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| a great place for pets - www.thevets.com.au | |||
August 2007 edition
1. What's on 2. Join our Sensational Seniors Club! 3. Open wide: It's National Pet Dental Month! 4. Step-by-Step Dental 5. The family photo album...the newest little member of our team! 6. Boarding - get in early for Christmas 7. What’s up Doc 8. Training: Come and Sit 9. Stick insects: Did you know? 10. Puppy Preschool is the beginning of a beautiful friendship 11. Aqua Dog swimmer of the month 12. We have a Winner! |
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1. What's on What's happening for pets at the vets? Haven't you heard your pets talking about it over the fence?? It's ALL SMILES in this month's newsletter as we get our teeth into Dental Health month. There are lots of great opportunities to keep those pearly whites healthy. Get the thumbs up with a FREE dental check up (won't hurt a bit!) and join our Smile File. We even have some edible pet tooth brushes to give away!! Don't just gossip about it over the fence………. GET YOUR TEETH INTO DENTAL MONTH, JOIN OUR SMILE FILE and make the most of this month's special!! Make the SWITCH… to Hills Oral Care Prescription Diet RECEIVE $10 OFF your next purchase. And a Free Food Storage Bin when you purchase the best Oral care for your pet Back to top |
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2. Join our Sensational Seniors Club! If your pet is 7 yrs or over JOIN THE NEW SENIORS CLUB NOW [click on the button below]. There's so much we can do for senior pets to help them live longer and happier - such as regular blood testing to make sure they're healthy on the inside. Ask us about a simple, easy Wellness Test for your senior pet. As a member, you'll receive your Sensational Seniors Newsletter quarterly with all the latest news, pet care information, product specials, discounts and benefits. Annual Birthday Gifts ...Let us help you give your mature age pet the extra love and care they need in their senior years!! Together we can help your pet enjoy a lifetime of good health. LET'S CELEBRATE SENIORS - LIVE LONGER, LIVE BETTER WIN WIN WIN Join Now – Register your Pets Name and Birthday!! Go in the draw to WIN a DVD PLAYER and ONE MONTH'S SUPPLY OF Sensational Seniors HILL'S Prescription Diet. Back to top |
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3. Open wide: It's National Pet Dental Month! No one likes going to the dentist – but we do because we know it's good for our teeth; as is daily brushing. The same should apply to our pets. But because they don't brush and rarely if ever have their teeth checked at the vet, the state of many pets' teeth is similar to that of peoples' more than 50 years ago. 50 years ago it was not uncommon for people to have many teeth extracted because they were infected and rotten. We find this situation with pets in our clinic on a regular basis. So what to do about it? August is National Dental Month and has been set up to promote the benefits of better dental care for pets. The first thing to do is have your pet's teeth checked. Look out for: • Smelly breath [most pets have smelly breath: this is not normal and usually indicates rotting teeth] • Yellow build up on teeth • Difficulty or reluctance to eat • General depression If your pet is showing any of the above signs, book an appointment with us today. A Dental Check up with our pet care team for this month is FREE and your Pet gets their picture in the Smile File. We will: 1. Do a full examination, and recommend next steps. Pets with infected teeth and gums need to have their teeth cleaned [see article below for more information on this procedure] 2. Show you how to brush your pet's teeth – an inexpensive way to keep teeth clean 3. Talk about foods that help to keep teeth clean and give you a dental pack including a sample of edible pet toothbrushes Your pets will love you for keeping their teeth clean – it removes the yucky feeling in their mouths, stops the pain of infected gums and reduces the risk of heart or kidney disease that can be started by dental infections. To win a one month's supply of Hill's* Science Diet* for your pet, click on the button below. Hill's Pet Nutrition* have the only foods with the VOHC [Veterinary Oral Health Council] seal of approval for plaque and tartar control. For more information click here Back to top |
