CanadaVet.com Blog

Isn't interesting that you can spend so much time in a city and still learn new things. Just the other day I stopped in to the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver for a coffee at the invitation of of a business colleague, and I was surprised to see two beautiful labradors sitting comfortably beside the check-in desk. I was told that Mavis and Beau had been guide dog trainees, but it turned out that helping guests check-in suited them better.

Now most anyone who has been to Vancouver knows that the city loves dogs, and there are many dog friendly hotels which allow people guests to bring their dogs, but this is the first time I've seen a 5 star hotel with dogs that work there!

What's more, it turns out that Mavis and Beau are just two dogs that "work" in the Fairmont chain of hotels across Canada.

To read more about the Fairmont dogs, click here.

If you have a hotel that you know of that has a dog, cat or other pet helping at the check-in desk, we'd love to hear from you…

"Did you ever walk into a room and forget why you walked in? I think that is how dogs spend their lives." - Sue Murphy

We all know that dogs are man’s (and woman’s) best friend. But scientists have recently discovered evidence that this relationship has existed for thousands of years!
Scientists have recently identified 14 000 year old remains in an inhabited cave in Switzerland as belonging to a domesticated dog – clearly distinguishable from wild wolves, and clearly showing that dogs were part of the caveman family.

Imagine the scene – 14,000 years ago, and the cavemen and women are living in the high Swiss alps. The winters are long and cold. Why wouldn’t our loyal best friends be invited into the cave with us, to huddle around the fire, to warm our feet and to share our protection against the harshest elements? In fact, the Australian Aboriginals, who also had domestic dogs in their camps, referred to the harshest winter nights as “three dog nights” – that’s how many dogs you would need to snuggle to keep warm!

The relationship would have given immense benefits to both parties. Our doggie friends wo…

This great photo caught my eye - is it real I thought?














The answer is, unfortunately, "no it's not". This is one of the photos from the book "Translocation" by photographer George Logan. Mr Logan has taken photos of African animals and transposed them in to locations in England and Wales. Certainly interesting way of looking at things.

All profits from the book go to an African animal charity.

For more of these great photos, visit Mr Logan's website.

A growing trend has recently been emerging with more and more pet owners now giving their pets vitamins or supplements to improve their health.

The benefits of vitamins for humans have long been known, but it is not until recent years that we have passed these benefits on to our furry friends.

A recent survey found that 41% of owners are now giving their pets vitamins or supplements in some form to assist with a range of different ailments, from aiding in recovery to boosting their general health.

Astonishingly, the survey also found that a small number of owners had been giving their pets human vitamins, which is something that should never be done. Pets should never be given human medicines of any kind as they have been specially formulated for the needs of humans. In some cases, human vitamins or supplements can even be toxic to pets.

Instead, there are many great vitamins and supplements on the market designed specifically for pets. There are vitamins to provide joint support for pets…