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Your dog just snagged a few grapes off the counter. Or helped themselves to the fruit bowl. Or got the raisins your kid dropped on the kitchen floor. And now you’re searching online, hoping to find out it’s not a big deal… It is a big deal! Come in now. Why are grapes so dangerous…

Ottawa is genuinely one of the best places in the country to hike with a dog. The Rideau Trail, Gatineau Park, the Greenbelt, the National Capital Greenbelt paths along the rivers… there’s something for every energy level, human and canine. And then there are porcupines. Beyond porcupines, Ottawa’s trail system comes with a reliable collection…

The Ottawa River, Mooney’s Bay, the Rideau Canal, local lakes… Summer here basically means wet dogs. Most of the time, everybody comes home happy and soggy. But if your dog comes home coughing after a swim, it’s worth paying attention. Sometimes it’s nothing. Sometimes it’s the first sign of something that can turn serious over…

Ottawa summers are genuinely wonderful. They’re also, predictably, when our busiest stretch of the year happens. From late May through September, we see the same wave of emergencies every year — some dramatic, some that snuck up on owners who didn’t see it coming. Here are the ten we see most often, and what to…

Every summer, without fail, we see a spike in pets coming in after getting into something at a cookout. A corn cob from the trash. A grape that rolled off the fruit salad bowl. A burger that fell off the grill and disappeared before anyone could grab it. Dogs at BBQs are persistent, opportunistic, and…

It’s 9 p.m. Your cat is limping. Your dog threw up twice and isn’t interested in water. Your regular vet is closed, and you’re staring at your phone trying to figure out where to go. You search for help and get three different things back: emergency vet, urgent care vet, walk-in vet. They sound like…

Ottawa summers can catch people off guard. A beautiful July day turns sweltering by noon, and what started as a morning walk through the Glebe or along the canal becomes something your dog can’t handle the way you’d expect. Heatstroke in dogs moves faster than most owners realize. The early signs are easy to miss…

Tick season in Ottawa doesn’t wait for summer. By the time most people are thinking about it, ticks have already been active for three or four months. They wake up when temperatures hit around 4°C, which in Ottawa can happen as early as March. And they stay active well into November. So if your dog…