FA M I LY V E T C E N T R E

BOARDING

Welcome...

It’s the long weekend, and it has been quite a busy

one, as most weekends tend to be at the tail end of

the year. We’ve just returned from a great day out at

the Walbundrie show, and the drive back has been

a picture with the canola and cereal crops. Xavier

has had a busy morning catching up with all of his

cousins, and now as he catches the barest of

shut-eye, it gives me a chance to sit down and do

some office work.

Xavier is not the only bub within the clinic family with

several recent arrivals. Congratulations to Lauren

and Darryl with the birth of Fletcher John, Phoebe

and Dave with their bub Rory Oliver, and to Nadine

and her husband Rhys with their little man Henry

William. Henry is already being immersed into clinic

life attending several clinicians’ meetings!

On a sadder note

we fare-welled

one of our

nurses, Naomi,

recently. Naomi

has been with

the practice

since 2003, and

will be particularly well known to our Wodonga

clients. Naomi has been a fantastic part of our team

and will be very much missed. We wish Naomi all

the best as she starts a new chapter in her life in

Townsville.

On the clinic front we continue to strive to be better

at what we do. Amanda is currently nearing the end

of an intensive 12-month course focusing on small

animal medicine. Nurses Bec & Erin are also near to

completing their diplomas, which is a truly special

achievement. The new ultrasound, purchased at the

start of this year, is showing itself to be a fantastic

addition to our diagnostic capabilities.

Whilst people may not get to see the continuing

education, or the investment in new diagnostic

equipment that occurs in the background, we

believe that they are important to who we are as a

clinic – as it is this continual development that helps

us provide the best care that you and your pet

deserves.

I hope that you, your family and pets get the

opportunity to enjoy this beautiful spring, and we

look forward to meeting you when you’re next in at

the clinic.

Until next time, Cheers,

Justin

• We s e e k t o g r o w r e l a t i o n s h i p s w i t h f a m i l i e s t h a t e n h a n c e t h e i r p e t s ’ l i v e s t h r o u g h p r o f e s s i o n a l , q u a l i t y a n d c a r i n g h e a l t h - c a r e .

• We s e e k t o b e t h e v o i c e f o r a l l p e t s .

Cnr Borella Rd & Keene St, Albury Ph 02 6041 252275 Thomas Mitchell Drive, Wodonga Ph 02 6056 4400familyvet@familyvet.com.au

75 Thomas Mitchell Drive,WodongaPh 02 6024 1723

NutriDerm® – Nourishing Your Pet’s SkinFor dogs and cats with normal, dry or itchy skin.

A healthy skin is vital to your pet’s overall health and wellbeing. It plays an important role in skin hydration as well as providing a protective barrier against allergens and irritants.

A healthy skin has key nutrients called ceramides, phytosphingosines and fatty acids that are the building blocks of the skin’s protective barrier. In some pets, particularly those with dry or itchy skin, key nutrients can become depleted, leading to dry skin and increased sensitivity to allergens and irritants which can make your pet uncomfortable.

The new NutriDerm® Replenishing Range combines mild, effective cleansers with nourishing conditioners to maintain a healthy, well hydrated skin; making your pet feel more comfortable.

With a new Cerasine® skin nutrient complex, NutriDerm Replenishing Conditioner nourishes and replenishes your pet’s skin. Cerasine provides ceramides, phytosphingosines and fatty acids – the

key nutrients required to maintain a healthy, moisturised skin. The NutriDerm Replenishing Shampoo is sulphate free for gentle cleansing without drying out the skin.

Used together the NutriDerm Replenishing Range cleans and nourishes your pet’s coat and skin; leaving a naturally fresh scent and a soft manageable coat.

S p r i n g 2 0 1 0I s s u e 2 8

S p r i n g 2 0 1 0I s s u e 2 8

FAM

ILY

VE

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EN

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If yo

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t to

thin

king

you

're

a pe

rson

of s

ome

influ

ence

, tr

y or

deri

ng s

omeb

ody

else

's d

og a

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~ W

ill R

oger

s

I f t h e r e i s

o n e s p o t o f

s u n s p i l l i n g

o n t o t h e

f l o o r , a c a t

w i l l f i n d i t

a n d s o a k

i t u p .

~ Joan Asper McIntosh

Dr Amanda Lugsdin

We are very fortunate to have had Dr Amanda Lugsdin join the clinic earlier this year. Amanda is strongly committed to providing best care and continually goes that extra step to help pets.

Amanda grew up on a sheep and cattle station near Hay in the Riverina. After finishing high school in 1993 she returned to work on the family property for 12 months before completing a degree in Ag Science at Charles Sturt Uni in Wagga. She then pursued an agricultural career as a commodity risk management specialist with Elders Ltd.

Amanda left the agricultural scene to travel abroad in 2002. Based in London, she enjoyed the proximity of the rest of Europe whilst working for Barclays Bank in the IT department. Finishing her overseas jaunt with a 2 month road trip of Africa, Amanda returned to Australia in 2003 to undertake her degree in Veterinary Science at the University of Melbourne. Whilst studying her veterinary degree, Amanda worked for a

specialist veterinary surgeon as a surgical nurse and later was employed as the practice manager.

