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| a great place for pets - www.thevets.com.au | |||
November 2007 edition IN THIS ISSUE 1. What's on 2. Zoom in for a Groom 3. Join our Sensational Seniors Club! 4. Frankie no longer sees red 5. Tick reminder! 6. Why vaccinate? 7. Puppy Preschool is the beginning of a beautiful friendship 8. Marty gets his food allergy licked 9. Equine flu warning: 'From the horses mouth' 10. 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?? Freshen up for Summer! Invigorating and rejuvenating our focus for your pets this month is on Healthy Skin and Coats! Hopefully with our pets Flea and Tick protection all up to scratch, its time to freshen up their coats for summer and put a stop to itchy irritated skin. Just like humans our pets may suffer from skin allergies particularly in the warmer seasons of spring and summer. You'll find some great information about keeping their skin and coats healthy and our petcare team have a special grooming offer for your longhaired Best Friends. Back to top |
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2. Zoom in for a Groom The Vets at Nerang and Helensvale is a great place for your pet to cool off, freshen up and get a stylish new look for summer. Our professional pet stylist, Lisa is available now to help your pets shed that unnecessary coat for some great carefree summer days of play. We suggest you have long haired pets clipped as we move closer to summer. It allows heat to escape more easily leaving pets feeling more comfortable. It also removes mats that pinch the skin and can trap foreign bodies such as grass seeds. Zoom in for “The Works” Groom this month and receive your next DIY Hydrobath FREE. Just call us for an appointment. Wishing your pets no more bad hair days, just carefree summer days of play. Hill's* Science Diet* premium brand pet food and Hill's* Prescription Diet* therapeutic brand pet food provide the most complete range of products specially formulated for producing a healthy coat in dogs and cats. For more information click here Back to top |
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3. 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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4. Frankie no longer sees red Frankie is a 4 year old Bichon Frise who lives a charmed life. He is loved, groomed and pampered every day. The only time he sees red is spring time when he suffers from allergies. Frankie has a specific condition called Atopy. When he comes in contact with allergens such as house dust mite, pollens and moulds, it makes his skin itchy. Frankie's not alone; this is a common situation for many dogs and cats. Every spring, Frankie would begin to scratch. Sitting down, he'd use his back leg to scratch around his ear. Once he'd had a good go at that, he'd begin licking his feet. His saliva had stained his feet red, and he also rubbed his itchy bottom on the ground. This year, however, things have changed. He has been started on cyclosporin. Cyclosporin helps to suppress the inappropriate immune response that is causing the itchiness in Atopy. So far the licking of feet has stopped and so his perennially red feet are looking whiter by the day. His ears are clearer and there's no more bottom rubbing. He's a much happier chap. He's able to relax without having to jump up and scratch all the time. Signs to look out for in your pets: • Itching • Redness under the armpits, belly, groin, under the tail and around the anus. • Rubbing the bottom along the ground, commonly known as “scooting” • Smelly coat • White coated dogs often have pink hair where they've been licking - as the saliva stains the hair Atopy is uncomfortable and can lead to infections if not treated promptly. See us immediately if your pet is showing any of these signs. The good news is that this new non steroidal treatment is a safe and effective long term relief and could help bring back the simple joys of life for your dog and you Summer Skin Fresh Special: FREE low allergen dog blanket and brush with your dogs Atopica, advanced skin allergy relief, Starter Kit Back to top |
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5. Tick reminder! LOOK OUT…… LOOK OUT there a TICKS ABOUT! BEWARE Ticks are in the local area and causing paralysis in our pets. Our team at the vets have been very busy over the last few weeks treating many dogs and cats affected by paralysis ticks. In fact last month has been one of the worst months on record for tick paralysis. Unfortunately the paralysis tick is very common in our area, especially at this time of year in the warm, humid weather. It causes paralysis by injecting a neurotoxin into the blood stream. If treated early with an anti-toxin, most dogs and cats recover without complications but paralysis ticks can cause death. For example, Broodie a little Maltese Terrier, was one of our many cases that recently had a nasty encounter with one of these dangerous ticks. He came to see Dr Sonja because he was vomiting and retching and very wobbly in his back legs. After searching carefully through his coat, a paralysis tick was found. Broodie was given some medication to relieve his anxiety, then the anti-toxin was injected very slowly into his blood stream. Broodie's vital signs were constantly monitored by a nurse who sat with him while he was treated. The neurotoxin causes weakness in the back legs but also paralyses other muscles, including respiratory muscles that move the chest and those of the oesophagus, larynx, eyelids and bladder. This means that animals with tick paralysis often regurgitate and because they can't swallow, fluid and vomit can move down their trachea into their lungs. This results in the life threatening complication pneumonia. Dr Sonja monitored Broodie very closely and noticed he began having trouble breathing. An xray of his chest confirmed his oesophagus was paralysed and he had pneumonia. He was immediately started on antibiotics and oxygen. He also lost the ability to blink and urinate so had regular medication in his eyes and had his bladder manually emptied. Broodie was critically ill for 24hours. The oxygen therapy supported his blood oxygen levels until the antibiotics had beaten the infection in his lungs. The paralysis gradually wore off until he was able to better move his chest muscles and swallow again. His ability to swallow was tested with small amounts of water and then food. Broodie improved slowly until finally he was well enough to be discharged. He has since been back for a check-up and is in good health, much to the delight and relief of his family Here's what to do to prevent your pet getting tick paralysis: • Conduct daily, thorough searches of your pet. This is a difficult but important job. Ticks generally take 3 days to cause paralysis, so you have 3 chances with daily searches to find the tick • Use tick control products regularly. See below for some tick product specials this season. • If your pet has long hair, consider cutting it short to make the daily searches easier • Avoid tick prone areas where possible • Contact us immediately if your pet is showing any of the following signs: difficulty breathing, a cough, vomiting, or wobbly on the legs. Treatment includes the use of tick antivenene and hospitalisation. Please call us for assistance with regard to which product to use, how to conduct tick searches of your pet or any other tick queries. We are more than happy to help you “Tick the all the boxes against Ticks” this season. Buy a 6 month supply Advantix spot-on for ticks and Entertain your pets for FREE………. Receive a Fun ball thrower for dogs (valued at $24.95) PLUS THE CHANCE TO WIN A FAMILY TRIP TO AMERICA. Back to top |
