Harmony Animal Hospital's Blog

Here are a few simple tips to help pet-proof this Thanksgiving holiday:

Keep your pets out of the kitchen

Counter-surfing can result in severe poisoning to your pet, ruining your holiday and causing you shame when you have to induce vomiting in your pet in front of all your friends and family.

Don’t let friends and family feed your pets!
Next, make sure your guests know the house rules: Don’t feed your pets. Your friends and family may not be aware of the common kitchen foods that are quite poisonous to pets: grapes, fatty table scraps, bones & turkey legs, onions, leeks, chives and garlic, unbaked yeast bread dough, and alcohol.

Dump the trash!
Somehow, your dog will find a way to get into it, and the leftover corn-on-the-cob, yummy string that goes around the turkey legs, turkey skin, bones, moldy food, and fatty grizzle all pose a threat to your pet.

If you think your dog or cat ingested something poisonous, contact your veterinarian, or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at
1-888-426-4435 for life-saving care, right away.

It’s still too soon to predict where the storm named Dorian is heading exactly and how strong or weak it will be but a refresher is always good.

Our first recommendation will always be that you keep your pet(s) with you. However, this cannot always happen.

If you are in an evacuation zone and plan on boarding during a hurricane at Harmony Animal Hospital this is what you need to know.

Hurricane Strength

At Harmony, we will only accept boarders if local meteorologists predict a Category 3 storm or lower. You also must live in an evacuation zone.

You must make other plans for Category 4 or 5 storms because there will be no staff available here to care for your pet. Other Pet Hurricane Shelters may have different requirements.

Keep medical records on hand

Be sure your pet is up to date on all vaccinations and have proof available.  We will not accept unvaccinated animals.  Call us for specific requirements.

Stock plenty of your pet’s supplies

Keep on hand those medications that your pet needs to take on a routine basis including heartworm pills. Please be sure you bring them in their original containers. You will also need to bring your pet’s food and enough bottled water to last your pet for at least three days (one gallon per day per pet).  If the power goes out water may not be available.

Have a roomy crate available

Since most Pet Hurricane Shelters, including us, will be full this weekend just due to the Holiday weekend you must provide a crate for your pet if you do not already have reservations.

Other things worth noting

You must call ahead and cannot just show up.

You must provide us with an emergency contact if the storm becomes a Category 4 or 5

Boarders must be here within eight hours of when the hurricane is due to hit. After that, all of Harmony’s employees will be home caring for their own.

The doors are open to a better standard of care for your pet here at Harmony Animal Hospital. We are pleased to offer laparoscopic surgery because your pet’s health is as important to us as it is to you. For many procedures, laparoscopic surgery can provide a better alternative to traditional surgery.

Laparoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive surgical technique used in both humans and animals. A 5mm surgical telescope is inserted through a small keyhole-sized incision. This camera allows surgeons to view magnified organs on a monitor. Additional small incisions are made to facilitate the use of surgical instruments, and surgeons can perform a more precise, less painful surgery, avoiding the traditional large incisions and longer recoveries.

What does this mean for your pet?

• Reduced risk of infection – Keeping incisions small means your pet has a reduced risk of being exposed to infections.
• Precision – The specialized scopes and video systems that we use make it much easier to see what they are doing – meaning your pet gets a safer, more precise and complete procedure
• Less Pain – Typically, minimally invasive surgery patients require smaller dosages of anesthesia and post-operative pain control drugs. For example, a study published in JAVMA (Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association) showed up to 65% less pain when using minimally invasive techniques for spays.
• Faster recovery – Smaller incision sizes and less need for anesthesia drugs mean fewer post-op complications and an overall faster recovery

Set up a time to speak with one of our doctors for more information.