Animal Doctors Blog, Vets Port Macquarie

What if my pet's vaccine lasts longer than proven to?

2012-02-15T09:25:00.000+11:00

So what if my pet’s vaccine lasts longer than registered for?

More days on the couch is what Toby wants

Facts -

In Australia we have 2 vaccines types for dogs (for Parvo Virus), one that is PROVEN to last 12 months and the other PROVEN to last 3 years. Some vaccines do not have the tests to show the length of protection. Cats we use a live vaccine that is registered for 1 year currently, there are no registered 3 year vaccines at the moment.

Options for you -

Because the vaccines are very safe we recommend using them according to their researched and proven effect, HOWEVER, we can actually do a blood test to see whether you dog or cat’s protection is adequate and needs a booster.

It is worth noting, that without the test you are very likely leaving open your pet to DEADLY disease, which is the whole point of the vaccination in the first place.

So what do I need to do then?

Simply consider one of two options

Protect your pet according to research data and according to the manufacturer (from $27.50)

Have a titre test performed to ensure they are protected (From $97.50)

SIMPLE!!!

It is ALL about making sure your pet is protected against deadly disease. You only have to have one of your dogs with parvo in your lifetime to know the value of vaccination protection. Parvo kills MANY dogs each year and lasts years in the ground....... not worth the risk.

What If the vaccine doesn’t last longer than proven to???? Are you willing to take the risk of parvo death or cat flu???

Happy Valentines day, we heart your Family (4 tmrw)

2012-02-13T08:53:00.000+11:00

We Heart <3 your Family

Seriously, beyond the uber-commercial aspect of Valentines Day, we want to send you our love and information regarding heart disease in the "extended" family.
Below is some info pon both a preventable heart disease, HEARTWORM and also a very managebale one, heart failure.
Anyone who has had a pet with heartworm infection knows the difficulty and sickness involved, remember prevention is better than cure. If you are a tad forgetful, the Yearly Proheart injection is ideal.

Heartworm Disease

One heart condition that we can prevent is Heartworm.

Heartworm is a parasitic disease that affects dogs and, less commonly, other species such as cats. It is spread by mosquitos that pass immature Heartworm larvae into the dog’s blood. Adult heartworms live in the major vessels of the heart restricting blood flow and increasing stress on the heart. Other organs may also be affected by Heartworm infestation. Ultimately, Heartworm Disease can be fatal.

Luckily prevention is available, in a convenient once-a-year injection that can tie in with your pet’s annual PetCheck and C5 vaccination. Alternatively, more frequent tablets or a spot-on treatment is available if this suits your lifestyle. If your dog has not previously been treated for Heartworm, a blood test to ensure they are not carrying the parasite is needed before the start of preventative therapy.

Heartworm is different to Intestinal Worms that infest your pet’s gastrointestinal system. While monthly tablets may cover both Heartworm and Intestinal worms, pets receiving the yearly Heartworm vaccine still need to receive intestinal worm tablets every 3 months. An easy way to remember these is to give them at the change of each season.

Heart Failure in dogs and cats

Heart disease is common in pets, especially aged dogs and cats. It presents in many forms, and ranges from mild signs to life-threatening disease. Heart disease may be due to congenital (present at birth) abnormalities, or changes to the heart muscle and surrounding vessels as a result of multiple contributing factors including age, breed, infection, diet, obesity and more.
Despite every effort at maintaining a healthy best friend with correct diet, sufficient exercise and regular check ups, unfortunately heart disease still sometimes occurs. Developing signs that may suggest heart disease include

A cough
Breathing difficulties
Getting tired more easily after walks, or not as keen to exercise
Falling over or fainting
A swollen abdomen (belly)

Regular Pet Checks is the best way to diagnose a heart problem early, before these signs become severe.

A year in review and a year looking forward from Animal Doctors

2011-12-15T08:41:00.000+11:00

AD Team, missing Natalie, Dr Kirrily, Dr Lorraine, Jodie

Merry Christmas

A big warm hello from Animal Doctors. In this post we have

A year in review
2012 an exciting year ahead, what to expect from Animal Doctors
Social connections

This last month has been full of itchy smelly skin cases, and insect bites and tick cases. There have been a few new products, including a new DAP collar (pheromone) to help settle stressed puppies. I have also heard further rumours of a long lasting tick collar coming that is usable on cats (exciting).

Fleas have been "jumping out of the ground" recently, with large numbers much earlier than expected. It is worth protecting all members of the house before any infestation can take hold. It is a common frustration from clients once they try hundreds of dollars worth of "products" to control fleas, only to need the right advice and EARLY preventation. Just quietly, flea collars are not a good product ;).

All the Team wishes you a very safe Christmas and a great 2012.

Animal Doctors Year in Review

Moments of pleasure, pride and triumph for us include

2 new babies, Congrats Dr Kirrily and Nurse Jodie
Dr Lorraine completing her Post Graduate Small Animal Surgery course
Inaugural Puppy Masterclasses
Purchase of laproscopic equipment, meaning miminal pain for abdominal biopsies
Purchase of advanced anaesthetic monitoring equipment, rarely seen outside Universtiy clinics, for safer and better patient anaesthetics
Purchase of endoscope, allowing for pain free intestinal investigation and biopsies
Upgrade of our dental drill, not that an air driven bright LED handpiece will push your buttons, it does ours, and it means a quicker, better dental surgery for your pet!
2 stem cell therapies trialled, first in Port Macquarie
2 new Nursing Team members, hitting the ground running, Tammy and Anna
Countless positive outcome cases that make our day worthwhile, it has been thrilling (and some tear jerkers)
Purchase of animal specific stretchers, allowing for less sedation and better positioned x-rays, better, safer and quicker for your pet
New logo, letterhead, signage !!!
Our first in house smartphone application went live, delivering pet health articles , tips, maps to android smartphones, all free.
Genetic disease screening, and parentage testing
Much MUCH more, but this list is getting long enough, suffice to say, we have grown and stretched ourselves to our very best this year.

2012 - an exciting year ahead

Things we are looking forward to this year..... and a tad excited about.......

Dr Johanna starting her Post Graduate Feline Medicine course
Further in house integration of patient images to better track patient recovery and progress
New tick collar available for cats
Renovation of consulting rooms to allow increased patient contact time with the Team
In house repaint, maybe the purple walls will go.........
Client masterclass sessions, such as ticks, arthritis, kidney, heart problems
New website coming soon.........
Several more Smartphone apps, medication reminder versions, map, info and more.
Adaptation of new products and equipment, after serious scrutiny. We won't sell, use or offer anything we wouldn't use for our own family.
Improved in house systems and procedures. Something you won't be aware of if everything goes well.
Better communication with our clients, in all areas.

We Love our Technology - wanna connect?

Haven't seen us online? Loads of choice depending on your flavour

Please come say hello!

Facebook - www.Facebook.com/animaldoctors
Twitter - www.twitter.com/animaldoctors
Google Plus - https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/116761330992689607053/
Blog - http://blog.animaldoctors.com.au
Pet Map - http://map.animaldoctors.com.au
Flea Tick comparison table - http://blog.animaldoctors.com.au/p/product-comparisons.html

What shampoo should I use on my dog?

2011-12-14T09:08:00.001+11:00

In a world of marketing and hype, how are you to know what shampoo is suitable for your dogs skin?

First a few important things about dog skin

Dog skin has a different Ph and balance to human skin
You need a shampoo that considers the skin and coat as separate "things" to wash
You need to ask yourself - WHY am I washing the dog

We are often asked by clients how often they should wash their dog and it entirely depends on the type of the dog, the health of the skin, and the shampoo being used.

Are you are washing your dog because

IT STINKS!

then ask....

