Click on one of the sub-heading links below to jump directly to that section.
We've seen quite a few patients lately who have! This can lead to weight gain and obesity, which is unhealthy and can reduce your pet's activity and quality of life. It can lead to serious health problems including arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, pancreatitis and heat stress.
Is your pet overweight? Run your hand gently along the side of their chest, and then along the middle of the back down to the hips. You should easily feel each individual rib and each bone of the spine. If you can't, or if you have to push through a layer of "padding" to feel them, your pet is probably overweight.
If you suspect your pet might be overweight, we invite you to drop by and weigh them. It's free and can be done without an appointment at any time during office hours. Our staff can advise you whether or not your pet is overweight. Help is available for overweight pets.
Ask us for more details, or visit our web site - www.ingleburnvet.com.au/weightloss.htm
Chocolate eggs are part of Easter celebrations for most of us. But chocolate can be harmful to your pet in more ways than one. Not only is it fattening, but chocolate also contains the chemicals theobromine and caffeine, which are poisonous to dogs and cats. Dark and cooking chocolate contains the greatest amounts - about 10 times as much as milk chocolate.
Symptoms: Vomiting and diarrhoea occurs, usually after 2-4 hours. Nervous system stimulation leads to hyper-activity, loss of balance, tremors, and seizures. The heart rate becomes rapid and irregular. Excessive urination may occur. Heart failure, weakness, coma, and death can occur after 12 to 36 hours.
Less than 100g of dark chocolate would be harmful to a 15kg dog. A sensible amount of milk chocolate will be harmless, so don't worry about an occasional treat. But keep your stash of Easter eggs out of reach of hungry pets, who don't know any better than to eat the lot!
Have a safe and happy Easter.
Related articles: Dangers around the Home, Easter / Holiday Hours
We are asked occasionally if we bulk bill! Medicare is a tax-payer funded scheme and we can't imagine any government ever extending it to pets. So sorry, we don't take Medicare cards. We do offer the next best thing:
We are pleased to welcome Alison Barker to our staff. Alison graduated from Murdoch University in Perth last year and has moved to Ingleburn to join us as our third full-time vet. Alison will be working 4 days a week and every 3rd weekend. We think that she will provide a valuable contribution to the services that we provide. Our vet's work roster, and more information about Alison, can be found on the staff page of our web site.
We would also like to thank our locums, Matt Cox and Vicky Walker, who filled in over summer while Peter and Mark were on holidays.
Related articles: Staff, About Us
Congratulations to May Bradley of Macquarie Fields, winner of a Dimplex home fan valued at $140, in our recent Frontline prize give-away
Related articles: Frontline Plus
If you'd like to ask us a question about any aspect of pet care, you can use the Ask the Vet page on our web site, and receive a response by e-mail from one of our vets.
Visit www.ingleburnvet.com.au and click Ask the Vet.
Related articles: Contact Us
Drug companies are producing more medications that are flavoured to make them palatable to our pets. We welcome these advancements, reducing the fight that can so often occur when pets don't like taking tablets. But with this improved ease-of-use comes a new danger.
Some of these new chewable tablets taste so good that your pet would eat the whole pack if given the chance! Your kids might eat them too. For some drugs (such as Sentinel) this will be relatively harmless to your dog, but expensive for you to replace! For others such as anti-inflammatory drugs (Rimadyl and Metacam) severe adverse reactions may occur if large quantities are eaten.
A national ban on tail docking is due to come into force in April. We welcome this legislation, although we do understand that it is a controversial issue with many dog breeders. Tail docking involves cutting off puppies' tails with a sharp blade or rubber ring when they are just a few days old, usually with no anaesthesia. We think the procedure is painful, unnecessary and has possible adverse effects. We have always refused to perform it.
The new legislation still allows docking to be performed for preventative reasons - to prevent tails being damaged some time in the future. This provides a loophole for breeders to continue to have their pups' tails docked for cosmetic purposes. We hope that this won't continue to be widely practiced.
Soon we should be seeing Boxers, Rottweilers and many other puppies running around with long wagging tails. This may look a bit odd at first, but that is the way they are born. Breed standards will be altered to accept dogs with tails, and soon we'll all be used to it. If you're planning to buy a puppy, look for one with a tail, and support breeders who are trying to obey the new laws.
