Its Easter holiday time: a time to celebrate new life, bunnies, eggs and lots of yummy chocolate. Unfortunately a choc fest for Easter is not the answer for our pets. Instead, this holiday break could be a great opportunity to share something more healthy, relaxing and revitalising with your furry friends. May we suggest indulging in some healthy activities together. You could relax together and spend lots of quality time with your pet by going for a walk, include some time off leash or just take the time to sit and have a pat. Enjoy your friend's company as he or she certainly will enjoy yours.

Wishing you all the very best for your pets and a wonderfully abundant Easter celebration of family fun and special times together...from all your Pet Care Team.  

Easter clinic opening hours:

Over the Easter Holidays 10th - 13th April we will be closed on the public holidays Good Friday and Easter Monday. Easter Saturday opening hours will be as follows:

Arundel Plaza: 8am - 12 noon
The Vets Helensvale: 8am - 1pm
The Vets Nerang: 8am - 1pm

All our clinics will be open to provide the best care for your pets normal clinic hours commencing Tues 14^th April. All clinics are closed Sundays. For after hours and emergency veterinary care, please call our clinic and our messaging system will give you our emergency veterinarian's contacts details.

Did you know that our furry friends are turning into fatties? Figures indicate that 41% of dogs and 33% of cats are either overweight or obese. Many of us are subjecting our pets to unnecessary illness due to over feeding. Did you know that a slice of buttered toast is equivalent to your dog eating a Big Mac?

Not only does an overweight pet lead to diseases such as diabetes, extra kilos may contribute to arthritis and painful injuries such as cruciate ligament rupture.

The good news is there is now a prescription food to help your podgy pet become healthy again. The food allows safe weight loss in as little as 8 weeks. The canine diet contains high fibre levels so your dog feels fuller for longer, while the feline diet actually alters your cat's metabolism and burns fat safely.

For a weight loss program to be successful, it is important to cut out snacks, treats and especially those left over scraps from your plate.

Chubby Checkers weight loss club has been specifically designed to help pets rediscover their ‘waste' line and regain their quality of life. Membership includes your pet's very own personal trainer for life, exclusive AquaDog swimming for weight loss introductory and '6 pack' exercise programs and professional advice on diets. We design a calorie controlled program which includes a special premium nutrition diet, low impact exercise and some very helpful tips to reshape your pet. Ask us now about starting your pet on a weight loss program. For more information please click here

RECEIVE $10 off your next VET CONSULTATION when you purchase any bag of Hills Science Diet dry food during your visit.

Hill's^TM Prescription Diet^TM r/d foods are designed by veterinarians for safe and effective weight loss programs in dogs and cats. For more information click here.

Aquadog is a great place for swimming for weight loss. Would you like to see your dog carrying a little less weight this summer? The answer is easy! A good premium low fat diet food like Hills Science r/d and swimming!

Did you know that 10 minutes of swimming is equivalent to at least an hour of walking? By swimming your dog once or twice weekly at Aquadog, your dog will be slim, fit and healthier much faster than just taking them for a walk!

Whilst swimming, your dog is using every muscle in their entire body and also strengthening their heart and lungs at the same time. Most dogs also learn to really enjoy their swims as they can play and fetch toys in a fun, safe, fully supervised indoor swimming pool specially designed just for them.

Because swimming is non weight bearing, there is no strain put on their bones and joints while they are exercising, which makes losing weight in the Aquadog pool an even safer form of exercise.

Aquadog is right next to The Vets at Nerang. Call our friendly team at Aquadog on 5502 2444 to arrange an introductory swim and enquire about our comprehensive weight loss swimming program fully tailored to your dogs needs. For more information please click here

RECEIVE $10 off your next VET CONSULTATION when you purchase any bag of Hills Science Diet dry food during your visit.

Giardia, pronounced gee-are-dee-yah, is a parasite that causes serious and ongoing gastrointestinal upsets in dogs and humans.

Unexplained watery diarrhoea is the most common sign. Giardia is spread from dog to dog via contact with infected faeces, however the parasite may also lie dormant in the soil and stagnant water sources such as tanks and dirty water bowls.

Humans, especially children, are at risk if they ingest the eggs through drinking contaminated water or even through putting contaminated fingers in their mouth.

How can you help prevent giardia?
Always clean up and properly dispose of faeces by throwing it in the bin. Hosing with water not only increases the spread of the parasite, it is a waste of precious water.

What will we do if we suspect giardia in your dog?
We will need a sample of your dog's faeces to test for eggs. If giardia is confirmed medication will be dispensed to kill the parasite.

An intestinal all wormer can reduce the shedding of the eggs, lowering the risk of infection to other dogs and humans. Ask us for more information.

The recent Victorian bushfires have been devastating for so many. Thankfully there are incredible stories of survival and several of these involve our pets and wildlife.

Many animals were able to flee the fires. It is thought that they protected themselves by hiding in places such as wombat holes. As they returned and passed over where the fire had been most received burns to their footpads and face and suffered smoke inhalation.

Vets and wildlife carers are working around the clock to care for these animals. Dogs and cats, koalas, kangaroos, possums, birds and reptiles are all on the injured list. Care includes drips for rehydration plus antibiotics and pain relief day and night. Daily cleaning of their burnt feet to help prevent infection is needed and their pads are coated with a cream and bandaged to assist in healing of the burns.

There is still a long way to go for these animals and treatment will continue for months. You can help by making a donation to the Veterinary Emergency Taskforce ph: 03 9600 2930. Money is needed to pay for the tonnes of bandages, ointment and pain relief, which vets need to buy.

For wildlife go to:
Healesville Sanctuary http://www.zoo.org.au 
Wildlife Victoria http://www.wildlifevictoria.org.au
Help for Wildlife http://www.helpforwildlife.com

Want to help out in your own back yard? Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary - Aussie Wildlife Course -  Learn the skills to help sick and injured wildlife and become a community wildlife carer. For more information visit the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary website www.cws.org.au or call the CWS Education Team on 07 5534 0846.

Our puppy pre-school 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, parents 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. To join our next class, please call the location that suits your family and ask our friendly staff for more details or click here

Our 4 week program also includes a puppy water safety class at our indoor swimming facility, AquaDog Health & Fitness Centre. For more information click here

Congratulations to all our recent graduates of our Puppy Preschool classes:

At Nerang: Class commenced 11.2.09
Bobby Bartels, Tilli Launerts, Dudlee Sibley, Cash Lee, Mika Barter, Jager Connelly

At Helensvale: Class commenced  24.02.09 (pictured at left)
Sami Gould, Flash Minnear, Max Wallace, Bella Blanch, Diva Swane, Toto Braune, Harvey Smith.

At Arundel: Class commenced Feb 09
Lucy Bell, Arther George, Rusty Maguire, Murphy Youngson, Gizmo Hall, Snickers Barnes and Odin Stabik.

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.