Stone Ridge Veterinary Services Ltd

Happy International Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Day! 🐾

Did you know that this breed originated as Toy Spaniels and were so loved by King Charles II in the 1600s that he made a formal royal decree stating that they are allowed in all public spaces, including the British Parliament. 🇬🇧 However, they did not officially become recognized by the British Kennel Club until 1945.

If you have a Charles Spaniel at home, let’s see them in the comments below ⬇️

May is 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡! 🦴

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬: 🤔

Arthritis is a type of joint disease that can be caused by a few different factors including the break down of cartilage, the decreased health of synovial fluid, boney changes and autoimmune disorders. It is often mostly recognized it in older patients - but it can also be seen in younger patients (called juvenile arthritis).

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝: 🩻

Diagnosis can be determined by a physical exam and confirmed by radiographs. With radiographs, visualization of both soft tissue integrity and boney changes can be used to better diagnose the severity of the arthritis, and help determine the best form of treatment.

𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐬: 😖

- Decrease in activity/mobility
- Lameness
- Difficulty getting up from a sit or lay down
- Stiffness
- Pain or tenderness
- Possibly decreased eating

𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬: 🐾

Supplements are always a great place to start, as not all dogs will require medication assistance right away. Depending on the individual and how they process supplementation, oral supplements such as 4Cyte, Glucosamine, Aventi Joint Formula, Fish Oil, Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Green Lipped Mussel, and Turmeric can be a great help. Please be advised that it is best to chat with your Veterinarian before adding supplements to your dogs diet as they are given based on the individual, and sometimes do not mix well with other supplements or medications.

𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: 💊

When Arthritis has advanced and further pain control is needed, medications can be prescribed. Some can be given orally, typically once or twice a day, and others can be injected, lasting anywhere from 1-3 months.

𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: 🐕

- If overweight, loosing weight can help reduce strain on joints
- Low impact home exercises can be done to help maintain muscle, in turn supporting the joint
- Swimming
- Surgical procedure(s) based on severity
- Physio
- Laser Therapy
- And more!

We hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful long weekend! 🎉

Cheers,
SRVS Team

Looking for an appointment?? 👀

The busy season is here!! And it’s time to plan ahead 😵‍💫

We are now booking approximately 1-2 weeks in advance for any in clinic appointments, and 2-3 weeks for any out or clinic calls. 🐾

If you have an emergency, our availability may be limited. Please reach out, and we will do our best to accommodate you ! 🚨

We hope this helps! 🤗

Happy Mothers Day to all mothers of every shape, size and breed! 🐈‍⬛🐕🐄🐎🐖🦙🐑🐐🐓🐇🐾

Sincerely,

The SRVS Team 🤗

𝐀𝐧𝐱𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲. 😫

As pet owners, these are all words that we should be familiar with to recognize anxiety in our companions. Every pet processes stress in different ways, and each of them may require different techniques to assist them.

𝐀𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭:
- Socializing early in life
- Proper training foundations
- Positive reinforcement
- Gradual exposure to stressful situations with positive outcomes, and building from there
- Solidifying a good and trusting relationship with handler(s)
- Exposure to different environments and situations

𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞:
- Seperation
- Traveling
- Bad past experiences
- Medical causes
- Age related reasons
- Situational (vet clinic visits, nail trims, thunderstorms, etc)

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐩:
- Further training/exposure to stressful situations with positive experiences
- Happy visits to the vet clinic
- Natural calming supplements
- Anti-anxiety medications
- Seeking a trainer who specializes in anxiety
- Veterinary behaviourist consultation

The following two articles are fantastic resources to learn more about anxiety in our companion animals. 𝐖𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐕𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐭, especially if they are already on other supplements or medications.

Dogs:
https://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/behavioral/dog-anxiety
Cats:
https://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/behavioral/c_ct_fear_phobia_anxiety

MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU!! 🌌

Sincerely,
The Stone Ridge Veterinary Team

With the snow melting and the grass sprouting, now is a great time to review your Wildfire Preparedness, Prevention and Plan before the Wildfire season begins! 📝 🚒🔥

Have you ever had to be evacuated due to a fire (or a natural disaster) in your community?
Did you have a plan already set up? 🧯Did you help others in their time of need?
What resources did you find helpful to collect your thoughts?
Feel free to share your ideas and experiences below 👥

We have gathered the following resources to hopefully help you strategize an emergency plan, and be prepared to get you, your family, your pets and your livestock to safety! ⬇️

Community:
https://firesmartcanada.ca/programs/wildfire-community-preparedness-day/
https://ama.ab.ca/articles/fire-safety-for-pets

Small Animal: https://www.westlock.ca/media/fv0gh2ak/petsafetytips_dac9oa.pdf
https://albertaanimalhealthsource.ca/content/fire-safety-pets

Large Animal:
https://www.alberta.ca/farm-animals-and-livestock-preparedness
https://albertaanimalhealthsource.ca/content/livestock-emergency-preparedness
https://www.saddlehills.ab.ca/living-in-our-community/agricultural-services/livestock-emergency-preparedness/

Have you been to your local pet shelter lately? 🥰 Well today is the day to check ‘em out! 🎉

It’s National Adopt a Shelter Pet Day!! 🤗

(April 30/26)

Announcement 📣

There has been reports recently of colostrum shortage due to a supply issue. This means that many clinics and stores may not have any left in stock for sale.

If you are in need of some colostrum, we recommend milking and storing colostrum from your cows, ideally the mother. If not another mature cow in your herd. Cows are preferred to heifers. Colostrum from your local dairy can be used but only as a last resort when nothing else is available as this can introduce diseases into your herd.