| Having trouble reading this newsletter? Click here to see it in your browser. | ||||||
PO Box 88 |
e-News |
|||||
 |
Welcome to the latest issue of BVS e-News. In this Issue Pass it on Click here to forward this email to up to 5 friends at once. |
|
|
|
Surgery Hours for Christmas and the New Year 
Please note changes to our usual surgery hours over the Christmas/New Year period :
For all emergencies over this period please call the clinic on 6238 1133 and you will be given the contact phone number for the duty veterinarian. Alternatively if our vet is caught up on another call, and you have a small animal emergency, the Animal Emergency Centre (Torrens St , Braddon) will be open 24 hours for all the public holidays. They can be contacted by phoning 6247 0044. We wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas and New year and hope that 2009 brings health and happiness to you and your pets. 10 Tips for Avoiding a Vet Bill this Spring!!! 
1. Correctly tether your dog onto a truck or ute. Recently we have seen quite a few patients who have fallen off stationary or mobile vehicles and some of the injuries which resulted from these falls were horrific. It is illegal to have an un-tethered dog on your ute so by tying them up you may also avoid an expensive fine! Ensure also that the chain is short enough that the dog cannot reach the sides of the vehicle and slip over. 2. Desex your pet. Cats and dogs are quite good at the whole birthing process and generally things go smoothly without intervention, but when things go wrong they can go very wrong! Emergency caesarian sections are not only very expensive but are also hard on "mum" post operatively. It is alot better for your pets' wellbeing to have them desexed, reducing risks of many health problems later in life and also reducing the number of unwanted litters. 3. Keep horses out of sheep and cattle food. As a recent case brought to light, cattle, sheep and poultry feed can pose dangers to horses. Two significant toxins for horses can occur in these products. Firstly a common additive to these feeds is “rumensin” or “monensin”, which causes severe damage to the heart muscles in horses. Sudden death or permanent performance impairment are possible. The other possible toxin is urea, which horses have some tolerance for, however, large doses can cause nervous and immune system reactions. Luckily for our patient, Flash, he ate only a tiny quantity of sheep pellets – enough to cause a high fever and some anaemia, but he was on the mend within a fortnight. 4. Keep pets away from snakes. Easier said than done! You can 'snake proof' your yard with mesh fencing available from hardware shops, keep grass mowed and shrubs trimmed off the ground but you still may have the occasional reptilian visitor. You may try keeping your pets locked up in a secure and safe place while you're not at home as well. The cost for treating a pet bitten by a snake is extremely expensive due to the high cost of the anti-venom and the intensive care often required. 5. Use tick prevention before going to the coast. Once again tick anti-serum is very expensive so it much cheaper to use a paralysis tick prevention before leaving for the coast. We recommend Frontline Plus, but no matter which prevention you use on your pets you must search them daily, paying particular attention to between the pads, under the tail around the anus, under the collar, in and around ears and eyes ie all the warm moist spots. Also, it is a good idea to check all your belongings (and your pets') when you return from holidays as ticks have been known to jump off tents etc and onto dogs even 3 weeks after the coast trip! 6. Keep the fur on the feet and around the inside of the ears short to avoid grass seeds. Grass seeds tracking under the skin between the pads of the feet and also down ear canals are two of the most common problems we see during the warmer months. Finding seeds that have worked their way under the skin or into the ear usually requires a heavy sedation or general anaesthetic, antibiotics or drops. It is certainly a cheaper option to clip the fur around the feet and ears to help prevent grass seed problems. 7. Know what foods are toxic to your dogs and cats. Christmas can be a time of excess for everyone, including the family dog and cat who can end up with access to foods and toys that they'd be better off without. No-one could deny the four legged members of the family a few extra treats at the festive time of the year but for their sake avoid:
8. Microchip your dog or cat. The inexpensive cost of microchipping your pet can save you hundreds of dollars if they became lost. The Pound or RSPCA charge a daily rate for boarding the lost animal and also would microchip the pet anyway before releasing them back to their owner as it is compulsory to have a microchip implanted in your cat or dog now anyway. On that note, if your pet is already microchipped but has changed owners or you have changed address/phone numbers, please change these details with the NSW Companion Animal Register and Australian Animal Registry. There is nothing sader for us than to have to send a dog that has a microchip to the pound because the owner is uncontactable due to old information. 9. Keep vaccinations up to date. The diseases a yearly vaccination helps to prevent can be potentially fatal - and expensive to treat if they are contracted by your pets. At the time of appointment, the vet would also check your pet's general health and advise if changes could be made in diet etc.. which may in turn save you in the long run! 10. Care when using Ratsack, Snailbait and 1080. This is all very nasty stuff. Some manufacturers claim that their product is safe to use around pets but we haven't found that to be the case at all. Keep all of these products up high and well away from all your animals. If you believe your pet has eaten any poison call the surgery immediately. A cat was running wildly down alleys, up fire escapes, down cellars and what-not. A neighbour knew whose cat it was and reported it. "Your cat is running around town like mad!" "I know", answered the owner, "he's just been sterilized and he is cancelling engagements." 
