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| a great place for pets - www.thevets.com.au | |||
November 2006 edition
1. Tick Alert! 2. Extended Saturday hours 3. Aquadog news 4. Staff profile: Lisa Wilkins 5. Designer dogs Pugalier or Cavador? 6. Itchy Airedale 7. Go off this summer! 8. Breathe easy 9. Backyard bliss for pets |
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1. Tick Alert! Ticks are active in our neighbourhood right now. We have been treating a large number of animals sick with tick paralysis over the last month and this summer is looking like a particularly bad season for ticks. It's time to prevent tick paralysis by: Conducting daily, thorough searches of your pet Being aware of the signs of tick paralysis to watch for Avoiding 'tick prone' areas if possible Using Tick Control products: ask us for the best option for your pet. For a limited time we also have great specials on Kiltix collars, Advantix, Proban and Tick twisters. Back to top |
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2. Extended Saturday hours For your convenience, our Nerang clinic is now open until 5pm each Saturday. The Vets Helensvale is still open until 1pm Arundel Plaza Vet Clinic is still open until 12pm Saturdays and from 10am - 12pm Sundays Aquadog health & fitness is open until 3pm on Saturdays. Back to top |
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3. Aquadog news Robby Hartmann is a 7 year old cattle dog who suffered from a ruptured cruciate ligament and had knee surgery in June this year. He began swimming at Aquadog in August and after only six weeks is doing very well. Robby has regained a lot of the wasted muscle strength in that leg and barely even walks with a limp already. Well done Robby, keep up the good work. Back to top |
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4. Staff profile: Lisa Wilkins Our staff member of the month is Lisa Wilkins. Lisa is a Veterinary Technician based at our Nerang clinic, but also works in Aquadog and occasionally at our Helensvale clinic. Lisa does a great job running puppy pre school classes at Nerang and is a great source of puppyhood advice. Lisa's pets include a dog called Tinkerbell who is a Chinese Crested, and a cat called Natasha, who is a Russian Blue. Come in and say hi to Lisa! Back to top |
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5. Designer dogs Pugalier or Cavador? Have you ever heard of a Pugalier or Cavador? These extraordinary names are for new types of dogs that have been bred from existing well known breeds. We are seeing lots of these dogs and by and large they make excellent family pets. Beneath their quirky designer names, these dogs have been bred in response to pet owners asking for dogs with certain characteristics. The Labrador is still one of the most popular dog breeds but for city living, a less energetic dog is sometimes an advantage so a Labrador was bred with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel producing the aptly named Cavador. Here are some of the new dogs we're seeing: Beaglier Beagle cross Cavalier Cavoodle Cavalier cross Poodle Groodle Golden Retriever cross Standard Poodle Maltalier Maltese cross Cavalier Pugalier Pug cross Cavalier Spoodle Cocker Spaniel cross Poodle Labradoodle Labrador cross Poodle Spanador Cocker Spaniel cross Labrador If you are considering one of these pups, please speak to us first. To ensure you get the best pup for your family, you need to consider the dog's temperament and genetic health. This is the same for any dog you choose whether it be pure bred or cross bred [as the above dogs are]. We see thousands of dogs and are well placed to advise. Choosing well can make all the difference! Back to top |
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6. Itchy Airedale Patsy is an Airedale with an itch problem. She's 6 years old and has never before had any skin problems. Her owners Ron and Jenny look after her well and she's fed a good diet. Over the last few months they've noticed that she's been scratching. They thought it must have been fleas but after using the flea control she was still itching. So it was off to the vet to see what this puzzling itch was all about. Her skin was red and she had scratched so much that hair was falling out. She was obviously miserable. What seemed strange to her owners was that it seemed to come from nowhere. During the examination at the clinic, a series of tests were carried out to rule out various causes of itchiness. After ruling out more common causes of itchy skin, food allergy was left as a possibility so Patsy was put on what's called an elimination diet for 8 weeks. She was to eat one food only in that time and avoid all treats or other food sources. The food for the elimination trial is special in that it contains proteins that have been reduced in size to avoid detection by the immune system [protein reactions are the cause of food allergy]. Thankfully the food trial worked for Patsy. Within weeks she was much better the redness and itchiness had gone. Patsy will stay on her new food and will most likely remain itch free forever. Hill's Prescription Diet* z/d* Ultra Allergen-Free and z/d Low Allergen are specialised foods for the management of food allergy in dogs and cats. For more information on Ultra Allergen-Free dog food click here or Low Allergy cat food click here Back to top |
