Prices Creek Veterinary Service

04/17/2025

Important info on guarding behavior in dogs. 🐕

Tomorrow marks the start of Dog Bite Prevention Week. So, today, we need to talk about resource guarding.

If you want to understand guarding, we have to go back, way back, to your dog’s ancestors.

Remember when I talked about the predatory sequence? That’s the built-in system predators use to hunt prey. It goes like this:

Orient → Eye → Stalk → Chase → Grab → Kill → Dissect → Consume

Every predator needs to be born with this full sequence. If you're missing steps, you don’t catch food. And if you don’t catch food, you die. No exceptions.

Another piece of software ancient dogs needed to survive?

Resource guarding. When food is scarce, guarding what little you have is a matter of life or death.

But now it’s 30,000 years later, and your dog is growling over a napkin they found on the sidewalk. Why?

Because guarding, like the predatory sequence, hasn’t been cleanly deleted from the system. It’s still there. But it’s buggy.

Jean Donaldson, my teacher at The Academy for Dog Trainers, compares this to running outdated software on a modern machine. You get weird glitches.

Dogs don’t need to hunt anymore. They don’t need to guard scraps from a kill. We feed them from bowls. They live in houses. But the software still runs in the background, sometimes doing its own thing until it shows up in ways that seem bizarre to us.

A guarding dog isn’t broken. He’s running outdated code.

His ancestors guarded meat. He guards a sock. Or a Lego. Or a napkin.

Yes, his ancestors would probably laugh at him. But he’s doing what his brain tells him is right.

And here’s the part that matters most for Dog Bite Prevention Week:

Dogs guard to ask for space.

If a dog is growling, that’s communication. That’s a dog saying, “Please don’t take this.”

Growling is not a bad behaviour. It’s an ask for space.

The best thing you can do is listen. Step back. Respect the growl.

Punishing the growl doesn’t make the guarding go away. It just takes away the warning, and that’s when bites happen.

Guarding is normal. And it’s also fixable. With the right help, we can teach dogs to feel safe when people come near their stuff.

For the best primer on guarding, read Mine! by Jean Donaldson.

If you’ve got a herding breed and this stuff is hitting home, read my book, Urban Sheepdog: https://amzn.to/4g0o6VT

04/16/2025

Our building is getting a much needed facelift over the next few weeks, so please pardon the mess. You may be asked to move your vehicle during your visit or park in an unusual location. 😊

04/13/2025

Adorable🥰

04/11/2025

Vaccinate your critters for rabies. This isn't a death we would wish on any animal (or human).

Also, in case anyone forgot, we sent in a bat for testing from our office (just last summer) that was rabies positive. It's not heavily prevalent in our area of Ohio, but it's here.

03/16/2025

03/12/2025

For those of you who are waiting until spring to start your dog on heartworm prevention, the mosquitoes are here in full force. It’s time to heartworm test and get your dog on meds.

P. S. We recommend year round heartworm prevention for 2 reasons.

Firstly, mosquitoes often overwinter in your home and they can emerge early outside if there is a warm spell of days.

Secondly, your monthly heartworm pill deworms your dog for hookworms, roundworms, whipworms, and tapeworms, which are all spread through the environment and all dogs are at risk at all times of the year. Plus, your dog could have roundworms or hookworms and you might not even see worms in their poop….and these worms you might not even see can be contagious to you and your family. 🤢

03/01/2025

Time to start scheduling your horses’ spring vaccines! 💉 🐴

Spring is almost here! Which means…it's time to schedule your equine companion to receive their spring vaccinations!

If you are wondering what vaccinations your equine friend should receive, the answer is — There are no “one size fits all” vaccine recommendations. A veterinarian who knows your animal and your management system is your best resource to recommend what vaccines your equine should receive and with what frequency!

While vaccination does not prevent disease in all circumstances, a good immunization protocol minimizes the risk of infection and remains an essential component of responsible ownership. A vaccination appointment is also the perfect opportunity for a yearly check-up of your equine friend and a great way to catch any health concerns early.

If you have yet to contact your veterinarian about scheduling vaccinations, we encourage you to do it soon!

02/25/2025

We mentioned this before, but more and more cases are being reported. PLEASE pay attention to this post if you have CATS and are feeding RAW. Cats have a VERY high death rate if they contract HPAI (H5N1)/High Path Avian Influenza. 😥

02/13/2025

Meet Olivia! Guess the breed (mix) of this adorable speckled little girl. 🐕

Edit: Y'all had some great guesses. She's a Pomsky!

02/09/2025

Check out our full ad here: https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=a05e7d30af6dc8c4
and email us those letters/resumes! We currently have openings for RVTs or RVT students, but would consider exceptional non-credentialed assistants! ☺️

02/08/2025

It’s foal season! Do you know what a normal birth presentation looks like?

Here is some very timely and important information courtesy of the horse doctors at Pine Ridge Equine Hospital:

As we are in the midst of foaling season, let’s talk about what is normal and abnormal. The placenta is made up of two major parts: the red bag (chorioallantois) and the white bag (amnion). The red bag attaches to the uterine wall, which allows the exchange of nutrients and oxygen to the fetus. In a normal delivery the amnion is visible and characterized by a white appearance. A red bag delivery is characterized by a red velvety appearance.

A red bag delivery is considered an EMERGENCY as it signifies premature separation of the placenta leading to a lack of oxygen to the fetus so **you need to intervene immediately.** The red placental membrane should be opened carefully to release fluid, the foal should be delivered/pulled with your assistance and then stimulated to breathe. Foals may develop problems associated with lack of oxygen even though they appear normal at birth.

If your mare is having or had a red bag delivery, you need to call your horse doctor ASAP!

02/02/2025

💙

Here's the thing...and somehow it's a hard thing for many people to understand.

There is a shortage of veterinarians.

There is a shortage of large animal vets. There is a shortage of small animal vets.

Soooo

If you do not have a relationship with a veterinarian chances are when you have a midnight emergency none will agree to come out for your horse. (Or your small critter)

Not because they are unfeeling or lazy. Read that again.

It is Because they are working themselves to death trying to keep up with the need.

Owners should be established with a vet practice. Puppies need lots of visits and vaccines.

And a neuter or spay

Cats also.

Donkeys as well.

Your horse Will have an emergency at some point. When it does, it should have current vaccinations and a dental.

And no dangly man bits.

And be HANDLEABLE.

If you have a relationship with the vet most of the time they will be there for you as soon as humanly possible.

We (society) gotta do better. We do.

We have a Huge shortage of qualified veterinarians and a huge surplus of animals in all varieties.

And only "we" can fix this

01/19/2025

February and March are Dental Health Months at Prices Creek!

01/19/2025

Get ready; it’s about to get dangerously cold over the next few days (-20F wind chills are no joke).

Make sure your critters are prepared. Even though they wear fur coats, this will be a span of life threatening temperatures for them too.

Keep house pets inside as much as possible (no matter how much your pup likes the snow). Make sure your outside critters have insulated shelter from the wind. Keep hay in front of your horses and other farm to help them keep warm (their complex GI tracts work like a furnace, but only if they have fuel) and keep them inside away from the wind.

Stay safe folks!