4003 Langston Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22207

 

 

Welcome to Northside Veterinary Clinic.  We have been providing caring and personalized service to you and your pets since 1949.  We offer high quality and compassionate preventative, medical, surgical, and dental care for dogs and cats.

 

Our practice philosophy is that quality health care begins with excellent client communication.  We take the time to discuss in detail your pet's health and to answer all questions that you may have.  In recent times the health care community has lost the "personal touch", which is so highly valued by our patients and clients.  At Northside we strive to combine this personal touch with compassionate and high quality veterinary services to provide the very best health care for your pet.

 

We invite you to browse through our News and Information and Pet Care sections, which include a variety of useful articles ranging from preventive care to common and not-so-common diseases. Also, you will find many useful links to information available on the web.  We welcome your comments and suggestions, so let us know what you think of our website during your next visit to our clinic.

 

Please note that we are not currently accepting new clients.

 

If your pet is having an emergency, please click here for Emergency Clinic resources

News and Information

 

Travel plans with your pet?  See the resources below for tips and advice.

 

Pet Travel resource   

     The USDA-APHIS has a very useful website with many useful resources regarding both interstate and international travel with your pet.

 

Basic Travel Info.

     Please visit the AVMA's website for information and resources on traveling with your pet.  Pet Travel Tips

    

Don't forget about car safety!

     Do you fasten your seatbelt?  Do you safely put your children in an appropriate car seat or booster seat?  Do you do the same for your four legged family members (only 2% of pet owners can say yes)?  Please visit the car safety page on the AVMA's website.  Pets in Vehicles

 

Taking your dog swimming?

     Click here for an article from Texas A&M Pet Talk regarding water safety for dogs.

 

Algal Blooms

     Please visit the CDC website to learn more about algal blooms in general and harmful algal blooms (HABs) in particular.

 

Diet-associated heart disease

     Here is a link to the Petfoodology website at Tufts Veterinary Medical Center, which has information regarding a potential link between some types of diets and heart disease in some dogs.  Here is a link to the FDA website and you can click here to be taken directly to an updated FAQ on the FDA website.

 

It is recommended that you NOT feed any diet, whether it has grains or not, that contains certain pulses (peas and lentils, in particular) high up in the ingredient list, as some of these diets have been linked to a certain type of heart disease.  Note that many grain free diets contain pulses, so it may best to begin with a non grain-free diet and then read the ingredient list carefully.  Research into this problem is ongoing, so please stay informed.

 

Speaking of diets... click here to read an interesting article about keeping your pets lean so that they live longer.

 

Click here for a list of recalled/withdrawn diets on the FDA website.

 

 

COVID-19

     Click here to be redirected to the CDC webpage where you can learn about COVID-19 and animals.

 

The International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases also has a useful and informative website.

 

Instructional videos   

     Cornell University has some nice instructional videos ranging from trimming nails to administering SQ fluids.    

 

 

Creating a safe environment

 

Safety tip...

A very thoughtful, animal-loving Girl Scout troop has been working on a Brownie Pet Badge and they sent us a link to a list of plants that are poisonous to our pets.  Please scroll down for more information on pet safety.

Thank you and good luck to the Girl Scout troop!

 

Maintaining a safe yard

For the suburbanites out there who have a yard, click here for an article in The Washington Post about how to keep your yard safe for your dog.

 

 

Pet Poison Prevention

     Do you know what to do if your pet ingests chocolate, a houseplant, medications, or anything else that could be harmful? Call the ASAP Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. Get more information at the Animal Poison Control webpage.

 

Toxins

     We have known that ingesting grapes and raisins can cause kidney damage in dogs, however many questions still remain regarding the details of the toxic principle.  Veterinarians from ASPCA Animal Poison Control have a new idea that may answer many of these questions, which you can read about here.

 

     Many human foods can be hazardous to your pet's health.  Read the following article to learn about the risks associated with ingesting xylitol, which is a common artificial sweetener found in many foods and chewing gum.

