Marcoola Veterinary Surgery

Don't forget to give your pet his or her monthly treatments.

If your pet is having any of the following monthly treatments for fleas they need to be given now - Comfortis tabs, Frontline Plus, Advantage, and Advantix.

If your pet is having any of these monthly combination products for fleas, heartworm or intestinal worms, they also need to be given now - Panoramis, Interceptor, Sentinel, Advocate, and Revolution.

The new year offers a fresh start to develop good habits but don’t forget to focus on the four-legged members of the family. Here are some important areas to think about.

1. Battle of the bulge
Pets depend on you to monitor their nutrition and activity levels. Overweight pets face an increased risk of diseases such as arthritis and diabetes so it's important to follow feeding guidelines. This year, vow to lay off those table scraps and make sure your pet is on a well balanced, highly digestible diet.

2. Protect their pearly whites
Does your pet have morning breath all the time? An unhealthy mouth equals an unhealthy pet. Lift your pet’s lip to check your pet's teeth and gums at least once a week, and ask us to show you how you can prevent dental disease by brushing regularly.

3. Parasite prevention
Missed a few doses or forgotten what you should be doing? Now is the time for a fresh start and to get up to date. Ask us for the most efficient way to protect your pet.

4. Check-up time
You go to the doctor regularly and so should your pet. This year, keep up to date with vital vaccinations and help us detect any changes or disease early with regular check ups.

For more information and ideas about keeping your furry friend happy and healthy in 2012 ask us.

You will be spending more time outside with your pet in the next few months, enjoying the sunshine. But while you are having fun, you will need to keep an eye out for the potential dangers that the warmer weather brings.

1. Sunburn
Most people don't think about their pets getting sunburned but they certainly can. Areas that are commonly affected are the ears, eyelids and nose, especially pink or white areas. Use a pet approved sunscreen to protect your pet and make an appointment with us if you notice any sunburnt areas as pets can suffer from skin cancer too.

2. Water safety
Not all pets can swim so you should always introduce pets to water gradually. Never leave pets unattended around a pool and make sure they can get out if they happened to fall in but remember that pets cannot climb pool ladders so steps are essential. Never let your pet drink pool water. Pets on a boat always require close supervision. Click here to see a labrador enjoying the water with a good friend. 

3. Snakes and ticks
These critters are out and about at this time of the year. Make sure you keep an eye on your pet at all times and avoid letting your pet roam in long grass. If you live in a tick area or are going to visit one (typically the eastcoast of Australia), be sure you have paralysis tick prevention under control. Ask us for more information.

4. Heat Stroke
This is probably one of the most common summer related problems and is potentially deadly. On a hot summer's day our pets cannot change their wardrobe or turn on the air conditioning to keep cool and can become over heated in minutes.

Read our article below to learn more about deadly heatstroke.

Signs of heatstroke:

• Excessive panting and drooling

• Blueish or bright red tongue and gums

• Staggering or seizures

What to do if you think your pet is suffering heatstroke:

• Cool your pet immediately; immerse quickly in cool water (not ice water) or use a hose to spray cool water over your pet. Be careful not to cool your pet too far as this may cause hypothermia

• Airflow is essential - use a fan or similar to provide as much airflow over your pet as possible

• Seek veterinary attention right away, use your car's air conditioning when travelling to vet

Be aware that intensive care may be required to save your pet's life.

Tips for prevention

• NEVER leave your pet in the car; even a quick errand can be dangerous

• NEVER exercise your pet in the heat of the day, wait until the cool of the morning or evening

• all animals are at risk of heatstroke but be extra careful of brachycephalic breeds (dogs with short noses such as Pugs), heavy-coated or overweight animals and pets with heart or respiratory problems

• on a hot day wet your pet's coat especially on a hot humid day for evaporative cooling

• always provide plenty of shade and fresh water
  

• clipping a long haired coat during summer will help to keep your pet cooler - we can recommend a groomer for you

Name: Rufus
Species: Canine
Breed: Border collie
Age: Ten
Signs: Red scabby lumps along his back, overgrooming near his tail, ‘hotspot’ on his rump

It didn’t take us long to work out what was Rufus’ problem; fleas! To make matters worse, Rufus was allergic to the flea bites and this had caused another problem known as dermatitis.

Flea allergy dermatitis is the most common allergy in dogs and is caused by the saliva of the flea. This very itchy disease predisposes your pet to the development of secondary skin infections.

Animals with a flea allergy will often appear to have very few fleas as they are so itchy that they groom themselves excessively and eliminate any evidence of fleas.

Common signs in dogs:

• chewing and biting of the tail, rump and back legs

• oozing lesions (lick granuloma)

• severe skin damage over a short period of time (or a ‘hotspot’)
  

Treatment of flea allergy dermatitis involves three parts:

1. Prevention of flea bites. The most important part of treatment is preventing flea bites with aggressive flea control on your dog and in the environment. Ask us for the best prevention


2. Treatment of secondary skin infections. Antibiotics and antifungal drugs may be necessary to treat secondary skin infections

3. Breaking the itch cycle. If your dog is intensely itchy, a short course of steroids may be necessary to break the itch cycle and make your dog more comfortable

Rufus was given a two week course of antibiotics, steroids and is now on regular flea control. He is a much happier and less itchy dog!

This is Molly and Baxter, winners of our Christmas Photo Competition. You can see more entires on our facebook page or at www.mypetstories.com.au