Heat Kills: Keep Your Pets Safe This Summer

Heat Kills: Keep Your Pets Safe This Summer

If your pet is experiencing severe heat stress or a heat stroke (symptoms include lethargy, vomiting, difficulty breathing, collapse, or a high rectal temperature) – these are considered “RED” – or true emergencies – on our Fast Track Triage system. We advise you to seek immediate veterinary care. Please call ahead of your arrival so […]

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Five Tips to Keep Your Pets Safe on Fourth of July

Five Tips to Keep Your Pets Safe on Fourth of July

With each passing day becoming longer, lighter, and warmer, it’s only natural for us Midwesterners to start firing up our grills and inviting friends and family over to enjoy the summer. One of my favorite celebrations of the summer is Independence Day, filled with barbecues and fireworks. As pet owners, however, it is important to […]

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Ways to Memorialize Your Pet

Ways to Memorialize Your Pet

It’s never easy to lose a loved one, including a pet. If you are looking for a way to honor the memory of your pet, here are a few ideas: Hold a memorial service at a pet cemetery, in your backyard, or a special place that your pet loved. Give your pet a gravestone. Create a […]

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What is a Veterinary Referral Center?

What is a Veterinary Referral Center?

Have you ever wondered, what is a veterinary referral center? At Animal Emergency & Referral Center of Minnesota, we often get asked this question. Let’s put it like this. You have a doctor who is responsible for helping you stay healthy in a lot of ways. But, if you were to acquire a heart condition, your […]

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Sharing Your Pet with an Ex: Questions to Discuss Before a Pet Emergency

Sharing Your Pet with an Ex: Questions to Discuss Before a Pet Emergency

Too many times in the emergency department of AERC, we see pets brought in by a divorced pet owner whose ex-partner shares custody of the pet but doesn’t agree with the treatment plan selected and either refuses to provide authorization for care or to share the cost of treatment. Either situation can be scary and […]

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Getting Smart about Teaching Your Dog to Swim

Getting Smart about Teaching Your Dog to Swim

  Last summer, I was out on a pontoon with a long-time friend and her family. We were enjoying a lovely Sunday afternoon on the lake. The sun was warm, and we were preparing to jump in the water and enjoy a swim. One of the members of the group, Jim, had brought his dog […]

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‘Tis the Season for Tick Prevention

‘Tis the Season for Tick Prevention

The best way to keep ticks off your dog is to take action BEFORE you find a tick. Did you know? Adult ticks are most common from late February to early April Female ticks lay between 3,000-6,000 eggs in the summer which is why ticks are the most active during summer Ticks tend to live […]

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15 Facts about Lyme Disease

15 Facts about Lyme Disease

Here are a few quick facts pet owners should know about Lyme Disease: Lyme disease is a bacterial infection commonly seen in both dogs and people. Dogs living in the Midwest have significant risk of developing Lyme disease. An infected tick is more likely to bite your dog if your dog spends time in the […]

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Three Signs Your Cat Might Have Allergies, and What to Do about It!

Three Signs Your Cat Might Have Allergies, and What to Do about It!

Difficulty breathing is considered “RED” – or true emergency– on our Fast Track Triage system. We advise you seek immediate veterinary care. Please call ahead of your arrival so the veterinary team knows to expect you! Facial swelling, hives, and wounds caused by itching are considered “YELLOW” – or semi-urgent case – on our Fast […]

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What You Need to Know about Heartworm Disease

What You Need to Know about Heartworm Disease

Heartworm disease is a very serious and potentially life-threatening illness that results from an infection of heartworms (Dirofilaria immitis).  In the United States, dogs are most commonly infected, but cats and ferrets may also become infected. When a mosquito bites a dog that is infected by heartworms, the mosquito picks up baby worms (called microfilaria) […]

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