when things return to normal to meet our new people and get to know them. They love what they do!