SOAR Veterinary Services

10/10/2026

As we enter this Thanksgiving weekend I continue to be so incredibly thankful for the amazing people we get to meet at SOAR. As I was having this thought I received an email...

The above picture is of 3 sweet patients, one who we lost very suddenly and devastatingly this year (the above gorgeous cheerleader). They were the winners of our costume contest last year. To pay it forward Fit Organix™ has offered an amazing prize this year. Fit Organix is a local company that delivers fresh, organic meals daily. The meals are gluten, dairy, soy, and peanut free. They also have a fully vegan and pescatarian menu!

We often take care of our pets and forget to take care of ourselves. SO....let's do this!!!! Pets coming in for Halloween pics in their costumes in October will be entered in a draw for a 3 day trial of their delicious food!!

Thank you Fit Organix™ !!!

09/16/2026

Meet Charlie!
Charlie may look like a puppy but she is an amazing sweet senior!
At the young age of 13 1/2 her family loves her and wants to make her senior years long and pain free

Charlie was introduced to acupuncture, laser therapy, water therapy, and some easy exercises. Needless to say she loved it all.....which may have been related to the popsicles and treats lol.

We love our seniors🥰

08/01/2026

Today a very special boy turns 15. Yup 15!!!!!

He is so lucky to be loved by SO many people!!!!
Enjoy your pizza Bandit!!!

🎂

07/31/2026

On a positive note, wee Stevie has officially graduated from an iliopsoas strain! She (and her parents) have worked very hard. Can we also acknowledge how photogenic Stevie is!?!?! She sat like this allowing MANY photos!

Great job Stevie!!!!

07/31/2026

I am behind in updates and posts and this is a biggie.....today was Amber's last day with us as she is leaving to return to school. Amber has always been passionate about grooming and has been our in house queen of nail trims so it makes sense for her to go back to school and make her goals and dreams come true. We will miss her greatly.
Today we wished her well with a chocolate cake courtesy of Katryna, snacks from clients, and an East Side Mario's lunch. We will miss her greatly but are so excited for her and her new adventure.
We love you Amber!!!!!

07/17/2026

We see the success managing these patients so it's nice to see studies supporting what we already know 😊

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1dFdKJXyr2/

For many years, decompressive surgery has been considered the treatment of choice for non-ambulatory dogs with thoracolumbar IVDD.

But is that truly the case?

A prospective cohort study from the University of Cambridge suggests that the question of conservative vs surgical management for IVDD isn't quite as straightforward as we may have thought.

Researchers followed 72 small, non-brachycephalic dogs that were managed conservatively after acute thoracolumbar disc extrusion.

Their findings are exciting:
• 96% of dogs that still had deep pain sensation regained the ability to walk within 12 weeks.
• 48% of dogs that had lost deep pain sensation also regained ambulation in 12 weeks.
• Recovery occurred even in some dogs with severe spinal cord compression, and was not dependent on complete resolution of the compression seen on MRI.

This doesn't mean surgery is no longer indicated. Surgery remains an important treatment option and may still be the best choice for many patients.

What this study does suggest is that conservative management should not automatically be viewed as a poor alternative when surgery isn't possible because of financial, geographic or medical constraints. For many dogs, it represents a realistic treatment pathway with the potential for positive outcomes.

As always, treatment decisions should be made on an individual basis, considering the dog's neurological status, imaging findings, overall health and the goals of the family.

Reference:
Khan S, Jeffery ND, Freeman P. Recovery of ambulation in small, nonbrachycephalic dogs after conservative management of acute thoracolumbar disk extrusion. J Vet Intern Med. 2024 Sep-Oct;38(5):2603-2611. doi: 10.1111/jvim.17149. Epub 2024 Jul 25. PMID: 39051966; PMCID: PMC11423491.

July is IVDD Awareness Month - be sure to tag us in your success stories, educational posts and more so that we can share them on!!


Paw Prosper Walkin' Pets Help Em Up Harness FitPaws

07/10/2026

Feel good Friday brought to you by Gypsy!!!! After her TPLO in February she has been working very hard and yesterday graduated from rehab!!!! However her love for Lina (and snacks) will likely bring her back for some maintenance appointments 🤭

.com

05/20/2026

Dr. Anderson is happy to announce a collaboration with the amazing team at Collingwood Active Pets (CAP).
We have found virtual assessments (which involve videos, history, going through medical records and xrays, and developing a treatment plan and goals) to be very helpful for our own clients, allowing us to complete much of the assessment without the stress on our patients during the extra long appointments. We are happy to now be able to assist CAP with some of their more challenging cases using virtual assessments.

Teamwork makes the dream work 🥰

05/15/2026

So this made me giggle today. I happened to find this podcast and had ZERO memory of recording it with Dr. Megan Kelly back in 2021. Knowing there are several Danielle Andersons doing waaaaay more important things than I am, I was like maybe it wasn't me. So I listened. It was me.

COVID times were WACKY! I knew I blocked a lot out but this was a surprise🤣

So after listening I decided to repost. Mentorship is so important in all professions but burnout, ego and competition often creep in creating barriers. Even when you may no longer need "mentoring", having a hive of amazing colleagues to chat with and discuss cases is invaluable. We can't know everything....but collaboration gives our patients so many more options!!!

I think I need a memory supplement...🤣
Happy long weekend!

05/12/2026

Anyone who was fortunate enough to meet Dr. Capon when she came to Ontario for a visit knows that she is smart, personable, and enigmatic. She works hard to share her love of pain management and educate on all aspects of osteoarthritis supporting not just the Veterinary community but also caregivers. I had the incredible privilege to chat on her podcast about the role of exercise in osteoarthritis.

Take a listen and rate, review, and follow! Tons of great info. If you listen to podcasts this should be on your list!

And if there are things you want to hear about let her know!

You can listen on Amazon or Spotify!

Episode 85 - Exercise - Danielle Anderson from Canine Arthritis Matters on Amazon or Spotify