Clearspring Animal Hospital

06/04/2026

🐾 My Pet Is on Prevention—Why Do They Still Need Annual 4DX Testing?

Prevention protects 💪 Testing verifies ✅ That’s why we recommend annual 4DX testing, even for pets receiving heartworm and tick prevention.

4DX testing is a quick blood test that:

✅ Screens for heartworm disease, Lyme disease, Ehrlichiosis, and Anaplasmosis
✅ Confirms your prevention program is working
✅ Early detection means earlier treatment—helping reduce complications and improve your pet’s long-term health

🛡️ Many manufacturers back their heartworm and tick prevention products with guarantees. However, these guarantees typically require both continuous prevention and annual testing.

🐾 Annual testing provides peace of mind that your pet’s prevention plan is doing its job—so you can spend more time enjoying life’s adventures together 💙

06/02/2026

🐾 It’s June 1st! Have you given your pet’s heartworm and tick prevention?

Take advantage of our Healthy Spring Initiative:
✔️ 35% OFF eligible prevention products, including Bravecto Quantum
✔️ $65 4DX Test

Prevention can make a big difference in your pet’s health. ❤️

05/28/2026

🐾 Ear infections are common in dogs and cats and they’re more than just itchy ears! Redness, odor, head shaking, and scratching can all be signs of infection.

🔬 A cytology (looking at ear debris under the microscope) helps us identify whether bacteria, yeast, or mites are causing the problem so your Veterinarian can prescribe the right treatment.

💊 Treatment may include medicated ear drops, cleaning solutions, and managing underlying issues like allergies.

🛡️ Prevention tips:
✔ Keep ears clean and dry
✔ Dry ears after swimming or baths
✔ Watch for odor, discharge, or scratching
✔ Schedule regular veterinary checkups

Early treatment can prevent chronic pain and long-term ear damage! 🐶🐱

05/26/2026

Heat-related illness can happen faster than many pet owners realize ☀️

Hot pavement, limited airflow, high humidity, and overexertion can quickly become dangerous, especially for brachycephalic breeds (short-nosed or flat-faced pets such as Bulldogs, Pugs, Persian cats, and Boston Terriers), seniors, overweight pets, and young animals.

A few simple precautions can make a big difference:
• Walk dogs during cooler morning or evening hours
• Always provide access to fresh water and shade
• Avoid hot pavement and strenuous activity during peak heat
• Keep cats indoors in cool, ventilated spaces
• Never leave pets unattended in vehicles — even briefly

Signs of overheating can include excessive panting, drooling, weakness, vomiting, lethargy, or collapse. If you notice these symptoms, move your pet to a cool area and contact your veterinary team immediately.

☀️🐾

05/18/2026

Continuing our COMPLETE CARE initiatives with HEALTHY SPRING 🌼

Spring in Manitoba means longer walks, muddy paws, lake weekends, and more time outdoors with the pets we love. It also marks the start of increased exposure to heartworm disease, ticks, intestinal parasites, and seasonal health concerns that can impact your pet’s wellbeing long before symptoms appear.

At Clearspring Animal Hospital, our Healthy Spring Initiative is designed to help pets stay protected, healthy, and thriving through every season ahead.

Complete care means more than simply treating illness — it means prevention, early detection, education, and personalized care tailored to your pet’s lifestyle and individual needs. Through comprehensive wellness testing, parasite prevention, and proactive health screening, our team is committed to helping families make informed decisions that support lifelong health for their pets.

This season, we’re proud to offer:
• 35% OFF Heartworm & Tick Prevention
• $65 4DX Testing
• 30% OFF Selected Wellness Profiles

Our goal is simple: to make preventive care more accessible while continuing to provide the trusted veterinary guidance, education, and support your pet deserves.

Because every pet deserves complete care — this spring and beyond.

Prevent. Protect. Thrive. Together.

05/14/2026

Honesty is one of our core values at Clearspring Animal Hospital — so let’s talk parasite prevention and veterinary-specific medications purchased from Costco and online pharmacies.

We understand pet care can be expensive, and we support pet owners finding affordable ways to keep pets protected. If obtaining medications through an outside pharmacy makes it possible for your family, we are happy to provide prescriptions when appropriate.

It’s also important to understand why large retailers like Costco can often offer lower pricing. Costco’s business model relies heavily on membership fee revenue, which allows them to operate with much smaller margins on products and prescriptions.

However, we also believe pet owners should understand the risks that can come with some outside pharmacies and online sellers.

Not all pharmacies specialize in veterinary medications, and counterfeit or improperly stored parasite preventatives are a growing concern worldwide. Heat, freezing temperatures, improper transport, and unauthorized distribution channels can affect medication effectiveness — even when packaging appears normal.

A lower price does not always guarantee the same level of manufacturer oversight, storage standards, or product sourcing.

We do charge a $25 prescription writing fee for outside pharmacies, which helps cover the doctor’s time reviewing records, ensuring prescriptions are medically appropriate, and managing the legal and administrative responsibilities involved in safe prescribing.

At the end of the day, what matters most to us is a protected pet.

If you ever have questions about medication sourcing, reputable pharmacies, or safe ways to save on prevention, our team is always happy to help. 🐾

05/13/2026

05/11/2026

Lainey was a little confused that her first trip to the lake this past weekend still came with snowbanks and ice floes 😅❄️🐾

As many families head out for the long weekend and start gearing up for lake season, it’s a good reminder that ticks can still be active anytime temperatures are above 0°C — even when it still looks a lot like winter.

Before you pack up for the cabin, campsite, or lake lot, make sure your pets are up to date on their tick prevention so they can safely enjoy every muddy, snowy, sandy adventure 💛

05/08/2026

Lets talk Prescription Refills and Requests and the WHY behind our 24-48 hour notice policy 💊

There’s actually a LOT happening behind the scenes before it’s ready for pickup. Here's how it works 👇🏼

1️⃣ Refill request received from pet parent
2️⃣ Patients medical record is reviewed for:
• Last exam date
• Medication & dose
• Required drug monitoring
• Available refills
3️⃣ Request documented in the medical record
4️⃣ If no refills remain, the request is sent to the veterinarian for approval
(DVMs are the only team members legally able to prescribe medication)
5️⃣ The veterinarian reviews the file, makes recommendations, considers the refill request and documents in the patients record (this is done in between appointments, surgery, emergencies, and hospitalized patients)
6️⃣ Decision is communicated back to the team
7️⃣ Medication is prepared: Label created, and medication is prepared for pickup

…But wait, we’re not done yet 👀

8️⃣ Every prescription must be checked by TWO team members before it leaves the hospital (one must be a DVM or RVT)
9️⃣Pet parent contacted that the prescription is ready for pickup 🎉

We know waiting can be frustrating, especially when your pet needs medication but we thank you for understanding that these steps are in place to keep your pet safe and ensure every prescription is accurate and appropriate ❤️