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September 2007 edition IN THIS ISSUE 1. What's on 2. Join our Sensational Seniors Club! 3. Spring preparation 4. What's up Doc 5. What a team! 6. Puppy Preschool is the beginning of a beautiful friendship 7. Join the fight against kidney disease 8. Attack of the fleas! 9. Training: Look at moiye Kimmy! 10. We're no Water Wallies 11. Aqua Dog swimmer of the month |
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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?? As the days slowly begin to warm up, and we prepare to spring into Spring the word is out around the neighbourhood! LOOK OUT LOOK OUT there are TICKS ABOUT!! Yes It's Tick Time alright! Although we regularly come across dangerous paralysis ticks throughout the year, now is NOT the time not to be caught without tick prevention. Our vets are predicting, from the cases they treated during the colder months, that we are in for another dangerous tick season. Like the Scout motto to “Be Prepared”, this month's newsletter gets us thinking…are we prepared for the nice and nasty things that spring brings? Not only ticks, but fleas, mosquitoes, sandflies and lice also thrive in the warmer weather. Now is the time to ask “Is your Flea treatment up to scratch? Are you prepared to Zap fleas, mosquitoes, sandflies and lice?” Don't be caught sleeping…just dreaming of those warm summer days of play! Remind your family NOW to be prepared. Get down to the vets and ask us how to Tick the Boxes against Ticks and Get the jump on fleas with an integrated flea-control programme. “Be Prepared to Spring into Spring”…. Great Specials this month………… Zap Ticks & Fleas purchase a 6 pack of ADVANTIX and entertain your dog for FREE with a fun ball thrower with ball. Get the Jump on Fleas with a FREE 6pk Capstar with every Packet of SENTINEL SPECTRUM purchased. It's the best Flea Protection Factor FPF100 Revolution Rewards. Earn a FREE 3-pack of Revolution for Cats when you have purchased 12 doses of the Complete Flea Protection for cats that does more! Back to top |
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2. Join our Sensational Seniors Club! If your pet is 7 years or over JOIN THE 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, petcare 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. Spring preparation It's spring time again – flowers are blooming, the days are getting longer and it's time to get outside after a long winter. Find a sunny spot in the park and have a picnic with the whole family; including four legged members. The beach is more appealing now too, take a ball and go for a run before summer access restrictions kick in. Spring things to watch out for: • Compost: Some dogs love to eat compost and this can cause ataxia [wobbliness] and shaking. Often cases are emergencies and need to have a gastric lavage [stomach pump] to remove the toxins. The solution is to not leave it lying around. Use a compost bin with a lid and spread compost thinly on the garden or keep pets off it for the first few days after laying it down. • Snail bait: can be lethal if ingested. The problems arise when pets eat handfuls of the poison although for cats very little is needed. If you want to control snails, you can crumble the pellets and sprinkle around plants in very small amounts. Fence off the area from your pet using wire, plastic fencing or a similar product. Ensure snail pellets are stored out of reach in a locked cabinet. Consider using a natural snail controller, such as a snail trap or go out at night and remove snails manually. • Snakes: as the weather warms snakes become more active and pose a risk to pets. The most common signs of snakebite are dilated pupils, trembling, salivation, vomiting, difficult breathing, red urine (blood stained) and eventual collapse. If your pet is bitten by a snake, it is very important to keep them as still and quiet as possible. This will help to slow down the circulation of the venom through your pet's body. Seek veterinary attention immediately. • Ticks: keep lawns short and cut back any over hanging branches to reduce the risk of tick infestation. In addition it's important to: o maintain tick prevention medication throughout the tick season o check your pets daily. Be systematic, check the whole body and focus especially on the head, ears, neck and front of the body Be Prepared to Spring into Spring ……and ZAP TICKS NOW! Purchase a 6 pack of ADVANTIX and entertain your dog for FREE with a fun ball thrower with ball. Back to top |
