7 minute read
Pets
by Ian Coles
Comprehensive Veterinary Care For Your Pet
Since 2015, Bermuda Veterinary Services has endeavored to provide outstanding health care to pets, and exceptional client service in a friendly environment. Its commitment to high standards, competence and service has raised the bar for veterinary medicine in Bermuda. Unique in Bermuda and impressive for any small community, the previously only available overseas.
The skilled and experienced veterinary surgeons and registered veterinary nurses are capable of performing a wide variety of medical and surgical procedures for both small and large animals (equine). The team at the fullservice hospital at Bermuda Veterinary Services utilises advanced diagnostic tools, including MRI, x-ray, ultrasound, blood analysis, laboratory, ECG and much more, ensuring your pet veterinary medical technology in order to diagnose and develop an appropriate treatment plan.
Should surgery be recommended, the surgical suite has modern equipment to safeguard your pet’s health. After surgery, your pet will be monitored continuously by the nursing and veterinary team, who will assure your pet is clean, comfortable, free of pain and on the road to recovery. Whether your pet has a broken leg, an abdominal tumor, or has a bone stuck inside, the doctors at Bermuda Veterinary the problem.
Bermuda Veterinary Services has the honor of working with Dr. Tomas (Diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Surgeons) from New York, who is available to perform advanced surgical procedures at the hospital, thereby reducing the stress of travel for a sick pet. Dr. Infernuso’s caseload encompasses surgery for patients with a wide range of orthopedic, neurologic, oncologic (cancer), thoracic and soft tissue problems.
Bermuda Veterinary Services early admissions, 30-minute appointments, minimal waiting times, house calls and barn calls. If one of its patients has an emergency after hours, the on-call doctor is available to help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Its clients trust Bermuda Veterinary Services to be there for them and it takes the responsibility of emergency service seriously.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call 232-8387 or visit www.bermudavets.bm
Keeping your BEST FRIENDS
happy and healthy!
BERMUDA VETERINARY SERVICES
The Netherlands, 1 The Lane Paget PG05
• Medical care • Surgery (soft tissue, orthopedics and neurosurgery) • Dental care and surgery • Advanced Imaging: Pet MRI, Radiology and Ultrasound • Home visits • On Call 24 Hour Emergency Service • Grooming, Doggy Day Care and Boarding
BVS BOUTIQUE
14 York Street, Town of St George’s GE05 (Access via Water Street)
• Pet products, medications, food and supplies for cats and dogs • Primary Veterinary Care: annual exams, checkups, weight clinics and new pet wellness checkups • Non-surgical care and treatments • Delivery service (East End)
Bermuda’s newest ‘old’ animal care facility
Ettrick Animal Hospital was founded in 1974 as a family run practice and has retained that family feeling despite continual updating of equipment and facility including a multimillion-dollar renovation and addition project completed in 2021. The ‘new’ Ettrick is now a 7,000+ sq. ft. modern hospital and boarding facility designed with your pet in mind. The design and engineering incorporate the latest recommendations for comfort, safety, health and design provides a less stressful environment for you and your pets.
While it is fantastic to have a modern veterinary facility, it is successful, and Ettrick has the most experienced team of vets and nurses on the Island, providing full service 24 hours a day. All Ettrick’s vets can deal with your routine and emergency needs. After hours, an on-call vet answers the phone so you have medical expertise available immediately to talk you through whatever your pet is experiencing and determine if you need to come in for an emergency visit, surgery or hospitalisation of your pet.
Ettrick is experienced in the relocation of animals to and from the Island and routinely assist owners navigating through the paperwork and requirements needed to travel with animals. A warm welcome awaits at Ettrick.
Bringing your pet to Bermuda
Travelling to Bermuda with your canine or feline companion requires a bit of planning but is quite an easy process if you get started early enough.
Bermuda currently enjoys status as a rabies free jurisdiction. As such, the import regulations for companion animals are set up to maintain this status, and obtaining an import permit from the Bermuda Government Department of Environment and Natural Resources is required.
Firstly, your pet must be implanted with a microchip that can be read by any standard microchip reader. This is usually done at a very early age but can be done by your vet at any age. Your pet must have an ID chip for entry.
If you are arriving directly from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand or Jamaica, your pet is permitted to enter without having any rabies vaccinations. For those travelling from the US, Canada or other countries where rabies is present, your pet must have been rabies vaccinated. To enter Bermuda, your pet has to have received two rabies vaccinations. There must be at least a six-month interval between the rabies vaccinations with the most recent one being given at least thirty days before arrival. This means that if your pet has never had a rabies vaccine, it will take a minimum of seven months prior to travel for them to qualify for entry. If your pet has already been receiving annual rabies vet that there has been no lapse in the coverage and they have received at least two rabies vaccinations. meets the rabies requirements for other requirements with one visit. You issued within ten days of your arrival into Bermuda that states your pet is not infected with any communicable disease and is free from external description and microchip number of the pet, along with the owner’s name and address. Your vet must apply a tick preventative to your pet and state that they have done so, including naming the medication used, on the health
Once you have your rabies vaccine with a completed application to import form (which you can download from the Bermuda Department of Environment website), you can email or fax them to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and they will email or fax back an import permit. Response times are usualy very fast, within 24 to 48 hours.
For more information and to obtain the forms required to import a pet, visit the Bermuda Government website for the Ministry of the Environment: www.gov.bm/onlineservices/import-dog-or-cat
For local vet services and information, visit www.endsmeet.bm. Tel: 236-3292.
Vet Care at Home
Experience a complete veterinary care solution at Endsmeet
Your full service animal hospital & rehabilitation center including at home services 441-236-3292, 168 Middle Rd, Devonshire | www.Endsmeet.bm
Pets Beware
Watch out for these critters and plants and keep your pet safe
We don’t have any snakes or coyotes in Bermuda, but that doesn’t mean there are no little critters that could harm your pet.
If you walk your dog on a leash on the public beaches, allowed in the winter months, watch out for like ocean creature that often washes ashore. The long tentacles pack a mighty sting and pose a serious threat to people and pets. If stung your pet may require immediate attention from a vet.
Another small animal to look out for is the Bermuda toad. These can grow quite large and are toxic to dogs. Don’t let your dog pick up a toad with its mouth. Plus certain toads also secrete a deadly toxin through their skin, so just licking or touching a toad could require emergency attention.
Not quite so dangerous, but still to be avoided, are lizards, tree frogs and snails. Sometimes pets can get Liver Fluke from chasing or eating these small creatures.
If your dog is bitten by a mosquito, it may lead to heartworm. Consult with your veterinarian on the best mosquito repellents and heartworm treatments for your pet.
Be especially vigilante that your pet doesn’t chew on certain plants, including Sago palms, which have toxic properties. Severe liver damage and potentially death can occur. Also Oleander hedges, which may look pretty, but unfortunately are poisonous to many species including cats and dogs.
Finally, our tropical, humid climate can cause ear infections with excessive hair growth in the ear. Get your groomer to trim hair in the outer ear canal, or ask your veterinarian for the proper technique to do this yourself.