WINTER 2015

Hall Veterinary Surgery 33 Victoria Street HALL ACT 2618. Phone 6230 2223 Consultation hours: Mon-Fri: 8.30am-6pm Sat: 8.30am-2.30pm.

Hall Veterinary SurgeryHall Veterinary SurgeryA PASSION FOR PETS AND PEOPLE

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KIRABATI HELP – P4

PAIN RELIEF – P3

RSPCA WALK – P4

WILDLIFE CARE – P3

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What’s in your pet’s treats?With so many different types of pet treats on the market, it is sometimes difficult to know which treats are best. The Australian pet food industry is largely unregulated, often leading to confusion and concern over the origins of pet food and treats.Of particular concern are animal treats sourced from Asian countries such as China. In recent years, veterinarians throughout Australia and other parts of the world such as the United States have noted an increase in a disease known as Fanconi Syndrome associated with the feeding of treats from Asia and other parts of the world.

Fanconi syndrome affects a part of the kidneys called tubules, which are responsible for reabsorbing vitamins, minerals, sugars and other solutes back into the body. In dogs with Fanconi syndrome, the tubules are unable to reabsorb these solutes and they are excreted in the urine. This can lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances and can be fatal in extreme cases. Despite the apparent link between the disease and the consumption of treats manufactured in places such as Asia, a specific toxin has not yet been found.

caution: harmful pet treats

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www.hallvet.com.au

Disease prevention with vaccines and wormers is well accepted for puppies and kittens, however early prevention of behavioural problems can be just as important. Up to 20% of our pets suffer from anxiety and without correct management, it tends to get worse with time. As part of caring about our pet’s wellbeing, we need to intervene early and make sure we take the right advice to help our pets enjoy a calm and happy life.Behaviour is influenced by genetics, the pet’s current environment and what they have learned from past experience. We can get some idea of the genetic influences by meeting our new puppy or kitten when they are with their parents. This

PuPPY & KittEn BEHaViouR aDVicE

gives you a chance to assess the parent’s behaviour and get a feel for how timid or confident the puppy or kitten is. More timid individuals are more at risk of developing anxiety related behavioural problems later on.

The benefits of early socialisationPositive experiences start with early socialisation. This is a sensitive period during early development that has a huge impact on development. For pups, this is the 3-12 week period and for kittens, it finishes earlier, around 7-9 weeks. These young pets need many non-overwhelming introductions to people, pets, kids, cars and places so that they have positive experiences of their world. Kittens need to be gently handled several times a day and have gradual introductions to other cats. Puppies need to have contact with well socialized dogs to learn normal social signals and boundaries. Puppy Parties and Kitten Kindies follow careful guidelines to ensure positive experiences and avoid aversive interactions.

Positive resultsLearning through positive reinforcement is scientifically proven as the most effective training method. Animals will repeat behaviours that are followed by a positive reward. That is to say, they are programmed to do what works for them. The positive reward can be a treats or toy that induces a positive emotion. This makes learning lots of fun! The general principles of training your pet are to ignore behaviours you don’t want and redirect them to perform an alternative behaviour that you do want and reward that. Make training into a game and end on a good note. This builds the bond that you share with you pet and your pet feels secure because they know what to expect from you.

Outdated methodsAvoid outdated methods based on the flawed dominance myth. These methods are not based on science and cause suffering through punishment of undesirable behaviour rather than rewarding desired behaviour. Distrust builds as the animal learns to fear the owner and they are at increased risk of developing anxious behaviours and aggression.

Environmental enrichmentSet the environment up for your puppy or kitten to win. There’s more to this than food, water, toilet and bedding. Kittens need a scratching pole or tree, social interactions and play, hidey holes and high perches. Also encourage calm time and keep a regular routine. We need to respect that cats sharing a home do not always bond to each other. Allow them their own core areas with separate food, litter trays, perches and scratching poles so that they can avoid each other if they want to.

Avoid rough-house play with petsPlay for puppies and kittens should be directed to objects, rather than fingers right from the start. Rotate toys to keep them novel. Smear chew toys with something yummy to swap into your puppy’s mouth instead of fingers. Provide an environment with social enrichment as well as physical exercise and mental stimulation. Activity feeding with slow release food toys engage the desire to work for their food. Massage can encourage calm and a clear routine helps them know what to expect. Crate or mat training fosters security by creating a safe place.

