The Vet Practice

By The Vet Practice on Tuesday, 30 June 2009

Preventative care is one of those things we tend to forget about or put on hold, until of course - there's a problem.

And preventative care for our feline companions is no exception.

While fleas tend to get your attention quickly because of the obvious signs i.e. scratching, other parasites such as intestinal worms can be living and multiplying quite happily without giving themselves away too much at all.

Meanwhile, they can be making your cat sick and worse still, potentially contaminating your environment, your family - and your children.

Don't take this risk. Worm your cat regularly with an effective proven intestinal wormer.

The good news is that the days of having to give your cat a tablet are long gone. A spotton product called Profender has been available for some time now. Applying this product every 3 months is easy and a great way to keep your cat and family safe from intestinal worm infections.

By The Vet Practice on Tuesday, 30 June 2009

Much of the attention lately has been focused on vaccinations for dogs, especially with the introduction of the new 3 Year C3 Vaccine.

Let's not forget about the cat. Cats need to be protected from Feline infectious diseases too - espcially the core diseases: Feline Rhinotracheitis, Feline Calicivirus (these make up what is commonly called "Cat Flu") and Feline Enteritis.

These illnesses can be contracted without the need for contact with infected cats so are particularly important. The vaccine effective against these 3 diseases is called a F3 Vaccination which is given yearly.

If your cat is an indoor and outdoor cat - we also recommend vaccination against Feline Immunodeficiency Virus - commonly called "Feline Aids" or FIV.

This disease is most commonly contracted through fighting with an infected cat.

The initial course of three FIV Vaccines are given 2 - 4 weeks apart, then updated with a single FIV Vaccine each year.

Feline aids is dangerous to cats only. It cannot be transmitted to humans.

So while cats demands on your time and pocket are oftem much less than dogs, please don't forget the important preventative care.

By The Vet Practice on Monday, 15 June 2009

A question we're often asked involves the Euthanasia of an older pet - particularly at this time of the year when the weather is cold - and the pain of arthritis becomes more noticeable.

And let's face it - nobody wants to see their pet in pain.

Especially when all options of supportive treatment have been explored and nothing seems to help anymore.

The real issue now becomes quality of life - and you are the one who's best placed to make that decision.

Some of the questions you need to ask yourself are:

1. Is she still enjoying her food? (Eating and drinking normally) Y/N
2. Can she still control bowel and bladder function and keep herself clean? Y/N
3. Is she still responsive to commands and seems interested in what's going on around her? Y/N
4. Does she still walk around of her own free will without too much difficulty? Y/N
5. Are the medications still making an observable difference? Y/N

As pet's age, they slow down - a lot and sleep more than they used to.This is quite normal and isn't a significant indicator of quality of life.

If you are one of those people facing this situation and have questions or concerns - please talk to us.

We can help.

By The Vet Practice on Monday, 15 June 2009

It's a reality that in your lifetime, you'll have more than one best friend.

Dogs and Cats have shorter life spans than us. They grow old and eventually - they will leave us.As they get older we begin to see the subtle changes the ageing process brings with it.

Fortunately, many old age related illnesses can be managed through effective medications and supplements.

However, there will come a time when these are no longer adequate in managing these illnesses and your pets' quality of life is affected.

This now forces you to consider the final act of kindness - euthanasia.

This is a painless and gentle method of ending life. An injection of a concentrated anaesthesia drug.

This procedure can be performed either in the clinic or in the comfort of your own homw.

You may choose to bury your pet at home or have the clinic take care of the remains.

A cremation service is also available.

By The Vet Practice on Monday, 1 June 2009

It's not uncommon to seek out a second opinion when you are uncertain about a specific recommendation or diagnosis of your pet's health problem.

Arriving at a diagnosis is an investigative process and often involves more than one step. For example, blood or other tests may be needed to diagnose or rule out specific conditions.

An X-Ray or Ultrasound may be needed to visualise an internal problem which can't be evaluated simply through an external examination.

A course of medication may be prescribed to test the patient's response.

And - as different vets approach problems from different perspectives - there may be more than one way to arrive at a final diagnosis.

A second opinion is exactly that. A second person's point of view that may or may not be different from the first.

Naturally experience counts for a lot. This is why we always have senior vets available to assist less experienced vets with their specific cases which are discussed daily.

If you ever have a concern that your questions have not been adequately addressed or are unsure about an opinion presented by any of our vets, please give us a call and let us know

We'll review your pet's visit at no further charge to you - Guaranteed.