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

As we all settle back into school and work this month after holidays and all the festive indulgences we’re going to embrace the New Year with a real focus on health and fitness. We’re looking at getting your pet’s wellness program organised and shaped up for the busy year ahead.

Good nutrition and regular exercise improves our quality of life and it's the same for your pets. As the saying goes - you are what you eat. In this month’s edition we are going to encourage you to think about your pet’s diet and exercise. Are you feeding your pet the best food you can? RECEIVE $10 off your next VET CONSULTATION when you purchase any bag of Hills Science Diet dry food during your visit.

Of course a balanced diet goes hand in hand with good exercise. Did you know that 10mins of swimming is equivalent to a least an hour of walking? Read our story about Charlie and how swimming with his new puppy partner gave him a new life of fitness and fun and just a few teenager challenges.

It’s back to school and work and all about a great start to 2009 for your pet’s health and happiness.

What a team…

Dr Matt was Mr MOvember …he did it for Mens Health! Congratulations Dr Matt our official MO BRO for raising nearly $250 to support awareness for Mens Health during the month of MOvember. At the time of publishing our last article Matt was half way thru the month, the moustache was growing rapidly and donations were coming in. We are now proud to show our before and after photos and answer the question that was on everyone’s lips - will he keep it Mo Bro forever …NO!! Matt gave in to popular opinion (especially his partner Steph’s) and shaved off the Mo. Phew! that’s the Matt we know and we all agree it’s great to have our young fresh faced, clean shaven Dr Matt back. We’re all proud of your efforts for such a great cause. Well done Matt.

Diamonds are flashing as wedding plans are made! Our practice manager, Lisa Wilkins returned to work after the Christmas break flashing a beautiful diamond engagement ring! What a wonderful Christmas present but not from Santa. Her boyfriend Adam finally popped the question over Christmas. Congratulations Lisa and Adam on your engagement. We all wish you the very best as you excitedly plan for your wedding later this year.

We all want the best nutrition for our pets, but how do we make this possible? By consistently feeding a premium food, you can ensure your pet stays healthy and lives longer. These foods are high quality and prepared with the correct balance of nutrients and calories.

Research confirms premium food is more economical than supermarket brands. To put it simply, you need to feed far less quantity of a premium food and your pet will receive far greater benefits.

Benefits of a premium, highly digestible food include;

• maximum absorption and uptake of nutrients
• minimal faeces, well formed and easy to pick up
• excellent coat and skin quality

Precisely balanced nutrition and high quality control, leads to;

• fewer tummy upsets
• consistency in calories to maintain a healthy weight
• optimal health and wellness

Premium foods offer options for every stage of your pet's life. Making the switch to a premium food will mean a happy, healthy and longer life for your pet.

Hill's^TM Science Diet^TM and Prescription Diet^TM range of foods are designed by veterinarians for the health of your pet. For more information click here.

It was a warm summer evening and Arnie the 5 year old German Shepherd had been running around with the kids at the park.

A few hours after gulping down his dinner, Arnie started retching and couldn't get comfortable. His owners brought him straight to the clinic. On arrival Arnie's gums were pale, he was breathing rapidly and his abdomen had blown up like a balloon.

Arnie's signs and breed made us very suspicious of a condition called Gastric Dilation Volvulus (GDV) or bloat.

GDV occurs in deep chested dogs such as Great Danes or Weimaraners. It is thought that the stomach fills with air and distends, later twisting and cutting off the blood supply.

GDV is life threatening and must be treated rapidly by removing the air. In cases where the stomach has rotated and has been damaged due to a lack of blood supply, surgery is often needed but is not always successful.

How Can You Help Prevent GDV?
- Be aware of the early signs of GDV: vomiting, retching, trouble breathing, restlessness, enlarged abdomen
- Feed small meals two times daily, rather than a big meal once a day
- Vigorous exercise should be avoided one hour before and two hours after meals
- Make diet changes gradually over three to five days

Arnie was fortunate to survive this episode; many dogs don't or will have a second occurrence later. However, there is a surgical procedure available to help prevent bloat - ask us for more information.

