Companion Animal Services
Total Care for Your Pet
At Shuswap Veterinary Clinic, we provide the best care to help maintain your pet’s health. From vaccinations and nutrition to dental care and orthopedic surgeries, including TPLOs, our veterinarians are here to help your pet at every stage of life.
Bringing your pet for regular exams can keep them in their best shape. Veterinary Medical Associations recommend annual exams for every pet to detect medical conditions as early as possible.
At Shuswap Veterinary Clinic, our exams may include the following, depending on your pet’s needs:
Complete Physical
Nose-to-tail exam: our veterinarians check your pet’s skin, fur, eyes, ears, nose, teeth, gums oral cavity, abdomen, paws, heart and lungs to make sure all is well. Adult pets should have physicals annually.
Skin Issues
Many of us have suffered with a skin issue at some point and our pets are no different. Symptoms can drive our pets to severe scratching, biting and licking to find relief. Review our “Itchy Skin” information piece as you’ll find many hints and explanations for causes itchy skin. Jot down the observations on the basic history form as a reminder when you book your pets appointment. This will help the doctor in the diagnosis.
Surgery
Our veterinarians and support staff are well trained and experienced in a wide range of surgical services and procedures for your companion animals. Our team monitors your pet throughout the surgery and provides post-surgery care to ensure a comfortable recovery with as little discomfort as possible.
Whether it is elective surgery, such as spays and neuters, intestinal blockages, removing bladder stones or lumps, or repairing broken bones, we are here to help. The most common orthopedic surgery we perform is a TPLO surgery or Tibial Plateau Leveling Osteotomy, to replace the torn anterior cruciate (ACL) ligament in dogs. Prior to your pet having TPLO surgery, you will receive 16-week rehabilitation guidelines, including step-by-step video instruction. Contact the clinic to request a video example.
Vaccinations
Vaccinations and annual exams are an important part of your pet’s health. Find out what you can expect when you take your pet in for his or her vaccination appointment. What To Expect- A Vaccination Appointment
For accidents and injuries, we have veterinarians fully qualified in internal medicine and surgery to help your pet recover. We also have in-house capabilities to perform extensive laboratory tests as well as medical imaging including radiology and ultrasonography.
Dental Care
Pets, just like people, require periodic dental cleaning and assessment. According to the American Veterinary Dental Society, 80% of dogs and 70% of cats have oral disease by the time they are 3 years of age. If you are interested in learning more, please click on this link to our Dental brochure. You are welcome to call the clinic if you have any questions. For your pet’s dental needs, we offer regular examinations, dental cleaning and scaling, and extractions when necessary. Why Do Dogs and Cats Need Dental Care.
Adoption Exams
If you’ve recently adopted a pet from a local shelter, Shuswap Veterinary Clinic will provide a free wellness exam for your new companion within 7 days of the adoption, with proper documentation. This will help you identify any underlying medical issues that need to be corrected to get your pet off to a great start in their new home.
Our goal is to keep your pets healthy so you can enjoy their love and companionship for many years.
Pet Euthanasia
One of the most difficult decisions any pet owner faces is saying goodbye to their beloved friend. The care team at Shuswap Veterinary Clinic provides you a compassionate, loving way to say goodbye whether at home or in our private quiet room at the clinic. We understand every family has their own personal way of facing end-of-life decisions and how they wish to memorialize their pet. Pet euthanasia services are only intended for senior or terminally ill pets, we do not provide convenience euthanasia services. For more details of our services and memorial options, please call the main clinic at (250) 832-6069. Our compassionate pet euthanasia service allows you to ensure the final moments with your furry companion are relaxed, peaceful and cherished. Please click on this link “End of Life Plans” for more information.
Pet Loss Grief Support
Anyone who considers a pet a beloved friend, companion or family member, knows the intense pain that accompanies the loss of that friend. Several resources are available to cope with that grief and emptiness. In addition to the list on the back page of the End-of-life sheet, the Pet Loss Network offers a list of grief support resources in BC, Canada and internationally. Click Pet Loss Network for more information.
For Small Animal Emergency Assistance
Call (250) 832-6069
FOR CALLS BETWEEN 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm
You can speak with a veterinary professional to help decide if your pet needs to be seen at the clinic or if they can be monitored at home until next business day (video conference optional).
FOR CALLS BETWEEN 10:00 pm - 8:00 am
If you pet needs to be seen by a veterinarian, we will direct you to
Phases Veterinary Emergency Hospital in Kamloops
or
Fairfield Animal Hospital in Kelowna