It is Easter holiday time: a time to celebrate new beginnings, new life, bunnies, eggs and lots of yummy chocolate.  NO NO NO!!  NOT for our pets....only for us!!  Like us, our pets also find chocolate extremely yummy. Our story Beware of the Easter Bunny explains how an Easter chocfest can be potentially fatal to our four legged friends. Instead of feasting on chocolate this Easter we offer some great tips on How you can help your pet live up to two years longer!

This month is also about losing it with Fun and Fitness!  Little Jack, our swimmer of the month shows us how he lost it by joining our Petfit program at AquaDog Heath & Fitness Centre. Oscar, the much loved moggie shows us how a routine health check and blood test helped him live a longer happier life. And as for fun? We have some amazing video footage of felines caught on camera - Wicket (the Ewok) our talented Persian from Coombabah, shows us how much fun cat-exercise can be when you have something to fetch, and two extremely catty neighbours have a fun gossip about their diabetic health issues.

So this Easter holidays why not also indulge yourself in some healthy, relaxing and revitalising fun with your special furry friends. Enjoy the fun and fitness suggested in our articles and share quality time relaxing together. Maybe go for a walk - include some time off leash, teach your cat to fetch, and take the time to sit and have a pat.

Wishing you the very best in Fun and Fitness for your pets and a wonderfully abundant Easter celebration of family fun, relaxation and special times together...from all your Pet Care Team at The Vets.  

Easter clinic opening hours:
Over the Easter Holidays from  2nd - 5th April we will be closed on Sunday 4th and the public holidays, Good Friday 2nd and Easter Monday 5th.

Easter Saturday 3rd April opening hours will be as follows:

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

To provide the best care for your pets, all our clinics will be open normal clinic hours commencing Tues 6th April. For after hours and emergency veterinary care, please call our clinic and our messaging system will provide contact details for our veterinarian on call or the GCare after hours clinic. Wishing you and your pets a safe and happy holiday.

Simple. Feed a controlled diet so your pet carries less body fat. Sounds easy doesn't it? Then why are more than 45% of dogs and 30% of cats overweight?

It is easy to overfeed your pet but consider this the next time you throw them that crust of buttered toast:

One slice of buttered toast for your dog is equivalent to us consuming an entire block of chocolate and a cat that enjoys a 30g morsel of cheese is similar to 3.5 Big Macs!

How to help your pet live a longer and healthier life:

Know the signs of an overweight pet: their ribs are difficult to feel and they have lost the definition of their waist. Ask us for a weight assessment of your pet and follow these great tips:

1. Avoid snacks and excessive treats, they all add up

2. Stick to a feeding guide and weigh the food at the beginning of each day, dividing it into several smaller meals

3. Keep your pet in another room while you prepare your meal to avoid the temptation to feed scraps

4. Being active helps burn calories so take your dog for a walk and spend time playing with your cat, just as we showed you in our introductory article.

5. Give your pet a cuddle or pat instead of food: they'll love you all the same!

To give them the best for life we offer your pets a comprehensive range of individually tailored health and fitness programs.

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 pets very own personal trainer and nutritionalist 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. For more information please click here

Ask us NOW about our Chubby Checkers PetFit  weight loss program - including private swimming training.
 
Your Chance to WIN great prizes, including $1,000 travel vouchers by entering Hills Pet Slimmer of the Year competition. For more information please click here

Oscar is a respectable, much loved and well rounded moggie belonging to Mrs Audrey Cole. Two years ago, when Oscar was 10 years old, he came in for his annual vaccination and Top to Tail health check. Mrs Cole hadn't noticed any changes in Oscar's appetite or thirst, only his weight, which was ever on the increase!

Vet Tony Goldstone recommended a wellness (blood) test as part of the health check because of Oscar's advanced age. The results revealed high blood glucose (sugar) levels which led to him being diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus. Diabetes Mellitus, similar to the condition we see in humans, is a hormonal disease that can affect as many as 1 in 400 cats. Those most at risk are overweight cats, male cats, over 8 years old, or Burmese cats. The high blood glucose levels are the result of insufficient insulin production by the animal's pancreas to meet its requirements or inability of the body to utilise the insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone that is responsible for transporting blood glucose into the body cells to provide energy to these cells. If left untreated, it can lead to life threatening metabolic disturbances.