Your pet may have a bad smell but what exactly is the cause? Three of the most common are:

Bad Breath - caused by plaque and tartar build up on teeth leading to infection under the gums.

What can you do about it?
- Make an appointment for a dental check; your pet may need a scale and polish of the teeth. Sometimes teeth need to be removed.

Ear Odour - often due to a disturbance in the mini environment within the ear leading to bacterial and yeast overgrowth, causing a nasty smell.

What can you do about it?
- Have your pet's ears checked and the type of nasties determined under a microscope. Sometimes antibiotic treatment is needed.

Anal Gland Smells - dogs and cats have small glands that excrete a substance used to mark their territory. Sometimes these glands are not naturally expressed properly leading to impaction and bad odour.

What Should You Do?
- Have your dog's anal glands checked at the clinic. Often a higher fibre diet used to bulk out the faeces and encourage natural expression helps.

Coat – A smelly coat is usually the domain of dogs rather than cats. Dogs love to roll in the smelliest gunge they can but this is easy to fix: a good wash will do the job. Other smells may be tougher to banish. Excess sebum, a natural skin secretion, is a common cause of bad smell. It encourages bacterial growth, leading to the odour. To get your sweet smelling pet back, do the following:

1. Feed a premium dry food. These contain omega 3 fatty acids in the correct ratio to reduce skin inflammation, a factor in smelly coats
2. Use flea control every month of the year. Fleas contribute to most inflammatory skin conditions
3. Brush the coat regularly. This removes loose hair, debris and dirt.
4. Use an anti-microbial shampoo; talk to us, we'll recommend the right one for your pet. If the smell does not improve in 3-4 washes, book an appointment for us to investigate the problem further.

Zoom in for a Groom. Let us make caring for your pets coat fresher and easier this summer. The Vets at Nerang and Helensvale is a great place for your pet to get a cool new hair style for summer. Our professional pet stylist can get even the scruffiest coat looking great and smelling sweet. Just call us for an appointment.

Hill's^TM Science Diet^TM and Prescription Diet^TM range of foods are designed by veterinarians for the health of your pet. For more information click here

Charlie is a 4yr old Border Collie cross King Charles Cavalier Spaniel and the treasured pet of Tameka a vet nurse on our team at Helensvale. Featured in our newsletter back in March last year Charlie was embarking on his AquaDog weight loss swim program, after Tameka realised 3yrs of pampered lifestyle had taken its toll and he was an overweight 27kg. Since then his weight has dropped to a fit and active 20kg in just under 12 months. Tameka’s commitment to feeding Hills prescription weight loss diet and exercise with an AquaDog swim program has seen Charlie loose an amazing 7kg. Although they do admit it was made easier by the unexpected arrival of a little friend.

Shortly after Charlie’s weight loss program started, Tameka and her family took in an abandoned puppy. Scrappy, a Border Collie Jack Russell cross puppy was only 15wks old when he arrived and bundle of chaotic energy. ‘Having that sort of energy in the house really got Charlie’s attention and it didn’t take long before he was following Scrappy everywhere’ Tamkea recalls. Scrappy is a typical puppy, into everything and often getting himself into all sorts of trouble with his sense of adventure and zest for life. It didn’t take long before Charlie was joining in, idolising Scrappy and assuming the role of protective big brother. Although Charlie could only attempt to be a good role model as Scrappy’s zest for eating things became apparent. Scrappy had expensive taste and Charlie could only watch on as Scrappy chewed his way through Tameka’s $400 mobile phone, not to mention electrical cords, the couch, tennis balls, shoes. Just recently Tameka came home to find both dogs covered in white house paint and is sure Charlie wouldn’t have been the instigator but the protector or innocent bystander.

