Breeding Your Dog

Breeding Your Dog.

I frequently have clients say to me that they want to breed from their bitch, which is often for reasons such as “everyone loves her and lots of people have said they would love one of her puppies”, or they are hoping to make some money from selling the puppies.

For anyone who wants to breed their bitch, I always ask them to consider these points:

·         The pound, SAFE, SWAR and rescue organisations are already full of puppies that need rehoming. Many of these have been bred because “everyone wants her puppies”, but the reality is many people struggle to find good homes for all the puppies they breed. Also, for every puppy that is born and gets a home, that’s one more rescue dog that doesn’t get a new home

·         Things can go wrong. She may need a caesarean, develop eclampsia or have other complications. When things go wrong it can occasionally be fatal. You may also end up needing to hand rear the puppies for up to 4 weeks, which is very time consuming and tiring

·         You have to be prepared for it to be expensive. If she needs a caesarean in the middle of the night, it will cost over $1000. Then you have the cost of feeding the bitch and puppies, vaccinations, worming, flea treatments, etc. You will probably not make money and you could  lose a lot

·         Early desexing prevents mammary tumours (breast cancer). We recommend not breeding a bitch until her third season to allow her to fully mature, but the risk of mammary tumours increases with each season. By the time they have had their third season, they have a 22% chance of developing mammary tumours

·         There is no benefit to the bitch’s behaviour. Having puppies doesn’t settle a bitch down. It may have the opposite effect as I have known children to be bitten by bitches protecting their puppies

If you would like more information on breeding, desexing or if you have any other questions, please phone us at the Bunbury and Eaton Vet Clinics and talk to one of our qualified staff.

Landlords: Please Consider People with Pets

Landlords: Please Consider People with Pets

Every Week we receive calls from people seeking assistance to rehome their pets because they can’t find a rental property that will let them have animals.

The Australian Companion Animal Council is working to encourage more landlords to consider pet owners as tenants, and have released their list of ten good reasons for landlords and managing agents to consider renting to a pet owner:

1.Pet owning tenants are generally willing to pay more rent.

2.Pet-friendly properties rent faster.

3.Responsible pet owners can make excellent tenants.

4.Tenants with pets want to hold longer leases.

5.Reduce your advertising spend as pet-friendly properties rent much faster.

6.No more problems with hidden pets.

7.Most Australians feel their pet is part of the family and care for them as such.

8.Reduce animal euthanasia; animal welfare agencies indicate that as many as 30% of dogs and cats are surrendered by owners who are unable to locate adequate accommodation.

9.Even considering pets will not necessarily lock you into a pet-particular outcome.

10.Pet application and agreement forms are available to help landlords and managing agents implement a successful pet management policy and help tenants understand how to responsibly manage pets. Forms are available from www.acac.org.au.

Raising Funds for South West Animal Rescue

Raising Funds for South West Animal Rescue

This July, we will be raising funds for South West Animal Rescue (SWAR) at the Eaton Vet Clinic.

We are looking to focus on responsible pet ownership this month, and one of the big things we are looking to promote is desexing pets. Charities such as SWAR and SAFE are inundated with animals that desperately need homes at the moment, and the best way to deal with this problem is by sterilising pets.

For every animal desexed at the Eaton Vet Clinic in June, we will donate 10% of the desexing fee to SWAR. There is no limit on how much we will donate so the more desexing we do during July, the bigger the donation will be.

Apart from the obvious prevention of unwanted pregnancy, some of the other benefits of desexing include:

·         Reduced risk of various tumours such as mammary (breast cancer), uterine and testicular cancers

·         Eliminates the risk of uterine infections in dogs and cats

·         Less wandering and aggression in males

·         Male cats less likely to fight and pick up diseases such as cat AIDS and Feline Leukaemia or develop abscesses from fight wounds

·         Reduces prostate problems in older male dogs

Please take this opportunity to help reduce the stray animal problem while at the same time raising funds for this important animal charity.

7 Questions You Must Ask Your Vet Before They Sterilise Your Pet

7 Questions You Must Ask Your Vet Before They Sterilise Your Pet

1. Do you give pain killers to every animal as standard? We believe every animal undergoing desexing surgery needs good quality pain relief, se we include it in the price we give you.

 2. Does every animal receive intravenous fluids during the surgery? With 85% of animals experiencing low blood pressure during surgery, intravenous fluids are important to help maintain blood pressure, making the surgery safer and the recovery faster.

 3. Will a fully qualified vet nurse be monitoring the anaesthetic?

4. Do you monitor blood pressure, oxygen levels, breath carbon dioxide levels and temperature constantly? This is critical to make the anaesthetic as safe as possible.

 5. Do you use a warm air machine while the animal is under anaesthetic and use heat pads when the animal is recovering as standard? Hypothermia is one of the biggest killers of animals under anaesthetic, as well as delaying wound healing and recovery.

