VETERINARY
Veterinary Services
Your Veterinarian in St. Catharines
At Court Animal Hospital, we provide a range of vet services for pets throughout the St. Catharines area. Whether it’s a regular checkup, help choosing a diet, grooming, or end-of-life services, you can trust us to be caring and compassionate. Our goal is to make sure you and your friend are both able to live happy and healthy lives.
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To book an appointment for your pet or to learn more about the services we offer, please call us today.
PREVENTIVE
Preventive Services
Parasite prevention is a key part of maintaining the happiness and health of your pets.
Flea Prevention
Fleas can cause problems that range from minor to life-threatening. They can cause itching and allergies in your pet but can also transmit parasites such as tapeworms and diseases. And fleas don’t just stay on your pet – they can get onto you too. We can help you get rid of any fleas that have found their way into your home.
Heartworm Prevention
Mosquitoes can transmit heartworm infections when they bite. Heartworms can wreak havoc on your pet, severely damaging the heart, lungs, and blood vessels. Symptoms can vary wildly and they may not even show signs at first.
Treatment for heartworm infection can be difficult in dogs and can even be fatal, and there is no approved treatment for cats. Fortunately, prevention is easy – just administer monthly heartworm preventatives and your pet will be happy and healthy for years. Most heartworm medications also protect your pet against other parasites, such as roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, ear mites, fleas, and ticks.
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Tick Prevention
Ticks are becoming more and more common in North America thanks to changing climate patterns. They’re not being found in areas where they were never encountered before. These parasites can be much more than a nuisance – they can carry diseases that are serious and sometimes deadly.
Contact us immediately if your pet starts coughing or has joint pain, trouble breathing, fever, weakness, or loss of appetite, weight, energy, or coordination.
Tick preventatives are the best way to keep ticks off your pet. Even indoor-only pets can be at risk if a tick decides to hitch a ride on your clothes or shoes.
If you find a tick on your pet, don’t panic. Tick preventatives will often kill the tick when they come into contact with your pet. Call us today to learn more about tick prevention.
VACCINATION
Vaccination Programs – Puppy & Kitten Wellness Programs and Adult Pet Wellness
Puppy Wellness
Congratulations on your new puppy!
We recommend you schedule your puppy for their first exam as soon as possible. They may be vulnerable to serious, but preventable, diseases until then.
We appreciate you choosing us to help protect and care for your new friend. Our puppy wellness program is formulated to put your puppy on the path to a long, healthy life. The first few months are a critical period in your puppy’s development. We can give you the support and tools necessary to help them grow into a well-mannered, healthy dog, including information and advice on nutrition, training, behaviour, and socialization.
Kitten Wellness
Congrats on your new kitten!
Schedule your new friend for their first exam as soon as possible to ensure they start on the path to a long and healthy life. Young kittens are vulnerable to many preventable diseases until they get their vaccines – such as rabies or panleukopenia (distemper). We can also advice vaccinating them against other diseases, such as feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV).
We appreciate you choosing us to help you protect and care for your kitten. We look forward to meeting them!
Adult Pet Wellness
Bringing your pet in for an annual diagnostic and wellness checkup can help reassure you that they are still healthy and it can help them live longer and healthier. We can detect hidden diseases or conditions early, which is often vital in improving the prognosis of your little friend. Many pets are good at hiding signs that something is wrong.
Dogs and cats age far more quickly than humans, which means it’s even more important for them to receive regular exams. There are many issues, such as arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hormone disorders, and kidney and liver problems, that can all worsen with age.
MEDICAL
Medical Assessment
For a proper diagnosis, we need to completely examine your pet. The medical assessment begins by looking at their eyes, ears, and skin. Then we check their cardiovascular, neurological, gastrointestinal, and skeletal systems for anything odd.
Blood and/or urine tests are performed as necessary to check their kidneys, liver, pancreas, and endocrine systems. Based on our findings, we may recommend further tests, such as radiography, endoscopy, ultrasound, or biopsy.
If you are concerned that there might be anything wrong with your pet, please call us right away to schedule an assessment.
NUTRITIONAL
Nutritional Counseling
It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the types of pet food on the market. Let us help you sort through the choices and find your dog or cat the food that will meet their needs the best. Whether they’re a puppy or kitten or they are fully grown, we have the selection to match.
The right food can make a big difference in your pet’s health. We offer a wide range of diets for pets, including specialty and therapeutic diets for all life stages and disease conditions.
Trying to get your cat to lose some weight? Ask us about lower-calorie options
Dog at risk for dental disease? We have a range of products that help control plaque and make their gums and teeth healthier.
Have a new puppy or kitten? We can help you find the food that meets the nutritional requirements for a growing puppy or kitten.
MICROCHIP
Microchip Pet Identification
Imagine if your cat or dog got lost. With microchipping, you can give them the very best chance of getting home safely.
Microchipping is a safe, permanent way to identify your pet if they become lost. A microchip, which is about the size and shape of a grain of rice, is planted under the loose skin at the back of their neck. When a lost pet is found, a vet or vet tech can use a handheld scanner to check for the chip. If the pet has one, it will transmit its ID number to the scanner, which allows the hospital or shelter to call the chip manufacturer and retrieve the owner’s contact info.
We recommend using a microchip, along with a collar and ID tag, to identify your pet. Please contact us to schedule a microchip appointment for your pet.
RADIOLOGY
Radiology Services
We use non-invasive radiology to help diagnose injury and illness within your pet. Most pets require this kind of diagnostic tool, which helps us assess their condition and create a treatment plan. Radiographs are also commonly called x-rays.
EMERGENCY
Emergency Services
We offer emergency services during our opening hours, please call us before coming so we can prepare for your arrival.
For after-hours vet care, please contact:
Niagara Veterinary Emergency Clinic
Address: 3300 Merrittville Hwy
Thorold, ON
L2V 4Y6
Phone: (905) 641-3185
DENTISTRY
Dentistry
Dental healthcare is just as important for pets as it is for you. Imagine how you would feel if you had never brushed your teeth or gone to the dentist. For many pets, this is the reality.
Common signs of dental disease include:
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Yellow or brown buildup (tartar) on the teeth
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Red, swollen, or bleeding gums
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Bad breath
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Excessive drooling
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Changes in eating or chewing habits
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Pawing at the face
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Loose teeth
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Depression
We recommend that you bring your pet in for a dental checkup once a year, even if they are not displaying any of the above signs. Bacteria and food debris can accumulate and can lead to deterioration of soft tissue and bone if left unchecked.
END OF LIFE
End of Life Care
We never want to see our pets suffer.
At Court Animal Hospital, we can examine your pet and walk you through options. In the cases where all options have been exhausted and the decision has been made to say goodbye, we do our best to make the process as stress-free as possible for both you and your pet.
It is a difficult decision to euthanize your pet. We are here to help you through the difficult transition and make the process as easy as possible. We can discuss pet cremation and any other available services.
Our clinic uses Gateway pet cremation and burial services. We are proud to use the Blessing Bag to assure the dignity of your pet.