As Charlie sets a mature example in an attempt to teach the new youngster how to behave, Scrappy also has taught Charlie to loosen up and expel some energy. Scrappy absolutely adores swimming at AquaDog and his exuberance has worn off on Charlie. ‘Charlie was cautious and needed encouragement to dive in. Now he leaps into the pool to chase Scrappy to the toys’.

Now days both dogs share a great friendship and a great nutrition and fitness program. Scrappy is maturing and with Charlie’s mentoring is learning to behave better. He is on Hills Science Diet Light while Charlie is now on the Hills prescription weight loss maintenance Diet. Their fitness program continues with swimming together at AquaDog. Charlie is looking trim and terrific and has a new lease on life sharing his younger friend’s busy, active, sometimes troublesome lifestyle.

AquaDog Join a Friend Summer Fun offer

Our AquaDog coaches are always on the look out for new talent to try out for champion 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 like to thank our existing dedicated swim team and in the true spirit of Christmas experience the giving, sharing and togetherness of Summer Fun at the pool. Make a splash together!...share some summer fun. Bring a friend for an introductory swim and receive $20 to spend at AquaDog.

Just tell your friends to say that you sent them or bring them along for a swim and you will receive a $20 credit each time one of your friends join the AquaDog summer fun experience. For more information click here.

Call our friendly swim team at AquaDog on 5502-2444 to arrange an introductory swim NOW.

On a recent trip to a small country town in NSW, Anne was sitting having breakfast at a café on a warm morning. The café was next to a dairy. While sitting enjoying her tea an old cattle dog came trotting along the footpath with a hat in his mouth.

Anne saw the dog trot all the way inside the dairy and give the hat to an older man in overalls and gumboots, the dairy's owner. The dog then turned around and headed for home. The man came out with the slobbery hat on his head. 

It turned out that Spike the dog had found the hat at home and followed his owner to the dairy. It proves that dogs are not only loyal but sunsmart too!

It's back to school for 2009

Whilst school children all over the Gold Coast are just now returning to classes for 2007, our puppy preschools at all clinics didn't waste any time in getting on with life and learning. After only a short break for Christmas our first puppy classes for 2009 have already started in January and with all the enthusiasm and exuberance you could expected from a bunch of pre-schoolers and their parents.

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: Class commenced 3.12.08
Brocky Moisley; Chipie Orsori; Cleveland Atkinson, Cooper Morrison, Ella Bye, Rosie Bambach, Sebastian Evans, Tonka Krkaliev

At Helensvale: Class commenced 1.12.08
Hendricks Marks, Fro Marks, Axle Smith, Skoota Bourke, Savvy Bourke, Saxon Astwick, Charlie Taylor, Bentley Lowe, Brin Wallbanks, Alfie Croydon

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

We hope you will enjoy the memories of your time together at Puppy Preschool by printing your class photo to display in the frame provided. To print your class photo or to email to friends and family go to our website www.thevets.com.au then go to E-cards to find your framed class photo.

Does your pet have a phobia about thunder? It's rare to actually find a person or a pet that actually likes thunderstorms, but for some pets their dislike can develop into excessive distress – what we term a phobia. During a storm, these pets can become so worked up they end up injuring themselves, damaging the house or leaving their owners just as distressed. What can we do to help?

Combinations of the following techniques can help:

-Allowing the pet inside – a simple solution that just might work

-Perfusing the area with pheromones – a product that mimics the naturally occurring feel-good pheromones produced by dogs and cats

-Create a cubby – this is an area that is small, dark, has a low ceiling, is as quiet as possible, and has an entrance that is just large enough for the dog or cat to get in and out. In other words, the inside should be just big enough for her or him to enter, turn around, and lie down. An unwashed woollen garment of the owner could be put in there to help the pet feel even more secure. It would be a good idea to train him or her to enter by putting small, highly palatable food treats progressively closer to the entrance and then towards the back. Kennels tend to be too big to be cubbies

-The company of someone the pet trusts who is able to calmly but firmly instruct the pet to ‘drop’ or go to the cubby

-High quality recordings of thunder can, believe it or not, help desensitise a dog to storms – ask us for more information