6. Do you provide a collar to stop the pet being able to lick its wound?

 7. Does the price you have been given include all this as standard?

 At the Bunbury and Eaton Vet Clinics, the answer to all these questions is yes.

Cushing's Disease

Senior Pet Problem: Cushing’s Disease.

Does your elderly dog drink more than usual? Is it losing hair or getting pot-bellied? It may have Cushing’s Disease.

Cushing’s Disease, or Hyperadrenocorticism, is caused by the body producing excessive amounts of steroids. We see this dog most commonly in older, small breed dogs such as maltese and poodles, but it can affect many breeds.

It can be a bit of a tricky disease to diagnose. The most common signs owners notice are increased drinking and urination, a pot-bellied appearance and hair loss. This hair loss can show certain patterns such as losing hair along the length of the tail (producing what looks like a “rats tail”), and along both sides of the body.

Cushing’s Disease is most commonly caused by a small, benign tumour on the pituitary gland. This tumour produces a hormone that stimulates the adrenal gland to produce excessive amounts of steroids. A small amount of steroids is normal for the body to produce, but this increased production becomes problematic. There is a less common form of Cushing’s Disease caused by a tumour on the adrenal gland, which produces similar signs.

Diagnosis is by a specific blood test, and in some cases by ultrasound. It can be quite challenging to diagnose in some cases, but with the right tests and experienced vets most cases are diagnosed quite quickly.

There are a couple of treatment options available. The older treatment used to be a tablet that destroyed the adrenal glands. The problem with this treatment is it could potentially destroy too much of the glands, which is very dangerous. The newest treatment works by blocking the steroid production pathways. It is much safer and easier to use, and gives excellent control in most cases.

If your dog is showing any signs of hair loss, increased drinking or looking pot-bellied it should be checked out by a vet. Now is a good time to have it examined with our Senior Pet Month giving a $15 discount on all Senior Pet Consultations throughout June.

Chronic Kidney Disease in Cats

Senior Pet Problem: Chronic Kidney Disease in Cats

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in cats is a relatively common but underdiagnosed problem affecting cats kidneys. It affects a large number of cats, but often goes undiagnosed as many owners don’t realise what signs to look out for.

The earliest signs we see of CKD is increased drinking and urination. Cats have the ability to concentrate their urine more than almost any other animal. When the kidneys start to fail, the ability to concentrate the urine is reduced, so the volume of urine produced is much larger. This leads to increased drinking to make up for the water lost in the urine.

As the CKD progresses, the kidneys can no longer remove the “toxic” body products as they normally would. This creates a build-up of toxins in the body which makes the cat feel unwell. This is where cats can get very sick very quickly. As the toxins build-up, the cat feels unwell so is less likely to drink. This makes the cat dehydrated, which in turn reduces blood flow to the kidneys, leading to the problem getting worse.

CKD is normally diagnosed with a combination of a blood and urine test. It is quick and simple to test for, and early diagnosis can make a big difference.

Treatment can be with medicine, diet, or a combination of these. Specially designed diets help prevent the build-up of toxins, and medications can help improve blood flow to the kidneys.

If your cat is over 10 years of age, now is a great time to have it checked out. With a $15 discount on Senior Pet consults this month, and a discounted Senior Wellness Blood Test available throughout June, we can make sure your cat is in great shape.

Urinary Incontinence

Senior Pet Problem: Urinary Incontinence.

Urinary incontinence is a common problem in older dogs, especially desexed females. It can affect up to 10% of dogs as they age, but is often left undiagnosed.

Many people only seek help for incontinence when the dog is leaving puddles when it sits or sleeps. By the time the dog is doing this, it is quite severe and often they have secondary problems such as a urinary tract infection.

One of the earliest signs we get of urinary incontinence is a bad smell. Often the owners can’t pinpoint where the smell is coming from, but it is most often a slightly fishy smell. This can be a sign of a very mild incontinence, with the smell being produced by bacteria that grow in the damp fur and folds around the vulva.

Left untreated, urinary incontinence can significantly affect quality of life. The effect I find most distressing for the dog is the way owners will shut the dog outside or not allow it into areas where it previously had access because of it’s bad smell. This isolation can be very difficult for an old dog to adapt to.

Urinary tract infections are also quite common in incontinent dogs, which can be very uncomfortable and contribute further to the incontinence. In rare cases I have also seen dogs become fly-struck because of the damp fur and smell attracting flies.

Fortunately in most cases urinary incontinence is very easy to treat. It normally responds to medication within days, though the earlier it is detected and treated the faster the response.

In rare cases, particularly when the dog is relatively young or when they don’t respond to the medication, there is a surgical treatment available.

If you are concerned your dog may be suffering from incontinence, please take advantage of our Senior Pet Month and book them in for a check-up. With a $15 Senior Pet Discount there will never be a better time.