Sonny's Staff Spotlight! With Lisa Corkin - Head Nurse

   

Lisa has been a veterinary nurse since 2002 and has been working at the Casula Veterinary Hospital since 2005. Lets get to know a bit more about Lisa!

 

Outside of work, Lisa loves to get out and be active. She snowboards in winter and wakeboards in summer, and enjoys playing her guitar all year round!

 

The best part of her job is getting to see pets go home healthy to their families and having the opportunity to aid them in their recovery. She also loves being involved in surgical procedures, and especially orthopedics!

When I asked Nurse Lisa why she pursued vet nursing, she told me a lovely story about when she was young and her dog had ongoing treatment at a veterinary hospital. The vet nurses were so lovely when she visited her dog, and made such a strong impression on her that she decided to pursue the career herself as soon as she finished school and she hasn't looked back! 

Love and Licks, 

Sonny

Vet Talk with Dr Betty! Beware of Pancreatitis this Christmas!

Pancreatitis means inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas produces lots of enzymes to digest food that we eat. The enzymes in the pancreas are usually inactive and only become activated once secreted into the intestines. However, in pancreatitis these enzymes become activated while they are still in the pancreas and start to digest the pancreas itself. Several risk factors cause pancreatitis including obesity and fatty food. Fatty left-overs should be avoided all year round but people tend to share more fatty treats to their dogs at Christmas time.

Pancreatitis can potentially be very serious and life threatening. In some severe cases,  it can cause systemic inflammation and multi- organ failure or even death. Dogs with pancreatitis will look like having bad tummy upset with clinical signs such as lethargy, inappetence, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Blood tests are often required to make the diagnosis. Treatment usually includes supportive care in the hospital with intravenous fluids, anti-emetic drugs, pain relief and prophylactic antibiotics until the pancreas recovers itself.

The best way to prevent pancreatitis is to avoid very fatty meals. Some dogs that have had pancreatitis are probably more prone to it and may need special low fat diet for the rest of their lives to decrease chances of recurrence. So don't be tempted to load fatty treats into your dogs' bowel and just keep them to yourself.

Introducing William! Elizabeth Drive's New Blood Donor Cat!

      

Thank you to everyone who helped us in choosing a name for this little cutie! It was a tough choice with so many wonderful suggestions, so in the end we pulled a name out of a hat! 

Little William is settling in so well, and loves playing with his big brother Edward and getting attention from all the girls at Elizabeth Drive. 

Jack and Lilly's Story..

     

Hello, my name is Jack, and this is my sister Lilly. 

When we were only four weeks old, we were taken away from our mum with our brothers and sisters. The person who owned our mother didn't want us, and so we were thrown out of their car onto a big, busy road! Sadly, Lilly and I were the only kittens from our litter to survive. 

Then, we were scooped up by a nice lady and brought to the Elizabeth Drive Animal Hospital! When we arrived we were very scared and very skinny. Itchy fleas hopped all over us, and we might have even had tummy worms! But the nice people at the vet gave us medicine, a nice warm bath, food for our little bellies and lots of cuddles. Soon we were feeling much better!

Now we are learning to be brave and we run and play with the clinic cat Edward, who teaches us lots about being kittens! We both love cuddles and have competitions to see which of us has a bigger purr! I think I do, but Lilly says that it's her! We use our litter trays, and we eat from our food bowls! 

We like it here, everyone is very nice, but one day soon we would like to go to our forever homes to live with a family all our own! We have both been desexed, vaccinated and microchipped, and of course we are kept up to date with our flea and tummy worm prevention. 

As you can see from our photos we are mostly white, and I have a very cute little pink nose. Because of this, it is best if Lilly and I can be indoor kitties in our new home to protect us from the sun, and also from big scary cars!

If you think you have room in your home and your heart for a sweet little kitty like me or my sister, please contact the staff at Elizabeth Drive and arrange a time to come in and say hello!

Love and purrs,  From Jack and Lilly

Kitten Season!

  

With kitten season fast approaching, now is the perfect time to start planning to desex your kitten. Kittens can go on to heat from as early as 16 weeks of age. At only 24 weeks of age they could be the mother of up to 8 kittens. Having babies when your pet is still a kitten them-self, can cause a number of physical and medical problems which can cost you a lot of your time and money as well as permanently affecting the well-being of your pet.

