Preventative Care
Our clinics offer many services for small and large animals. That includes exams, deworming, microchips and vaccinations plus much more to help keep your animal healthy and happy. Our trained staff takes your animal’s age and breed into account when a preventative medical program is formulated.
In-hospital blood analyzers, radiology equipment, endoscopy and ultrasound are all available. This helps our team discover quick, accurate answers to allow treatment of your animal immediately.
Our knowledgeable staff and our facilities allow us to deal with a variety of medical conditions your animal may experience.
Equine & Large Animal
-General Herd Health
-Horse Pre-purchase and Lameness Exam
- Deworming
- Vaccination
- Dental programs
- Teeth Floating
- Performance
- Geriatric
- Pain management
Emergency
- Colic
- Lameness
- Respiratory
- Ocular
- Injuries
Radiology
- Legs
- Feet
- Neck
- Stifles
Reproductive
- Artificial insemination
- Breeding soundness exams
- Ultrasonographic pregnancy examination
- Calving/Foaling
- Caesarean sections
- Rectal Pregnancy Diagnosis
- Semen Testing
Castration
Small Animal Isolation
Occasionally we need to provide continual treatment for a patient who is contagious. We are equipped to manage these special patients in our Isolation ward where they can receive the treatment they need without posing a threat to others.
Surgical Practice
This includes rutine surgeries such as castrations and spays.
Other surgeries performed include repair of bone fractures, caesarean sections, repair of damaged ligaments, exploratory surgeries, biopsies, and various abdominal surgeries.
Occasionally, we refer our patients to specialists (board certified veterinary surgeons) to perform complex operations.
Spaying refers to the surgical procedure performed on female dogs and cats to render them infertile. It involves surgical removal of both ovaries and the uterus.
The procedure is performed under anesthetic while your animal is carefully monitored by trained staff.
There are many benefits to spaying your female companion.
- Contribute to the prevention of the dog and cat overpopulation.
- Will eliminate the sometimes untidy heat cycles that attract male dogs to your house.
- Help prevent diseases in your pet such as pyometra (infection in the uterus) and mammary cancer.
Neutering refers to the surgical procedure performed on male dogs and cats to render them infertile. It involves surgical removal of both testicles.
The procedure is performed under anesthetic while your animal is carefully monitored by trained staff.
There are many benefits to neutering your male companion.
- Will contribute to the prevention of the dog and cat overpopulation.
- Neutering will eliminate undesirable and at times, embarrassing behaviour in your male companion.
- Help prevent diseases in your pet such as prostate disease and testicular cancer.
Post Surgery Care
Your pet is treated with the care and compassion you want.
All animals receive IV fluids during and after their procedure. This helps them feel more comfortable and recuperate faster during their recovery.
Cages are lined with heated blankets for extra comfort.
We treat your pets as we would want ours to be treated – as members of the family.
Pain Management
We know the issue of pain management is of great concern to pet owners today.
As in human medicine, we have a variety of medications available to manage your pet’s pain both before and after surgery and in the event of trauma.
We would be pleased to discuss the options available to you and your pet under any of the above circumstances.
Dentistry Services
Bear Creek Animal Clinic provides routine dental examinations, dental cleanings and extractions for your animal.
According to the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, 80% of dogs and 70% of cats have oral disease by the age of 3. It is the most frequently diagnosed health problem in pets.
Common signs of oral disease include:
- Tartar build-up
- Red and swollen gums
- Bad breath
- Changes in eating or chewing habits
- Pawing at the face
- Generalized depression
Dental Checkup
A veterinarian should evaluate your pet’s dental health at least once a year.
Bacteria and food debris accumulate around an animal’s teeth.
If left unchecked, it will lead to deterioration of the soft tissue and bone surrounding the teeth. This decay results in irreversible periodontal disease and even tooth loss.
There are other reasons why you should pay close attention to your pet’s dental health.
Dental disease can affect other organs in the body.
Bacteria in the mouth can get into the blood and may cause:
- Serious kidney infections
- Liver disease
- Lung disease
- Heart valve disease
Oral disease can also indicate that another disease process is occurring elsewhere in a pet’s body.
A thorough physical exam combined with appropriate laboratory work can determine if this is the case.
End of Life Care
Our pets bring us some of our greatest joys in life. We know how important your pet is to your family and we provide compassionate care to help support you with one of the most difficult decisions pet owners have to make; knowing when or if to humanely euthanize.
Some Frequently Asked Questions Surrounding Euthanasia
- How do I know when its time?
- Can I stay with my pet?
- What should I expect?
- What are my options for my pets remains?
When you arrive at the clinic, our client care representatives will confirm that you are the owner or agent for the pet and have you sign a consent form. At this time, they will answer any other questions you may have, discuss if you would like a private cremation (ashes returned), general cremation (ashes not returned, pet is cremated with others) or if you have a place to bury your pet. Payment is taken at this time as well, leaving you free to leave when you are ready following the appointment.
From here, you and your pet will be escorted to a private room with a bed for your pets comfort. One of our Registered Animal Health Technicians will enter the room and explain the upcoming process, which involves giving your pet a light sedation, keeping them calm and more comfortable. This sedation usually takes about 10 minutes to be effective and is administered by an injection either under the skin or in the muscle. This sedation will cause your pet to be a little sleepy and relaxed. Once your pet is sleepy, the technician will return to place a catheter into your pets vein and secure it with a bandage.
When you and your pet are ready, the veterinarian will come in and administer the final injection, which is an overdose of anesthetic, allowing your pet a peaceful and painless passing.
1) Private Cremation is done through Willow Rock Pet Cemetery. This is the option to choose if you were interested in having your pets ashes returned to you. Shannon will pick up your pet from any of our clinics post-euthanasia and arrangements can be made between the two of you. (Payment for this service is direct to Willow Rock).
2) General Cremation is another solution if you were not interested in having your pets ashes returned. They would still be cremated through Willow Rock Pet Cemetery, but they would not be cremated on their own, which is why having the ashes returned isn’t an option.
3) Home Burial is also an option if you live out of town and wish to have your pet buried at home. In this option, after the euthanasia is performed, you are able to take their body back home again provided that you do have a proper place to bury them.
Alternative Therapies
We are always learning about new modalities, and always looking for ways to bring our clients the best possible services.
Acupuncture
Dr. Udenberg is currently certified to provide acupuncture to our patients, and Dr. McClarty is currently taking her training through the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society in Portland, Oregon. She started her training in October 2014 and is expected to finish in the spring of 2015. We are very excited to be bringing this level of expertise to Grande Prairie. Upon finishing, Dr. McClarty will not only be able to perform acupuncture treatments on dogs and cats, but horses as well!
Laser Therapy
One of our more recent purchases has been a therapeutic laser. This machine is able to provide a pain free, drug free alternative to treat a variety of conditions.