Has it rolled in that really manky dead rat out in the backyard, or does it have a strong "doggy" smell?

If it looks at you with that "look at what I FOUND" look, and you can't get within a few feet before your stomach starts to churn, then an all purpose shampoo will suffice. In fact just about anything needs to gets that rotten dead animal or cow poo smell off the mutt before it comes inside. Good quality shampoos in this case include Fido's range, Dermcare range and Virbac range.

My own Dog Toby - loves rolling in dead animals, mud and cow poo, LOVELY!

But if there is a persistent "doggy smell" then you have an entirely different issue on your hands.

The MOST COMMON cause for a "doggy" smell, that persists after any bath (or returns within a day or two) is DERMATITIS!!

The yeasts and bacteria on the skin produce this characteristic smell. A simple, even good quality shampoo, will fail you here. You need a different strategy.

If there is redness, pimples, rash or scabs, then realistically you need treatment, DRUGS. Yes, that means a vet visit.

We treat often these with antibiotics, anti-fungals (which yeast is) and specialised medicated shampoos.

Ok then - what Shampoos do we use for dermatitis?

The best options are Malaseb (Dermcare), Pyohex (Dermcare), Pyoderm S (Virbac). Their use varies between type of dermatitis and smell involved. Most "smelly dermatitis dogs" benefit from Malaseb. Pimply rashy itchy dogs often benefit from Pyohex. You need to get specific advice about this.

But as a word of warning, many pet shop shampoos or worse, supermarket ones, say they are "medicated" but have very little ability to disguise the smell with perfume for a few days. It is best to stick with a REAL medicated shampoo with chlorhexidine and/or miconazole in it.

Fine, my dog doesn't stink, is not itchy but I just want to wash it every now and again, what do I use?

There are plenty of good general purpose shampoos available. You essentially want to use a soap free shampoo to avoid washing your precious and expensive flea products off. Brands that help prevent product loss include Fido's range, Dermcare Natural.

Malaseb and Pyohex do wash out flea products BTW.

I personally like the Dermcare Aloveen shampoo and leave on lotion for the nice fresh odour, and it softens the coat nicely. The lotion can also be used between washes for a spruce up.

What if my spoilt pooch is under the covers and spends every night huddled with me? I want to wash them at least weekly?

For a frequent washer, the best, least damaging and drying shampoo is the Dermcare Aloveen. Stick with that (unless they are smelly and have dermatitis!).

Bottom line is this

1. Why are you washing them?

2. Wash them as least often as you can, as we do see skin complaints from people over washing their dogs.

3. PLEASE NEVER USE WOOL WASH OR MIX. Or you will create the dermatitis described above.

4. If your dog smells and they haven't rolled in something, get us to look at them, chances are you have an undiagnosed dermatitis that needs treatment with things other than shampoo.

Good luck

Dr Stephen Rose

Animal Doctors

2011-10-30T08:45:00.000+11:00

Happy Hoooowloween from Animal Doctors,

In this post

Limited time offer for our feline seniors
News from the Hospital
Genetic testing now available
Ticks, ticks, ticks.

With the warmer weather we have seen a drastic increase in skin infections and itching. Early intervention and control when managing allergies makes a huge difference.
First ask, is the skin red? Are there scabs? Are there pimples? Is the skin just senstitive to touch? Is there a doggy smell within days of a bath? Is the dog keeping you up at night licking its feet??
All these are common symptoms of the same problem, dermatitis. We have a range of treatment and prevention options available, call and book and book an appointment with Dr Steve or Dr Jo, sometimes it is much simpler than you expect!
This last month as feared, loads of tick paralysis cases. Not good. Stay safe, ask us if you are confused about your prevention options.

	Cat health check - are you proactive or reactive? Is your cat looking well? But do you know its blood pressure? Could it be on the edge of kidney failure? For a very limited time we are offering a health check, blood tests, blood pressure for all > 7 year old cats at a incredible price. Over some months we have had plenty of delas and discounts for dogs, now it is the cats turn...... Health check with Dr Steve or Dr Jo (value $54.90) Blood test for liver, kidney disease, diabetes (value $99) Blood pressure measurement (subject to temperament) (value $77) Day hospitalisation - only if easier for you, may not be needed (value $30) Limited price - only ....... (you have to ask - price revealed to our email list - are you on it? (click here to add your email) Why do it? Most of the time we pick up kidney failure once it is too late. We want to provide a cheap screen for those worried about their cats health. This is strictly only available from the 1st -10th November 2011. Normal pricing resumes after the 10th.

	News from inside the hospital New website coming soon....... we are currently in the design phase. Our aim is to have a simple yet powerful site to allow you to get where you want, simply, quickly and without fuss.......... stay tuned. Thanks to Bendigo Bank Webpartner (great webdesigners/hosts to deal with!). New signage!!! Have you noticed our new signs? What do you think? The update is long overdue, I have for 6 years looked to change and upgrade our look. Initially everything was done by me, Steve, and finally we have had the opportunity to have not just our logo, but our signs revamped. Next step, website..... Two recent tragic Animal Doctors family problems, one snake bite and one tick paralysis, if it can happen to our Team's family, it can happen to yours. Keep safe. (both making a speedy recovery).

	Genetic testing for you family We now have available genetic testing for dogs and cats. The cheek swab takes seconds, and is painless. We can screen from a wide range of known genetic problems, warnign you of protential risks. Most importantly is a test for the MDR1 gene, which predisposes dogs to fatal reactions to common drugs (such as one used to treat mange). The test is incredible value, and results takes about 2-4 weeks. Knowing this in advance is incredibly valuable. I tested Toby, my Border Collie, he consented to me publishing his results, there are over to the left in image form (he was clear!). And for those that wonder "what breed is my dog?", there is also a parentage genetic test available, that informs you of the various pedigrees and breed types in your dog. Pretty nifty. Both tests are now available at Animal Doctors.

	Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks Ok, so you might be sick of us talking about ticks, but just so everyone knows, the tick season has definately arrived, and with a vengence. Last email I said we had thus far a quiet one, hoping they would just "give it a miss this year". Unfortunately not. 3 weeks late we have hit a "peak" of cases. So far all treatments have been early and every case has survived. A record we aim for but realistically won't keep.

News Limited does a number on general practice vets

2011-09-29T09:10:00.000+10:00

News Limited does a number on GP vets

News does a number on vets, canon fodder when the enemy here should be specialist fees plus we get spurious advice from Choice.com.au about pet insurance.

(link to article - http://www.news.com.au/money/money-matters/sick-as-a-dog-as-vet-bills-soar-by-500/story-e6frfmd9-1226148801851)

With amusement I read an article by news.com.au yesterday about vet fees rising 500%.

Clearly a headline to grab attention regardless of accuracy or not.

What the article failed to present was that the treatments and surgeries they were referring to were extreme cases in Specialist Veterinary Centers. This rise was apparently also the cause of decreasing pet ownership. It went on to provide rather poor advice to pet owners consider pet insurance.

So once I am past the amusement (or perhaps we are still incredibly great value (wonder how my clients would respond to a 500% increase over 2 years?) let me examine some of the points in the article

"Veterinary bills for cats and dogs have blown out by as much as 500 per cent in the past two years because of medical advances, reported the Herald Sun."

Don't worry, these are specialist fees, because of the rapid adoption of technology such as MRI, CT scans, laproscopy etc. General vets are not charging rates as described in the article by and large. Certainly Animal Doctors has also adopted new technology such as laprosopy, but it is a choice to make, there are ALWAYS alternatives.

Choice reveals owners are being charged more than $25,000 for some treatments to save their four-legged friends.

