• Welcome


• Photo of the Month


• Intestinal Worms In Our Pets


• What not to feed your dog And why

• My Weekend - Lisa


• Home Page


• Newsletters

Welcome to our Winter Newsletter

Well, the year has rolled on with the winter season now upon us. With the cooler weather most of us enjoy the chance to exercise and get out walking.

Our pets especially dogs love their walks, some even still love to swim. It is always good to change the route a little so our dogs can smell the different odours along the way, remember it's their social outing. Cats also enjoy a change to their environment from time to time, maybe a new piece of furniture or pot plant; sometimes just an up-side down cardboard box will amuse them.

For those clients who regularly take their pets off the Peninsula, just beware there are still some reports of paralysis ticks cases.

Mostly this time of the year is safe but with the wet weather still here the ticks have been more active. I recommend the use of collars and a topical such as Frontline or Advantix for dogs only. It is also recommended to do a daily search as well especially over the head and neck region.

If you find an attached tick use an insecticide such as Mortein Fly Spray to sicken the tick before plucking it off. Observe closely during the next 24 hours for any signs of paralysis such as vomiting or wobbly hind legs. Obviously seek veterinary advice if signs develop.

Now on a brighter note, I need more photographs for our Photo of the Month, please send me an email at ian@peninsulavet.com.au if you have got a picture of your pets to share.

In this edition of the newsletter, we will start a series on our weekend activities.

Vet nurse Lisa kicks off with her interest in showing miniature horses. Jackie informs us of what not to feed our pets because after Easter we had a few pets which found the Easter eggs, thankfully none where seriously ill.

I also take another look at intestinal worms, the differences and pit falls with some products. I hope you enjoy your reading.

Enjoy your reading.

Top of Page

Photo of the Month



Top of Page

Intestinal Worms and your Pets

Many intestinal (tummy) worms that infect dogs and cats can also infect people especially children. Although the risk of contracting such infections is low, it is important to be aware of the possibility of infection. Contrary to what most people believe about worming themselves, worm infections from our pets cannot be treated easily and must be prevented by worming our pets. So by regularly worming our pets, our family will be protected from such infections also.

New puppies and kittens must be wormed more regularly. They can be born with worms and it may take several months to rid their body of the parasite.

There are several worms which infect dogs and cats. These worms are grouped according to their shape.

• Roundworms are the largest intestinal worm. They look like spaghetti. They live in the small intestine and can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, ill thrift and a pot belly appearance.
• Hookworms are a very small intestinal worm which attaches to the small intestinal lining. These worms in large numbers cause anaemia, vomiting and bloody diarrhoea.
• Whipworms(dogs only) live in the large intestine and mostly go undetected. In large numbers, they cause anaemia and diarrhoea.
• Tapeworms live in the small intestine and produce egg sacs which appear on the faeces as grains of rice. In large numbers the worms can cause ill thrift and diarrhoea.

Onions    

Onions cause haemolytic anaemia which means the red blood cells break down leaving the dog short of oxygen. The poisoning can occur with a single ingestion of a large quantity of onion or with repeated meals containing small amounts of onion.

The poisoning may occur a few days after the dog has eaten the onion. The signs are weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea and lack of interest in food. They can also experience shortness of breath, elevated body temperature, confusion and an increased heart rate.

If your dog is showing any of these signs you should seek Veterinary care immediately. All forms of onion can be a problem: dehydrated, raw, cooked, even table scraps containing onion or pizza.

There has been some concern about Garlic as it does contain the same toxic ingredient as onions but it appears to be less toxic and it would take large amounts to cause any illness.



Grapes    

Grapes also present a potential health threat to dogs causing acute renal failure and anuria which is a lack of urine production. The estimated toxic dose of grapes to a dog is 32g per kg. Dogs can suffer acute renal failure after ingesting 3g per kg of raisins or dry matter of grapes.

The signs are Vomiting and Diarrhoea within the first few hours of ingestion. Pieces of raisins or grape may be present in the vomitus or stool.

Further signs include weakness, not eating, increased drinking and abdominal pain. Acute renal failure develops within 48hrs of ingestion.

Chocolate    

Chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine which is toxic to dogs in sufficient quantities. A 10kg dog could easily be poisoned by 250g of milk chocolate and much less amount of mud cake as cooking chocolate has a higher quantity of theobromine in it, as does dark chocolate.

Signs of chocolate poisoning are: hyper-excitability, hyper-irritability, increased heart rate, restlessness, increased urination, muscle tremors, vomiting and diarrhoea.



