Have you heard our pets talking about it over the fence?

Yes, spring is in the air!  This month, down at the vets, we're really going to clean up our acts and spring into Spring, with some great Spring Cleaning offers for your Pets!

You can join the spring clean up team and receive a FREE pet brush with Advantix, Advocate and Advantage Tick & Flea protection for your pet, freshen up and get Gold Coast Indy fever when you & your pet "Zoom in for a Groom" and Splash into the Aquadog pool with a friend for some spring fun & fitness. We're going to hear about Benson's one stop Health & Beauty shop.

Although cleaning may seem a chore, sadly at this time of year, it's NOT just us looking forward to getting out there in the warmer weather! Unfortunately fleas & ticks also love the warmer weather! ... and if not prepared they can really ruin those warm days of play with our family.

LOOK OUT!  LOOK OUT there are TICKS ABOUT.  Recently our vet team has been inundated with pets suffering from tick paralysis. Now is the time to make sure your pets tick & flea protection is up to scratch so the whole family can enjoy the summer fun.

With a real focus on getting all cleaned up and ready for some serious summer fun...Buy a 6 month supply Advantix or Advantage and receive a FREE Pet Brush to clean up their coat.

Clean up! ...  SAVE $ 20 ... never be lost again... every story can have a happy ending. MICROCHIP YOUR PET!! THIS MONTH ONLY $30 (Normally $55)

Young or young at heart, it's never too late to ensure your best friend can find their way home. Simple and easy - it only takes a few minutes for us to insert a tiny identification chip under your pet's skin. Collars can be lost but with a microchip if ever you are separated from your pet a veterinarian or animal officer can scan the microchip and access your contact details from a national pet registry.

Our veterinary team shares some of their interesting cases with you...

Loving Lucy ticked all the boxes to a healthy recovery.
Lucy, a 10mth old Great Dane cross came to see Dr Sonja recently as she couldn't walk and was refusing to eat. Her owner had removed 3 ticks a couple of days before but as she had not seemed too badly affected she had decided to nurse Lucy at home. But Lucy's condition deteriorated and eventually she couldn't walk or even sit up and her owner realised she needed immediate veterinary attention.

Lucy was admitted for treatment immediately. All symptomatic cases of tick paralysis require treatment with antiserum and as a general rule the sooner this is given the speedier the recovery. The tick antiserum however can only prevent any toxin still present in the bloodstream from binding to open neuromuscular receptors but does not have any affect on the toxin that has already affected the muscles. These patients require intensive and specific nursing care to make a complete recovery. Tick toxin can potentially affect all the muscles of the body including those used for walking, breathing and swallowing. The more muscles affected the more prolonged and complicated the treatment and recovery. Fortunately for Lucy only the muscles in her limbs had been affected but even so, as Lucy is a large breed dog, professional nursing care was essential to prevent complications that can develop purely from being bedridden. This nursing care includes changing her position frequently, providing thick soft clean bedding to prevent pressure sores from forming, expressing her bladder, and performing physiotherapy on her limbs to aid their recovery.

Recovery times from tick paralysis vary greatly with many factors like strain of toxin, time lapse before treatment and individual patient responses, to be considered. Times spent in the hospital can range between 2 &10 days and it is important that patients can manage the basic functions of walking, eating and toileting before going home. Dr Sonja expressed "patience, time and intensive nursing care and monitoring is as important as giving antiserum in tick paralysis cases. It is also very important to keep these patients confined and quiet as exertion, stress and excitement will exacerbate their symptoms."

Dr Sonja and Lucy's owner agreed that it would be best for Lucy to be hospitalised until she made a full recovery as managing her at home would be extremely difficult due to her size.  Lucy ended up staying with us for 6 days before she was able to get up and walk unassisted. Lucy was an excellent patient and a pleasure to care for. She seemed to really understand that she needed our help to recover and endeared herself to all our team. Dr Sonya and all our team at Nerang are so pleased she is now well recovered and happy at home again

For a great start to spring we recommend you Zoom in for a Groom with our professional pet hair stylist, Lisa. Don't take the risk, a stylish new short coat for your pet will help give ticks the flick this season.

Preventing tick paralysis is ideal but difficult to do. It requires vigilance and regular treatments. Brushing and searching your pet every day is essential. We suggest you have long haired pets clipped as we move into spring. 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 and can even help hide the dangerous paralysis tick.

As Indy Fever Hits the Gold Coast this month our petcare grooming team have just the Spring Clean treatment for your longhaired Best Friends.  Zoom in for "The Works" Groom this month and clean up when you purchase 6pk Advantix for ticks or Advantage for fleas and receive a FREE PET BRUSH

Most people know someone affected by asthma. One in six children and one in nine adults have this chronic condition. Sadly, most believe that they cannot own a dog or a cat as it may increase their risk of an asthma attack. We are happy to announce some good news for asthma sufferers.

According to recent research, owning a dog in childhood can actually reduce the likelihood of becoming an allergy and asthma sufferer. The research says that dog ownership in early childhood was associated with a lower rate of sensitivity to the things that cause allergies.

This means that owning a pet does not necessarily cause allergic reactions and children with allergies don't have to miss out on growing up with the joy and companionship they get from owning a pet.

Of course, if someone has asthma or believes they have an allergic reaction to pets, they need to consult their doctor before introducing a pet into a household.