Misleading - Wow, the average transaction in most general veterinary clinics is less than $100....... the last Pet Insurance newsletter indicated that only a very few number of cases had even reached the $10,000 mark, as later stated here in the article

A Choice pet insurance comparison uncovered highest claims of $25,700 for cancer, $16,865 for diabetes, $11,035 for a snake bite and $8760 for an ear infection.

Dare I say these were in fact the 4 highest claims? Does this then validate the above claim? Makes for a nice 500% increase though doesn't it.

"Overall, pet insurance can provide value, but if it doesn't suit your budget, consider putting money aside in a special account to save for the bigger bills," Ms Just said.

"The most important thing is to have a financial plan to cover expenses."

Finally some sense.

Then we get into some spurious advice

PET INSURANCE TIPS

* Take your pet for a check-up before taking out insurance. This helps avoids complications if you make a claim.
* Once your pet turns nine, no new insurer will provide cover. Before age nine, any previous illness becomes excluded as a pre-existing condition unless you have it waived by a vet.
* Pet insurance will not cover your pet for illnesses that can be avoided by vaccination, so have these up to date.
* If you have more than one pet, find a provider giving a discount for extra animals.
* Most providers require a co-payment on any claims. The lower your co-payment, the better the value in many cases.

Source: choice.com.au

Ok so why is this bad advice?

Let's deal with this one comment

* Take your pet for a check-up before taking out insurance. This helps avoids complications if you make a claim.

You need to be very clear. Pet insurers will not have a waiting period for pre-existing illness or disease. This means ANYTHING that is picked up at an exam or is in their medical history PRIOR to insurance will never be covered.
This point in the news article frustrates me the most at deceiving clients. What would be more appropriate is to ASK YOUR VET prior to insuring, what are the likely pre-existing illnesses that I won't be covered for. Or even more simply, just think back to what presenting problems have you taken your pet to the vet for?

Coughing, sneezing? - won't cover respiratory issues
Limping - struggle getting cover with subsequent lameness
Diarrhoea, vomiting - may exclude many upsets simple or complex down the track

My point is, insurers are there to make money. They also need to protect themselves. I have had many people ask after I have given a diagnosis whether they should take up insurance now. People either innocently or otherwise want someone else to pay for their problem. But this also means the insurers are very sharp on pre-existing problems.

Another point is that all bar one insurer is underwritten by one company. Hollard Insurance. You need to look through what appears to be choice amongst the insurers and really get to the finer details.

Insurers can change their policies on you - WHAT!
Recently a long time insured patient had their claim reduced. The client rightly concerned rang and discovered that the insurer had changed the terms and conditions of the policy at the end of the year. UNLIKE human insurance or say life insurance, companies start a new policy every year, so can change the benefits every year as they choose. This I consider deceptive behaviour. Additionally by changing pet insurance if dissatisfied, you then have significant pre-existing issues with a new insurer, even though they are underwritten by the same company.

So there are pitfalls with insurance, but also consider the benefits, it could mean the difference in getting high end diagnostic and specialist treatment and not being able to afford it. alternatively you can just self insure and put money aside each week.
we do see many client with insurance and it gives them peace of mind in times of crisis, you just need to be aware of the pros and cons.

Hope this article has helped you

2011-09-19T08:29:00.004+10:00

Topic: Health Checking your Dog

Aims:

· Give you confidence as to what is normal for your puppy
· To get the puppy used to being examined and allow for visits to Animal Doctors less stressful
· To get you pup used to having their body checked, and touched, so that if necessary they will accept grooming, tick checking, tooth brushing, tick removal, eye medicating as examples.

Quick Facts

· Heart rates, breathing rates, are all dependent on resting states, breeds, and also health status
· Frequent checking in your pups mouth, ears, around their eyes, toes will help considerably for later on in life as they get used to it early
· Normal body temperature is 37.8-39.0 degrees Celsius
· Gum colour should be light pink
· Eye should be clear of discharge, no horrible smell for their mouths, no redness on their skin and ears clear of debris, wax and hair.

Detailed information

1. Start at the nose

a. Any discharge from the nostrils, colour change of the nose or irritation?

2. Mouth

a. Pink gums?

b. Teeth

i. All there?

ii. In alignment?

iii. Damage?

iv. Tartar?

v. Smell?

vi. Gums – red/inflamed/smelly?

3. Eyes

a. Discharge?

b. Redness around eye?

c. Lids – normal – look for changes?

d. Is the hair well away from the eyes?

4. Skin – Check for pimples, rashes, TICKS, fleas, knots, sore spots, lumps, bumps. Especially check the crevices such as armpits, around genitals, behind ears

5. Ears – Clean? Smell? Wax? Hair?

6. Muscle tone – Any change to muscle tone, i.e. bulk of muscles along the back, and all legs?

7. Anus – Clear? No dags? Lumps/bumps? Hair well clear?

8. Penis/Vulva – check no discharge, check skin around area is clean, clear and not smelly

9. Feet – check for soreness, redness, nail length, checking underneath and between toes (dogs are commonly a bit “foot shy”, so frequent non threatening touching of the feet can help stop that before it becomes an issue.)

5 Take home points to REALLY remember

ê Frequent checking is a great way to “desensitise” you dog to being handled, and tick checked throughout life, we cannot emphasise the benefits enough here

ê Knowing what is normal for your dog is incredibly important, so you know when you need to seek help

ê Keeping it fun, whilst also maintaining control while checking is a great idea

ê General observation and behaviour (demeanour) are as important as hands on checking, but most people have a “hunch” about the overall wellbeing of their dog after a while, whilst many wouldn’t know where to start to look for indications of poor health

ê The most under viewed part of a dogs body for most of our clients is their dog’s mouths – checking dental hygiene, and getting your pup to accept checking or even brushing is incredibly valuable

Links to further information

You Tube Video – See our You Tube video of how to health check your dog. Visit

http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=a6sWG_8ASNQ

OR search Google AnimalDoctorsPMQ how to health check your dog (or see the link from our website

Call our talented nurses on 6581 5111
Ask us on our Facebook page – http://www.facebook.com/animaldoctors

FOPS - Dr Jo saves the day - what a challenging case this turned out to be

2011-08-30T13:45:00.000+10:00

We always trying to do our very best, to give our patients the ultimate in care, compassion and excellence, our clients the best care and value. A recent very difficult case shone a very bright light on the team work and dedication at our Practice. Suffice to say, without such care and sheer determination of many members of our Team, the outcome would have been different.

Bonnie - a gorgeous adult Burmese cat with really bad teeth
Presented to us was a friendly adult cat with quite nasty dental problems, a sore mouth and a loving owner. Our advice was to remove rotten sore teeth and give her pain relief and antibiotics, with a good prognosis.

We expected her to have recurrent problems with her gums, as we suspect she has had cat flu previously, which can sensitise the immune system to attack the gums unnecessarily. Certainly our normal advice is to scale, polish, extract what needs extracting and discharge with aftercare prevention techniques......

After surgery which went very well with several extractions (routine), our little Bonnie became very distressed and started to paw at her face frantically. As she had large amounts of pain relief including full nerve blocks, I originally assumed she was feeling a tingling from the nerve block wearing off.

oh no, how could this happen?
Bonnie within a matter of minutes of recovery managed to cut her gum with her own claws, before she was protected with an Elizabethan collar and paw padding. She remained in hospital overnight, with a considerable amount of post op care from our very talented nurses. She was hand fed, and nursed to a point where she was discharged the next day. She reportedly began pawing again the following day, and wasn't eating terribly well. Her pain relief continued, and she was readmitted into hospital so we could keep a close eye on her.