Macadamia Nuts    

Macadamia nut poisoning is usually seen within 12hrs of ingestion. The signs are: ataxia (walking wobbly), depression, vomiting, muscle tremors, elevated body temperature, weakness and elevated heart rate. The toxic dose to dog's ranges from 2 - 62g per kg of body weight therefore some dogs can become ill from ingesting a small amount, while other dogs may need to ingest quite a lot before seeing any signs.

Pork/Bacon    

Bacon is one of those foods that should never be given to dogs due to its high fat content. While some dogs might handle it fine, it could trigger an attack of Pancreatitis in others that need to be more cautious with fat levels.

Another scenario is of course the good old BBQ and the dog is happily running around guests receiving bits of sausages etc. This can be harmful as well. The signs of Pancreatitis are: vomiting, not eating, painful abdomen (hunched appearance), fever or below normal body temperature, diarrhoea, depression & dehydration.

Cooked Bones (chicken, lamb chops, pork, any type)    

When dogs eat bones that are cooked they are quite brittle and can splinter inside them either causing perforation (tearing) of the bowel or severe constipation. Signs of a perforation are: lack of interest in food, dry retching/vomiting, bloody stools or no stools, lethargy and pale gums.

Signs of constipation are: tense abdomen and hunched in appearance, straining to defecate, restlessness. The best bones to feed your dog are RAW ones, particularly raw chicken wings, necks or frames, shank bones or any type of raw rib bone as these are all softer bones.

Cows Milk & Junk Food    

Dogs are lactose intolerant so cow's milk can cause diarrhoea in most dogs. It's best to give them pet milk that doesn't contain lactose. All junk food is not only bad for us but also for our pets, whether it's cakes, lollies, chips or pizza it can cause stomach upset i.e. vomiting or diarrhoea and in some cases even pancreatitis. A nice healthy raw bone or dog treat occasionally will keep your pooch more than happy!

If your pet eats any of the above and is showing any of the signs then please seek Veterinary Treatment immediately. Otherwise please call us if you need any advice.

My Weekends IT'S SHOW TIME! by Lisa (Vet Nurse)     

From March to September there is a lot that happens on my weekends, because it is SHOW SEASON. I love to show mini-horses.

There are the odd weekends during this time that a sleep-in is possible, but more often than not, an early wake up call is given to me from my horses to say that they want breakfast.

One or two days before a show, the horses that are going get clipped and washed. If there are a couple of shows on back to back weekends clipping isn't needed every time except for a touch up.

Once clipped and clean they are rugged up so they don't get dirty. The rest of the show prep day is used for packing the car and float and making sure all the gear is clean. An early night is in order the night before a show.

Depending on where the show is wake up is normally around 4:30am. The show horses are given their breakfast as well as the chickens, and then it's up to the house to have my own brekkie and get changed.

A final check is done to make sure nothing has been forgotten then the horses are brought out and unrugged to make sure the clipping job doesn't need anymore touch-ups before we leave. If all is good the show rugs are put on and off we go.

Arriving at the show, the horses are put in their stables with some water, and then if not a pre-nominated show, we need to register, pay and pick up our exhibitor number for each horse. I usually enter the halter classes and the performance classes.

The halter classes involve showing the horse to a judge for movement and conformation. The performance classes consist of showmanship, a trail event, four jumping events and harness event. We usually get a break between the classes so I am able to get some lunch and catch up with friends. If we finish our classes early we normally have time to walk around the agricultural shows and have a look at what else is going on while the horses rest.

The ride home is spent reflecting on the performance of the horses and myself and how certain things could be improved for a champion win next time if not won that day, but unfortunately not all shows are judged equally and it's just the opinion of the judge on that day. I love the performance classes and have done well in these events.

If we arrive home late, everything is cleaned the next day. But if we have been at a local agricultural show, we get home quite early. So horses are put back in their paddocks or stables, the float and car gets unpacked and the float gets a wash and put away in the carport ready for the next show. Then the dreaded hand washing of show clothes. Once all that is done, the horses are given their dinner then I finally get to sit down and have a look at photos that were taken at the show. The planning then begins for the next one.

There are agricultural shows most weekends but come August it is our state championships for the miniature associations. These are normally run over 2 consecutive weekends from Thursday until Sunday afternoon.

This year around state championship time is when my mares are also due to have their first foals. These will also be my first foals for my stud so it is quite a big year for me. Next time I will hopefully have some happy news for you all about the state championships and my new babies.

I would love to show you some more photos next time.