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7. Go off this summer! As we zoom into summer, here's a list of things to do to help make it a fantastic time for your pets: Clip off: Long haired dogs and cats often appreciate an army style short back and sides haircut over summer. Whether your pet's a Springer Spaniel who loves playing in water or a Persian cat who just has to catch those rays, short hair can be the answer to a more chilled summer. The coat is easier to manage dirt, sticks and leaves can be brushed out. However, for some breeds such as Collies and Samoyeds, the coat is best left long - it naturally insulates against the heat. Ask your groomer what's best for your pet. Cool off: providing water to drink is an obvious essential, but water to play with can also be great fun. During the hot times, a wading pool can be a place to splash around in or simply somewhere to lie quietly. Choose a solid sided plastic wading pool rather than the blow up type it will last longer. Put some favourite plastic chew toys in the water and watch how your dog goes bananas. Seeds off: Long grass is a feature of summer and cats and dogs love to run, hide and play in it. Grass seeds often get entangled in the coat and occasionally they bury into the skin. What you can do: Check your pet's coat daily grass seeds are often found between the toes, around the head and in the eyes and ears. Back to top |
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8. Breathe easy The first hyperbaric oxygen chamber for dogs in Australia has opened for the treatment of high performance racing greyhounds. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been used by both AFL and NRL clubs for some time now. It's integral to how they get their teams through a tough, injury-ridden season. How it works: The therapy works by saturating the body with oxygen at higher pressures than found when we breathe normal air. The effect is to increase oxygen levels at the site of an injury enhancing the healing process. How greyhounds benefit: A greyhound with an injury will face time off from racing while the injury heals. In attempt to speed up the healing process, the dog is put into the hyperbaric chamber which is a large steel structure and resembles something like a submarine from a Jules Verne novel. For most injuries 2-4 sessions are needed. It is likely that this treatment will become available to pets in future years. Pets suffering various musculo-skeletal injuries will benefit from hyperbaric treatment. Other recent developments for pets in Australia include the introduction of radiotherapy for cancer care and ground breaking brain surgery. Back to top |
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9. Backyard bliss for pets You know what you like in a garden - but do you know what your pets like? To find out, we asked Andrew O'Sullivan, an expert in designing gardens with pets in mind. Andrew is a leading garden designer and regular presenter on ABC's Gardening Australia. Here, he offers some great tips on getting started: Use larger, more mature plants and plants that are quick growing. Larger plants stand a better chance of surviving. Only plant tubestock if properly protected. Select shrubs and trees with prickly foliage, such as some species of Grevillea and Hakea. These have the dual benefit of deterring pets from damaging the plants and also create habitat for local wildlife. Use grasses and plants with strap-like leaves that are resilient and can tolerate some trampling. Consider using Blue Fescue (Festuca glauca); Flax Lily (Dianella sp.); Ginger Lily (Hedychium sp.); Kangaroo Grass (Themada australis); Liriope sp.; Mat Rush (Lomandra sp.); Native Ginger (Alpinia coerulea); NZ Flax (Phormium tenax) or Swamp Foxtail (Pennisetum alopecuroides). Mulch: buy only healthy plants, plant correctly and apply mulch. Fibrous or coarse mulch will discourage cats from digging toilet holes. Talk to horticulturists at your local nursery for advice on plants to suit your conditions and planting techniques. For more information, contact Andrew at www.aolandscapes.com.au Back to top |
The Vets Nerang Unit 5/90 Spencer Road Nerang 4211 ph 5596 2322 fx 5596 0549 Helensvale Unit 7/14 Sir John Overall Drive Helensvale 4212 ph 5529 8011 fx 5529 4133 www.thevets.com.au |
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