Bonnie's recovery continued very well, her extraction sites healed extremely well, and her gums also healed exceptionally quickly, the whole time she was being hand fed by her mum, or our wonderful nurses on day visits to the hospital.

At the one week post op check, I examined her mouth, to find all had healed exceptionally well, and removed her collar. Assuming at that stage the nerve block must have been the complication.

My heart sank with a distressing phone call......
That night I received a distressing call from her mum to say she had cut her gums again all of a sudden. She was frantically pawing at her face.

I met her at the hospital, she was sedated, I reapplied her collar and bandaged her paws. Pain relief continued.

With the dedication of our nurses towards Bonnie, hand feeding, grooming and loads TLC, She would have been miserable. I can't underestimate the role of such genuine loving care by our nurses.

On top of this distressing progress, we were worried there was a retained root (surgery went exceptionally well though), or some serious physiological problem.

UNTIL, and this is the awesome part; one of our Vets in her own spare time researched and found (needle in a hay stack) a very likely and perfectly described condition known in the same breed of cat - Trigeminal nerve pain, or FOPS - FELINE ORAL PAIN SYNDROME.

It occurs in certain breeds, and can be triggered by extractions, stress, dental disease.
It actually meant we could certainly now give a prognosis and importantly treatment options.
Bonnie since is going well on further treatment.

BUT the reason for the post, is to show two things

Dr Jo, one of our vets, despite not being the main treating vet, was dedicated to seeing the case to a better end, to go the further step, spending a large amount of her own time to see if anything else could be done.
Care is a word often bandied around, but it is only REAL when it is a whole Team of vets, and support crew actively trying to make a difference, and seeing each patient as an individual.

This demonstrates why, if you are avoiding a younger, "seemingly" less experienced (although Dr Jo is well experienced!) vet, THINK AGAIN as they can be the most dedicated and keen vet to sort out unusual cases. Many older vets would simply discard the case as unusual, or not care in this way as what the Team of Vets and nurses did with Bonnie.

This is what makes Animal Doctors special and different, it is what you never see.

It isn't something easy to market or tell people about.

It is the core of what we are, how we do what we do. It is Animal Doctors.

As the owner and Practice Director, I am incredibly proud of the Team, their tireless care of our patients. My public thanks to Dr Johanna and our Nurses.

(many parts of the case have been omitted for brevity, reasons why she had the treatment she had etc, are so detailed it can't be included without distracting from the main reason for the post, Bonnie continues to recover well)

Stay safe
Dr Steve Rose

Anti-inflammatories - should you be afraid of them?

2011-08-30T08:54:00.000+10:00

When is it appropriate to use anti-inflammatories?

Common NSAID types

In a modern society with great access to great health care one of our main goals is to prevent or treat pain in our beloved patients and family members. A lot of our treatments involve helping with either chronic (long term) pain or acute (sudden) pain.

Acute pain

This is a common cause for presentation such as trauma - car accidents, fights, falls, injuries etc. Treatment clearly depends on the cause, however it is frequent that we use anti-inflammatories to help with swelling and pain.

Anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS or non-steroidal anti-inflammatories), relief pain effectively and also decrease swelling and inflammation.

So anti-inflammatories are PAIN KILLERS and ANTI-INFLAMMATORIES!

In an acute situation, they are used for short periods. We have to be cautious using them only in healthy well hydrated animals otherwise side effects occur at a slightly greater risk.

Chronic Pain

The most common cause is osteoarthritis or joint breakdown. this is a long term, low to medium to high level of pain. Often we use anti-inflammatories on an as needed to every day dosage, often at lower doses than the acute pain situations. They are very effective, and quite safe. However! For chronic usage we recommend the following precautions

Never use with cortisones such as prednisolone together - DISASTER
Never use in a patient with kidney or liver issues
If on long term usage, test kidney and liver function before, after 2 weeks then every 6 months via blood and urine tests
Use lowest effective dose
Don't ever give as a "pick me up" when the dog/cat is sick
They are not safe if you pet is vomiting or unwell - don't give it! Seek advice
Use exactly as prescribed, don't go over the dose amount or frequency
Don't use human anti-inflammatories, they are not safe

So with all this DANGER DANGER talk why use them?

All in all they are actually quite safe, especially when used sensibly and as prescribed. The risks are there, but are extremely low, especially for the huge benefits they derive. Many of our patients on long term anti-inflammatories for years and would not be alive without them as the pain of arthritis would be too much to bear. Simply in many cases they provide quality of life.

Take home messages

Don't be afraid of anti-inflammatories, they are of tremendous benefit when used sensibly
Ask us, or your vet about the risks for YOUR pet as an individual
Weigh up the benefits versus this risk
Consider what alternatives you have to relieve the pain
Use any medication as prescribed, DON'T alter it without asking us!
Consider blood and urine tests routinely to reduce the risk of the drugs and their potential impacts
Ask for alternative forms of the drug if you are having trouble medicating, there are tablets, liquids, injections available
Seek advice if you are unsure about anything or if the animal becomes unwell, goes off their food, changes behaviour or is just "off".

Have a great day.

Dr Steve Rose

Charter of Patient and Owners Rights and Responsibilities

2011-08-08T08:31:00.001+10:00

Charter of Patient and Owner Rights and Responsibilities.

Every client, on behalf of their pet, has the right to:

1. Access to safe health care.

2. Emergency care in life-threatening situations.

3. Confidentiality and privacy.

4. Be treated with courtesy and consideration.

5. Be informed about their pet’s illness/condition and treatment.

6. Exercise choice in health care.

7. Participate in decision-making that affects their pet’s health.

8. Be referred for a second opinion.

9. Complain and have complaints investigated.

10. Refuse treatment or information about their pet’s illness.

Every owner has the responsibility to:

1. Take care of their pet’s life and enable their pet to live a healthy lifestyle.

2. Care for and protect the environment.

3. Respect the rights of other patients and owners.

4. Respect the rights of the veterinarians and staff of this facility.

5. Provide the veterinarians and staff with relevant and accurate information for

diagnostic, treatment, rehabilitation and counselling purposes.

6. Provide their instructions in writing for their pet’s treatment.

7. Advise the veterinarians and staff about their wishes for euthanasia and handling of remains.

8. Comply with the prescribed treatment and/or rehabilitation procedures.

9. Ask what the related costs of the treatment would be and to pay for this treatment.

10. To participate in communications in a rational, co-operative and productive

manner

Technology at our finger tips

2011-07-07T09:59:00.006+10:00

Wow, the world is changing quickly.

Before we know it we are out of date and swallowed up by the ever changing and quickly evolving way in which we live.

Certainly, sometimes being caught up in this whirlwind can be tantilising and exciting, until you realise that you have disconnected with "real life"!!

At Animal Doctors we are very keen on our Technology that MAKES A DIFFERENCE to our patients and secondly our clients.

We see technology as a great tool to provide your animal, and ultimately best care for you.

Over the past couple of months we have invested in a few neat pieces of innovation that I thought I would share;

1. Flexible endoscope and Laproscope - KEYHOLE SURGERY

Hoping to receive this fancy piece of technology in the next week or so. This has been major and exciting investment in our patient care. We aim to reduce our patient surgery time, and recovery SIGNIFICANTLY for certain operations. Our ultimate aim in the medium term is to be able to offer female desexing without having to "open them up" .

It has been an increasing trend in human medicine to use laproscopes and endoscopes to view and treat hidden disease. In veterinary medicine this is more of a frontier, but one that is changing rapidly. We are excited to be at the front of this wave, and to offer services to our patients that clearly make their life easier, safer and better.

This is what Animal Doctors is all about.

