Introducing Yearly Flea and Tick Protection for Your Canine Companion
Many of our furry patients have experienced excellent tick and flea control using Bravecto chewable tablets every 3 months or Bravecto spot-on treatments every 6 months. But now, the wait is finally over! This spring, we’re thrilled to introduce a once-a-year flea and tick injection.
You can say goodbye to the struggle of administering tablets to your dog. A single injection provides complete protection against paralysis ticks and fleas for an entire year. No more worrying about missed doses or finicky eaters!
What’s even better? This injection is safe to use alongside vaccinations and yearly heartworm injections. You can conveniently schedule everything during your annual vet visit or spread it out throughout the year based on your pet’s needs.
Take the step toward simpler, effective flea and tick prevention for your special canine friend. Call us today on (07) 3357 1588 to schedule your appointment or book online now!
Is your pet suffering from a dermatological condition?
Just like us, our four-legged friends can suffer from skin issues and irritations from time to time. But unlike us, they can’t always communicate their dermatological complaints and tend to suffer in silence as a result. That’s why it’s important for us to look out for the signs.
If your best mate displays any of the common signs below, it’s best to come and see us to get them checked out by the vet. The good news is that skin issues in cats and dogs are generally treatable, so we can get your pet back to doing what they love, without all the itching!
The two most common reasons for dermatological issues in dogs are allergies and parasites. Summer and the hotter weather tend to make things a little worse or bring up problems that haven’t presented themselves before.
While we can’t speak doggy (yet), there are some tell-tale behavioural and physical signs that can mean a visit to see us to get it checked out is in order.
If you notice your dog is licking themselves a lot, has itchy spots, stinky ears, is dropping dandruff, has runny, swollen, or itchy eyes, has a funky smell, or is shaking or tilting their head a lot, you should book in a consult with us.
While these symptoms might sound a little nasty, the good news is they are generally treatable, and hopefully in no time your best mate will be doing way more ball catching and way less skin itching.
Speak to your vet about new treatment options in Dermatology
Just like us humans, our feline friends can suffer from skin issues and irritations from time to time, with many cats having itchy skin, especially around the head, body and belly, caused by a dermatological condition.
The two most common reasons are allergies and parasites, with summer and the hotter weather tending to make things a little worse or bring up problems that haven’t presented themselves before.
While we haven’t unlocked the secret to speaking fluent cat (we’re learning though), there are some behavioural and physical signs that can mean a visit to see us to get it checked out and sorted is in order.
If you notice your cat has bumpy spots, scaly skin, thinning or loss of coat, vomiting hairballs or itchy bits, you should book in a consult with us.
While these symptoms might sound a little nasty, the good news is they are generally treatable, and hopefully, in no time your cat will be doing way more purring and way less itching.
Speak to your vet about new treatment options in Dermatology
Feeding your pet a premium diet can have many benefits for their overall health, including aiding in the management of a dermatological condition. There are specific diets available that are designed to help pets with skin disease, allergies and more.
What are the benefits of premium nutrition for pets?
Formulated with the health of the animal in mind
Developed by nutritionists, food scientists and veterinarians
Made with high-quality ingredients
A complete and balanced diet
Aligns with pet food industry regulations
Made with exceptional quality control
Highly digestible
Talk to your vet about premium diet options to help your pet live their best life.
Did you know that over 2 million cats and dogs in Australia and New Zealand suffer from dermatological issues?
Science based nutrition complements and can significantly improve the management of dermatological issues: a small change in the daily routine can have a big impact on a cat or dog’s quality of life.
Royal Canin understand that skin issues are highly prevalent, challenging for patients and concerning for their owners. Thanks to their leading scientifically formulated portfolio of Dermatology diets, nutrition can be a key component of the multi-modal treatment and management of skin disease in dogs and cats.
They pose a threat to our pets, our kids, and even us. While most of them are minuscule and often out of sight, they’re one of the most common risks pet owners have to deal with.
They’re the parasite nasties that sneakily find their way to your pet and cause all kinds of disease. The good news is there are many pet parasite preventatives available that will keep you and your pet safe. Choosing the right protection plan can be confusing but our expert vets can guide you in selecting the most appropriate product for your pet.
It’s very important to know your nasties, and when you suspect they’ve infected your pet to get in touch with one of our experts. We’ve included some information below on the most common parasites to watch out for and some things you might not know about them.