Firstly, our very exciting news is that Perin and her husband are expecting twins, due in March/April! She has started to 'blossom' already, and we are not quite sure if it's because there are two on board or because of her extremely healthy appetite (1st brekkie, 2nd brekkie, morning tea, 1st lunch, 2nd lunch and afternoon tea on an average day!) We wish them all the very best of luck for their impending litter arrival. Jack has returned without malaria and a few kilos lighter after successfully negotiating the Kokoda Trail in August. He enjoyed the trek very much and was happy that he put in so much training before hand as it was quite a physical challenge. Janine has successfully completed a correspondence course in "Venoms and Toxins" through Vet Education. This was a four week course that involved live on line lectures and discussions and assignments to be completed each week. Janine enjoyed the interactions with the lecturer and other participants. It was a particularly relevant course for us here as we see so many snakebite cases each year. Also we would like to wish Jack and Rosemary's daughter Annabel all the best of luck for the up coming Pacific School Games in December, held in Canberra this year. Annie qualified for the NSW Team in the 100m, 200m and 800m, showing her versatility - a sprinter and a stayer! Neonatal foals and the Importance of Colostrum 
By Jaimee Wheelhouse. As we are well into the foaling season we would like to make new parents aware of some of the problems associated with neonatal foals. One of the most common disturbances is Failure of Passive Transfer or FPT. FPT is the lack of immunoglobulin transfer from the mare to the foal via colostrum. Colostrum is the milk produced by the mare in the last few weeks of pregnancy and released to the foal within the first 12 hours of life, and it contains vital antibodies called immunoglobulins. Immunoglobulin is a vital part of the foal's immune protection wihin the first few weeks of life until his or her own immune system becomes fully functional. The failure to receive colostrum can lead to very serious illness including septicemia, which can be fatal. FPT can occur due to a number of reasons which include early lactation of the mare (even a few hours before parturition can affect the foals' colostrum intake), inability of the foal to suckle, loss of the mare, foal inability to absorb colostrum or that the colostrum may be lacking in immunoglobulins. Immunoglobulin G (or IgG) is one immunoglobulin that is very abundant in colostrum. The levels of IgG in the blood can be measured to indicate if the foal has received enough maternal antibodies. To perform an IgG test blood needs to be taken from the foal after the first 24 hours of life. This means that if you suspect the foal is not right you need to notify the clinic as soon as possible. The vet will take a blood sample from the foal and the test can be run virtually straight away. If the foal has an insufficient level of IgG present a plasma transfusion may be required. Of course FPT may be secondary to other problems with the mare and/or the foal so it is always advisable to monitor the mare during foaling and also to watch the foal closely for the first few hours of life. Once the foal has been delivered the mare may remain lying down for up to 20 minutes. It is important not to disturb the mare at this point as the foal will still be attached to the umbilicus and will be receiving valuable blood from the mare. However it is important to ensure that the foal's nose is clear of membrane and that it is sitting up in sternal recumbency and has lifted it's head. Events to take note of: * First 20 minutes - mare should get up and the foal will attempt to stand. * First hour - the foal should be able to stand. * Within 4 hours - the placenta should have been expelled and the foal should be drinking. * Within 12 hours - the foal should produce urine and meconium (faeces). Call the vet if: * The mare has run alot of milk before foaling. * If there are any abnormalities with the foal, including if he/she doesn't reach the expected 'milestones' * There are any abnormalities with the foal or * The mare has not expelled the placenta within 6 hours of foaling. If you have concerns with your mare or foal call the surgery. For emergencies outside of business hours the vet on call can also be reached by phoning the clinic number, 6238 1133. 