Learn to interpret body languageGive pets the right to say ‘No’. Learn the body language that tells us when your pet is not comfortable and let them avoid that situation. Forcing a cuddle on a pet who wants to get away increases anxiety and could end in tears. If they look away, lift a lip or try to move away, they are not agreeing to that interaction. If they can choose to move away when they want to, they are more likely to come for a cuddle in the future.

Pheromone supportFeliway and Adaptil are synthetic versions of pheromones for cats and dogs respectively that can have a calming influence when settling in your new pet.Anxiety is common and treatableBehaviour problems are the most common reason for euthanasia in animal shelters. Anxiety is the most common cause and we help prevent anxiety by careful selection of breeding animals, positive socialisation and training methods and early detection and treatment of anxious behaviours.

Professional adviceIf your puppy is timid or reactive, not adapting to you; your home and family; unable to sleep away from you; worried about noises and storms or doing any annoying behaviours, it is better to discuss these early with the vet. We need to determine why the pet is behaving that way rather than just trying to make it stop.

Caring for your pet’s emotional state is an important part of nurturing optimal health and wellbeing.

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DEntaL PRogRam: Our goal is for every animal to have a pain free mouth and be free of dental disease their whole life. To support this goal we have implemented a dental program which will include a six monthly free dental check and discounted early cleaning. Speak with our reception staff for details of this new service.

winter news @ HVS

Have you seen a dead wombat or kangaroo on the roadside with a cross painted on it?

This does not indicate the animal is deceased, it is a mark to indicate that the deceased animal’s pouch has been checked for an infant. So if you find yourself in the predicament of coming into contact with dead or injured wildlife, firstly take steps to keep yourself safe. Then carefully inspect the victim, an injured animal may lash out in fear and pain. If there are no signs of life, check for a pouch and an infant. If you find a ‘baby on board’ and you are concerned about removing it from the pouch, the wildlife carers suggest leaving the infant in the pouch and take the mother and infant to a vet.

One of the wombats pictured below is called ‘Bear’. His mother was hit by a car, fortunately the people involved in the accident stopped and checked

the mother. She was deceased so they checked her pouch and found little Bear. They phoned wildlife carer Sue who travelled to Healesville in the middle of the night to collect and then care for Bear.

Imagine if little Bear had been left on the road. So now you know what the ‘X’ means on the body of roadside wildlife.

Thank you to the carers for their life-saving work.

Wildlife rescue phone numbers ACT Wildlife: 0432 300 033Wildcare: 6299 1966Native Animal Rescue Group (NARG): 4846 1900

X MEANS WHAT ? ARTHRITIS INJECTIONSArthritis is a painful inflammatory condition of the joints and Canberra’s colder months makes winter a difficult season for pets with arthritic conditions to endure without assistance. Arthritis is characterised by loss of cartilage, damage to the underlying bone, inflammation of the joint surface, formation of bone spurs and significant changes to the joint fluid. It leads to painful swollen joints.

Fortunately there are a range of medications that can support the arthritic pet giving them a better quality of life with far less pain.

Many pet owners who have their pets on the arthritis injections (Zydax) report their pet suddenly finds its zest for life again and they hadn’t realised how restricted the pet had become. Discuss with your vet which treatment is most suitable for your pet and our consulting nurses can help with supportive information regarding nutrition and housing.

REGISTRATION REMINDERSDog registration is compulsory in the ACT and dogs must always wear their registration tag or a dog tag that displays their registration number. Cats are not required to be registered.

MICROCHIPPING LAWAll dogs in the ACT must be microchipped. Microchipping is not an alternative to registration and both are compulsory. All cats in the ACT must be microchipped.

GREYHOUNDS IN THE ACTGreyhounds must be muzzled in public places unless the greyhound and its carer have completed a course in behav-iour or socialisation training approved by the Registrar of Domestic Animal Ser-vices. (Greendogs performed by RSPCA behavioural trainers). When walking greyhounds in a public place they must be on leash and the walker must NOT be in control of four or more greyhounds.

