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| a great place for pets - www.thevets.com.au | |||
February 2005 edition
1. Big dogs who eat well, live longer 2. Watch out for stingy bitey things 3. Spinal injuries healed in dogs 4. Congratulations - Take a bow! 5. New hope for thousands of cats |
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1. Big dogs who eat well, live longer Ralph is a 4 year old Rottweiler. Like all Rotties, he's a big lad who weighs in around 39kg. He enjoys walks with his family, swimming and just hanging out. A US study shows that Ralph's life expectancy can be increased by up to 15% by maintaining ideal body condition through diet control. This could be up to 2 years extra! And it's fair to assume that exercise, control of parasites and vaccination could increase life span further. So choosing the right diet is important. Big dogs have specific requirements that stem from the fact their big bodies are supported by 4 relatively slender legs - putting more strain on their joints than those of smaller dogs. Key food ingredients that help are: · L-carnitine - helps to convert fat into energy to support lean muscles · Glucosamine and chondroitin - added to help keep the joints in the best condition possible. For these reasons we recommend Hill's Science Diet Large Breed Adult for dogs over 25kg like Ralph. You can win a whole year's supply of Hill's Science Diet - superior nutrition for the lifelong health of your pet. Dogs and cats of any size are eligible to win. Click on the button below to be entered automatically and for more information click here. Back to top |
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2. Watch out for stingy bitey things The great Aussie backyard and bush is renowned for the creatures that sting and bite. Pets are likely targets as they play and investigate their surrounds and so it pays to have an understanding about what can happen. Three important but very different critters are: Bees – relatively commonly sting dogs – especially puppies. Snapping at the buzzing insects is fun but the end result isn't. Most dogs tend to have a noticeable allergic reaction to the sting. You'll see a lump forming at the sting site and sometimes little bumps [“hives”] can form all over the body. While stung dogs are distressed, it's rarely a dangerous situation unless the dog's airway is involved. We treat bee stings to reduce the pain and swelling as quickly as possible. Snakes – snake bite is less common than bee stings but potentially lethal. A dog or cat with snake bite can vary in their behaviour but if there is any chance of snake bite, the quicker you seek our help, the better the chances of survival. Treatment is intensive but often successful. The most common signs are: · Fully dilated pupils · Weakness or collapse · Vomiting Mosquitoes – probably the most common insect to bite pets, mosquitoes carry a lethal weapon – heartworm. By biting a dog, a mosquito can infect the dog with heartworm. The immature heartworms are injected into the dog during the bite and begin their migration to the heart where they reside, grow and inevitably cause heart disease. The good news is heartworm is totally preventable. We recommend all dogs use regular heartworm medication. Back to top |
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3. Spinal injuries healed in dogs In what is probably the most sensational medical discovery of 2004, Australian vet Peter Laverty and his team in the US have for the first time been able to heal acute spinal injuries in dogs - with implications for human trauma. Using polyethylene glycol [PEG], the vets were able to prevent permanent spinal damage in dogs that had experienced severe spinal trauma – even to the point of paralysis. In the study, published in the Journal of Neurotrauma, 19 injured dogs were injected with PEG (a non-toxic liquid with the same type of molecules found in antifreeze) in addition to standard trauma treatment such as steroid injections, swimming and surgery. Within eight weeks, 13 regained use of their hind legs. Nearly 75 per cent of the dogs that were treated with PEG were able to resume a normal life. Some healed so well they could go on as though nothing had happened. The polymer was able to repair membrane damage and stop dying cells from sending chemical "suicide signals" to nearby cells, thereby limiting damage, said researchers. The polymer, first tested on guinea pig spinal cord cells five years ago, is attracted to damaged nerve cells only. The benefits of this research for humans are yet to be demonstrated. Human spinal processes differ from those of dogs and so may the impact of PEG treatment. To read the complete scientific paper as it appeared in Journal of Neurotrauma click here. Back to top |
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4. Congratulations - Take a bow! You may have seen your dog “taking a bow” in the park. Dogs will do it when they're playing – get down on their elbows with their bottom and wagging tail high in the air. Why not teach your dog to do this on request? It's great mental stimulation for your dog and you can show how amazing your dog is to your friends. To view a short video please click here [Filesize: 2Mb] The steps are simple and repetition is the key: · Begin with your dog standing and attentive to you · Lure your dog with a food reward; arching from his chest, towards the ground then away from his body · The aim is to reward your dog BEFORE he reaches a drop · The food reward should be given at the EXACT moment when his chest and front legs are low to the ground and his bottom is in the air · Repeat numerous times, until your dog is physically in the correct position and understands the action you require. When your dog is repeatedly giving the correct behaviour, you may use the verbal cue 'bow' as the action is being performed Training tips are courtesy of Erin Mathieson, a Delta Society Australia qualified Canine Good Citizen Instructor. For more information click here. Back to top |
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5. New hope for thousands of cats We have the best news for cats – a FIV [Feline AIDS] vaccine is now available. This will save the lives of thousands of cats in Australia every year. FIV infects an alarming proportion of cats [reports show 7% - 29% of cats infected] and because it's caused by a virus related to the HIV virus, the disease progresses similarly to that of HIV/AIDS in humans. Cats become infected with the FIV virus after by being bitten by an infected cat. As a result any cats that have been in fights are at high risk of developing the disease. As with HIV/AIDS there is no cure, so prevention is the only protection. Fel-O-Vax® FIV is the first ever vaccine to be approved for general use against this disease and is administered in an initial series of 3 doses, two to four weeks apart. The vaccine will aid in prevention of FIV infection for a period of one year after administration, at which time an annual booster dose is required. It is recommended that all cats are microchipped prior to vaccination and that adult cats are tested for FIV before receiving the vaccine. We recommend this vaccine for all cats over 8 weeks of age. Call us today and make an appointment. Back to top |
The Vets Nerang Unit 5/90 Spencer Road Nerang 4211 ph 5596 2322 fx 5596 0549 Helensvale Unit 7/14 Sir John Overall Drive Helensvale 4212 ph 5529 8011 fx 5529 4133 www.thevets.com.au |
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