Come into clinic to get a parasite protection plan today!
COMMON CULPRITS/REPEAT OFFENDERS
Fleas
Fleas are one of the most problematic parasites for pets, leading to incessant itching, discomfort, and allergic reactions. They can also transmit diseases and carry tapeworms, posing a dual threat. In addition, they can be challenging to diagnose, and a pet with flea allergy dermatitis may never actually be seen with fleas!
Ticks
There are several types of ticks in Australia, some of which are a nuisance, such as the bush tick, right through to the dangerous Paralysis Tick, which causes many fatalities each year. Paralysis ticks are a common parasite for those living near the eastern seaboard of Australia. It can take as little as one tick bite to result in muscle weakness, respiratory distress and secondary infections.
Heartworm and Intestinal Worms
Intestinal Worms
Intestinal worms: affect pets’ digestive systems, causing weight loss, vomiting, diarrhoea and anaemia. The most common intestinal worms in Australia are roundworm, tapeworm and hookworm. Normally pets become infected with intestinal worms by ingesting the eggs of the parasites, which can be found in contaminated soil, faeces, and other sources.
Heartworms: are parasites transmitted by mosquitoes that live in the heart of pets and can cause serious damage to their health, and even death. Heartworm prevention is the best way to ensure dogs stay healthy and free from these parasites. Protection is recommended in most areas of Australia, however, Tasmania is considered low risk. Please consult your vet for heartworm protection recommendations for your pet.
Intestinal worms: affect pets’ digestive systems, causing weight loss, vomiting, diarrhoea and anaemia. The most common intestinal worms in Australia are roundworm, tapeworm and hookworm. Normally pets become infected with intestinal worms by ingesting the eggs of the parasites, which can be found in contaminated soil, faeces, and other sources.
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR:
Whilst one of our vets can help you diagnose parasites and associated conditions, you’re their first line of defence as you hang out with them every day. Here are some of the key signs your pet might have a parasite infection:
Scratching and Biting: Intense itching, scratching, licking, or biting at the skin, particularly around the tail base in dogs, and the tail base, thighs, abdomen, head and neck in cats, can indicate a flea infestation.
Hair Loss with Irritated Skin: Patchy hair loss or thinning coat along with inflamed or irritated skin could be due to excessive scratching and grooming caused by fleas or mites.
Visible Parasites: You might see ticks on your pet’s skin, or fleas/ flea eggs on their fur, skin, or in their bedding.
Vomiting and Diarrhoea: Parasitic infections, particularly intestinal worms, can lead to digestive issues such as vomiting, diarrhoea (which may contain blood), and mucus in the stool.
Bloating: Pets (particularly puppies and kittens) with intestinal worms often have a distended abdomen or pot-belly.
Visible Worms: Worms may be visible in the faeces or around the anal area.
Weight Loss: Weight loss despite a normal or increased appetite could be a sign of intestinal worms affecting nutrient absorption or energy metabolism. (Note – there are many other diseases that are more likely to cause weight loss with a normal or increased appetite in adult animals!)
Anal Scooting: Pets might drag their rear end along the ground (scooting) due to irritation caused by tapeworm segments around the anal area.
Sudden paralysis and/or difficulty breathing: Paralysis ticks attach to the skin of pets and inject a toxin into their blood stream that can cause paralysis and respiratory distress. Pets who show these signs need emergency treatment from a vet.
If you see any of these signs or suspect that your cat or dog may have parasites, it’s crucial to come in to see your vet for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.
Our expert team can help protect your pet. Come into the clinic today
Many things changed this year, the way we work, how we socialise and our ability to travel. For veterinary clinics, the “Covid Puppy” has created a large influx of new pet owners and new puppies, with all the questions that entails. I hope to cover why we desex, when should we desex and whether it is truly necessary. Click here for the Short Answer
What is desexing
Desexing is a medical procedure that we perform on male and female pets that removes the ability of that pet to reproduce. There are a number of different ways this has been performed historically but now the accepted method for female dogs and cats is :
Female Pets
Ovariohysterectomy – which involves the removal of both ovaries and the uterus to the level of the cervix. In general, the cervix is not removed. In Europe, Ovariectomy is actually more common which leaves the uterus intact.