Good Friday 9th April: Closed
Easter Saturday 10th April: 9am – 12 noon
Easter Sunday 11th April: Closed
Easter Monday 12th April: 10am – 12 noon
Anzac Day Sunday 25th April: 10am – 12 noon
Anzac Day Holiday 26th April: 10am – 12 noon
Phone 9829 1947 at any time for emergencies.
Anal sac disease is quite common in dogs and occurs occasionally in cats. It is the most common cause of 'scooting' behaviour - where a dog drags its bottom along the ground.
What are anal sacs?
Anal sacs (sometimes called anal glands) are small sacs just under the skin on either side of your dog's anus at the 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock positions. They connect to the anus by means of small canals or ducts. (In cats the ducts open on the skin just beside the anus). Their purpose is not known for certain but in wild dogs they are thought to play a role in territorial marking and social behaviour. The sacs contain a foul-smelling liquid, much worse than poo!
What causes anal sac disease?
In our pet dogs, the sacs may not be emptied properly. The fluid builds up, solidifies, and becomes an ideal environment for bacteria to grow. Small breeds and overweight dogs are more likely to get anal sac disease.
Symptoms:
If you see your dog scooting along on their bottom, it means they have some type of irritation around their rear end. This can be due to fleas, dermatitis or occasionally tapeworms, but the most common cause is full, impacted or infected anal sacs.
Attempts to pass a motion (poo) may cause pain. As a result, your pet may not go to the toilet as often as it should and constipation can occur.
If an infection develops pus or blood may sometimes be seen. Your dog or cat may also lick its bottom and show other signs of pain. Left untreated, the sacs can rupture and an abscess will develop around the anus. This will show as a red painful swelling, often with an open sore at the centre. Tumours can also occur in the anal sacs.
Treatment:
Impacted anal sacs can be emptied by your vet and this will usually solve the problem. We do this by placing a gloved finger inside your dog's anus and gently squeezing the discharge out. Not a pleasant task!
In some cases, the problem can recur and repeated emptying is needed. We can show you how to do this yourself - but few people take us up on this offer!
Infected anal sacs result when bacteria grow inside the sacs, and this can be more difficult to treat. They may need to be flushed and cleaned under anaesthetic. Antibiotics will be given (either tablets or an ointment into the anal sacs). If repeated severe anal sac disease occurs, we may suggest surgical removal of the sacs.
Prevention:
Diet considerations: Increased fibre in the diet may make your dog's droppings more bulky so that the anal sacs are squeezed more often as they go to the toilet.
Obesity increases the risk of anal sac disease (along with many other diseases), so weight loss is important. Low-fat prescription diets that are used for weight loss are also high in fibre. Ask us for advice on diets and weight loss.
Related articles: Anal Sac Disease, Weight Loss Program
Case Report:
Tara, a 6-year-old female Staffy, just wasn't acting like herself. Her owner had noticed that she wasn't interested in eating and didn't want to exercise. Tara had never been desexed and had been on heat a month ago. Now she had a red/brown discharge coming from her vagina.
Tara had some of the typical signs of a disease we call pyometra, which is an infection of the uterus (womb). The uterus fills with pus and the dog can suffer from shock as a result of the infection. It can quickly become life threatening and requires immediate treatment.
As a dog ages, the female hormones cause the glands in the wall of the uterus to thicken. As the uterus thickens, it becomes more susceptible to infection, and pyometra can develop. Some studies suggest that up to 75% of non-desexed female dogs will develop pyometra. Cats can occasionally get this disease too.
The disease usually occurs in non-desexed female dogs that are older than 5 years of age, and typically 4-8 weeks after being on heat.
There are two types of pyometra.
Tara was lucky, she had an open pyometra, and her owner sought veterinary treatment immediately.
The signs to look out for are:
The best treatment for this disease is to desex the dog immediately, as this removes the source of infection. Putting a sick dog under a general anaesthetic has increased risk, so to make it safer, we started Tara on an IV drip to overcome any dehydration and shock. We also gave Tara an antibiotic injection and pain relief prior to the surgery. The surgery involves carefully removing the uterus and ovaries. The end of the uterus that is left is cleaned with antiseptic to reduce any chance of infection continuing and causing a stump pyometra. Stump pyometra is an infection of the small part of the uterus that remains after routine desexing.
