Arthritis in our pets 2

Pyometra 3 Rabbit Vaccines & De-Sexing 4

Winter is upon us 4

Dr Dave * Dr Amber

Dr Kate * Dr Libby

Nurse Natalie * Nurse June

Nurse Karen * Nurse Lara

Nurse Emily * Nurse Siân * Nurse Holly

233 State Highway 1, Bulls

48 Tutaenui Road, Marton

Email: team@srvs.co.nz

www.srvs.co.nz

JUNE 2017 SNIPPETS

SOUTHERN RANGITIKEI VETERINARY SERVICES LIMITED

233 State Highway 1 Bulls & 48 Tutaenui Road Marton

Summer was under-whelming, autumn has already been and gone— let’s

hope that winter is kind and roll on spring!

We have a busy winter ahead; SRVS is having an Open Day on June 17th where we hope

you can all join us to have a behind-the-scenes look at some of the things that go on here.

We will have animals, spot prizes and competitions, so please come along and say hello.

We shall also have a gold coin sausage sizzle and bake stall to raise money for GAP

(Greyhounds As Pets) and Pug Rescue.

During July we will be running a discounted cat de-sexing campaign. Sadly, far too often

we have people ring us with enquiries about kittens or stray cats causing trouble and it is

our way to try to help the stray cat situation. Desexing fees for your animal are very

reasonable and we are already keeping costs to a minimum to encourage people to have

their animals desexed. In July we offer further discounts to help with the stray cat

problem in our area.

The SPCA are in-undated with un-wanted cats and kittens; Dogs and cats are breeding at a

greater rate than ever – faster than good homes can be found. They become unwanted,

are given away, stray, or are callously dumped. They suffer out of sight of their owners.

The lucky ones end up in animal shelters where they are placed in new homes.

Keeping a pet is a lifetime commitment and the one-time expense of de-sexing will bring

many advantages to both animal and owner.

No desexed dog or cat can ever get cancer or other diseases of the reproductive organs,

such as testicular tumours, cystic ovaries, ovarian tumours or acute or chronic uterine

infections. Desexed animals are also at far less risk of mammary cancer, prostate diseases,

perianal tumours and perianal hernias. There will never be a risk of pregnancy complica-

tions. Because neutered animals avoid these medical problems they tend to live longer,

healthier lives.

A desexed animal is often a more relaxed pet. Neutering reduces a pet’s desire to roam

and fight.

Desexing decreases embarrassing behaviour habits like leg mounting and spraying, and

eliminates the frantic pacing and crying of a cat in heat.

Desexing your pet saves you a lot of money. A pregnant animal requires additional food,

as will puppies or kittens. They may also need extra veterinary care.

Desexing reduces roaming, thereby lessening the likelihood of your animal being hit by a

car or getting injured in fights with other animals. “Entire” animals are more likely to roam

in search of a mate and one of the saddest parts of being a vet is having to euthanase an

animal severely injured after being hit by a car.

From Monday 12th June we shall have a vet clinic all day in Marton.

Appointments are essential—please give us a call.

Arthritis in our pets

Arthritis is a painful reality to many humans and this is the same for your pets.

Winter is the time of year that we see this disease at its worse. Arthritis is common in both dogs and cats as they age. Animals are quite

stoic and don’t always show pain, and certainly don’t complain; more than 25% of dogs and up to 90% of cats will show radiographic

evidence of arthritis. Very few cats are treated for arthritis but more owners are becoming aware and looking for help for their cats.

Animals tend to have osteo-arthritis rather than rheumatic arthritis. Arthritis has many causes including growth abnormality, poor

conformation (hip and elbow dysplasia), trauma and obesity.

The first step is to diagnose the problem; signs include reluctance to jump into the car, difficulty going up or down stairs, and difficulty

positioning for toileting. Often we don’t recognise the changes and just put it down to ageing. X-rays aren’t the whole answer because

the amount of arthritis an animal has, doesn’t always indicate the degree of pain they feel.