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6. Why vaccinate? With Christmas and holidays on the horizon, it's vaccination time again for many pets. Benefits of vaccination are two fold: the vaccine protects against lethal viral diseases while your pet also receives a full Top to Tail examination & report to help us pick up any other problems early. Before vaccinations were available, many pets died from viral diseases but thankfully that's a thing of the past. Regular vaccination gives your pet the best protection possible. Vaccinations protect vulnerable pups and kittens as they leave their mums and go out into the world and this protection is maintained into adulthood with annual injections. For dogs, vaccines protect against: Parvovirus, Distemper and Hepatitis – all highly contagious, lethal diseases Canine Cough: a debilitating but non-lethal sore throat, this disease has a viral and bacterial component For cats, vaccines protect against: Cat Flu: contributed to by a Herpes and a Calici virus, this disease is often not fatal but produces a horrible head cold Enteritis: like Parvovirus in dogs, can be fatal FIV [the cause of Feline AIDs]: highly contagious and lethal So you never have to worry about this list of nasties, call us today to get your pet's vaccination up to date. Back to top |
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7. 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 at our indoor swimming facility, AquaDog Health & Fitness Centre. For more information click here. Congratulations to our recent graduates: At Nerang Tuesday night: Maggie Pirie; Charlie Donohue; Babooshka Watson; Honey Hay; Brutus Emery; Zoe Ward Wednesday night: Lara Shrimpton; "Niah Gucci" Soeters ; Crawford Myers; Jet Smith ; "Grace" and "Bedlam" Carter At Helensvale Dozer Jeffries; Pepper Reis; Jesse Telfer; Shadow Toia; Bo Armstrong; Milo Mahe Thank you to all the enthusiastic puppy students and their dedicated parents for sharing the experience with lots of love and laughter. Back to top |
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8. Marty gets his food allergy licked Marty is a 7 year old Poodle whose owners love him for his odd behaviour. He loves to splash water, chase balls incessantly, bark at mirrors and get stirred up by the sound of game show buzzers! When he began licking, his family thought it was another of his loveable odd habits. But when they noticed he was actually licking clumps of hair off, he was brought straight to the vet. The initial examination was designed to rule out the most common causes of licking. Over the next few weeks, fleas and atopy, a common cause of skin allergy, were ruled out. The funny thing was that Marty was itchy all year round [most allergies are seasonal], pointing to a possible cause of food allergy [or “adverse food reaction”]. Marty was put onto a special diet to eliminate possible problem foods. The most common foods to cause the allergy are beef, fish, chicken and less commonly wheat, milk and eggs. Over the next 6 weeks, he improved dramatically. It was clear that something in his diet was causing the reaction. Marty's skin cleared up and as a nice surprise, he became more relaxed. The itching had been making him quite grumpy and his family is very happy to have back their loveably odd Marty. Back to top |
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9. Equine flu warning: 'From the horses mouth' The Chief Veterinary Officer of Australia, Dr Bob Biddle, has asked us to circulate information about the Equine Influenza [EI] outbreak. Being pet owners, there is a good chance that you may have regular contact with horses or know people that do. Here are the key points: 1. Equine Influenza [EI] is an acute, highly contagious, viral disease, which can cause rapidly spreading outbreaks of respiratory disease in horses, donkeys, mules and other equine species. It would have a major impact on the Australian horse industry if it were to become established here, although it is rarely fatal. 2. EI spreads by direct contact between horses or from equipment or people that have come in contact with infected horses 3. What to look out for: sudden increase in temperature (to between 39°C and 41°C); a deep, dry, hacking cough; and a watery nasal discharge, which may later become thick and smelly. Other signs can include depression, loss of appetite, laboured breathing, and muscle pain and stiffness. For further information, call us or visit the official website: www.outbreak.gov.au Let's hope this outbreak can be brought under control quickly and we can look forward to enjoying the Melbourne Cup! Back to top |
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10. Aqua Dog swimmer of the month Spring is in the air!... and so are our AquaDog swimmers as they Spring into the pool for some fun and games. For Emily Driscoll, an active and playful Border Collie, swimming is fun and therapeutic. She loves to come swimming every week and leaps in head first to greet her buddies. Although she just loves swimming to fetch her toys, she is also really good at sharing the game with her friends. Emily then enjoys a lovely warm freshen up in our DIY Hydrobath………and for our Spring Cleaning special this month it's half price. See below for details of offer. The Aqua Dog Health and Fitness Centre is a fun, safe place for your pets to swim all year round. The heated pool, drying room and temperature controlled environment makes it safe for teaching water safety for puppies as young as 10-12 wks. 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 on our Spring Cleaning Special...this month only!! RECEIVE a Half price DIY Hydrobath (now only $5) with every Swim at AquaDog 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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