Oakwood Vet Clinic

Found puppy, near our clinic. If it is your or your interested please let us know.

BBQ Toxins As Summer enters full swing, we are starting the season of outdoor activities and barbeques!

The results of the latest AHS incidence survey gave us a new "top 10" list--that of the states with the highest incidence of heartworm infections.

Do you have a favorite safe treat that you share with your pet regularly? This infographic provides you with a nice list of foods you can share with your pet at home!

The weather is heating up! Here are some reminders on how to keep your dog cool this summer!

Dr Ohmann is out of the office this week 6/5 thru 6/9

Heartworms have a long history. Let's MAKE them history!

TELL ME WHEN I GET IT RIGHT!

Imagine this – You work for someone who continually reprimands you. You never know from one day to the next if there is anything this person is happy with, because the only feedback you receive from them is what you are doing wrong – it’s all just so negative!

You are never thanked for a job well done, never given any positive feedback, recognition or encouragement.

This leaves you feeling demotivated, confused, insecure and unhappy. You have no idea what this person really expects of you or wants from you.

Surely you must be doing something right, some of the time? If only you had more feedback about what that was – you could do more of that and you would both be in a happier place.

We often treat our dogs this way, only focusing or providing feedback on the “wrong” behaviour and neglecting to provide feedback and encouragement for the “right” behaviour.

Rewarding, reinforcing and encouraging a dog for whatever they are doing right is an effective, scientifically proven way to communicate, teach, create trust, build confidence, security and build a strong bond in a positive, force-free way.

Just like us, when a dog does something that results in something good happening, they’re far more likely to keep repeating that behaviour.

Reinforcement or rewards don’t always have to be food or treats – it all depends on what that particular dog finds more rewarding – lots of praise, a favourite toy, playing a game or anything else a dog really enjoys can be rewarding.

Keep telling your dog when they get it right and very soon, they will be doing less of the wrong thing and more of the right thing.

Stop focusing on the unwanted behaviour and communicate to your dog that they are getting it right by rewarding the behaviour you are looking for.

American Heartworm Society Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal condition caused by parasitic worms living in t

TRIGGER STACKING – WHEN BEHAVIOUR HAPPENS “OUT OF THE BLUE”
We’ve all had those days when nothing seems to go right and one frustrating thing after another happens, leaving us feeling wound up, stressed and ready to explode at the next unsuspecting person who dares to ask us something. This “unsuspecting” person may think we have a serious behaviour problem or need anger management coaching, when the truth is that we’ve just had a really bad day and don’t usually behave like this at all.

Dogs are no different and a behaviour that seems completely out of character or happens “out of the blue” is often caused by “trigger stacking”.

A trigger may be anything that increases a dog’s stress levels and has a negative impact on their emotional, mental or physical state. These may be small things that we may not even notice or seem insignificant to us, but they are all adding to an increasing “stack” of things that may end in a “trigger”.

When stress levels reach a certain point, the next stressful event, however small, may cause a reaction that is completely unexpected.

Instead of just focusing on a particular behaviour and seeing it as a problem that needs to be prevented, take a step backwards, look at the bigger picture, look at events, circumstances or environmental factors that may have played a role in causing that particular behaviour.

Being aware of potential stressors and allowing your dog time to decompress, relax and unwind can often make all the difference between “normal behaviour” and a behaviour that seems completely out of character.

Happy Sunday! 🐾

It's all about prevention! Do you realize that it may cost about 7 times to treat your dog than what one year of preventive would cost!?

Top 10 Toxic Plants for Pets: What to Look Out For Not sure which plants are unsafe to keep around your pets? The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) has you covered with a list of top 10 toxic plants!

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WHOSE WALK IS IT ANYWAY?
Imagine going on a long-anticipated walk, through new scenery and enticing scents after being cooped up in the same place all day, but you have been fitted with a blind fold and are being dragged or yanked along at a quick pace.

I imagine that this is how dogs feel when we don’t allow them time to stop, sniff and explore the environment. Dogs largely perceive their world through scent and it’s how they collect and process information and make sense of the world.

Taking away an opportunity for sniffing on a walk really isn’t fair and as much as physical exercise is important, the mental stimulation that sniffing provides is equally, if not more important.

Allowing dogs to choose when to stop and sniff provides so many benefits – increases self-confidence, promotes calmness, lowers stress and anxiety levels, lowers pulse rates, reduces cognitive decline in older dogs and provides important mental and environmental enrichment.

Make time for a slow sniffing walk when you can, where your dog is allowed to choose which direction to go and allowed time to just investigate, interpret the environment and follow wherever their nose leads them.

It may take far more time and patience as we wait for them to finish smelling that particular blade of grass, but the benefits are well worth it – after all, whose walk is it anyway?

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is around the corner and so are the common Valentine's dangers for pets. As you spread the love, spread the word about how to keep your pets in your community safe. Check out the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center for more information. ❤️ 🧡 💗

Be a responsible parent

What do you need to know about ? We fit it all in this infographic!

AVMA members - Want to share this infographic with your clients? You can download it for yourself in our Social Media Tools for National Pet Dental Health Month toolkit! https://bit.ly/38AnoP3