Cats are harder to diagnose because they just become less active and sleep more. Cats will show more difficulty in getting up or down

from a table or stairs. By the time we pick up some of these changes, the disease is well advanced. We have to manage the disease

process rather then cure it. Owners are often reluctant to accept that their pet has this problem because they don’t vocalise or complain;

in actual fact the these signs may be very obvious to a vet.

We often see a dramatic change in mobility when we treat the pain with NSAIDS (non-steroidal drugs). Owner’s are amazed at how much

younger they appear (life is worth living again). X-Rays may be necessary to diagnose the problem.

Signs of arthritis in cats and dogs include:

• Stiff and reluctant to move in the morning

• Lameness

• Difficulty in getting comfortable

• Lame after exercise (the day after)

• May become aggressive towards being touched. Aggression may be directed at children if playing roughly.

• Licking at sore joint

• Possibly a loss of appetite

As stated, there is no cure for arthritis so management becomes the answer.

Obesity—animals have an optimum weight and controlling weight is difficult when more than one person feeds the pet. We often hear

that they only get a small amount, but on further questioning find that others will feed them extras or they eat the bread put out for the

birds, scavenge food from the compost heap, drink full cream milk from the vat, pinch the cat’s biscuits etc...

It is amazing to see how much improvement there is when the weight is reduced. There are a number of diet foods and, fed properly,

they really work.

Non steroidal drugs can often be used to control pain. There are a range of these and your vet will give you advice on which are best for

your pet. Treating cats with NSAIDs has to be done with care as they can cause gastric and kidney problems. One often needs to weigh

up quality of life against quantity of life. We have many owners who have made the decision based on the positive changes in their pets

life.

Providing your pet with

warm jackets and soft bed-

ding are ideal to provide

extra comfort and

warmth—pets like warmth

as much as we do.

Feel free to come into the

clinic and discuss your pet’s

needs and general health.

Pyometra Dr Kristina & Dr Amber

Meet the gorgeous Spud! We saw Spud on Easter Saturday when her owners bought her to SRVS as

they had noticed she was drinking a lot of water.

Age, history and clinical signs pointed to a pyometra (pus filled uterus), which was confirmed with

ultrasound. Dr Amber and Dr Kristina took Spud into surgery on the Saturday afternoon, assisted by

nurse Emily. They removed the uterus and all the pus it contained - almost 2kg of it! Spud is very

lucky her owners noticed her odd behaviour. The surgery was a success and Spud recovered with-

out any complications and is back at home doing well.

PYOMETRA FACTS:

- Pyometra is infection of the uterus; usually the uterus

becomes full of pus, therefore only entire females are

affected. Very rarely we may diagnose a ‘stump pyometra’ in

spayed dogs, but this is not generally as severe.

- Pyometra usually happens 2-4 weeks after a bitch has her season and is thought to

occur due to the hormonal changes that affect the uterus combined with bacterial

contamination.

- Early signs you may see are possibly being off colour (lethargic, inappaetant), drinking

more water and urinating more and maybe licking her back end more. If not noticed

these progress to more severe signs like vomiting, collapse and a very sick dog. Even

though she has pus inside her you may, or may not, see pus leaking out the back end.

If left untreated the uterus could rupture and cause peritonitis and death.

- Treatment for a pyometra involves removing the uterus and all its smelly contents. The surgery is the same as spaying a

dog - but the risk of complications is a lot higher as the dog is normally sick so has a higher anaesthetic risk, and we have to

take extreme care not to perforate the fragile uterus. Antibiotics and intravenous fluids are needed to kill the toxins in the

blood and flush the system out.

- Pyometra is more common in middle aged to older entire females, we generally see it in large breeds, especially Labradors

and working dogs (but these are the most common breeds of dogs we look after too!).

- Pyometra is prevented by spaying your dog. This is a really good reason to spay your dog if you have no intention of

breeding from them or if their breeding days are over.

Keep your best friend feeling warm, dry and cosy this winter

We have a great selection of dog jackets in all different sizes.

