Flystrike in Pet Rabbits

Flystrike can occur in many types of animals but rabbits, even pet rabbits, are particularly prone. This is of importance in the hot and humid days of late summer.

If you do find maggots on your rabbit it is worthwhile bringing them to your vet for assessment to ensure that damage isn’t hiding under the fur. Fly eggs hatch very quickly and the maggots can cause considerable pain to the rabbit without it showing obvious external signs.

The best ways to avoid flystrike in your pet rabbit are:

• Make sure all bedding and hutch areas are dry and change bedding regularly.

• Do not feed excessive green vegetables or fruit as this can result in diarrhoea.

• Handle your rabbit daily in high risk times and carefully check under the tail and between the back legs for any signs of maggots or faecal soiling.

• Groom longer haired breeds to ensure that their back end stays clean and dry.

• Prevent your rabbit from becoming overweight.

• Ensure that there is no dental disease or unmanaged arthritis causing difficulty grooming.

Patella Luxation - The Skipping Dog

On these beautiful summer days, we are likely out walking and running with our canine friends. A relatively common thing that we see in our smaller dogs is skipping, where they intermittently hop on either one or both hind legs. Because they don’t seem to be in any pain and seem normal between episodes, we are at risk of thinking this is normal behaviour. In reality, this is most likely due to a condition called luxating patella (kneecap). In unaffected animals, the patella sits in a groove at the bottom of the thigh bone. When an animal bends its knee, the patella slides up and down the groove, held in place by ligaments on either side. However, some animals are born with a groove too shallow or a ligament that attaches in the wrong place on the shin bone, pulling the patella out of its groove as the knee bends.

Patella luxation is most often seen in toy and miniature breed dogs such as Jack Russell and Yorkshire Terriers, Poodles and Chihuahuas but can also occur in larger breed dogs.

In animals with mild disease, a luxating patella may not cause significant problems and animals may go through life without needing any treatment. However, if the patella is periodically or always luxated, or if the luxation is causing lameness, then surgery to stabilise the kneecap in its groove and allow normal limb function is recommended.

If you have a dog that skips when it runs, then please come and see one of our friendly vets who will be able to check the patella and help you make decisions to keep your dog fit for many years.

Dental Disease

We often think of old pets being affected by a single disease that causes them to age, but like us, it is often an accumulation of lots of little things that affects their quality of life. A broken tooth combined with arthritis from a previous injury and periods of itchy skin, individually may seem benign but together combine to cause chronic discomfort in our pets.

A common thing we see are cats and dogs with dental disease that people under-estimate because the pet is still eating or not showing pain. Owners also worry about anaesthesia in older pets.

The Senior Health Month is a great chance to check your pet’s teeth and discuss any concerns you may have about the general health of your cat or dog. We’ll assess your pet individually. In most situations, with a little added support, older pets are still excellent candidates for having general anaesthesia. Owners often report that their pet has a new lease of life after having their dental disease addressed.

Clinical Director of Small Animals

We are very excited to announce the appointment of Abby Robertson as our new Clinical Director of Small Animals for the Veterinary Centre. Abby has nearly 20 years experience in small animal veterinary work and over this time has developed a strong interest in advanced medical cases. Many of the these are loved pets which have chronic or life threatening diseases that need on-going treatment and care. Abby has completed years of post-graduate study in a range of small animal disciplines including cardiology, neurology, endocrinology, gastroenterology and emergency medicine, and has advanced skills in ultrasonography – these skills are used daily in her work ups of your pets. Abby’s natural leadership, management skills and empathy leave her well-equipped to oversee the small animal team at the Veterinary Centre – so we can continue to provide the best care possible for your feline and canine companions.

Osteoarthritis in Pets

The weather is starting to turn colder and like us, animals will start to feel the ‘cold in their bones’ after the reprieve of the warmer summer months.

What is Osteoarthritis? It is a progressive disease of the joints.

Although most people think of osteoarthritis as a disease of bone, it’sreally a disease of cartilage. Normal cartilage is in a constant state of deterioration and repair. In the case of arthritis, factors such as breed, obesity, dysplasia, or trauma, worsens the deterioration leading to cartilage loss and inflammation, which gives rise to the clinical signs of pain. Although normally associated with old age, arthritis can even be found relatively commonly in young animals.

What are your dog’s signs? Canine arthritis can often be misinterpreted as the normal signs of getting old, with …

• Lameness

• Difficulty standing

• Reduced ability to play or walk

• Reluctance to jump

• Increased irritability

• Not wanting to be stroked/patted

What are your cat’s signs? Unlike dogs, cats often have disease in multiple joints, meaning that they don’t favour one side or the other because everything hurts! Although diagnosis is challenging, there are clinical signs owners can look for, almost all the signs are tied to behaviour changes …

• Not wanting to/having difficulty jumping.

• Reluctance to go up or down stairs

• Decreased interactions with owners or other animals

• Increased irritability

• Not wanting to be stroked/brushed

• Elimination accidents – difficulty getting in or out of the litterbox

• Sudden vocalisation and running away for no apparent reason

Also, cats tend to mask the signs of pain as a defensive tactic, so it is important for owners to regard any behaviour changes as a potential sign of disease and get it checked out.