Male Pets
Castration – which involves the removal of both testicles, the epididymis and a small length of vas deferens and associated vasculature.
This is performed under general anaesthesia.
Desexing a Pet
Why do we desex?
The obvious answer here is we don’t want puppies or kittens, but there are other reasons to consider.
Behaviour
Intact male dogs and to a lesser extent female dogs – when they are “in season” have a basic physiological drive to reproduce. This leads them to do some pretty silly stuff – jump fences, run across busy roads, get into fights. ( I will point out that humans are no different – just head into the city on any Saturday night). These behaviours have a significant risk factor for death or severe injury.
Disease
There are certain diseases that I don’t think there is any doubt that desexing removes or drops that risk to zero.
Testicular Cancer – you can’t get it if you don’t have it – same goes for Ovarian Cancer in female dogs.
Mammary Cancer – ie Breast Cancer – there was a study done comparing dogs in the UK and dogs in Sweden. The study from Sweden looked at causes of mortality in 80,000 dogs and found that their population had an incidence rate 7.7 times higher than the incidence rate of female dogs in the UK.
Pyometra ( Uterus Infection ) – A study of approximately 200,000 Swedish dogs (a country with a low overall sterilization rate) reported an overall incidence of pyometra at 2% and also found that approximately 24% of female dogs experienced pyometra by 10 years of age. The incidence in desexed dogs is 0%.
Prostate Disease -Benign prostatic hypertrophy-hyperplasia is a common disorder in sexually intact male dogs. 95-100% of entire male dogs will have prostatic enlargement once they reach 9 years of age. In addition, BPH predisposes dogs to prostatitis. Neither BPH nor prostatitis is commonly associated with substantial morbidity, and castration is an integral part of the treatment of both conditions.
When should my Pet be desexed?
Short Answer
If you are looking to avoid behaviour problems and keep your life simple – 5-6 months of age, but please be aware we now recommend 12 months plus.
If you want to ensure your pet’s full development potential 12 months + of age.
For some breeds 2 years or more.
There are benefits to each of these viewpoints such that neither is wrong but if you are looking for a more in-depth answer read on.
Long Answer
History
Historically desexing our pets became common about 50 years ago – when it was recognised that a large number of unwanted and stray dogs were causing problems around large cities. At that time the recommendation was to perform the procedure at or around 6 months of age. Several factors weighed into this timing but by far the most overwhelming was that female dogs will generally experience a season before 7 months of age. Female dogs are entirely capable of falling pregnant on this first cycle so the view was desex before this could happen as far as male dogs went – they got dragged along for the ride.
In the 90’s, pet ownership and the stray dog problem persisted and Animal Protection Societies became involved in the care of many puppies and kittens. The policies at this time led to a push to introduce early-age desexing – where the procedure was performed as young as 8 weeks of age. People felt it was more important the get the pets desexed than to rely on owners returning an older pet and desexing them later. Smaller animals were also easier to manage in terms of size and also the inherent costs involved were lower.
Moving into the 21st century, new ideas emerged that became more focused on what was best for the individual dog, we had more data from the previous 50 years which we could use to gauge the positives and negatives of our various choices. Now some vets are recommending a late age desexing – which allows the pet to mature with its natural hormone balance intact. In some countries desexing is banned.
In summary, there is not a straightforward answer or a 1 size fits all solution. Different people have different goals and targets.
Where are we now?
We now understand that puppies and kittens have a lot of development to do after they are born, various organs mature at different speeds. The skeletal and muscular growth can take as long as 2 years in large breed dogs and as short as 8 months in small breed dogs. Kidneys also mature at a different rate – kidney maturity we think is pretty much complete at about 200 days of age thats about 6.5 months. The majority is completed in the first 4 months – you can see this as your pet’s toilet training pretty much improves dramatically at this age. They can hold it for the night! The same applies to liver development – while no specific animal studies could be found. In humans, full maturity can take up to 2 years following birth. Given this knowledge, the advice has to be that we should try and avoid anaesthesia until these vital organs are mature.
Your vet will probably suggest a blood test prior to anaesthesia to confirm the healthy and optimal function of these organs at the bare minimum it’s important to realise the test doesn’t tell you they are fully mature only that they are not diseased.
The previously mentioned disease risks mean we should still desex but perhaps we need to show more consideration for age.