2. Networked Patient Anesthesia Monitoring Equipment - SAFE, SAFER, SAFEST anaesthetics

Last month we purchased a Lifewindow patient anaesthetic monitor. There are several exciting things about this type of technology

Constant heart rate, ECG (heart electrics), oxygen levels, carbon dioxide levels, blood pressure, temperature
Networked - oh yeah! - means we can digitally attached patient monitored anaesthetic files to the patient.

Why should you care?

evaluation of anaesthesia before during and after, SAFE
critically evaluate whether we can make the anaesthetic EVEN SAFER next time
Give more time for our vets and nurses to actually treat your pet under anaesthesia, not writing down anaesthetic values - SAFEST

This is what makes Animal Doctors different, and is what we are all about.

3. Pawsitioner - neat name, awesome device

This great cradle allows us to position our patients more safely and securely than ever before for x-rays and other surgeries. It is particularly good for spinal or neck injuries after sedation when we are moving them into position.

What this means for your pet - even better safety, quicker times for x-rays, shorter anesthesia or sedation, and less cost to perform the treatment or diagnostic step!!

We are very proud of our decisions to re-invest in our patient care. We are a small but very dedicated and caring Vet Hospital in Port Macquarie.

Come in and see how we can give you peace of mind.

Cheers

Dr Steve Rose

Hendra virus, what hope have we got?

2011-07-07T09:05:00.003+10:00

Hendra Virus under electron microscope

Hendra virus is a relatively new and deadly disease that has emerged infecting horses and also humans.
The fruit bat is considered to be the natural host of the virus, in the right circumstances, via faeces or chewed food left by infected bats, horses ingest (eat) and become infected. These horses can become extremely ill, coming to the attention of owners and often vets before death.

Exposure to owners and vets alike poses a serious and deadly threat. Since the first case in 1994, 4 of 7 people infected with the disease has died.

In the last 17 years, seven people have been confirmed to have been infected with Hendra virus, four of whom have died as a result of the disease.
In addition to the initial case in 1994, a farmer from Mackay died in 1995 and two Queensland vets passed away in separate incidents in 2008 and 2009.
There have also been 14 clusters of Hendra virus infection recorded in horses since the virus was first identified.
In May 2011, CSIRO announced that a prototype vaccine for horses successfully prevented infection with the virus. This is important as it could break the cycle of the virus’ transmission from flying foxes to horses and then to people, as it prevents both the horse developing the disease as well as passing it on to people. source -
http://www.csiro.au/science/Hendra-Virus--ci_pageNo-1.html

Fruit bats
Bats and fruit bats are also carriers of another potentially fatal disease known as Lyssavirus. See link to more info here ( http://www.csiro.au/science/Australian-bat-lyssavirus.html

My thoughts

As a vet it is a very strange feeling to be concerned about treating patients with view to your own safety, normally human medical counterparts worry about (HIV, hepatitis etc). Sure being a vet isn't all that risk free, but most of our issues have been trauma from cranky or frightened large animals, or bites and scratches from our domestic pets. To be faced with a really fatal disease that you can't see in the workplace is just different. Thankfully this isn't a big issue for us given our treatment load is mainly domestic pets, but I do own a horse, and are asked to treat family and friends horses. I really feel for my fellow vets faced with this in their daily job.

To keep it brief and on track there are few things I would recommend to our clients;

Don't ever touch, pick up or go near a sick bat (Lyssavirus risk)
Call a vet asap if your horse is unwell or might be showing signs of Hendra virus - see fact sheet here - http://www.qldhorsecouncil.com/QHC%20Documents/Notifiable%20Diseases%20Information%20Sheets/Hendra%20Virus.pdf
Don't have close contact with a sick horse until given the all clear by your vet.

What hope have we got?

The good news is that the CSIRO has developed a vaccine for horses that has so far shown to be very effective at preventing symptoms of Hendra. It is not released yet, and may even take years to be "approved". I suspect given this months infections this trial work and approvals are likely to be fast tracked. We can only hope the incompetence and arbitrary method in which the AVPMA (Government approval body ) works can be set aside for this.

It is interesting that vets involved in the current outbreak are calling for a blanket legislation for all horses to be vaccinated with this new vaccine when it is approved. This would be a significant change to any animal policy within Australia, with logistical nightmares. Ideally that would be fantastic, but unfortunately it is unlikely to come about.

Here is a link to the ABC scientific program Catalyst, if you have the time, well worth a view
http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/2500895.htm

Stay Safe.
Dr Steve Rose
Animal Doctors

Pets get arthritis too!

2011-06-07T13:47:00.003+10:00

PETS can get arthritis too!

As a major cause of discomfort and pain, arthritis can significantly impact a pet’s quality of life. More than 1 in 5 dogs are afflicted, although the condition is more prevalent in older large breed dogs. Cats may also suffer arthritis but may not show their discomfort as readily.

Normally, ‘healthy’ cartilage covers the ends of long bones and, in conjunction with joint fluid, provides a smooth cushion between bones. In osteoarthritis, the cartilage is eroded away and the joint fluid which lubricates the joint thins out. Movement of affected joints isn’t as smooth as it should be which leads to inflammation and pain.

What are the changes you should look for in your pet?

o Reduced activity, including a reluctance to walk, jump or climb stairs

o Limping, lagging behind on walks or having difficulty rising from rest, particularly in the mornings

o Irritability, aggression or yelping in pain when touched

o Licking, chewing or over-grooming a particular joint or joints

How is arthritis diagnosed?

A complete physical exam is often enough to diagnose arthritis and to identify which joints are most affected. Sometimes, however, further tests such as examination under sedation or x-rays are needed to confirm or grade the diagnosis. Once you have an accurate diagnosis, a treatment, exercise and dietary plan can be developed to ensure the best outcome for you and your dog.

How can I give my dog relief from arthritis?

Although there is no cure for arthritis, there are several successful treatments used to manage the pain and slow progression of the disease. Early intervention means treatment will be more successful and your dog will enjoy a healthier, active life, for longer. A combination of therapeutic options can be tailored to suit your pet specifically.

Cartrophen Injections (Pentosan Polysulphate)

A prescription treatment we may offer during consultation if appropriate.

Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)

Oral prescription medication to give at home if appropriate.

Nutritional Supplements

These are available over the counter, but clinical assessment before any treatment may help you decide which is best for your pet. At Animal Doctors, we have had success with Pernaease Powder which is simply added to your dog’s meal. It is very safe and may be used alone or in addition to other therapies.

4. Hill’s j/d Diet

A scientifically formulated diet for managing dogs with arthritis. No other supplements are necessary when feeding j/d and it is available in both wet and dry forms.

Other things you can do at home…

A few simple changes at home may help.

o Always provide a warm, comfortable and dry place to sleep

o Regular, gentle exercise will keep joints moving and muscles toned.

o Obesity is also detrimental as it places extra strain on the joints. We can help you devise a weight control plan if necessary.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for arthritis, and while we aim to slow the progression of the disease and give your dog a good quality of life, often your dog’s requirements will increase with time.

SPECIAL OFFER!

BUY 2 TUBS OF PERNAEASE POWDER DURING JUNE AND RECEIVE A

FREE PET SLEEPING BAG!

Live export Ban, please join the petition

2011-06-02T15:33:00.003+10:00

Live export ban, please help make it real.

Dear Valued Client,

Today to ask you to consider signing an online petition to support the ban of live exports. It will take less than 30 seconds by clicking the below link.

With the exposure of such cruelty this week on Four Corners, we have never been in such an opportune time to act and seek total ban of this horrible practice.

The utter disrepect and indescribable cruetly these animals receive is enough for me to send this email. The only reason it has been allowed to continue was because of money. These graphic pictures I can only hope are enough for everyone to realise the plight of these animals, and finally stop this happening.

