This fortnight we thought we would tackle the subject of ringworm. More correctly called dermatophytosis, ringworm is not a worm but caused by a group of fungi with the main offender being Microsporum spp. It causes a red ring lesion on the skin that often is itchy in people, but not in pets. These fungi live on the hair shaft and feed on the outer dead layers of both animals and humans skin. They are highly contagious between humans and between humans and animals, making this an important disease within a community.

This week we’re tackling worms – not the good ones that live in your garden, but the nasty ones that can be uninvited guests in your pets intestines! We can all be a bit blase about them but they can cause serious problems in our pets and in our families. Round, hook, whip & tapeworm all live in an animals gut. They latch onto the intestinal wall with specialised teeth and feed both on the hosts blood and also by absorbing food from the intestine. So not only are they blood-suckers, but they damage your pets gut and steal nutrition- not good house guests! These worms are all spread via eating of the microscopic worm eggs, which can be found in the soil, andon your pets coat or bedding. they are one of the many reasons it is a great idea to wash your hands before eating!!! Roundworms are also passed to foetuses in the womb of infected animals, so even new born animals are a potential source of infection.

With summer upon us, lots of visiting dogs in the area and new christmas puppies around we thought it was a great oppurtunity to talk about parvovirus. Canine parvovirus is a highly infectious virus that obviously affect dogs, and summer is usually when we see an outbreak. It viciously attacks dogs gastrointestinal tract, causing them to shed their gut lining, causing severe bloody diarrhoea, uncontrollable vomiting, severe abdominal pain, profound cardiovascular shock and sadly often death. Pretty horrific! Parvo Virus can affect dogs of all ages but is most common and most serious in puppies and older dogs that have not been vaccinated against the disease. Parvo is highly contagious and is spread by both direct dog-to-dog contact and contact with contaminated materials or people. It is resistant to heat, cold and humidity, and can survive in the environment for long periods of time.

Practicing in such a beautiful environment means we see a lot of injured and sometimes orphaned wildlife. We work closely with our enthusiastic local wildlife carers to save and release as many as possible. Below is some tips previously printed in one of our Critter Chats that is relevant to wildlife in our area. You can read the full article in our critter chat section of the website. For those of us lucky enough to have wildlife visit us at our homes, the best way to enjoy visiting wildlife is to quietly view them and NOT feed them. Although it is lovely to have the close interaction of feeding wildlife, it is usually not in the best interest of the animal for these reasons:

Dog and cat dental disease Just like with us, your pets’ dental health is really important. Sore teeth affect our pets’ mood, appetite and general health just that as they do with us. Even though they look really different, dogs and cats have very similar tooth anatomy as we do and can suffer from all the same oral diseases as we do. But unlike us, our pets can’t tell us when something is wrong, so it is important to know what to look for and have their mouth and teeth checked at least once a year by your friendly veterinarian. If you have noticed any of the signs below in your pet, then a dental check-up is probably a good idea: Bad breath Discolouration of teeth Bleeding gums or red along the gumline Drooling Reluctance to eat dry, crunchy food and raw bones Pawing at their mouth Treatment for dental disease is sometimes as simple as a course if antibiotics, and other cases may need a general anaesthetic to undergo cleaning, polishing, and the removal of any problem teeth. Even in these severe cases your pet will on most cases be ready to go home that afternoon. Remarkably, even after multiple extractions most animals cope really well and are still keen to enjoy hard food and bones and usually the removal of a painful tooth will result in a much happier pet.

Vaccination is vital to protect your pet from some deadly, but easily preventable, diseases. Puppies and kittens need a course of vaccinations to generate a good immunity and then as adults it’s just a yearly booster to maintain their protection. Puppies and kittens require their first vaccination between 6 – 8 weeks of age and then their second vaccination at 12 weeks of age. Part of the annual vaccination procedure for your pet is a thorough general health check and it also provides an opportunity to discuss any health concerns you may have with respect to your pet. Dogs and puppies are vaccinated against parvovirus, canine distemper and infectious hepatitis. These diseases are truly devastating, causing everything from life threatening diarrhoea, to chronic neurological problems. Treatment is difficult and expensive and unfortunately not always successful. In addition, if you will be boarding your dog in kennels, it is a standard requirement of all kennels that animals are also adequately vaccinated against kennel cough, a highly contagious cough transmitted through the air when animals are in close quarters. Vaccination of your kitten or cat is just as important as your dog. Cat vaccinations are to protect against feline rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, panleucopaenia, and chlamydia. Four more horrible debilitating diseases with big names, causing symptoms varying from a deadly diarrhoea, to pneumonia and chronic flu symptoms. Similarly to dogs, most boarding facilities insist on your cat being up to date with vaccinations. Most animals generally don’t suffer any side affects after their vaccination but the most common side effect is a transient fever causing lethargy and your pet may be off its food for a day or two. If your pet does suffer a reaction, you should contact your vet as it may need further care, or medication to prevent a similar reaction next year. Due to the high effectiveness of these vaccines, we are generally seeing a lot less of these diseases, which is great. However, the flip side to this is that this has led to people becoming much more lax about vaccination so severe outbreaks in unvaccinated areas are becoming commonplace again. So we cannot encourage you enough to vaccinate your pets to protect them against the chance of an outbreak in Agnes Water and 1770. If you would like to find out more information on vaccination please do not hesitate to speak to one of us at the vet clinic.