Almost all Australians have got the ‘Slip, Slop, Slap’ message these days – but often we don’t realise that our pets are also at increased risk of skin cancers resulting from sun exposure. Just as in people, sun exposure increases the risk of skin cancer through damage to the cells DNA by exposure to the ultraviolet (UV) components of sunlight. Just as in people, often the worst of the damage happens to cells years before any true skin cancers develop. The most common types of sun induced cancers in pets are squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), basal cell tumours and melanomas. Most of the time we assume that our pets are protected by their fur coats but in some animals this is not the case. Areas where there is sparse hair or the coat and skin colour is light or absent are at especially high risk of sun damage. These regions occur most commonly on the nose, around the eyes, on the ears and sometimes on the belly (more often in dogs). Dogs and cats with white fur are at especially high risk of developing skin cancers. One study has found that white cats are 13 times more likely to develop skin cancer than non-white cats! Dog breeds which commonly have white fur and therefore are at higher risk include Dalmatians, Bull terriers, Boxers and several types of small terriers (Fox, Jack Russell, etc). Prevention is a much better approach than cure with skin cancers. It should start when you first get a new pet. If the pet has light coloured fur, then look closely in these light areas and determine if the skin underneath is pink or white, if the answer is yes then these pets are at an increased risk of getting skin cancers. You need to set in place management strategies which will reduce their sun exposure throughout their whole life. Reducing sun exposure may mean any of the following: Most skin cancers develop slowly and they rarely metastasise – meaning spread to far away regions in the body. Thus treating them early by removing or killing the cancerous cells can be curative. The most common type of treatments for skin cancers are surgery, freezing or radiation therapy. While these procedures often have good outcomes in early stages of disease, they may be disfiguring, so prevention remains the much preferred option! Potential Poisons for your Pet - Part 3 
Chocolate Poisoning It's Christmas morning and some time after everyone has finished opening their presents you notice that there is very little left of that box of delicious Belgian chocolates that your aunt sent you, other than a few wrappers and a torn box. Your dog is sitting quielty on the verandah licking his lips and paws with a slightly guilty expression on his face. The smears of chocolate all over the floor are spread far and wide but do seem to head suspiciously in the direction of the guilty party. Should you be worried about what this will do to your dog or just be cross that you missed out on enjoying the chocolates yourself? Chocolate ingestion in dogs can indeed cause severe illness but it is dependent on the type and amount of chocolate eaten, as well as the size of the dog. The toxic ingredients in chocolate are methylxanthine alkaloids (primarily theobromine and caffeine). These naturally occurring drugs cause constricted blood vessels, rapid and weak heartbeat, diuresis (excessive urination) and stimulate the nervous system. Dogs are the most susceptible to the effects of chocolate poisoning, primarily because they can hoover down a block of chocolate very quickly, but the toxin has been known to affect or kill cats, birds, rodents and even reptiles. Cocoa powder and cooking chocolate are tha most toxic forms, followed by dark and semi-sweet chocolate with milk chocolate being the least dangerous. Toxicity is directly related to the different amounts of theobromine in these different forms of chocolate and the smaller the dog, the less needs to be eaten for effects to be seen. A 10kg dog can be seriously affected if it eats a quarter of a 250g pack of cocoa powder or half a 250g block of cooking chocolate. More than a full 250g block of milk chocolate would have to be eaten for toxicity to occur except in very small dogs. Signs of poisoning Vomiting and diarrhoea can occur within a few hours of eating. The nervous system stimulation can lead to hyperactivity, tremors and even seizures. The heart rate can become very rapid and irregular and the animal may urinate excessively because of the diuretic action of the chocolate. Exercise can exacerbate the signs and in severe cases heart failure, weakness, coma and death can occur 12 -36 hours after intake. Diagnosis and treatment There is no specific test to diagnose chocolate poisoning other than a history of ingestion and the clinical signs seen, and there is no specific antidote to aid treatment. This means early recognition of ingestion is very important. If you suspect your dog has eaten a large amount of chocolate contact your vet immediately . Inducing vomiting within 2-4 hours of ingestion and use of activated charcoal can reduce the amount of toxin that will be absorbed. If seizures have started the vet may need to use medications to control these and also to correct any cardiac abnormailties present. Prognosis for recovery would be guarded in dogs that already show advanced signs but quite good if the chocolate is removed from the digestive system early enough. 
By Janine Robinson. "Rosie" is a 12 year old Warmblood mare belonging to Ina Knospe. Rosie has had melanomas since she was 4 years old. Melanomas are (in grey horses) mostly benign tumours commonly found in the skin, however in Rosie's case they grew all around her body, under her tail and around her anus in particular. She had surgery to remove the bulk of these after conservative treatment with medication couldn't reduce the tumours enough and they were in danger of blocking her anus. She will require further surgery down the track to remove the remainder from under her tail and also from around her head and lips. Rosie is a dressage horse who is campaigned by her owner/rider Ina in local competitions and does very well! We wish them all the best for a long and happy career in the competition scene.
Foal Watch Test Kits Waiting for a mare to foal can be a stressful time. Everyone wants to be present for the birth in case help is needed, but this can be difficult to plan as there can be quite a variation in gestation times for mares. Knowing that birth is going to occur within 24-48 hours can allow you to have extra help on hand if needed, or even to notify the vet in advance that they may be required, especially if it's a mare that has had problems in the past. Foal Watch Kits have been around for some years so technically they aren't a new product but not everyone is aware of their existence. These tests are used to measure the concentration of calcium in the mare's colostrum. The calcium levels rise sharply in the days before birth. Ideally you start to test the milk 10-14 days before the expected due date (working from the date of service) or if you dont know the date of service start when the udder starts to enlarge. Testing is initially done once daily but as levels start to rise it is increased to twice daily. Once the calcium exceeds a certain level then birth is likely to be imminent (within 24 hours). For more details on these kits contact us at the surgery. We can give you details of on-line suppliers or order the kit in for you if you would prefer. |
|
|
|