Akira Animal Hospital

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Akira Animal Hospital Veterinary Practice
We care about your pet's health as much as you do!

🐾WHY DOES YOUR PET’S WEIGHT MATTER?Those extra treats may come from love, but keeping your pet's weight healthy is one o...
23/10/2026

🐾WHY DOES YOUR PET’S WEIGHT MATTER?

Those extra treats may come from love, but keeping your pet's weight healthy is one of the best ways to help them live longer and healthier! ❤️

🔬 DID YOU KNOW?

📊 A major study involving more than 50,000 dogs across 12 breeds found that overweight dogs had shorter lifespans than dogs at a healthy weight. Depending on the breed, the difference was as much as 2.5 YEARS! That’s precious time you could be spending together. 🐶💚 (PubMed Central (PMC))

🐕 WHY DOES A HEALTHY WEIGHT MATTER?

Carrying excess weight can:
🦴 Put additional strain on joints, increasing the risk of mobility problems and osteoarthritis.
❤️ Increase the risk of metabolic and other chronic health conditions.
🏃 Reduce stamina, mobility and willingness to exercise.
🐾 Affect overall comfort and quality of life.

🔎 HOW CAN YOU TELL IF YOUR PET IS AT A HEALTHY WEIGHT?

✔️ You should be able to feel the ribs easily without pressing hard.
✔️ Your pet should have a visible waist when viewed from above.
✔️ From the side, the abdomen should tuck upwards towards the hind legs.

These are general guidelines. Ideal body condition varies by pet, so ask your veterinarian to assess your pet’s body condition score.

💚 5 WAYS TO HELP YOUR PET STAY HEALTHY:
🐾 Measure meals instead of guessing portions.
🐾 Choose a complete, balanced diet suited to their life stage and needs.
🐾 Keep treats in moderation and account for them in their daily calorie intake.
🐾 Provide regular exercise appropriate for their age and physical condition.
🐾 Schedule regular weight checks with your veterinarian.

Remember, healthy weight management isn’t about making your pet skinny. It’s about maintaining the ideal body condition for a longer, happier, more active life!

🐶🐱 Book a weight and body condition assessment at Akira Animal Hospital. Your pet deserves every healthy year possible!

ON MY MIND… Sometimes, doing your best looks different.We put so much pressure on ourselves to get everything right.To b...
19/10/2026

ON MY MIND… Sometimes, doing your best looks different.

We put so much pressure on ourselves to get everything right.

To be the perfect parent, the perfect partner, the perfect friend. To be good at our jobs, to show up for everyone who needs us, and to somehow keep all the pieces of life together.

But life doesn’t always work that way.

Sometimes, doing your best means having the difficult conversation you’ve been avoiding.

Sometimes, it means asking for help instead of pretending you’ve got everything under control.

Sometimes, it means making a decision that hurts, even when you know it’s the right one.

And sometimes, doing your best simply means getting through the day.

We see it in veterinary practice, too. People who love their animals deeply but find themselves facing decisions they never imagined having to make. People who question whether they’ve done enough, whether they’ve made the right choices, or whether things could have been different.

But loving something doesn’t mean we can control every outcome. And caring deeply doesn’t mean we’ll always get everything right.

What matters is that we keep learning, that we keep trying, and that we make the best decisions we can with what we know and what we have at the time.

Perhaps we need to give ourselves the same grace we so readily offer others.

Because doing your best won’t always look like success. It won’t always look like strength. And it certainly won’t always look perfect.

Sometimes, it looks like trying again tomorrow.

Sometimes, it looks like admitting you need a hand.

And sometimes, it looks like accepting that today, you’ve done all that you could.

And that has to be enough.

Just something on my mind. 💚

🔬 WHAT DO WE SEE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE? 🩸🐾Ever wondered what happens when we examine your pet’s blood under a microscope?...
16/10/2026

🔬 WHAT DO WE SEE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE? 🩸🐾

Ever wondered what happens when we examine your pet’s blood under a microscope?

Today, we’re looking at two important types of white blood cells: neutrophils and monocytes!

🦠 Neutrophils – The First Responders
These cells are part of your pet’s first line of defence against infection. They quickly move to areas of inflammation, where they help fight bacteria and destroy harmful invaders.

🛡️ Monocytes – The Clean-Up Crew
Monocytes help protect your pet by engulfing germs, damaged cells and cellular debris. They can also develop into macrophages, which help clean up damaged tissue and coordinate the immune response.

🐶 Why Do They Matter?
Looking at these cells helps veterinarians assess your pet’s immune response and look for signs of infection or inflammation. Their numbers and appearance, together with other test results and clinical signs, can provide valuable clues about your pet’s health.

🔬 Little cells, BIG jobs! Every drop of blood tells a story about what’s happening inside your pet’s body. ❤️🐾

14/10/2026

Nothing better then a good old hole 🕳️ in the ground.

Life of a Golden Retriever

🐾 ON MY MIND…The quiet support of animals.I’ve noticed something remarkable about my dogs lately.They have always been a...
12/10/2026

🐾 ON MY MIND…

The quiet support of animals.

I’ve noticed something remarkable about my dogs lately.

They have always been affectionate, enthusiastic creatures, often expressing their excitement by jumping up, demanding attention, and wanting to be part of absolutely everything.

But during some particularly sensitive circumstances lately, something has changed.