Every year thousands of unwanted cats and kittens are taken to the pound in NSW. In 2009 of the 50,462 taken in at the pound only 36% were released either through adoption or being returned to their owners. That means 64% were unfortunately humanely euthanised; this can be due to the cat being injured or sick, unsuitable for adoption, or more commonly, due to overcrowding in the pound. This data does not include cats and kittens euthanised in vet clinics or small animal shelters, or those cats who die living on the street.

To help save all these unwanted cats and kittens please call us today to discuss desexing your pet, and do your part to reduce the number of animals destroyed in pounds every year.

The below table is just to give you an idea of how many kittens one undesexed cat can bring into the world, and how quickly the stray population can grow. 

  

To take it further, if none of the kittens born are desexed, this is what can happen over the course of 9 years... 1 Year: 12 Kittens  2 Years: 67 Kittens  3 Years: 376 Kittens  4 Years: 2,107 Kttens  5 Years: 11,801 Kittens  6 Years: 66,088 Kittens  7 Years: 370,092 Kittens  8 Years: 2,072,514 Kittens  9 Years: 11,606,077 Kittens!

Heat Stroke!

   

Spring is here! And with it comes the warm weather and longer sun-filled days. This is the perfect time to get out and be active with your pet; going for walks, or for a day out at the park or the beach.

However, it is important to remember to keep your pet cool and hydrated as the weather warms. Heatstroke in animals can be sudden and often fatal. Signs to watch out for are excessive panting, lethargy, collapse, and high temperature.

Short faced (brachycephalic) animals, such as staffies, pugs, and bulldogs are at increased risk of heatstroke and should only be exercised during the cooler hours of the day. Dogs that are long-haired, obese or have diseases affecting their airways are also at increased risk. 

If you think your pet may have heat stroke, it is important to contact the vet hospital as soon as possible. 

How does your pet keep cool?

Tell us how your pet likes to cool down in the warm weather! Or better yet, show us! Post a picture on our Facebook page of your furry friend keeping cool in this lovely spring weather! 

  

Blackie (below) loves to play with his toys in the water!

  

Pugsley's Weight-Loss Journey!

For those of you who have not met him; Pugsley is the Casula Veterinary Hospital's resident blood donor cat! Due to some overindulgent nurses, poor Pugsley became a whopping 6.08kg, which for his body type was considered obese. As Pugsley is an older cat, maintaining a healthy weight range is important as it reduces his risk of developing serious conditions such as diabetes and arthritis.  Over the course of 12 weeks on the Royal Canin Feline Obesity Diet, Pugsley lost a total of 1.42kg! He is now a healthy 4.66kg! Pugsely is now happy and healthy with much more energy, and loving his new lease on life!

Pet Dental Health Awareness

DOGGY BREATH - There is no such thing!

  

DID YOU KNOW that 80% of dogs and 70% of cats over 3 years have dental disease that requires treatment? Pets too, require dental care - imagine if we stopped brushing our teeth for a month, how would our teeth feel? Brushing your pets teeth can be a huge help in preventing tartar build up.

Have you ever had a toothache? Do you remember how sore it was to eat normally and how quickly you made a trip to the dentist to have it looked at? Pets don't know that they require dental care and therefore it is our job as owners, to do it for them. Tartar build up can be uncomfortable and painful for our pets, however they do not always show this to us until the pain is so severe that they stop eating. By the time they stop eating, the mouth is full of loose and infected teeth which can cause a number of other health issues. Our aim is to prevent the dental disease getting to this stage by developing an individual dental hygiene regime for your pet. This may include a dental scale and polish, regular brushing and/or special dental treats to help prevent further tartar build up.

Learn how to brush your pets' teeth by clicking on the link to our Dental Guide PDF. This guide also discusses what happens during a dental scale and polish and when this may be required.

Find out more about some home dental care products available, how they are used and why - Just click on the following Link - Dental Care Products

DON'T FORGET TO FORWARD THIS ON TO YOUR FRIENDS SO THEY CAN BENEFIT FROM BOTH THE INFORMATION ON DENTAL HYGIENE AND THE AUGUST SPECIALS!

What grade is your pets' teeth?

Grade I

There will be a small amount of plaque present on the molars and mild gingivitis which may no be grossly visible. Home dental care is required and the veterinarian may recommend a dental scale and polish of the teeth within the next few months

 

Grade II

The gumline will be red and inflamed. The mouth will have a noticeable odour and there will be some discomfort. A dental clean and scale is required as soon as possible (some extractions may be required) and a home dental health plan will be made for your pet to help prevent further tartar build up and maintain good dental hygiene.