There are some breeds of dogs that are more suitable than others for allergy sufferers. If you need more information on suitable breeds, speak to us.

While we are on the subject of Spring Cleaning look at what one of our dedicated nurses and her husband have been getting up to!!  AND ON HER HOLIDAYS!!  What an amazing animal adventure holiday. This is what Tracey from Arundel clinic had to report on her visit to Elephantstay.

ELEPHANTSTAY, Ayutthaya Thailand...Live, work and play with elephants! Become a member of the elephant team!

Ever wanted to get up close and personal with an elephant? Well now you can - learn and experience the ways of the mahout, riding elephants, bathing them in the river and just hanging out. You will also learn about the centuries old history and culture of the elephant in Thailand. You will enjoy an unforgettable experience of a lifetime and at the same time you will be contributing to the elephants' future survival. Home to over 80 elephants you can experience life in a vibrant working elephant village.

"Elephantstay is such an amazing experience. Being so up close and personal with these huge majestic animals is defiantly a unique opportunity. My time at Elephantstay is something I will always treasure and keep with me forever. I built a unique bond with my own allocated elephant named ‘Gadunja' (means beautiful flower in Thai). I had the opportunity to feed, bathe and walk her. During my time with ‘Gadunja' the connection and trust grew each day, by the second day she was holding my hand with her trunk as we walked together. When my time came to an end at Elephantstay I didn't want to go home I wanted to live in the village forever. I thoroughly recommend that if you are in Thailand that you spend some time at Elephantstay, when being in the presence of these gentle giants it is a very liberating and spiritual experience as you build up a trust with an animal that towers over you."

Tracy Coles
Veterinary Nurse

Dougal is a 6 year-old West Highland White Terrier. He lives a charmed dog's life and his owners take pride in his coat with regular grooming.

Every year in the middle of spring Dougal starts to itch. The itch starts at his feet and after licking at these he moves onto scratching at his ears. His bottom becomes itchy and by this time he has turned himself red raw and pulled out patches of fur.

Dougal has a condition called Atopy. Every time he comes into contact with a specific group of pollens, dust mites and moulds (also known as allergens), his skin reacts and leads to an itch. Dougal is not alone, many dogs suffer from this frustrating condition.

Signs to look out for:

• Chewing on feet
• Scratching the body
• Recurrent ear infections
• Hair loss
• Reddened skin

Although we cannot cure Dougal's Atopy, thankfully there are some options to help relieve his itch. Initially we need to clear up the infection he has caused himself with antibiotics. It is also important to rule out fleas and mites as a cause of his itch.

Dougal's immune system can be helped with a medication called cyclosporin. This reduces his reaction to the allergens. His owners are also considering the option of desensitising vaccines available to prevent future flare-ups.

We have a special interest in skin disease. If you have a pet with similar issues to Dougal, call us for an appointment and let us help relieve that itch!

Benson is a 7yr old Maltese Terrier that really knows how to enjoy a good Spring Clean. Since enjoying his introductory swim at Aquadog just 6mths ago, Benson has really become a valued member of our swim team.

Lynn, Benson's mum had been advised to swim him at Aquadog as treatment for arthritis in his front leg. Lynn was concerned as he was finding it a little sore to get around. Our Aquadog swim coach set a program for his therapy and he started off gently swimming 4 laps with a floatation vest. Benson was a little tired at first but seemed to really enjoy the swimming.  "He took to it like a duck to water" his mum Lynn said as she cheered him on. Benson started really looking forward to his outings to Aquadog and swimming twice a week.  Each visit he was finding it easier and his walking was improving. After only 2mths Benson was swimming 1 lap nude, and 9 laps with his vest on and just loving it.  Now 6mths later Benson is a champion swimmer. Doing it all on his own lead free, he recently swam 15 laps nude, with his proud mum cheering him on. "His quality of life and fitness has really improved" boasts Lynn, "this therapy is really amazing". Benson also regularly combines his fitness and therapy swim with a good clean up visit to our groomer. It's a like a one stop Health and Beauty shop and great day out. His mum loves him coming home happy, fit, relaxed and clean.

Aquadog "Introduce a Friend" Spring Clean offer. 

Our Aquadog team would like some new members to try out for our swim team and experience the health benefits and fun of swimming for fitness.  The proven benefits to heart, muscles and joints are terrific for dogs of all ages.  We'd also like to thank our existing team for their great winter workouts.

Bring a friend for an introductory swim and receive $20 to spend at Aquadog.

Just tell your friends to say that you sent them and you will receive a $20 credit each time. Get in the swim with your friends, and get a great start to Spring together.

For more information click here or call our friendly team at Aquadog on 5502-2444 to arrange an introductory swim NOW.

Puppy preschool is where we "Love, Listen, Laugh and Learn". It's 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. Classes are held once a week for 4 weeks 6.30 - 7.30pm at our Nerang, Helensvale and Arundel Clinics. To join our next class, please call the location that suits your family and ask our friendly staff for more details.

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 of our Puppy Preschool classes:

At Nerang:
Classes currently in progress. See next newsletter for puppy graduation details and photos

Helensvale:
Class commenced 11/8/08
Maddy Vandegraff, Blaze Marshall, Beau Kaufers, Gizmo Williams, Sam McKercher

Thank you to all the enthusiastic puppy preschoolers and their dedicated parents for sharing the experience with lots of love and laughter.