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4. Step-by-Step Dental The big difference between us visiting the dentist and your pet having her teeth cleaned at the clinic is that she will require a general anaesthetic [GA]. It's reasonable to ask why this is necessary when we are quite capable of having our own teeth cleaned in the dentist's chair while wide awake. The reasons for a GA are: · To be at ease: under a GA, a pet can be totally at ease while the careful process of examining, cleaning and polishing teeth is done. Because of this, there is no “fear of the dentist” at the vet clinic · Play statues: Most pets wiggle at the best of times but cleaning teeth requires the pet to be absolutely still. The areas we examine around each tooth are tiny and any movement means we can't accurately assess the health of teeth or gums · Pain free: probing, cleaning, scaling, polishing and extracting teeth are all uncomfortable. Under a GA, the pet feels none of this. Additional pain control is administered if needed · Safety: For the safety of the pet and the operator, a GA is essential. The special instruments used to clean pets' teeth are sharp and can cause injury if there is any sudden movement Because of the attention paid by our staff to each pet before, during and after the procedure, general anaesthetics are very safe. Please contact us if you'd like to discuss your pet's dental care. Back to top |
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5. The family photo album...the newest little member of our team! Congratulations to Tony & Monique and big brother Sam on the arrival of the newest little blessing to the Goldstone family. Oliver Thomas was born 30th June 2007 and baby, Monique and all the family are doing extremely well. We snapped this great family photo recently when the family came to visit and introduce Oliver to the team. In The Vets true signature style we'd like to officially welcome Oliver to the team with his first football profile. (Again not necessarily endorsed by his mother) Oliver Thomas Goldstone DOB: 30th June 2007 4.32pm Weight: 3.60 kg Height: XXXXXX? TBA Games for 2007: O (Although Tony remembers the Lions played a great game the afternoon of Oliver's birth) Back to top |
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6. Boarding - get in early for Christmas Are you hanging out for that Christmas holiday already? There's nothing like the cold dark of winter to get you focussed on going away. If you need to board your pets while you're away, book it now. It may seem a long way off but boarding kennels fill up quickly and doing it now means you can get the place you want. Here are some boarding tips: Vaccination certificate: all reputable boarding kennels and catteries require pets to have a current vaccination and certificate to prove this. If you've lost your certificate, we can produce another for you. Life at the kennel: Ask what the daily routine at the kennel is. Interaction with other pets and kennel staff is important. Is your pet housed with other pets? Are the staff the same each day or do they rotate? The fewer staff changes the better. Exercise? What is the exercise regime? Home sweet home: Take a few loved items from home when boarding. A toy, blanket or even one of your own jumpers [to provide your scent] will be comforting to your pet. If leaving medication with boarding staff, ensure it is clearly labeled, the staffs are familiar with its use and that your vet clinic number is visible. Emergency contact: ensure the kennel can contact you while away. Pets do sometimes become unwell and need veterinary care while in boarding. We have details for most boarding facilities in our area to help you choose a facility to suit your pets needs. Back to top |
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7. What’s up Doc Our veterinary team shares some of their interesting stories with you….. A Dental Case Study: “Daisy” Herbst – Maltese Terrier Age: 7yrs Problem: Daisy's owners reported she had been depressed, acting shy and strangely at times, she was unable to eat her normal dry food, looking quite thin and was losing friends by the minute due to her bad breath! Diagnosis: Daisy was examined and Dr Sonja found she had severe dental disease and suspected a few teeth were abscessed indicating severe infections. Treatment: Daisy was admitted to the hospital and under an anesthetic her teeth were scaled and polished. Due to the severity of the infection several teeth had to be removed and Daisy was placed on a course of antibiotics for a week. Notes: Dental disease is one of the most common diseases seen in pets over 4yrs of age. Thankfully it is easily treated and there are a number of teeth cleaning aids, including oral care diets, to easily help maintain dental hygiene. Daisy is now eating well and is maintaining an ideal weight and health on a special oral care diet where she can clean her teeth while she eats. Her family is really happy to see Daisy showing off her pearly whites with a fresh breath and bright new attitude to life. Back to top |