(and they can look really

cool—they don’t have to look

daft…)

We also have a great

selection of beds—

come in and check

them out.

Your pets will love

you for keeping them

warm this winter.

Calicivirus Vaccine

“Rabbit haemorrhagic disease” is an extremely contagious and often fatal disease caused by the Calicivirus. Calicivirus was introduced

into New Zealand to control wild rabbit populations but unfortunately pet rabbits are also susceptible. This virus is extremely resistant in

the environment and rabbits can become infected from contact with diseased rabbits or from viruses in hay or grass. Rabbits infected

with Calicivirus may be dull and unwell, not eating or may have bloody discharge from their nose, but often they are just found dead.

There is a yearly vaccine available to protect pet rabbits over 9 weeks of age from Calicivirus. Because this vaccine needs to be used with-

in 10 hours of opening, we conduct “rabbit vaccine days” at the clinic.

The next vaccine day will be on the 29th of June. Vaccines cost $60 per rabbit.

The ins and outs of rabbit de-sexing

Why do we de-sex:

1. To prevent more baby bunnies!

2. To reduce the risk of uterine cancers. Up to 80% of female rabbits over 2 years of age will have uterine cancer and

often die from this.

3. To reduce aggressive behaviour between rabbits and towards owners

4. To reduce urine spraying in both female and male rabbits

When do we de-sex:

Male and female rabbits can be de-sexed when they are older than 4-6 months of ages (or over 9 months

of age in giant breeds). Males remain fertile for 3 weeks or more after castration so they still need to be

separated from females during this time.

We perform both female and male rabbit de-sexing, please contact the clinic for prices and a booking.

Rabbit Vaccines and De-sexing Dr Kate

Winter is upon us

It’s important not to forget our furry friends and their seasonal needs.

If your dog or cat spends a lot of time outside, they may need extra food during the cold season. Keeping warm

depletes energy, so ensuring good quality food is available is essential. Often animals feel the cold as much as

their owners do.

For outside dogs, ensure they have a waterproof and well insulated kennel with warm dry bedding and easy

access to food and water. Leave clipping their coat until spring, and if you must bathe your dog do it inside, drying thoroughly after-

wards.

For outside cats, ensure they have a safe and sheltered spot to escape extreme weather. Cat doors are a good idea for cats who like to

roam until the early hours, allowing them to return inside and keep warm at their leisure. For inside cats there are a range of different

options for bedding – donuts, tented beds, hammocks and igloos, but blankets set up in a warm draught free area work just as well.

On those extremely cold mornings we have here in the Rangitikei, check your animal’s water supply to ensure it is not frozen.

Although it’s not flea season, it’s important to keep up with your flea and worm treatments. The best time to fight fleas is winter when

they are less active and fewer in numbers. This avoids an outbreak once the weather starts to warm up later in the year.

For elderly or sick animals keeping warm during winter is essential. Arthritic pain can be

exacerbated by the cold, so warm, soft bedding is a must. Consider a joint specific diet, or a trip to the vet

to discuss pain relief options for any pet that seems particularly sore or stiff this winter season

If you have a short haired or very lean dog, a jacket during outside time is a good option to enable exercise is

maintained through the colder months. We currently have a wide range of dog jackets and warm bedding

instore now, in various colours and styles, come and check it out.

Join us behind the scenes at the Bulls Clinic and see how technology and

science play a part in providing a valuable service to you and your animals.

COMPETITIONS Spot

Prizes

Gold coin sausage sizzle and bake stall to raise money for

GAP (Greyhounds As Pets) and Pug Rescue

Did you know that cats can get pregnant

while still nursing kittens?

Or that a kitten can get pregnant as early as 5 months old?

Neutering your kitten is important

—but it can stretch some people’s budget.

That is why for July only SRVS

has reduced the cost of neutering your cat.

Call now to make an

appointment—

limited spaces

CASTRATE

Normally $73.50

For July only

$60

- save $13.50

SPEY

Normally $126.50

For July only

$100

- save $26.50