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4. What's up Doc Our veterinary team shares some of their interesting cases with you. This month the veterinary team report about how Charley finally celebrated getting Ticked Off! Case Study: Tick paralysis “Charley” – Welsh Corgi Age: 7 years Problem: Charley and his owner were watching the news together and having their usually winter snuggle and pat. Charlie's dad had noticed his bark was a little unusual that day and thankfully gave Charley an extra special scratch and thorough rub all around some of the areas that you might find ticks hiding. You see these unusual symptoms were familiar to Charley's owner as he had been treated a few times over the years for tick paralysis. Charley's dad wasn't really expecting to find a tick on Charley, afterall it wasn't tick season, it was winter. When he found and removed an extremely large tick from Charley's neck area he knew that it was important to get immediate veterinary attention. Diagnosis: Dr Kathryn examined Charley and confirmed stage 1c tick paralysis. Thankfully Charley's owner had brought the tick with him so Dr Kathryn could also identify that the tick was in fact the paralysis species. Charley was showing stage 1 signs of paralysis as his hind legs were a little unsteady and wobbly and stage c in his breathing and swallowing as he had a slight cough and vomited. Treatment: Charley was admitted to our intensive care hospital. He required intensive nursing care and monitoring beginning with a sedative and painkiller to make him more comfortable then tick anti-serum to counteract further absorption of tick toxin. As the toxin mainly effects the muscles of the throat, hind legs, lungs & heart, diagnostic tests such as X rays, blood tests, oxygen saturation were done to monitor complications with breathing and heart rate. He was given fluids intraveneously to maintain hydration as swallowing was limited making eating or drinking difficult without the risk of inhalation. Charley was also clipped and a tick prevention treatment, in this case Advantix, was applied to ensure no more ticks were present. Notes: Tick paralysis is more prevalent at certain times of the year when it is warm and wet, generally from Sept – April, but recently cases have been seen all year round. Generally the size of the tick is not relevant to the severity of the symptoms. In this case the extremely large size of the tick was an advantage to Charley as it made it easier for his owner to find and remove. Very small tick can be just as potent but more difficult to find and remove. As paralysis ticks begin to secrete toxins after 3-5 days, the length of time they have been attached to the animal is relevant to the severity of symptoms and their chances of survival. Ticks usually drop off once they are engorged with blood so in some cases a tick may not be found. Tick paralysis can be fatal but thanks to the quick response by Charley's owner and immediate veterinary attention Charley was happy to be back with his family after a few days in our intensive care hospital. Back to top |
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5. What a team! Getting to know your pet's health care team… Leah Curran Leah originally joined our team as our hydrobath girl, in 2005 when we were called Coast & Country Vets. After a brief stint up north, Leah returned to The Vets and welcomed back as an important part of our veterinary nurse team. She is now also one of our very dedicated and talented puppy pre-school teachers. Although she loves the fun and mayhem of helping puppies become well adjusted canine citizens and assisting to build beautiful lifelong relationships, Leah told us the best thing about being a Veterinary Nurse is helping animal feel better and saving lives. “It is a great feeling when you can achieve that” she said. Leah's favourite animals are cats and tigers. She shared her reasons as “the amazing affection cats can give you. It's great to come home after a hard day at work and they won't judge you!” Leah receives loads of unconditional love from her furry feline family 'Asha', 'Cappi' and 'Piper'. Back to top |
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6. 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 Congratulations to our recent graduates: At Nerang: Jessie Dobson, Coco McKenzie, Archer McVeigh, Licorice Smith, Charlie Ingham, Mucca Rizali, Spud Till & Saunder, Cindy Coburn, Chloe Spaninks At Helensvale: Georgie Burton, Georgie Girl Carter; Kaiser Schinnerl; Jack Gain; Harley Gain The spirit of laughing, listening, and learning was alive and well shared with all these impressive classes of puppy students and dedicated parents. Back to top |
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7. Join the fight against kidney disease Kidney disease is one of the most common causes of severe illness in older cats. If your cat is 7 years or older, join the fight against this silent disease by having an annual blood and urine test done. These tests will detect the disease in its early stages and give us the best chance of managing the condition. Kidney failure is caused by the gradual deterioration of the kidney and becomes a problem when only 25% of the kidneys are left working - leading to poorly concentrated urine and toxin build up in the blood. Signs to look out for include: 1. Drinking lots of water 2. Loss of weight 3. Poor coat condition 4. Vomiting If your cat has any of the above signs, contact us immediately. The earlier this condition is detected the more likely we will have success in managing it. That's why we recommend the annual blood and urine tests for older cats. Early detection means we can begin cats on special foods and medication which will help slow the progress of the disease, keeping them happier and healthier for longer. Back to top |