For Male Dogs – these guys can probably wait until 12 months of age – this will allow a stronger skeletal structure and more robust physical appearance – for the larger breeds – it may also reduce the incidence of bone cancer.
For female dogs – I would probably desex them at 5-6 months of age – dealing with a dog on heat is often a lot to handle in a busy family with an inside dog – but you are welcome to delay until around 12 months of age – after the first season. This may reduce the risk of incontinence later in life.
I will categorically say I don’t believe in early-age desexing – I see no benefit to the individual dog or the dog’s lifelong owner.
Spay or Spey
The correct term is spay and it means to remove the ovaries and uterus in a female dog. That being said as with all languages the alternative spelling spey does get used here in Australia. You won’t find either term common to the layperson in the USA.
References
Egenvall A, Bonnett BN, Öhagen P, Olson P, Hedhammar Å, Von Euler H. Incidence of and survival after mammary tumors in a population of over 80,000 insured female dogs in Sweden from 1995 to 2002. Prev Vet Med. 2005;69(1–2):109–127.
Beath SV. Hepatic function and physiology in the newborn. Semin Neonatol. 2003 Oct;8(5):337-46. doi: 10.1016/S1084-2756(03)00066-6. PMID: 15001122.
Dorfman M, Barsanti J. Diseases of the canine prostate gland. Compend Contin Educ Pract Vet 1995;17:791–810. [Google Scholar]
Cowan LA, Barsanti JA, Crowell W, et al. Effects of castration on chronic bacterial prostatitis in dogs. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1991;199:346–350. [Medline][Google Scholar]
Heartworm disease is a [wiki base=”EN”]mosquito[/wiki]-transmitted disease that affects thousands of dogs each year. Heartworm disease in dogs is quite common in most Australian states but the further north you travel the more prevalent the disease becomes. It is usual for dogs not on preventative treatments to become infected by heartworm during their lifespan.
After injection by a mosquito, adult worms eventually start to grow inside a dogs heart and lungs, causing very serious damage. Due to their large size, they become a major barrier to the free passage of blood through the heart and eventually this causes the heart to enlarge and weaken.
Most dog owners do not realise their pet has a problem until the disease is well advanced. It is only in the later stages, when the disease is difficult to treat, that the animals manifest the typical signs of advanced heartworm disease, such as a deep cough, weight loss, listlessness and weakness. Other symptoms may include a lack of appetite, shortness of breath and blood in the urine.
While heartworm is an extremely difficult disease to treat, it is very simple to prevent.
There are several choices:
Monthly heartworm medications are very popular and come in the form of either a tablet (chewable or regular) or a spot on preparation that is absorbed through the skin. Some monthly heartworm medications will include other active ingredients that also control worms and fleas. All monthly preparations are 100% effective providing the correct dose is given for the dogs’ weight and that it is given monthly without missing any treatments for the dog’s entire life. Remember there can be mosquitos all year round.
An attractive alternative to monthly heartworm medications has been the advent of the yearly heartworm injection. This eases the burden of remembering monthly medications and is now extremely popular, safe and also 100% effective. It is best staged with your dogs annual vaccinations and can be started as early as 3 months of age although due to the rapid growth of puppies an extra injection is given at 6 months of age.
Thousands of pets are destroyed each year simply because they lack identification. This is why we recommend microchipping as part of our preventative healthcare campaign for all pets… and word is spreading fast.
Under Queensland laws microchipping is compulsory. Puppies are required to be microchipped prior to sale, however, pets can be microchipped at any age.
A Microchip is a tiny identity chip about the size of a grain of rice. A 15 digit unique number is encoded on the microchips. It is injected under the skin of your pet and stays there for life as a permanent form of identification. Good quality microchips are constructed with medical grade glass usually with an anti-migration coating. The microchip can be read by passing a scanner over the skin and once it is placed cannot be lost, removed or altered for the life of your pet.
It is also possible to implant chips that have other functions such as measuring your pet’s body temperature. As we get smaller technology the range of functions available will increase! If you have your pet implanted you should ensure the chip comes from a quality manufacturer, not a cheap import.
The staff will microchip your pet and register it on a national database called the Global Micro Database. Staff at the RSPCA and pounds will scan all lost pets. When we find an existing chip we cross-check it on the database ensuring a quick call and a happy reunion.
