| |
|||
| a great place for pets - www.thevets.com.au | |||
November 2005 edition
1. Clinic News 2. Action cat - the tunnel adventure 3. Allergic to food? Please explain! 4. Tick warning 5. Christmas for pets and kids |
||||
|
|
1. Clinic News SAVE ON REPEAT PURCHASES AT COAST AND COUNTRY VETS · Save over 15% on Hill's Science Diet · Save 20% on a multi swim pass at Aquadog pool · Save 25% on Drontal allwormer · Save $15 when you have your pet microchipped · Get your pooch hydrobathed with us and get every 6th bath free REFERRAL THANK YOU At Coast and Country vets there's nothing we get more satisfaction from than keeping pets healthy and helping sick pets get better. We also love seeing new pets referred to us by you. We appreciate your support and will send you a $20 voucher that can be used on services at Coast and Country Vets. Back to top |
|||
|
|
2. Action cat - the tunnel adventure Cats love tunnels – the dark, small space makes them an ideal place to hide, play and prey on the world. You can also train your cat to run through a tunnel. This is a great way for you to interact with your cat providing excellent mental stimulation for your feline friend that's a lot of fun. To watch a short video of a cat in a tunnel click here [1.08MB]. Training your cat to run through the tunnel: 1. The tunnel should be small – just big enough for a cat to crouch in. Ideal are those made of nylon with a couple of small viewing holes half way along [as seen in the video above] 2. Start with a hungry cat 3. Get your cat's attention using a food reward. Pay her with food rewards as she locks her attention on you. 4. Put some food rewards in the mouth of the tunnel and allow your cat to become accustomed to it. This may take a few days and it's important not to rush it. Lots of cats love going in the tunnels however, so you may be able to progress to the next step quickly. 5. Once your cat is comfortable in the tunnel, call her from the other end and reward her with food when she emerges. Repeat this action several times, have a break and then come back to it either later in the day or the next day. 6. Once she's making the trip through the tunnel reliably, you can reduce the food reward. Begin with no reward 1 in 5 times. Once she's reliably doing the task at this rate of rewards, drop to no reward 2 out of 5 times and so on. The aim is to intermittently reward at a rate that's enough to peak her interest – not too often and not too sparsely. Each cat is different. 7. Have fun! Back to top |
|||
|
|
3. Allergic to food? Please explain! “Dietary sensitivity” is a broad term that covers adverse reactions to food – either due to an immune reaction to a particular ingredient or some other cause. These reactions usually cause a digestive upset or itchy skin; either way they are uncomfortable for pets. The key factors involved are: Food: the most common food allergens for dogs are beef, milk products and wheat; for cats it's beef, milk products and fish Other damage: inflammation, infection, surgery and some types of medications can damage the digestive tract and increase the possibility of food allergy Age: more likely and more severe in younger pets Breed: certain breeds are slightly more likely to develop food allergy including Siamese cats, West Highland White Terriers, Cocker Spaniels and because of gluten sensitivity, Irish Setters The range of signs to look out for include: vomiting, diarrhoea, flatulence, frequent scratching or licking, scurfy skin and hair loss, reddened skin, poor growth in young pets, sometimes poor appetite and lethargy, sometimes coughing, wheezing and sneezing. Because there are many conditions that replicate the above signs, we undertake a thorough examination to rule out other causes. If we then think food allergy is likely, we undertake a food trial to confirm the diagnosis. Hill's Prescription Diet z/d foods contain a protein hydrolysate that can help manage and avoid food allergy. [A protein hydrolysate consists of protein components that are too small to trigger an allergic reaction but are just as nutritious.] For more information click here. Back to top |
|||
|
|
4. Tick warning We can't say it too many times: be on the lookout for ticks. Here's what to do to prevent tick intoxication: 1. Use the tick prevention medication we recommend and use it according to directions 2. Check your pets for ticks daily. This may seem extreme but even with the best tick prevention medication, pets can still pick up ticks. Be systematic, check the whole body and focus especially on the head, ears, neck and front of the body. Ticks localise here for two reasons. Firstly pets tend to brush up against foliage with the fronts of their bodies and pick up ticks this way. In addition, ticks have been shown to migrate to the front of a pet for unknown reasons. 3. Removal of ticks: Research at the University of Queensland shows that the best way to remove ticks is to first kill the tick then remove it. Take a cotton wool ball soaked in a household insecticide such as Baygon or Mortein. Hold this on the tick for approx. 60 seconds. This will kill the tick. Then remove the tick with fingers or tweezers. We are here to help you with any issue regarding ticks. Please don't hesitate to call. Back to top |
|||
|
|
5. Christmas for pets and kids Here's a great way to involve kids and pets in the lead up to Christmas – make a special present for your pets. There are 2 fun options: 1. Make fantastic dog and cat gift tags. The tags can be images of your own pets or other characters. Use them as gift cards on presents for the rest of the family. This is an excellent one for little kids as it involves basic shapes, cutting and drawing. To find out how, click here. 2. Make a beautiful Christmas stocking in the shape of a bone to put your pet's present in [which you had planned to give of course!]. The instructions are for a bone shape but any symmetrical shape will work well – a fish, a stick or a sausage. Click on the button below for easy step-by-step instructions. 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 |
|
|