Even today another boat has left with Australian Cattle to Indonesia. We need to act now and maintain the momentum against it, with pressure from the broader community and not just from "activists", we can expect a greater response.

As an obvious animal lover, I felt compelled to send this email, I have never sent any activist or petition messages before. Talking to many clients this week, my strong feelings about this were not isolated, and people just wanted to know what they could do about it, even if in a small way.

Simply helping means providing weight to the online petition, from GetUp in conjunction with the RSPCA. Already 180,000 have signed.

http://www.getup.org.au/campaigns/animals/live-export/ban-live-export

Our normal messages are not likely to be as emotionally driven, and this will certainly be "out of the ordinary" email style!

Thanks for your attention, I do not plan on clogging your inbox with activist or welfare messages, just this was such a big ethical and moral issue I felt forced to ask,

Yours sincerely

Steve Rose - Veterinarian Animal Doctors

Vaccine Protocols

2011-05-26T14:03:00.003+10:00

For reference here is Animal Doctors Vaccine Protocols as at 25th May 2011

DOGS

C3 companion= Yearly parvo, distemper, hepatitis

Nobivac DHP = 3 Year parvo, distemper, hepatitis

nobivac KC - Canine cough nasal vaccine

(c5 = parvo, distemper, hepatitis, canine cough x 2)

6 weeks old - C3 companion vaccine only

12 weeks old - C3 companion vaccine and Nobivac Nasal Vaccine (C5 in total)

15 months - C3 Companion and Nobivac KC (C5)

then yearly C5

6 weeks old - C3 Companion

10 weeks old - Nobivac DHP + Nobivac KC (C5)

15 months - Nobivac DHP + Nobivac KC (C5)

2 years old - Nobivac KC only!

3 years old - Nobivac KC only!

4 years old - Nobivac DHP and Nobivac KC (C5)

Unvaccinated dogs or lapsed over 12 weeks of age with this brand only need 1 to bring them up to date)

Cats

2 Live F3 vaccines 4 weeks apart is critical then every year for continued protection.

Do I really need to vaccinate my dog?

2011-05-23T08:06:00.007+10:00

Vaccines – Are they going to kill my dog?

Are they a waste of my valuable money?

With continued controversy surrounding vaccines and a decline in the number of vaccinated animals in Port Macquarie and throughout Australia, we wanted to bring forward some comments to make you consider and think about what is best for your dog.

First some background.

In Australia we routinely vaccinate against 5 main diseases.

1. Parvo virus - deadly viral diarrhoea

2. Distemper - virus

3. Viral Hepatitis - virus

4. Parainfluenza (similar to whooping cough in kids) - virus

5. Bordatella (similar to whooping cough in kids) - bacteria

Please understand that some of this information is simplified for mass consumption, and for most technical info, please contact Intervet Schering Plough.

Approximately ten years ago researchers in the USA found that the adjuvants, or "additives" in certain vaccines were causing cancers. BAD, very bad but rare, approx 1:10,000 patients. These were “killed” vaccines, and the adjuvants were needed to fool the body into thinking the vaccines were alive. This meant the animal mounted a response against the vaccine and thus the disease for future. This started a serious look at what is necessary and what is not necessary to be giving our pets.

The vaccines most implicated were Rabies (not in Australia) and Feline Leukaemia, as both were (killed) adjuvented.

We do not use adjuvented (killed) vaccines in dogs or cats at Animal Doctors. I have never seen a case of vaccine related cancer, nor have any of the 4 vets at Animal Doctors.

Since then researchers have also found that certain LIVE vaccines will in DOGS last longer than the annual limit, and interestingly in the last 2 or more years in Australia there is a PARVO/DISTEMPER/HEPATITIS vaccine that does, and has been SHOWN to last 3 years.

This proven vaccine is a DIFFERENT vaccine to the one being used in current annual regimes.

There was fierce debate in veterinary publications about the validity of vaccine trial data, but personally I do strongly believe that the Intervet DHP is a great effective protection.

The important thing to get across is this, the vaccines being used in Australia are incredibly safe. The 3 years DHP from Intervet and the yearly vaccines, are all incredibly safe. In 11 years of practice and many thousands I have vaccinated, I have never seen a cancer case related to vaccines and never seen a direct disease associated with a vaccine apart from the very infrequent injection site abscess/inflammation.

In comparison to this risk, the risk of Parvo is much greater. Vaccine side effects and deaths are STRICTLY monitored by the AVPMA (government body) by law. Continued...... over

People are basing their decisions not to vaccinate on 2 things

1. Perceived danger of over vaccination (see above paragraph about safety)

2. Belief that one vaccine when the dog was a puppy will be enough (immunity is complex, boosting is essential part of any protection).

Both are going to lead to 2 things

1. Decrease in "herd" or population immunity, leading to more outbreaks and higher risk to the individual

2. Increased individual risk to preventable diseases that have been quiet for years e.g. distemper

You only need to see one puppy or one dog die from Parvo to never want to see that again. It is a gut wrenching process.

Less vaccination is VALID, as long as it is with the RIGHT vaccine that is shown to last 3 years.(Canvac has not been shown to last 3 years, this is why BRAND is critical).

You have to weigh up the risk of vaccinations, the cost of such vaccines versus the real and deadly risk of the viruses themselves. From my point of view it is a clear choice, but as long as you ask - are the vaccines safe or not? At our practice, it is one of the safest prescription medications we give.

In closing there are a few questions for you to ask yourself.

1. Do I believe that vaccines are safe for my dog?

2. Do I believe that vaccines are effective at preventing the diseases they claim to?

3. Have I considered what the risk of exposure my dog has to these diseases (Parvo virus can live in the environment for 2 years after being defecated from an infected dog)

If you are coming to Animal Doctors, be aware we want to inform you about your choices, BUT we only use Intervet vaccines, as the TRIALS have been done to show how safe and EFFECTIVE they are. This is where if you are giving a "3 year" dog vaccine, BRAND IS CRITICAL, absolutely CRITICAL.

Vaccines are like an insurance policy, you will never know when your dog might need it.

The cost of a C3 parvo vaccine starts from $23.50 plus health check, we are here to help.

Regards

Dr Stephen Rose

Principal Veterinarian

Animal Doctors Port Macquarie

More information regarding vaccine protocols for puppies based on brand and type of vaccines can be found here – http://blog.animaldoctors.com.au/vaccine_protocols (note no www in that address)

Dry eye in dogs

2011-05-05T13:54:00.004+10:00

Dry Eye in Dogs

Dry Eye occurs in dogs when tear production in the eye is insufficient. Natural tears have many important functions including to lubricate and cleanse the eye. Without tears, the eye becomes very dry and uncomfortable or painful, and the eye is more at risk of damage and infections. Ultimately it can lead to blindness.
The cause of Dry Eye is usually destruction of the glands of the eye that produce tears by the dog’s own immune system. Damage to tear glands is irreversible, and without treatment eventually they are completely destroyed.

Important signs that may indicate your dog has Dry Eye include:

Red and inflamed eyes
Discharge from eyes
Dry or Cloudy eyes
Excessive blinking or rubbing at eyes
Frequent Eye Infections or Corneal Ulcers

Try This: Hold your own eye open for one minute without blinking. The dry, irritated sting you experience is what a dog with Dry Eye feels all day, every day, and blinking only increases their discomfort and pain.

Dry Eye is quite common. Studies have shown up to 1 in 22 dogs are affected. All breeds can suffer from the condition, but some are more prone. These breeds include Cavalier King Charles spaniels, West Highland White terriers, Shih Tzus, Cocker Spaniels, Pekingese, Yorkshire terriers, Pugs and Bulldogs.