Just like with us, feeding your pet the correct diet is an essential factor in maintaining superior long term health. A good diet contains all the essential nutrients in the right balance, and these factors change slightly as your pet matures and then ages, and that is why you are now seeing more lifestage foods available (ie, puppy, adult & senior specific). For example a puppy needs extra protein and vitamins for optimum growth and an older less active dog needs less calories & more fibre. Busy lifestyles today means many people opt for prepared diets. When choosing a pet food choose one that is labelled ‘complete’ and ‘balanced’, these terms are regulated and the food must meet certain criteria to carry them. Foods that don’t carry these terms are often lacking in essential nutrients. Also pick one that suits your dogs lifestage, ie puppy food while they are growing and if they are older or a bit overweight pick a senior or light variety- it really does make a difference! Also be aware that price is a good indicator for quality, you often find when feeding cheaper foods that you need to feed a lot more as more fillers are used and the protein quality in the food is lower. For those of you who prefer a home cooked diet remember that balance is the key, A lot of people make the big mistake of feeding an all meat diet thinking that’s what they’d eat in the wild. If you were to replicate a wild diet, you’d also have to include animal skin, bones and vegetable matter from the stomach of the animal eaten. Obviously this is a fairly gross and impractical option for most, so remember to add vegetables and some raw bones (never cooked) to the diet. Things to avoid include onion, garlic (as a relative to onion!), potato, sultanas and chocolate- when dogs metabolise these foods they produce by-products that can cause damage to their liver, kidneys or heart. You’ve paid for it so store it well - dry foods need to be in secure containers away from vermin and do not keep food indefinitely as this reduces vitamin potency and palatability. If you have a puppy, I would strongly recommend that a prepared puppy food make up the majority of their diet in this vital growth stage. It is difficult to provide the right balance for growth and optimum brain development, and most people make the error of adding vitamin supplements to the food to improve it, but this usually just creates an imbalance, with too much of one thing and so not enough of others. The best calcium supplement you can give a puppy is a fresh raw bone- as well as calcium it provides many other minerals as well as protein and entertainment! Nutrition is a huge subject and plays a key role in your pets long term health. We have kept it short today, and hopefully we will revisit this subject with some diet tips and cat reference but if you would like any more information in the mean time, please feel free to ask us at the clinic.

As its name suggests, Heartworm is a worm that lives as an adult in a dog’s heart and main pulmonary (lung) veins of the heart. It affects cats too, but usually lives on the outer edge of the lungs in cats. It is spread between animals by the common mosquito. A mozzie feeds on an infected animal and picks up juvenile worms circulating in that animal’s bloodstream, it is then passed to your healthy pet when he or she is bitten by that mosquito. Its transmission is similar to malaria or Ross River fever. The adult worms living in the heart cause abnormal turbulence and act as a blockage to blood flow, effectively causing congestive heart failure. These signs include: A persistent dry cough Lethargy or depression Exercise intolerance or excessive panting Anaemia (pale gums and eyelids) If your pet is exhibiting any of these symptoms please contact us at the vet clinic to arrange an appointment. Heartworm disease is treatable but requires hospitalisation and usually ongoing medical care. However, this nasty disease process can be really easily and effectively prevented. There are either monthly or daily tablets available as an effective preventative, or there is a convenient annual injection that is both simple and effective. Also some monthly flea control products include heartworm prevention. Be warned though that if your adult dog is not currently on heartworm prevention then they’ll need to be tested, as sometimes giving already infected animals preventative medication can cause a life-threatening reaction as well! If you have a pup under the age of six months, it is safe to start them on heartworm prevention straight away. I hope this has cleared up a few myths about heartworm disease. If there is anything else you’d like to know about heartworm please feel free to talk to us at the clinic.