What should you look out for? Symptoms of Fanconi syndrome are non-specific and may include lethargy, vomiting, increased water consumption, increased urination, diarrhoea, decreased appetite and weight loss. Some dogs may experience seizures.What treats should you avoid? Products often implicated in the disease include treats of pig origin such as pig ears and poultry products such as chicken jerky. The problem is not confined to these products or products from Asian countries however.

What can you feed?Gold standard would be to use the pet’s complete and balanced food as ‘treats’. Supported by cooked red or white meat and no cooked bones.

If however, you want to add pet-specific treats like the ones you can purchase in supermarkets and pet stores, in order to avoid the potential risk, it is recommended that treats manufactured overseas are avoided. Alternatives include treats manufactured in Australia. Properly prepared home-made treats can also be a good alternative. Reducing the amount of treats fed may also help to reduce the risk.If you suspect your dog is unwell after consuming treats of unknown origin, prompt veterinary care is recommended.

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PAIN RELIEF

winter news @ HVS

Hall Veterinary Surgery 33 Victoria Street HALL ACT 2618. Phone 6230 2223 Consultation hours: Mon-Fri: 8.30am-6pm Sat: 8.30am-2.30pm.

Dr Helen volunteering in KirabatiDuring June Dr Helen volunteered her time and skills to the Republic of Kiribati, an island of 33 atolls in the central Pacific Ocean. While there Dr Helen was part of a small health care team whose aims are to improve the health standards of the animal population. This action then improves the health standards of the people within the communities as less disease is spread between people and their pets. There will be worming and desexing procedures carried out on the community animals.

This is no walk in the park – the dogs and cats can be difficult to handle, it is hot and humid and debilitating disease can strike at the underprepared visitor.

While tourism for the island boasts great snorkelling and scuba diving, Dr Helen did not have the time or energy for these pursuits after performing many desexing procedures each day.

The reward for the vets and vet nurses volunteering is knowing that the animals and the people of the communities have better health because of this contribution.

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welcome Dr JohnDr John Yang recently joined us after relocating from the South Coast. Dr John has a special interest in feline medicine and is currently studying this specialty at a higher level. He shares his veterinary skills with our sister clinic, Canberra Cat Vet. In his short time at Hall Veterinary Surgery he has been amazed at the quality of the images produced by our portable ultrasound machine and is taking every opportunity to become familiar with this brilliant diagnostic tool.

John is fluent in Mandarin, enjoys playing badminton, reading and exploring the vastness of the web. His hobbies of scuba diving and snorkelling now require a weekend visit back to the coast. We warmly welcome Dr John to HVS.

Senior consult nurse – SamanthaDuring your pet’s consultation with our vets the consult nurse is often requested to assist. These are specialist nurses who as well as calmly restraining your pets for the vets, run in-house blood tests, prepare medications, perform surgical rechecks, remove stitches, administer arthritis and allergy injections and keep the vet rooms fully stocked. Our senior consult nurse is Samantha who is a highly experienced nurse with a special interest in both ends of the age spectrum – from neonatals to old timers. Sam is currently studying physical therapy for animals.

mother newsDuring winter this year nurses Corinne and Emma will be taking some time off – Corinne is expecting her second child and Emma her first. We wish them all the very best of health and the baby naming competitions are in full swing.

Dr Lara is on maternity leave after giving birth to her fourth child, Asher earlier this year.

welcome back Dr amyDr Amy used to work with us before heading off for travel, adventure, marriage to Bart and creating baby Bethany. She is a breath of fresh air and we welcome her return for some locum days.

... and hello to Dr SyDr Sy, a recent vet graduate will bowl you over with her genuine affection, care and enthusiasm for your pet. While Sy studied in Sydney, Canberra is her family base so she has returned home and the family dog is very happy about Sy’s return.

wELL DonE LaDiESOur Practice Manager, Janet has just completed her Certificate IV in Practice Management and nurse Maddy has completed her Cert IV in Vet Nursing.

HallStarsOUR TEAM AT RSPCA MILLION PAWS WALK

The RSPCA annual fund-raiser – The RSPCA Million Paws Walk was held on Sunday May 17. Staff from Hall Veterinary Surgery registered a team – The HallStars. In amongst the 5000+ people and 3300 registered dogs we made our way around the lake. It was a perfect autumn day to be with other pet owners for a stroll around the lake to support the work of RSPCA. Thanks to nurse Maddy for organising our team.

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