Diabetes is associated with obesity or unexplained weight loss. Some of the symptoms to look out for include:

• Excessive drinking
• Excessive inappropriate urination
• Increased appetite
• Problems walking or jumping

However sometimes these can be quite subtle and go unnoticed as in Oscar's case.

Twice daily insulin injections and a change of diet to Hill's Prescription m/d have resulted in successful management of Oscar's diabetes, but not without careful and frequent monitoring and no end of dedication from his owner. We hope that Mrs Cole's commitment will be repaid in many more years of healthy companionship from her beloved Oscar.

For more information on diabetes go to www.cat-dog-diabetes.com 

Jack Conradie - Losing it with Fun & Fitness and the new PetFit program at Aquadog!!

Small in stature but HUGE in determination and personality, our swimmer of the month, Jack Conradie - a 6 year old male Jack Russell Terrier, is living proof of the benefits of giving your pet an appropriate diet and exercise program.

Jack (and mum Estelle) first visited us at our Robina clinic for an annual vaccination and health check. Estelle was concerned with Jack's weight, which had peaked at 10.2kg and his reluctance to jump up on the bed as he used to. After his thorough Top to Tail check, it was confirmed that Jack did indeed have weight issues combined with arthritic changes and the family was referred to our PetFit nurse Jackie at Helensvale to begin a tailored diet and exercise program. This involved enrolling him in our Chubby Checkers PetFit program which included swimming as a core element and preferred exercise for its non weight bearing benefits. This was a bit of a shock to Jack as swimming fell way short of snacking and sleeping as a pastime option!!

However, armed with the knowledge that a target weight of 8 kg would ensure many more happy years together for Jack and Estelle, they visited Aquadog to begin swimming for fitness and fun. Jack did exceptionally well at his introductory swim and even entered the pool without prompting after just 3 laps!! A regular weekly visitor now and with a weight loss of ½ kilo in just two weeks, Jack is such a keen swimmer these days, we have trouble getting him out of the pool and back on dry land. Jack really does have fun and lose it at Aquadog.

Well done Jack and Estelle, we will follow your progress with great anticipation.

Join our Chubby Checkers PetFit weight loss swim program at AquaDog - including lifetime membership, your pet's very own personal trainer and nutritionalist, a free fully supervised introductory swim and personalised '6 pack' swimming program.

Don't forget to be extra careful and keep any chocolate eggs safe from your four legged friends this Easter. Dogs are especially good at tracking down this potentially fatal treat even through layers and layers of wrapping.

Chocolate contains theobromine, a chemical similar to caffeine, and can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, hyperactivity and incoordination. In some cases, it can cause death.

Bitter cooking and dark chocolate are the most dangerous as they both contain high levels of theobromine but beware, large amounts of milk chocolate can also be deadly. 
 
As a guide, a 100g block of cooking chocolate can kill a 10kg dog. However it would take nearly 650g of milk chocolate to suffer the same fate. Much smaller amounts will cause the clinical signs described above and can leave your dog feeling very unwell.

If soon enough after ingestion, treatment involves emptying the stomach and supportive therapy.  Even if you only suspect your dog has eaten chocolate, it is best to ring us immediately for advice.

See our What's on article for our clinic opening hours and emergency after hours details for the Easter weekend. Wishing you a safe and happy Easter! 

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, 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

Ready, Setty, Go! Join our Puppy Water Safety Swim Classes. Enrich your puppy's life and build their confidence, water safety and swimming skills.

Our Puppy Preschool program includes a water safety swim class at Aquadog Health & Fitness Centre and a half price 2nd Swim for puppy preschoolers ONLY $7.50.

Private puppy water safety swim classes only $15.

We're so proud of our recent puppy preschool graduates!

At Nerang: Class commenced 03.2.10

Quincy Ryan, Indy Martin, Max Graham, Alf Foster, Zeus Stalker, Ralph Burns, Ella Figley

At Helensvale: Class commenced 02.2.10

Dusty Kennewell, Boston Barry, Chilli Brogden, Buddy Roux, Dexta Meza, Bronson Gill, Boof Beaton.

Congratulations and thank you to all the enthusiastic puppy preschoolers and their dedicated families for sharing the experience with lots of love learning 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.