Rouge Valley Veterinary Clinic

I have 2 dogs: a nearly 14 year old Yorkie and a 6 year old Bichon.

A few years ago both of my dogs were going to a different clinic. My Yorkie developed what looked to be an eye infection and the other clinic did a pretty good job in getting it under control with two different eye drops (one to clear the red out and another to be used after the redness was gone); however, a few weeks later it came back. After taking my dog back to the other clinic numerous times they were not able to get his "eye infection" under control, the drops just weren't working this time but they seemed hesitant to try anythig else. Also, he had developed a tooth infection and the other clinic was not even treating him for this, even when he was having trouble eating. I decided it was time for a second opinion!

I first found RVVH on a review website. Everyone was raving about how great Dr. Serge and his team were. I decided that ,even if the reviews weren't true, it couldn't hurt to at least have my dog looked at and RVVH is actually closer to my house than the other vet clinic.

I asked my mother to make an appointment and take my Yorkie in (since I had to work). While in the waiting area my mother struck up a conversation with a woman who was coming in to return some cans of dog food. According to my mother, this woman had a fairly young Golden Retriever that was having severe seizures. The woman had nothing but praise for the care that Dr. Serge and his team provided to her and her dog. She said that Dr. Serge tried everything he could to help her dog, but in the end his seizures had gotten too severe and none of the medications that they tried seemed to help.

When my mother and my dog were called in Dr. Serge was extremely helpful. He did his exam and a few tests and determined that my dogs "eye infection" was due to dry eyes and although my dog was producing tears they were not lubricating and basically just washing out the drops that the other vet clinic had given us. My mom was given a corticosteroid and an antibiotic for my dogs tooth infection and an ointment for his eye. We also got a few cans of my dogs hepatic food, which Dr. Serge said would be better to give him at that point because it would be easier to eat.

Within a day or two my dogs eye had begun to clear up and he was eating better than he had in a month. Amber, the receptionist, even called a few days after our visit to make sure that my dog was doing alright.

From the start we have been very, very happy with the service we have gotten from RVVH. Since then, Dr. Serge performed knee surgery on my Yorkie for a cruciate tear (superdog decided to jump off of the bed) and also managed to get my Bichon's allergic reaction under control (he gets red and itchy at the base of his tail). Every time we visit, Dr. Serge and his staff are always friendly and helpful. When I book an appointment I have never had to wait more than a few minutes to have my dogs seen, which is more than I can say for some clinics where I've had to wait nearly half an hour even with an appointment.

Now, this clinic doesn't look like much from the outside. It is located in a small strip mall and compared to some of the larger vet clinics it does seem pretty small, but the care that my dogs get at RVVH is hands above the other clinics I have taken my dogs to.

Dr. Serge is always willing to answer your questions and truly cares about his patients. This clinic is also one of the cheaper clinics that I've found and Dr. Serge is always willing to work with your budget instead of trying to gouge you for your last cent.

So if you're looking for a great vet in the GTA then please consider RVVH!

111 Island Rd., Unit #8,
Scarborough, ON
M1C 2P7

T: 416 208 7800   F: 416 208 5952 

Hagen Marina 5 Gallon Aquarium Kit (Style 5)

Recently I lost my crowntail Betta fish. He lived in a 4 gallon aquarium; however, it was plastic and did not allow for a filter or a heater. Before purchasing my next Betta fish, I decided that I should upgrade my tank a little bit. A filter was definitely the first thing on my list since I really didn't want to be doing 100% water changes all the time and I also needed something small to fit in my bedroom.

Upon visiting my local PJ's Pets I noticed that they had a number of their aquariums and aquarium kits on sale. I really didn't want to spend a bundle on the cutesy orbs or cubes (none of the cubes were really large enough anyways), but then I spotted this cute little 5 gallon aquarium kit.

This kit comes with the following:

• a 8 inches long x 16 inches wide x 10 inches tall (5 gallon) aquarium
• a full canopy with incandescent bulb
• Marina Slim Filter S10 (plus 2 filter cartridges)
• a small net
• a supply of Nutrafin Max Fish Food
• Nutrafin Aqua Plus and Cycle
• a thermometer
• a care guide 

The aquarium itself is solidly built, your classic construction of glass and silicone. The canopy is black plastic with a stainless steel-like decal on the front, but it does have an annoying plastic bubble over the on/off switch. The bulb that comes with the canopy will do for now, but it casts a yellowish tint to the aquarium. The filter is very quiet and does its job pretty well (I have one Betta in my tank so I don't need a full force gun-ho filter and this filter seems to be pretty comfortable for my fish).

One downside to this aquarium is that it does not come with a heater, but I was able to pick up a 25-watt Marina submersible heater at the store. The heaters can be pretty pricy though, even for a small one to heat this aquarium.

Another downside is that it does not come with any gravel or decorations, everything has to be purchased separately. In my case, I had gravel and decorations left over from my 20 gallon aquariums so this really wasn't a big deal.

For me, this aquarium kit was pretty much everything I was looking for. It was affordable, good looking, and had most of the stuff I was looking for in a starter kit. Small enough to sit on my dresser, but big enough to give my Betta enough space to swim around and explore.

Cam's Auto Service

I have been taking my car to Cam's Auto Service for a while, but have never gotten around to writing a review.

Cam's Auto Service is located in Corktown at 475 King Street East (between Parliament Street and Queen Street) in Toronto. You really can't miss it, it's the big PINK building!

The first thing that you notice at Cam's is how friendly the owner, Cam, is. Usually he's right at the front desk and will greet you with a smile (if Cam's not there then Carson will help you out in the same fashion). Cam is always happy to help you out no matter what your circumstances are. His service is generally quick (much quicker than most garages); however, if you get there first thing in the morning it is generally super quick.  Early morning visits generally guaranteed you a parking spot on Cam's lot and super fast service.

Cam is pretty popular and later in the day he can get quite busy and his lot can get full very fast, which means you'll have to park on the street (feed the meter if you don't want a ticket).

Cam has been taking care of my cars for a while now. It first started out with my 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier (or the Crap-o-lier as it was affectionately called) and now he services my 2009 Volkswagen Jetta and my fiance's even older Crap-o-lier. Generally my car is just general maintenance and an oil change and my costs are pretty minimal at Cam's, definitely a lot less than a dealership or one of the larger chain service places. 

My fiance recently needed a brand new exhaust system and the big box guys wanted to charge him an arm and a leg to fix it (he needed the works: new catalytic converter, new exhaust, new exhaust pipe, etc.). I told him to take it to Cam's and it was a fraction of the price.

Cam's is not like a lot of the places that will try to swindle you by telling you that you need unnecessary work done to your car. I remember sitting at Cam's and waiting for my car to be finished. There was an elderly lady who brought her car in for service and she told Cam to do whatever needed to be done because her son was paying for it. Cam came back with the diagnostic on what needed to be repaired or replaced (a pretty minimal list to begin with) and the lady kept asking Cam about a certain part that she was sure needed to be replaced because her son had told her that this particular part might not be working correctly. Instead of just trying to make another quick buck, Cam actually explained to the woman that the part was fine and that it did not need to be replaced.

So if you're ever in Toronto and need something done on your car then consider taking it to Cam's. You won't be disappointed!