Early diagnosis is essential to maintain a healthy eye. A quick and simple tear production test, called a Schirmer Tear Test (STT), will diagnose the condition. No sedation is required for the majority of dogs and the results are available immediately. Based on these results and the condition of your dog’s eye, Animal Doctors can tailor a treatment plan for your special friend.

It is so important to diagnose and treat Dry Eye in the early stages, Animal Doctors are offering, for a limited time, to test your dog’s tear production for free. Any veterinary consult in May will include a Complimentary Schirmer Tear Test and Tailored Treatment Plan for dogs found to be suffering from Dry Eye.

Eyes are irreplaceable. Make sure your loved one is not at risk.

Please contact us at Animal Doctors for further information.

Rat Bait - deadly for pets too (not just rodents)

2011-04-21T13:31:00.003+10:00

Also as we predicted we have seen some cases of rat bait (rodenticide) poisoning. We expected this as the colder months start, rodents start to head in doors and are more noticable in barns, houses, sheds. The usual reaction to these pests is to use bait. Unfortunately these baits are also toxic to dogs and cats. Many dogs find the baits irresistable. Even when baits are well hidden, they can be moved out into the open by the rodents, waiting for the next hungry dog! Old baits are also dangerous for years.

Symptoms of poisoning are not usually evident for 3 days, when bleeding continues until death. Bleeding can occur anywhere inside their bodies, most animals present to us pale and weak.

Treatment at this stage is still possible but is difficult, and may include bloods transfusions (our resident donor, Toby Rose, has saved quite a few patients).

If you know your dog/cat has eaten a bait, call us to discuss the options available. Early intervention is KEY, and makes a SIGNIFICANT difference. Giving the antidote before signs of bleeding drastically improves the risk.

Please be careful using baits, and if worst should happen and they get access to a bait, call us.

kind regards

Steve and the Animal Doctors Team

Vitamin C to treat snake bite?

2011-03-08T11:39:00.000+11:00

Below was an email question from a good client this morning....

Many bushmen when far from veterinary help carry a small

kit consisting of .. 50 ml injectable quality ascorbic acid,

a disposal syringe and a couple of 18g needles///

if your dog is bitten they inject 20 ml under the loose skin

at the back of the neck , repeat in 1 hour . Is this a good

1st Aid treatment or just and old bushman's tale /

Ascorbic acid is commonly known as vitamin C. It acts as an anti oxidant and free radical absorbing compound within the body (amongst other things).

I too have heard similar comments about snake bite whilst treating many cases in "the bush" (dairy farming was great for also farming brown and tiger snakes through irrigation channels).

In 2001 there was also some debate from memory in the Australian veterinary community about whether vitamin C would in fact be a good treatment, as;

1. There were reports it worked

2. It was cheap (especially compare to anti-venom

3. It has very little side effect

Most of the reports were by vets giving the vitamin C intravenously, it under the skin or subcutaneously.

Initially reports were incredibly encouraging, except that when they were scrutinised the reports were pretty dodgy. Nothing further than hearsay and conjecture. From my knowledge, I don't believe the theory went any further, and further supportive evidence has never come forward.

In my opinion it would help with some aspect of snake envenomation, such as the toxic changes to blood cells (haemolysis), but it doesn't help with the nervous tissue effects or other organ failures.

I have treated scores of snake bites, - brown snake, tiger and red belly blacks. By far without any hesitation, treatment with anti-venom is the most successful, if treated early. But it comes at considerable cost. And importantly, not guaranteed. Brown snakes are most deadly followed by tiger then black.

But to the question - would I just give my dog vitamin C when treating snake bite. No. Clearly no.

But would I give my dog vitamin C if I were not able to access snake anti-venom and had nothing else to lose? Good question.

So directly my comment would be....... bushmans tale.

Consistency - the key to #winning training with your animal

2011-03-07T17:03:00.001+11:00

This may sound like an absolute given thing, and rather simple, but it is surprising how many people fail at it when trying to train or retrain their animal.

Consistency

Being consistent allows the animal to predict what you want, and reduces confusion as to what is expected of them. Knowing this then means you get a better, more accurate and repeatable outcome to the same command.

This also means keeping commands, hand signals, timing, etc consistent across all members of the family. No point everyone trying to limit begging at the dinner table only to have dad sneaking food off to the dog - are you listening dads? This even means not treating during special meal times such as Christmas.

Sure I am no hardcore trainer, and my pets are not perfect; they sometimes annoy me with their poor behaviour (I probably annoy them with some of my behaviour too!), but consistency is a grand and appropriate goal to set. I would even be bold enough to say that the more consistent you and your family is, the more consistent your pet's behaviour is also.

As much as I would love to think that my dog is the smartest animal in the world and understands every sentence I mutter, he just doesn't, and neither does yours. You need to keep things simple, repetitive and understandable.

Consistency also means setting and sticking to boundaries you set. Boundaries are there to be tested, make sure you are comfortable with the ones you set, and STICK TO IT!

Many of the behaviour problems we see at this hospital are helped considerably with some simple advice, we often find that talking to clients about straight forward things such as being consistent, boundary setting, dominance retraining can make all the difference, yet in the end seemed incredibly simple and obvious.

If you are after a good training tool, tip for the day - investigate clicker training.....

(and what point does the koala have on this blog, none really, just a nice photo out my back window)

Good luck
Steve

You own his heart...take care of it

2011-02-02T15:57:00.004+11:00

You Own His Heart……………..Take Care of It.
Heart disease is not uncommon in pets, especially aged dogs and cats. It presents in many forms, and ranges from mild signs to life-threatening disease. Heart disease may be due to congenital (present at birth) abnormalities, or changes to the heart muscle and surrounding vessels as a result of multiple contributing factors including age, breed, infection, diet, obesity and more.

Despite every effort at maintaining a healthy best friend with correct diet, sufficient exercise and regular check ups, unfortunately heart disease still sometimes occurs. Developing signs that may suggest heart disease include

A cough
Breathing difficulties
Getting tired more easily after walks, or not as keen to exercise
Falling over or fainting
A swollen abdomen (belly)

Regular Pet Checks is the best way to diagnose a heart problem early, before these signs become severe.

One heart condition that we can prevent is Heartworm.

Heartworm is a parasitic disease that affects dogs and, less commonly, other species such as cats. It is spread by mosquitos that pass immature Heartworm larvae into the dog’s blood. Adult heartworms live in the major vessels of the heart restricting blood flow and increasing stress on the heart. Other organs may also be affected by Heartworm infestation. Ultimately, Heartworm Disease can be fatal.

Luckily prevention is available, in a convenient once-a-year injection that can tie in with your pet’s annual PetCheck and C5 vaccination. Alternatively, more frequent tablets or a spot-on treatment is available if this suits your lifestyle. If your dog has not previously been treated for Heartworm, a blood test to ensure they are not carrying the parasite is needed before the start of preventative therapy.

Heartworm is different to Intestinal Worms that infest your pet’s gastrointestinal system. While monthly tablets may cover both Heartworm and Intestinal worms, pets receiving the yearly Heartworm vaccine still need to receive intestinal worm tablets every 3 months. An easy way to remember these is to give them at the change of each season.

If you have any questions regarding the health of your dog’s heart, (or any other part!) please contact your friends at Animal Doctors.

WIN AN IPHONE 4! Or a Nintendo DS with the game Nintendogs!

Until February 27th 2011, simply visit http://www.pawclub.com.au/promotions/loveyourdog
and complete a short online survey to go in the draw to WIN.

Chemotherapy case update - going well - last update for a while

2011-02-02T14:47:00.003+11:00

Chemotherapy update - last one for a while

Good news on the chemotherapy front.

