Narre Warren Veterinary Clinic would like to congratulate our recent Puppy Class graduates!

Top Picture (from left) Buffy the Pomeranian X Poodle, Bella the Cavalier Spaniel, Luxi the Pomeranian X Poodle (Buffy's sister) and Wicket the Maltese X.

Bottom Picture (from left) Daisy the Beagle, Bella the Golden Retriever, Jasper the Beagle (Daisy's brother) and Jemima the Shitzu X.

No one likes to think about their pet getting sick or being injured in an accident but being prepared can save you thousands of dollars as well as the unnecessary emotional distress. Thankfully, health insurance is now available for our very important pets.

For most pet owners, the dog or cat is treated as another member of the family. Insurance is a very affordable way to care for your pet and protect yourself from unexpected costs.

In Australia, 63 percent of households have at least one pet - one of the highest levels of pet ownership in the world - however only one percent of pets are covered by insurance.

There are increasingly more and more insurance companies offering different policies for your pet. Some offer cover for accidents and injury but there may also be an option for routine veterinary care benefits.

Medibank Private now offers pet insurance with monthly premiums from $12.50 for cats and $14.05 for dogs. To find out more call 132 331, drop into a Medibank store or visit www.medibank.com.au/petinsurance today.

Providing your cat with the ideal toileting set up indoors can be a challenge.

If your cat prefers to urinate in the shower or bath there may be something your cat doesn't like about his or her litter tray. Loud noises such as the washing machine or clothes dryer can be enough to discourage a cat from using the tray.

The golden rule is to provide a tray for every cat in the house plus an additional tray. That means, if you have two cats, you should have three trays. Cats are originally desert animals and prefer sandy litter that clumps.

Provide an area that is your cat's 'domain' where it can eliminate in peace. Be careful not to place food and water too close to the tray as cats don't like to eliminate where they eat. Try using different heights such as a shelf system where the tray is on one shelf and food and bedding are on other shelves.

Don't forget, inappropriate elimination can be an indicator of a more serious medical problem such as an inflamed urinary tract or a urinary infection. If your cat is urinating inappropriately you should always call us for advice.

Julie made a distressed call to her clinic - her twelve-year-old golden retriever Jack was behaving strangely. He was leaning towards one side and had lost his balance. Julie thought Jack may have had a stroke.

After an examination, it turned out Jack was suffering from Canine Vestibular Disease - also known as 'old dog vestibular syndrome'.

Vestibular syndrome means there is a problem with the connections between the inner and middle ear and the brain. When the vestibular nerve, which travels from the inner ear to the brain, malfunctions, it disrupts the animal's sense of balance and orientation. Dogs develop ataxia and walk with difficulty, appearing to have a 'drunk' type of motion because they have lost their sense of balance.

It is important to find out where the abnormality is located.  Commonly and luckily in Jack's case, the disturbance is outside the brain and is the least serious. Occasionally there is a problem inside the brain such as a tumour. A severe inner ear infection can also result in the same symptoms.

Jack is expected to make a full recovery but will require special care at home, possibly for some time until his symptoms resolve.

The wintery months are creeping in and while you may be thinking about how you will avoid annoying colds and the flu this winter have you considered your pet?

Keeping up to date with yearly vaccination boosters for your pet is an important way to help keep your pet healthy.

Cat Flu, caused by the Feline Herpes Virus, produces flu like symptoms including sneezing, a runny nose and watery eyes. Vaccination will help your cat's immune system cope with the virus, reducing the clinical signs and risk of being spread to other cats.

If your dog has a dry cough and appears to be retching, it may have Canine Cough. Your dog can become infected wherever dogs congregate such as at the park and at boarding kennels. Some dogs develop a nasty pneumonia and take months to recover. Vaccination may not prevent infection but it does help your dog recuperate from the disease faster as it increases your dog's immunity to the disease.

If you think your pet is overdue for a vaccination call us for an appointment - for dogs the annual heartworm injection can be given at the same time.

Kellie, the very loyal Kelpie lived on a small hobby farm in Northern Victoria. Every morning when Jim, her owner picked up the milk tin, Kellie would bring the house cow up from the paddock 300 metres away. This became a daily ritual until the house cow sadly passed away and the milk was sourced from the supermarket.

The story goes, some years later, the milk tin was uncovered to be used for house duties and Jim was amazed when half an hour later, Kellie turned up with a Jersey cow from the adjoining farm 2 kilometres away!