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8. Attack of the fleas! Fleas are never pleasant but they are particularly unsavoury when they "re-emerge". This is where swarms of fleas emerge from the ground to bite at your ankles. Like a bad zombie movie where creatures you thought long dead emerge from the soil, flea re-emergence spreads fear and panic amongst unsuspecting pet owners. How does flea re-emergence occur? The majority of fleas live on the ground; in sandy soils, under houses and even in the house where pets with fleas regularly visit. These fleas are immature and are laid as eggs by the female fleas that live on pets. When these eggs are laid in conditions not conducive to hatching, they become dormant. This occurs in cold winter weather or when the family has gone on holiday, leaving the house quiet and still. When the weather warms up or the activity level increases, the eggs hatch all at once, producing swarms of fleas that will bite peoples' ankles and jump onto pets, causing irritation and disease. How to prevent re-emergence: Using the flea preparations we recommend all year round will prevent re-emergence. These preparations kill the adult fleas and prevent the build up of eggs in the pet's environment, while also being the safest available. There is no need to use other products to clean the house or garden if you use the flea products as directed. If you think you may have missed a flea dose over winter for your dog or cat, ask us for the best way to avoid “re-emergence” occurring in your home with our Be Prepared Spring into Spring special offers Get the Jump on Fleas with an integrated flea control programme - FREE 6pk Capstar with every Packet of SENTINEL SPECTRUM purchased. FPF100 Flea Protection Factor for your pet. Revolution Rewards. Earn a FREE 3-pack of Revolution for Cats when you have purchased 12 doses of the Complete Flea Protection for cats that does more! Back to top |
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9. Training: Look at moiye Kimmy! As those streetwise residents of Fountain Lakes, Kath and Kim have shown us, eye contact is very important. Without it, there is no control and the mischievous reign. This month we focus on “Look” [eye contact] in the 3rd of our training series. Look is important because it gets your pet's attention, allows you then to give further instructions, helps calm anxious dogs and builds your bond with your pet. In effect, it's a type of meditation for dogs, helping to focus and calm their minds. Here's how to perform “Look”: 1. Hold treat in your hand and show your dog to get her attention 2. Move the treat up towards your eyes and hold it there 3. When your dog makes eye contact with you, say, “Look!” and then reward with food treat or say, “Good dog” 4. When you are confident your dog understands, you can reward with food less frequently but continue to use the verbal cue, “Look”. Click here for the video – which brings together the 3 elements “Come, Sit, Look” [Size: approx 1MB] Back to top |
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10. We're no Water Wallies Jennifer and Jim kept getting huge water bills. They knew beyond a doubt that the bills weren't representative of their actual usage. But no matter how they tried to conserve, the high bills continued. Although they could see nothing wrong, they had everything checked for leaks or problems: first the water meter, then outdoor pipes, indoor pipes, underground pipes, taps, toilets, washing machine and dishwasher - all to no avail. One day Jim was sick and stayed home in bed, but kept hearing water running downstairs. He finally tore himself from his sick bed to investigate, and stumbled onto the cause of such high water bills. Apparently this was happening all day long when they were not at home. Knowing that few would believe him, he taped a segment of the 'problem' for posterity. You'll never guess who the culprit was. Click here to find out! [3.1 MB] Back to top |
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11. Aqua Dog swimmer of the month Duke Lorcan is a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and is only 5 months old. A few weeks ago he came to our Puppy Pre-school water safety class for his first ever swim. At AquaDog we believe in encouraging puppies to become confident in the water from a young age. Duke Lorcan was quite hesitant to jump in the pool the first few times, but as he learned that he was safe with his little floatie jacket on, he became much happier to swim. When he learnt where the exit ramp of the pool was, he felt confident he could get out safely. Duke Lorcan has been back to swim a few times now and he has loved it more and more each time! In fact at his third swim just recently, there was not stopping him. He now races in straight down the ramp especially if there's another dog in the pool to follow and play chasy. Now he absolutely loves swimming. We just can't get him out!! 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 teaching water safety for puppies as young as 10-12 weeks. 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 spring. For more information click here 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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