Haven Veterinary Services

10/21/2026

Have you ever heard of “black cat bias”? Research shows that black cats generally experience lower adoption rates and higher risk of euthanasia compared to cats of any other colour.

There’s also an urban legend that black cats adopted around Halloween are at risk of being used in rituals…but there’s no evidence this actually happens! Some shelters pause black cat adoptions in October out of caution, but these policies are only keeping black cats in shelters even longer! The bottom line is that there's never a bad time to adopt a house panther.

10/20/2026

Happy Registered Veterinary Technician appreciation week! We are grateful for all of the RVTs who work so hard to support animals and people in shelters and beyond! Thank you for all you do!

10/15/2026

We will be a little less available at the end of this week, and there's a great reason!

This Friday- Sunday, Dr. Gordon is virtually attending the Clinical Animal Behaviour Conference, hosted by the Anti-Cruelty Society in Chicago. The theme this year is ""Evolving Together: Advancing Our Understanding of Behavior." Topics include feline behaviour, aggression, training, reducing fear/ anxiety/ stress, and more! She is especially excited to learn from a veterinary social worker about grief, collaboration, and trust in behaviour care.

Looking forward to learning lots and bringing some knowledge back to support our shelter behaviour cases! More info: https://avsab.org/annual-cabc-conference/

10/11/2026

Happy thanksgiving! We're closed Monday, October 12th and will be back on Tuesday October 13th. We hope you have a wonderful long weekend surrounded by family (including pets), friends, and great food!

10/09/2026

Love this perspective about how our mindset shapes our work!

10/01/2026

"Reconciliation is more than one day."

09/29/2026

Tomorrow, we are closed to observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

On this day, we remember the children who never came home and honour residential school Survivors and their families. We commit to continued learning and action, including to combat growing denialism in our own communities.

We will spend this day in reflection, listening to and supporting Survivors. All of our socials will be muted, and the only content we will share will be reposts to amplify Indigenous voices.

09/28/2026

Today is World Rabies Day! This year's theme is "Stronger Together." It highlights the importance of multidisciplinary, global collaboration to work toward eliminating this terrible disease that affects both people and animals.

Closer to home, you may have seen the news last week that a skunk in Kootenay Lake tested positive for rabies last week. This is a great reminder of the importance of vaccinating companion animals in BC!

09/24/2026

P**p science alert! A study published this month looked at whether F***l Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) can help dogs with environmental allergies.

In this placebo-controlled, double-blinded clinical trial, dogs received oral FMT capsules daily and re**al FMT monthly for three months. Disease severity and the requirement for other medications were lower in the group receiving FMT. Dogs tolerated FMT well.

As we learn more about the gut-skin axis, this could be a promising adjunct treatment for dogs with allergies!

Background: Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is an established therapy for gastrointestinal disease, yet its role in canine atopic dermatitis (cAD) remains unclear. Hypothesis/Objectives: We h...

09/22/2026

New Westminster Animal Services (and every other shelter and rescue in the Lower Mainland) needs fosters!

On this first day of fall, what could be better than welcoming a foster animal to your home? 🍂🍁🍃