After surgery, Tara remained on fluids overnight. She was much brighter the next day and we were able to take her off the fluids and send her home on antibiotics. She returned to her normal self and is eating and playing just as she always has!
The only way to prevent pyometra from occurring is to desex your dog. This can also reduce the chance of her getting many other diseases in later life, such as cancer of the mammary glands. For more information about pyometra or desexing, ask us for a fact sheet.
Related articles: Pyometra, Desexing
Our web site includes a complete copy of this newsletter (and all previous newsletters). There are links to further information on the topics discussed, and a growing amount of information on all aspects of pet care. If you haven't visited our web site yet, we invite you to visit:
www.ingleburnvet.com.au
In the last 2 newsletters, we've included feature articles on Guinea pigs and rabbits. Here are some key health care issues for ferrets:
Desexing is essential for all pet ferrets, especially females, ideally at around six months of age.
A female (jill) will come into season about September and will remain in season constantly until she is mated or until the breeding season ends. Unless she is brought out of season there is a very real danger that she will die from anaemia! Desexing is extremely important.
A male (hob) also comes into season around the same time and can lose up to 40% of his body weight. This is normal for a male and there is no need for concern. There will be a coat colour change (yellowing) as well. However, he may also become quite aggressive and try very hard to escape his cage in search of a mate.
You will also notice that his odour becomes very strong, unpleasant and overpowering and no amount of bathing will eradicate it. Descenting (surgical removal of the anal sacs) will not eradicate this smell and is not recommended. The solution to the smell is to have your ferret desexed - and to bath him regularly.
Vaccinations: All ferrets need to be vaccinated against canine distemper once a year.
Worming: Ferrets are susceptible to the same worm parasites as cats and dogs - roundworm, hookworm, whipworm and tapeworm. Worming every six months with a cat allwormer product is recommended.
Heartworm: Use Heartgard or Revolution every month. Oral Ivomec (sheep drench) can also be used.
Fleas: Advantage, Revolution and Frontline can all be used as a monthly liquid on the back of the neck.
Influenza: Ferrets can catch the flu from people (and vice versa) so don't handle them if you have the flu.
Note that most of the products mentioned here are not registered for use in ferrets. Ask us for dose rates.
Our web site includes a page with lots of information about ferrets, thanks to the NSW Ferret Welfare Society.
Nail clipping is one of those tasks that some pets don't cope with too well. Not all pets need their nails clipped, but checking the nails regularly is important. A nail that grows too long can cause your pet discomfort, and is more likely to be snagged on things and broken. It can also curl and become ingrown, leading to painful swelling and infection of the paw.
It's easy to see the pink nail bed in animals that have white nails.
You should cut the nails a few millimetres away from this pink tissue, to avoid bleeding.
Any black nails can be trimmed to about the same length.
Now kills tapeworm too
Just a reminder that Sentinel Spectrum now kills tapeworm too.
So the extra tablet(s) that you used to give once every 6 months (along with the
old Sentinel) are no longer necessary.
Sentinel Spectrum is a monthly
flavoured tablet for dogs that prevents heartworm, kills roundworm, hookworm, whipworm
and tapeworm, and controls fleas too by stopping them from breeding. Now all major
parasites are covered in the one monthly flavoured tablet.
Preschool had a holiday over the Christmas period, so we had only one graduating class this summer. Congratulations to:
Trevor Janson, Rexi Jones and Boston Lawther.
Puppy Preschool is an early socialisation and basic training program for young puppies and their owners. We recommend it for all pups. Ask us for details.
Related articles: Puppy Preschool
Construction is under way for Sydney University's new Valentine Charlton Cat Centre, due to be completed in August 2004. This will be a state-of-the-art teaching hospital, clinic and referral centre. Funding is being sought for stage 2, which will be a superb dog hospital.
Funding has been secured for the Wildlife Health and Conservation Centre on Sydney University's Camden campus. This unique facility will provide clinical care for native fauna, wildlife research, and training for veterinary science students.
If you would like to contribute to projects such as these, donations can be made to the Veterinary Science Foundation - phone 9351-8025.