We have had some good news about Billy. His specialised test sent to the USA has come back as a type of cancer that responds better than average to this specific chemotherapy regime. It is a great boost for everyone.

He had a pretty rough week 2, but gladly is significantly better now (mum said he was 11 out of 10). The Oncologists call it week 2 syndrome. It appears that the animals that respond better are more likely to feel unwell in week 2 or 3. Although this si far from our aim (to make them feel unwell) it also means his remission is likely to be more successful and makes it just a little easier to accept his feeling this way for a brief time.

Happily there is no sign of the lymphoma at this point, and he has been acting very normally. He will have a cycle of 3 weekly chemotherapy medications, which also are less and less likely to make him feel unwell. Plus the cancer itself whilst in remission won't be making him feel unwell.

As this is such an aggressive cancer, sadly without chemo Billy would in all odds already have passed away (sorry for the reality check here).

I won't clog this blog with chemo stuff, I will post only significant changes or interesting facts. Our aim is to continue with Billy as in remission for a 6 month chemo cycle, with the ultimate aim of CURE (slim chance but it is a possibility with type b cell lymphoma)

Cheers

Steve

How to calculate your pets Calorie requirements

2011-02-02T14:06:00.007+11:00

How to calculate you Pets Calorie requirements, then go on to work out how much to feed them!

This guide is done by Dr Steve Rose. This is a guide for most pets, but certain life stages and disease processes do radically change the energy requirements (more later)

Step by step

1. Weight your pet reasonably accurately (come into Animal Doctors or if they are small enough, pick them up and weigh the difference on your bathroom scales with and without them)

2. Grab a calculator

( If your pet is overweight you need to calculate differently, see next post for that!)

3. Raise the weight to the power of 0.75

ie 20 kilograms to the power of 0.75 = 9.45

4. Multiply this figure by a factor depending on their life stage. Normal healthy animals that are active and exercise normally should be 120.

Ok just had a comment, huh, power of? what are we still at school? Ok if you don't have a calculator that does this strange... "power of" try GOOGLE. Search 20 to the power of 0.75!!

e.g 20kg dog - 9.45 x 120 = 1134 kilocalories over 24 hours. (Kcal)

5. Note this is Kcal (many refer to as calories), NOT joules or kilojoules.

Next step - how much to feed my animal?

Well really then I would ask - what are you typically feeding them?

Dry dog/cat food = on average 1 cup (metric cooking cup - not a large beer mug) is 360-420 Kcal per cup

Lean mince meat - 100g = 165Kcal per 100g

So a 20kg dog ROUGHLY should be utilising 1134/380 (average dry food) = 2.98 cups PER 24 HOURS

Fudge factors - Are they walked? Are they desexed? Are they sick? Are they recovering from an illness? Are they hyperactive?

There are MANY calorie counting websites for people on the web, certainly if you feed any sort of human foods or raw ingredients, search them out, and you can easily calculate how much meat, veges, rice, pasta etc they should be getting.

If on the other hand you feed predominately dry food (which we recommend), give the company a ring and ask what the calorie concentration is of their food (premium brands even have it written on the packet).

As a promo for premium foods- they are far more accurate in calculating how the animals body actually metabolises (uses) the calories, and thus it is easier to know how their body will respond to food changes.

FOR WEIGHT LOSS

Important differences

1. Calculate GOAL WEIGHT, usually in increments of 10-15% less than current weight.

2. Raise IDEAL or GOAL weight to power of 0.75 (same as before) but then multiply by only 70 (not 120)

Tips for weight loss

1. Feed in 3 separate meals to increase wight consumption of digesting multiple times!

2. Feed lower calorie specific diets such as Hills r/d to help "fill them up" (and other benefits)

3. Aim for about 1-2% weight loss per week. (no more)

Hope this helps! We get a lot of questions "how much do I feed my dog?"

Cheers

Dr Steve Rose

Chemotherapy week 2

2011-01-20T12:06:00.001+11:00

Week 2

Well, it has been a long week for Billy *(not his real name). We did have some nausea and diarrhoea, not surprising but also not desirable. On the positive side, it also shows the drugs being active in his body. He is showing no signs of his cancer, it has responded nicely so far to the treatment.

Unfortunately we had to delay his chemo this week, as his white cell count (blood) was a bit low, meaning he was more likely to gain an infection. His mum is holding up well, as is Billy. They are enjoying all the time they have together.

Our aim is to give him the best quality of life for as long as possible. Our goal is also not for him to be or feel sick, either from the treatment or the cancer. This is one of the few cancers that in some cases do respond and can be cured. Although the odds are against us, we remain positive and supportive.

I think the reality of the challenge and with some diarrhoea and nausea, have hit home for his family. They remain strong, and we are there to give them strong support. We feel they are one branch of our family tree.

Next week we are looking at a simpler dose, which hopefully won't cause any issues at all.

We are thinking of you all the time guys.

Chemotherapy - Treating Lymphoma in a patient for a positive outcome

2011-01-12T13:12:00.001+11:00

Day 1 Chemotherapy for a patient – a diary

I thought I would write a bit of a diary for one of our very special patients having chemotherapy. (hope to post weekly)

We have diagnosed “Billy” with Lymphoma last week. He is having some further tests done in the USA over the next few weeks to try and “type” the cancer for us to further target this disease.

With the expert help of the VOC – Veterinary Oncology Specialists, we have set up a protocol for chemo with only a 10% chance of sickness that would require hospitalisation, with maximum chance of medium term remission and with a chance of cure (10-15%).

We have had incredible support from one of our Lab specialists at Symbion Pathology (Bruce Duff, David Taylor, Doug Haywood) (http://www.vetnostics.com.au), and also Tony Moore at VOC (http//:www.vetoncologyconsults.com) who has been clear, prompt and just knows the answers to the difficult questions we ask.

It is a worrying time for his family, they are distraught, and also want to give him the best chance possible.

He had 2 medications this morning and is home already.

We will see him each week for his chemo, and on the mean time he is on other supportive medications.

Modern technology and science will allow us to give him the best chance. We will post updates for his progress, with what we hope is going to be continued good news.

Dr Steve Rose

Animal Doctors Blog, Vets Port Macquarie

What if my pet's vaccine lasts longer than proven to?

Happy Valentines day, we heart your Family (4 tmrw)

We Heart <3 your Family

Heartworm Disease

Heart Failure in dogs and cats

A year in review and a year looking forward from Animal Doctors

Merry Christmas

Animal Doctors Year in Review

2012 - an exciting year ahead

We Love our Technology - wanna connect?

Haven't seen us online? Loads of choice depending on your flavour

What shampoo should I use on my dog?

Happy Hoooowloween from Animal Doctors,

In this post

Cat health check - are you proactive or reactive?

News from inside the hospital

Genetic testing for you family

Ticks, Ticks and more Ticks

News Limited does a number on general practice vets

Topic: Health Checking your Dog

FOPS - Dr Jo saves the day - what a challenging case this turned out to be

Anti-inflammatories - should you be afraid of them?

Charter of Patient and Owners Rights and Responsibilities

Technology at our finger tips

Hendra virus, what hope have we got?

Pets get arthritis too!

Live export Ban, please join the petition

Live export ban, please help make it real.

Vaccine Protocols

Do I really need to vaccinate my dog?

Dry eye in dogs

Rat Bait - deadly for pets too (not just rodents)

Vitamin C to treat snake bite?

Consistency - the key to #winning training with your animal

You own his heart...take care of it

Chemotherapy case update - going well - last update for a while

How to calculate your pets Calorie requirements

Chemotherapy week 2

Chemotherapy - Treating Lymphoma in a patient for a positive outcome