After graduation from Melbourne Uni, Amanda's rural background found her up to her armpits in mud and cowdung in the middle of an intensive dairy region in Gippsland. According to Amanda, there is only so much cow poop one can be covered in on a daily basis before coming to ones senses and so has moved home to the Riverina to pursue her small animal interests. She is very fond of companion animals and has special interests in Dermatology, Medicine and all things feline.

Outside the work place Amanda's interests are socially inclined - she is very family orientated and has her own household of fun loving animals - Jimmy the adorable Kelpie x Border Collie who knows the word "cuddles" only too well, Barney "the cat that thinks he's a dog" and Ruby Cat "the boss of all 4 legged beings". Of course, all of these furry creatures were helpless strays in need of a loving home - having a vet as a mother is not always a bonus - says Jimmy the blood donor!!Amanda, with Jimmy and

Barney Rory

Fletcher

Farewell Naomi

Henry

Puppy pre-school is a great way to get off on the right paw with your newest family member in a safe, fun and friendly environment. It has been an excellent resource to puppy owners for a long time and the benefits to both owners and the pups are extensive.

Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of puppy pre-school is socialization. The socialization period is a time in the puppy’s life where it is very open to learning behaviour lessons and other experiences to help it through life as a good member of society. This period generally ends around 14 weeks of age and, while the dog can learn to behave effectively after this age, this is the time when the rate of learning slows. Puppy pre-school allows your puppy to mix with other breeds of pups of different sizes, ranging in ages 8 – 14 weeks.

Educating owners is also a key point to puppy pre-school. While the puppies are learning to behave well amongst themselves, owners are helped with methods of understanding how the dog learns and the best ways of approaching situations that arise. These can include:- toilet training,- basic commands such as come, sit and stay, - tips on some curing some behaviour issues such as nipping or digging holes

As the classes progress, important health issues are covered including worming, vaccinations, de-sexing, nutrition and other subjects that owners wish to discuss.

Puppies are taught by Positive Reinforcement methods, using rewards of treats and praise for good behavior and

doing what is required of them. Being consistent in methods of training is also stressed so the puppy knows what is expected of it. Smacking or punishing the puppy only makes it nervous and wary of you.

Classes run once a week for 4 weeks under the supervision of a veterinary nurse who takes the classes. Our class sizes are around 8-9 pups, with classes being held at both our Albury and Wodonga clinics. Classes are on Monday or Wednesday evenings, starting at 6.30pm and finishing at 7.30pm. We recommend that owners either come on their own or with one other person. Children who wish to come to the classes need to be 8 years or older. The classes are run by four of our vet nurses, Brooke and Samara in Albury, and Aimee and Erin in Wodonga.

Essential 6 –The Easy Way to Keep Your Pet Smelling Fresh & Looking Great!

As the sun makes a reappearance, we venture back out into our gardens to see the snails are eating our veggies and the mice have left their calling card in the tool shed! Springtime brings countless snail bait and rat sac victims through the doors at Family Vet Centre and whilst most make it back home, sadly there a few who don’t. While most owners are very aware that commonly used baits are highly toxic to our pets, there are many who still have some hiding in the garage or under the house. We also need to be mindful that pets could wander onto next door’s prize winning garden sprinkled with snail bait, find the packet tucked ‘carefully’ out of reach or the stash that was purchased 10 years ago and forgotten about!

‘Jeanie’ is an 8 month old black Labrador who presented to the clinic one Saturday morning as she was quiet and not herself. On clinical examination, Jeanie’s gums were pale and her breathing was more laboured than usual. With careful questioning it was revealed that her owner had laid down a rat poison a few weeks ago - Jeanie was observed to eat the bright blue block, but then she vomited it up again. The owner was very relieved as he was aware that rat baits are highly toxic to dogs.

After the vet performed a blood cell count and a clotting test, it was soon clear that Jeanie had found the vomited bait within the last few days and eaten it again! Rat bait takes full effect approximately 48 hours after ingestion. It kills rodents by making vitamin K unavailable to contribute to the production of blood clotting factors in the liver, therefore causing the animal to bleed to death. As a result of

Jeanie’s rat bait ingestion, she was beginning to bleed into her chest and lungs.

Thankfully, due to her owner’s quick response upon noticing his dog was unwell, Jeannie received vitamin K supplementation to help her body recommence production of blood clotting factors in time to make a full recovery.

Another dog presented later that Saturday, shaking uncontrollably, frothing at the mouth and unresponsive. He was given medication into his vein to help control the seizuring while his owners were questioned about his access to toxins. They advised they did not have anything around, but the dog had gone wandering earlier in the day. With the owner’s consent the patient was anaesthetized and his stomach was ‘pumped’, which revealed a bright green substance in the contents retrieved. The substance was unmistakably identified as snail bait, although we also see dogs poisoned with bright blue and the brown ‘petsafe’ varieties.