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8. Training: Come and Sit This month in our focus on training, we're showing you how to go from “Come” to “Sit”. Sit is important for all dogs to learn because it's their way of saying “Please”. If your dog wants his dinner, wants to cross the road or go for a walk, he must sit first. Rather than barging ahead when he wants to, you are asking that he sit first and ask permission. This helps to reinforce the bond between you two, make it clear that your commands are to be followed and produce a better behaved dog. Here's how to teach Sit: • To begin, hold a treat in front of your dog's nose to gain his attention • When you have your dog's focus slowly raise the treat upward and then over his head. This should make your dog follow the treat with his sight, consequently tilting his head backward • As the head follows the treat backwards your dog's bottom should eventually hit the ground, establishing the 'sit' position • Be sure to say “Sit” only once and at the exact moment your puppy's bottom touches the ground. Follow this immediately with the treat. This ensures your dog learns it's this exact behaviour that is earning the treat Repeat the training often and in various environments. To see Jet and Erin perform “Come” click here [Approx. filesize 1MB] Back to top |
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9. Stick insects: Did you know? Stick insects are popular with kids and one of Australia's more bizarre and yet beautiful creatures. Did you know? · The males die 3 months after mating but females can live up to 2 years. · They don't make urine as they are fastidious water conservers · They moult their skins once a month and even more strangely, they eat their moulted skin. · They have long gangly legs and will sway to music Along with litter bugs and hermit crabs, stick insects are popular bedroom pets for kids. Here's how to keep them: • Use a vertical enclosure that allows them to move up and down and to moult. Perspex or glass tanks are good with a wire mesh side door to let air in. Feed fresh gum leaves weekly and avoid the new growth with red tips as these can be toxic to the insects. Put branches in water in a vase or old milk container. • Each morning a light spray of water is appreciated and keep water in vase topped up • Enclosures only need to be cleaned monthly • Stick insects will lay eggs. These should be removed fortnightly and put in a container with a mesh lid. You can expect around 10% of the eggs to hatch and this will occur in 6-18 months For more information go to: www.friendsofthephasmid.org.au and www.insektus.com Back to top |
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10. Puppy Preschool is the beginning of a beautiful friendship It's where we learn to "Live, Love, Listen, Laugh and Learn". Puppy Preschool is a fun way for puppies and families to learn all the skills required for a rewarding life together. Under the expert guidance of our qualified nurses, families can enjoy being involved in developing their new puppy's social skills to ensure they become polite and well behaved canine citizens. Our 4 week program includes a puppy water safety class in our heated swimming facility at AquaDog Health & Fitness Centre. For more information click here “The Nerang class of July 2007” Congratulations to our recent graduates: Cooper McLaren, Chica Purdan, Duke Lorcan Hinds, Lenny Kennedy, Max O'Halloran, Kiki Leventhal, Jessi Davies, Missy Higgins Kent, Jet Hayes, Marcus McFarlane, Keisha Hoskins. We have all shared lots of smiles (and some laughs) with this impressive class of excellent puppy students and dedicated parents. Back to top |
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11. Aqua Dog swimmer of the month Jackson Anderson is a 5year old Samoyed who has been swimming at AquaDog for over a year now! Jackson loves to swim his 30 laps twice a week and it really helps with his arthritis. After Jackson swims in our 28 degree heated pool, he can then enjoy our do-it-yourself private drying room. It is equipped with a doggie blow-dryer and drying mats and Jackson is assured of going home feeling warm & dry and looking great in the colder winter months. The Aqua Dog Health and Fitness Centre is a fun, safe and warm place for your pets to swim this winter. The heated pool, drying room and temperature controlled environment makes it safe for winter swimming. The proven benefits to heart, muscles and joints are terrific for dogs of all ages. Is your dog in the swim?? Don't miss out this winter. For more information click here Back to top |
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12. We have a Winner! A big congratulations to Marley Tully the winner of our June competition. Marley has won a month's supply of Hills Prescripton Diet Canine j/d which has a unique formula for the management of arthritis in dogs. Marley at 13yrs old loves to visit our AquaDog Health and Fitness Centre, even if it's to freshen up in our DIY Hydrobath. This picture of Marley having a hydrobath appeared in our March newsletter. We can't wait to see Marley when next at AquaDog celebrating the win with a new spring in his stride. Well done Marley and family. 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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