May 2017 saw a surge in cases of this type at our hospital with six animals presenting with symptoms of this condition. The signs are acute bloody malodorous diarrhea, sometimes associated with vomiting, and mentally dull patients with abdominal discomfort.  The onset can be very rapid and can be associated with severe fluid loss, which […]

Dr. Margiocco is taking a personal leave of absence in Italy with an anticipated return date of March 2018. As of April 13, 2017, all prescription refills and monitoring will need to be performed by the family veterinarians. During his leave, Dr. Margiocco will be doing telemedicine via Idexx. We appreciate all of your support […]

A few weeks ago Bluebell — a Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever — became our first dialysis patient when she suffered from acute kidney injury due to leptospirosis and arrived at our hospital less than 24 hours after our new dialysis machine was installed and became operational.     What is leptospirosis? It is a bacterial […]

The days of summer are (finally) upon us; the government has issued a heat advisory for the end of the week so now is the time to seriously consider the perils of warm weather. Dogs have a limited ability to sweat so even a short time in a hot environment can be deadly. I have seen many cases […]

Although it doesn’t quite feel like summer yet here in the Lower Mainland, we are still playing outside.  Today’s blog is a reminder of the potential harm the seemingly innocuous BBQ can pose to the dogs in your family. Corn cobs are very tasty yet poorly digestible and if eaten, will cause intestinal obstruction.  Over the […]

Cycads (aka sago palms or Cycas revoluta) are highly poisonous plants that look like palm trees. Because they reached the height of their diversity during the Jurassic Period, they are often described as living fossils. In fact, when Jurassic Park movies came out, potted cycads were often sold with the slogan “dinosaur food”. Their natural habitat […]

Soon to be the blade runner kitten, Cassidy is scheduled to become the first cat to be fitted with high tech prosthetic blade legs. Canada West Veterinary Hospital was happy to play a role in the recovery of the feral kitten, missing both hind legs. Found starving and with an infection in Langley, Cassidy was […]

[Editor’s Note]: We are excited to share a guest blog post on socializing dogs from Alice Fisher, a Certified Trainer, Training Specialist and Training Director at DOGsmart Training Systems Ltd.   See Alice’s guest blog post below: Every morning I start my day reading the newspaper and my emails and watching the tv news. I learn […]

Our case reports series discusses actual cases treated at Canada West Veterinary Specialists to help pet owners better understand our work and some of the processes and stages involved.  This profile features Mija, an 8-month old terrier pup who recently underwent brain surgery at our hospital.  A Small Puppy Badly Injured By A Larger Dog […]

By Dr. Laurence Braun, ER + Critical Care Specialist [Editor’s Note: Earlier this year, Canada West Veterinary Specialists’ Dr. Laurence Braun experienced first-hand the range of emotions and considerations that our clients encounter as pet-owners of an animal in need of advanced care when her own dog was diagnosed with a fast-growing form of cancer. […]