Whilst the vet worked tirelessly to empty the gut of as much of the toxin as possible and gave medications overnight to bind any toxin remaining, to keep the shaking under control and to support the dog’s circulation and breathing, it was too late. So much of the bait had already been absorbed by the dog and he passed away.

To help keep your pet safe, we recommend that baits are swapped for traps and other pet-safe forms of plant protection such as spreading pepper around the garden.

Essential 6 is an innovative product that maintains the health of your pet’s coat and skin in an easy to apply spot-on pipette. What’s more it’s clinically proven to improve coat shine, balance an oily or dry coat and reduce scaly skin and odours.

This great coat and skincare product is applied topically using a single pipette. You simply apply Essential 6 directly to the skin on the back of your pet's neck on a weekly or fortnightly basis (as recommended by your veterinarian).

Essential 6 for dogs is ideal for pets with dry scaly skin, oily coats and those who are just constantly smelly. It’s also an easy way to keep your dog’s coat and skin healthy in between washes.

Essential 6 for cats provides a great alternative to bathing, helping to moisturise and hydrate the coat and skin for a wonderful coat shine. It’s great for cats who have difficulty with grooming.

Spring is time for…Battling Baits!

A d o o r i s w h a t a

d o g i s p e r p e t u a l l y

o n t h e w r o n g

s i d e o f .

~ O g d e n N a s h

HELP!My Cat Is Peeing All Over The House!

Strawberry is a 6 year-old female cat. She lives an indoor/outdoor lifestyle and eats dry cat food twice daily. Strawberry usually toileted in her litter tray in the laundry or outdoors but was presented to the clinic when her urine developed an unusual dark, green-tinged colour, strong smell and she began to squat both in and outside of her litter tray more frequently. Strawberry appeared to be well on examination and a urine sample was taken. She did have a urinary tract infection which was specifically treated…..but Strawberry still continued to urinate outside of her tray. Strawberry recently had a major change in her life - the addition of a newborn baby to the household!

Henry is a 4 year-old male cat. Henry lives an indoor lifestyle and eats a prescription dry food diet for a sensitive stomach. Henry began to ‘squat’ trying to urinate around the house, in pot plants and even on the couch. Henry would get very agitated and urinate blood-tinged urine in the laundry sink especially when his Mum left the house and when she had friends over.

Both of these cats share a common cause of feline urinary problems- stress! Sometimes we have to ‘walk around in our pet’s paws’ to see what causes them stress, as this can be difficult for us mere humans to understand. Stress or behavioural reasons for ‘inappropriate urination’ (urinating outside desired areas) is a diagnosis of last resort after all other possible medical reasons have been ruled out. Both cats had

thorough physical examinations, diagnostic imaging, blood and urine testing to rule out kidney and hormonal problems, infection, bladder stones and other abnormalities of the urinary tract.

Strawberry was upset by the new sounds, smells, infringements on ‘her’ territory and changes in household routine that a new baby can bring. Henry lives alone and completely indoors with his Mum and became overly attached to her, with his obesity and lack of stimulation contributing factors. Research suggests that ‘stress cystitis’ in cats is similar to a syndrome in human females where stress causes a breakdown of the protective mucous lining of the bladder allowing the sensitive wall to become damaged by acidic urine. This ‘burning’ of the bladder wall causes swelling, bleeding, increased susceptibility to infection, pain and a sense of urgency. The constant ‘squatting’ helps to alleviate the discomfort. In Henry’s case the cystitis had the potential to become a life-threatening problem as male cats can become ‘blocked’ by the swelling and debris and unable to pass urine.

Management in both cases commenced with environmental changes - Strawberry got to reclaim her usual territory on the couch and was given ‘escape routes’ and quiet areas away from the baby, while Henry began to go for outings on a leash to soak up the sunshine, exercise and eat some cat grass. Products such as Urine-Off and Biozet laundry powder were used to clean

up urine in undesirable areas and access to ‘favourite’ urination places other than the litter tray was restricted. Playtime and exercise with owners was increased utilizing simple games such as chasing feathers tied to a string and rolled up paper balls.

Both cats had increased areas developed for them to get up high and hide such as access to the tops of wardrobes. The number of litter trays, types of litters utilised and water access points were increased to encourage more frequent drinking and emptying of the bladder. To increase water intake in Henry’s diet with his very sensitive stomach, a good quality tinned tuna in springwater with more water added was introduced. Strawberry commenced a prescription wet food specially made for cats with bladder problems. Both cats received anti-inflammatories in the short term to relieve the pain and reduce the bladder swelling, as well as some injectable and tableted natural therapies to help ‘rebuild’ the protective bladder lining. Henry responded well to intermittent use of anti-anxiety medication when his ‘Mum’ knew she was going have visitors while Strawberry responded well to daily anti-depressants to help her cope with the new addition in her life.

Inappropriate urination is a very common and frustrating problem for cat owners but with the help of your vet and a systematic approach to diagnosis, most problems can be well managed, if not cured.

Puppy Pre-School!

Jeanie

PUPPIES TO PLAY AT PRE-SCHOOL