How can we treat Osteoarthritis? While there is no cure for osteoarthritis, there are numerous treatment options available that help to reduce pain and support joint health and longevity. Treatment involves considering all the factors of weight management, pain relief, joint support, environmental modification, and physical therapy holistically. Also, the best outcomes are achieved, when support is started as early in the course of the disease as possible.

Arthritis in Cats and Dogs

This issue has a focus on aches and pains in our companion animals. It is important to know that signs of arthritis and pain can be subtle, especially in cats who mask pain as a defensive tactic. Owners often notice changes in their pets such as a new limp, not wanting to jump into the car or in cats, not jumping up to old favourite spots, and they put it down to old age. In most cases these are the first signs of degenerative change and indicate PAIN.

The management of pain in both human and veterinary medicine has changed significantly over the past 10 years. Focus has gone from using a single ‘silver bullet’ to multimodal therapy. What this means is that different medicines that work via different mechanisms are used together to maximise pain relief. In addition, there are natural supplements, diets and environmental modifications that can support the aging pet to try and slow or ease the effects of arthritis. Therefore, relieving pain for our older pets requires an evolving plan that will support changes in the mobility and pain as they age. The team at The Veterinary Centre are here to partner with you to achieve the most comfort for your pet as they age, so come in to see us if you have any concerns.

Unsung Heroes

Rather than an interesting case, this month I would like to do a bit of a shoutout to some unsung heroes. As a pet owner, your interactions with our clinic are usually with our lovely reception staff and our veterinarians. However, in the background at all our clinics, is an amazing, dedicated team of veterinary nurses. This group of people is both skilled in the work they perform and incredibly compassionate towards all our patients (even the ones that don’t love us back all that much). Behind the scenes they are placing catheters, doing x-rays, managing medications, and ensuring that anxious pets have some reassurance and our hospital patients a soft bed and an extra bit of love. We, as veterinarians, absolutely could not do the work that we do without the powerhouse team that is our veterinary nurse colleagues and their work makes a huge difference to the care of all the pets we see at the Veterinary Centre by the Big Blue Cross.

Inspirational Case of Oral Cancer

Alkatraz came in for a vet check-up after her owners noticed she had bad breath and something going on in her mouth.

After examination, she was diagnosed with a large tumor on the underside of her tongue. The tumor was found early enough that it could still be removed, but in order to do this Alkatraz required amputation of most of her tongue. This is a life changing surgery, and it was unknown how well Alkatraz would adjust to living without a tongue.

The surgery was complex but successful. Analysis revealed the tumor was a squamous cell carcinoma, a highly invasive tumor and the second most common oral cancer in dogs. Fortunately the entire tumor had been removed and there was no sign of spread meaning Alkatraz was deemed cancer free.

Alkatraz surprised everyone with how quickly she recovered from surgery. She adapted to new ways of eating and drinking such as ‘chomping’ at her water instead of lapping it.

18 months on, and despite being recently diagnosed with a rare hormonal condition, Addisons disease (unrelated to her tongue), Alkatraz is doing great and her story has since helped reassure owners of other dogs facing tongue amputations.

Essential Holiday Advice

5 things to consider this Holiday Season!

• VACCINATIONS

Keep your pets healthy with a current vaccination, a must if leaving your pet in a cattery or kennel over the holidays. Routine flea and worm treatment is also advisable.

• MEDICATIONS

Don’t let your pets prescription medication run out over the holidays, we need at least 24 hours to process requests. Also consider anti-nausea medication for longer trips.

• MICROCHIPPING

Don’t lose your pet these holidays! Legally all domestic dogs should be microchipped, but you can also chip your cat.

• HEATSTROKE

Make sure your pets don’t overheat - especially if traveling in the car. Make frequent stops and NEVER leave your pet unattended in a hot car. Always have access to water and shade.

• JUNK FOOD

Keep all chocolate, wrapping, cakes, ribbons, string etc away from your pet! These should be kept for the humans of the family!

Skin Cancers and Sun Protection for our pets

Animals, like people, can get sunburnt and suffer from UV induced skin cancers.

• The sites commonly affected are those with minimal hair coverage including ears, nose, eyelids and groins of those pets that love to lie on their backs in the sun.

• Animals with white fur on these areas are especially at risk. Squamous cell carcinomas are especially common on the noses and ears of cats. These will initially look like scratches that won’t heal.

• If treated early enough, the team at the Veterinary Centre are able to perform a non-invasive, cryosurgery to remove them before they become advanced and require surgery. Attacking them early is the key!

Pet specific sunblock is available for pets who are at risk. These are made to be safe if your pet happens to lick it. Please make sure that any outdoor pets are provided with shelter and shade. If you have any concerns about any changes in your pet’s skin, especially if small wounds seem to heal and then come back, then don’t hesitate to come and see one of our friendly vets at the Veterinary Centre or pop into the shop for some sunblock today.