They have become remarkably gentle and quiet.

Wherever I find myself, they simply settle down nearby.

No fuss. No demands. No need to be entertained.

Just a quiet, consistent, comforting presence.

And it has made me wonder…

How much do our animals really understand about what is happening around us?

Can they recognise when something has changed? Do they notice when we are behaving differently, when our routines shift, or when the atmosphere around us feels different?

As someone who works in veterinary care, I know that dogs are incredibly observant. They notice subtle changes in our body language, facial expressions, behaviour, routines, and even our scent.

Research also suggests that dogs can respond to human emotional cues, although we cannot always know exactly what they understand or feel.

But knowing the science behind these abilities doesn’t make witnessing them any less special.

We often think of support animals as specially trained dogs performing important tasks. Yet sometimes, our own pets offer us a different kind of support, without ever being taught how.

They don’t ask questions.

They don’t offer advice.

They don’t try to fix what cannot be fixed.

They simply stay.

And perhaps there is a lesson in that for all of us.

We don’t always need the right words. We don’t always need solutions. Sometimes, the most meaningful thing we can offer another living being is the reassurance that they don’t have to face everything alone.

A little patience. A little gentleness. A willingness to sit beside someone without expecting anything in return.

Our animals may never fully understand our circumstances, but they remind us of something important: companionship doesn’t always need an explanation.

Sometimes, love looks like a dog quietly settling beside you when they would normally be bouncing off the walls.

Sometimes, comfort has four paws, a wagging tail, and absolutely nothing to say.

And sometimes, simply being there is enough.🐾💚

🐾☀️ SUNDAY VIBES AT AKIRA ANIMAL HOSPITAL! 💚Those eyes, those ears, that face! 😍🐶 Someone is ready to steal hearts this ...
11/10/2026

🐾☀️ SUNDAY VIBES AT AKIRA ANIMAL HOSPITAL! 💚

Those eyes, those ears, that face! 😍🐶 Someone is ready to steal hearts this Sunday!

Whether you’re spending the day relaxing, going for an adventure, or enjoying some extra cuddles, we hope your Sunday is filled with wagging tails and happy moments. 🐾💚

Happy Sunday from all of us at Akira Animal Hospital! 🐶🐱

🔬🌿 ASK THE VET: CAN YOU GUESS WHAT WE’RE LOOKING AT?These yellow, honeycomb-like structures are plant cells! 🌱Plant cell...
09/10/2026

🔬🌿 ASK THE VET: CAN YOU GUESS WHAT WE’RE LOOKING AT?

These yellow, honeycomb-like structures are plant cells! 🌱

Plant cells have rigid cell walls that give them their distinctive shapes. When pets eat grass or other plant material, these cells may pass through the digestive tract and appear in faecal samples.

🐶🐱 Why is this interesting? Finding plant material in a sample can provide clues about what your pet has been eating. However, its significance depends on the sample and your pet’s clinical signs.

🌿 While eating a little grass is common in dogs and cats, excessive grass eating, vomiting or digestive upset may warrant a veterinary check.

💚 Did you guess correctly? Tell us in the comments!

07/10/2026

Weekly dose of puppy (kitten edition)

These two babies are very happy with the new toys they got from Akira Animal Hospital. The BarkenstocK cat flirt and cat nibs are now available in-store!

On my mind…If pets could tell their owners one thing, I think it might be this:“Just because I’m coping, doesn’t mean I’...
05/10/2026

On my mind…

If pets could tell their owners one thing, I think it might be this:

“Just because I’m coping, doesn’t mean I’m comfortable.”

In my almost eight years of working in veterinary medicine, I’ve realised just how incredibly good animals are at adapting to pain.

A dog with a painful mouth might chew differently or swallow food whole instead of chewing properly — and still finish every meal.

Cats are especially good at hiding pain. Arthritis can be incredibly easy to miss because, instead of limping, they often make subtle changes. They might use a chair to get onto the bed instead of jumping straight up, or simply stop doing things they used to do without a second thought.

What always stays with me is what owners tell me after we treat the problem:

“I didn’t realise how much it was bothering him.”

“He’s playing again.”

“I thought she was just getting old.”

Our pets can’t tell us:

“My mouth hurts.”
“My hips ache when I get up.”
“That jump is painful now.”

So they adapt.

And sometimes our job isn’t to wait until they show us they can’t cope anymore.

It’s to notice how much they’ve quietly changed in order to keep coping.

The little hesitation before a jump.
The slower walk.
The bad breath.
Being less interested in their favourite chew.
Sleeping more.
Not wanting to climb the stairs anymore.

These little changes can be easy to dismiss as “just getting older”.

But sometimes, they’re our pets trying to tell us something.

We need to learn to “see” what they’re trying to “say” — without the luxury of words.

Because coping isn’t always the same as being comfortable.

And if you’ve noticed a little change in your pet and you’re not sure what it means, please reach out. We can try to figure it out together. 🐾

30/09/2026

Weekly dose of puppy (adult version😅)

Happy dance! 💃

Address

Plot 5, Rietfontein Agricultural Holdings, Garsfontein Road
Pretoria
0181

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 17:00
Thursday 08:00 - 17:00
Friday 08:00 - 17:00
Saturday 09:00 - 12:00
Sunday 10:00 - 12:00

Telephone

+27120043258

Website

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