Xylitol Toxicity

 

     You may also download the AVMA's Household Hazards Brochure here.

 

Pet proofing your home

     A young member of a youth group (and potential future pet care professional!) gave us a resource with tips about pet proofing our homes and yards (Pet Proofing).  Thank you for the suggestion!

 

Indoor enrichment

Here are 2 resources that can help enrich your indoor-time with your 4-legged loved ones:

5 ways to keep kitty happy

Indoor activities for you and your pup

 

Secondhand Smoke and Cancer in Pets

     Click here to read about how secondhand smoke can affect your pet.

 

Are you prepared?

 

     The AVMA's holiday safety tips is a good resource for the holidays each year.

 

     The FDA has a wonderful webpage, including a cute video, that can help you keep your dogs and cats safe during the holiday season.

 

     Here are links to the AVMA's winter time pet tips, as well as warm weather and summer time pet tips to help keep your canine companion safe all year round.

 

     Click here for tips on how to ensure your Halloween decorations are safe for animals and click here for Halloween safety tips for your pets.

 

     We all know about first aid for people.  But do you know about basic first aid for your pet?  Visit the AVMA's first aid tips for pet owners.

 

     Would your pets be safe in an emergency situation or natural disaster?  Please visit the following link to read the AVMA's information on disaster preparedness and be sure to take the time to put your emergency kit together.

AVMA disaster information

 

Skunk Spray Remedy

     Our geographic area offers so much to do outdoors with our pets - hiking in the woods, camping, roaming through the forest.  All of these activities, though, can potentially lead to a dog/skunk encounter!  What curious dog is able to resist getting just a little closer (too close!) to that cut black and white creature?  Here is a document created by the University of Nebraska with information about removing skunk odor .  Yours truly has used this recipe on his own dog and can vouch for its efficacy!

 

 

Pets have teeth too!

 

     February is National Pet Dental Health Month, but you can take great care of your pet's teeth year round!

 

     Access the Veterinary Oral Health Council's website to learn more about periodontal disease.  The website also has a list of VOHC approved chew treats.

 

 

 

Questions about infectious diseases?

A few are highlighted below.

 

Monkeypox

Please click here for information on the AVMA website regarding Monkeypox.

 

Bed Bugs

     Like it or not, bed bugs are making a comeback.  Please visit the AVMA's Bed Bug FAQ to learn more about bed bugs.

 

Canine Influenza

     Please click here for information on Canine Influenza (H3N8 and H3N2).

 

Rabies

     Please visit the following websites to learn more about rabies.  The Rabies and Kids website is especially informative and fun for pre-teens.

 

http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/Epidemiology/DEE/Rabies/

http://www.cdc.gov/rabiesandkids/

 

     Also, the Rabies Awareness Day page on the AVMA website has information on rabies, including how to prevent dog bites.

 

National Cat Day - Annually on October 29th

     The National Cat Day group says that "we believe that no matter where a cat comes from, being a cat parent is a precious gift"... we couldn't agree more!

 

       Did you catch the Netflix show called, "Inside The Mind of a Cat?"  We highly recommend it, as it reminds us of how athletic, intelligent and complex our furry friends are!

     You may know by now that October 29th is National Cat Day, but did you know that January 22nd is National Answer Your Cat's Questions Day?!  That may be a Pandora's Box best left unopened!

    Science Kids (a New Zealand website... thanks Fiona!) has some cute facts about cats.  It is geared toward kids, but we bet you didn't know that a group of cats is called a clowder!

 

 

Featured Pets

 

 

We're ready for Spring flowers!

 

 

 

Look at those beautiful green eyes - ready for St. Patrick's Day!

 

 

 

If you'd like to have your pet featured on our website please send your pictures to communications@northsidevetclinic.com.

 

 

 

Northside Veterinary Clinic -- 4003 Lee Hwy., Arlington, VA 22207 Animal Hospital