 

  

Grade III

The gums will be cherry red and you may notice occasional bleeding. There will be a build up of calculus present and a painful infection of the gums. A dental clean and scale is required immediately and some extractions are likely to be required. 

Grade IV

There will be chronic inflammation and infection of the mouth causing bad breath and loose teeth. Severe dental calculi will be present on the teeth causing pain and discomfort. The bacteria present in the mouth can spread through the body via the blood stream and can potentially cause damage to the kidneys, liver and heart. A dental scale and polish is required immediately. The doctor may recommend for your pet to start antibiotics prior to the dental scale and then continue for another 7-10 days after the dental treatment. 

Weight Loss and your pet

 

How heavy is your pet?  Do you notice any weight loss recently?

Obviously if your pet is on a diet for being overweight, weight loss is expected.

If your pet has unplanned weight loss, there are a few

simple things to check at home:

1.          Have you changed your pet's diet?

•    Different quality pet food contain varied amount of nutrients.  One cup of diet A does not necessary provide the same energy to your pet compare to one cup of diet B.
•    Your pet could also be a bit fussy and does not like the new diet as much as the old one.

2.          Do you have any new additions to the family?  

•    New pets in the household can cause stress to some animals.  Sometimes your pet is just too stressed to eat around the new comer and they might even compete for food. 

Decreased appetite is the most common reason for weight loss.  Dirty food bowls, change of diet or dental problems may cause inappetance.  Stress in the environment could also be another cause.  Assess your pets' environment and daily routine carefully may give you a lot of valuable clues. 

If there are no changes in the routine and your pet has noticeable weight loss, you should bring your pet to see a vet. There are a lot of diseases that can cause a pet to have lost weight, to name a few:

-              Dental disease

-              Overactive thyroid glands in older cats

-              Diabetes

-              Kidney disease

-              Liver disease

-              Tumours

Simply wait and see is not the recommended approach for any pet with noticeable weight loss.  Animals with significant weight loss are weak and could deteriorate very quickly.  If you notice any weight loss in your pet, please make an appointment with your regular vet to investigate the problem.  Relatively simple problems like dental disease could be treated with dental procedures and prevented with prophylaxis.  Others may require blood, urine or other tests for diagnosis depending on what your vet finds on physical examination.

"My pet is thin simply because he/she is old; I don't think we need to see a vet"

Remember, getting old does not cause one to lose its weight but diseases would.   In most cases, there are treatments to control the disease.  If the problem is incurable, there may be something we could do to help your pet live comfortably for the rest of their life.

 

What to do if your pet eats chocolate

Dogs are known for eating things they are not suppose to. They have an excellent sense of smell and can  find our Easter eggs quite easily if given the slightest opportunity. 

This Easter, remember that chocolate is a killer! Ensure that all Easter eggs are kept out of reach of your dogs and cats.

If you find your pet has managed to eat some chocolate, there are a few steps you will need to take:

1. Act quickly! Remove any more chocolate from your pets' reach immediately.

2. Call your local or 24 hour emergency veterinarian. They will want to know the weight of your pet and approximately how much and what type of chocolate your pet has eaten.

3. Transport your pet to the vet immediately for examination. The vet will then advise you of what treatment is required for your individual pet.

Make your home a flea-free zone!

  

As the cooler weather sets in, it may be tempting to think that the need for flea control diminishes. Indeed, cooler outside temperatures may reduce (but not eliminate) flea re-infestation from outdoor environments. However, warm winter homes remain a perfect environment for on-going flea development and infestation of pets.

During winter, flea pupae that developed from flea eggs laid up to 6 months earlier, could be present waiting to emerge as new fleas to infest you pet. Once on your pet, fleas will feed, mate and lay eggs. An adult flea can lay up to 50 eggs per day, which falls off your pet's coat resulting in long term flea contamination of your home. Therefore, winter is also a key time to protect our furry friends and home from flea infestation.

Remember, the adult fleas on your pet only represent 5% of the problem. The other 95% is made up of eggs, larvae and pupae that are hidden in and around your home. For every flea that you see, there could be hundreds lurking in your carpets, between floor boards, on your furniture and even on your bed.

Thankfully, FRONTLINE PLUS has 2 active ingredients to protect your pet against all stages of the flea life-cycle. Using Frontline Plus all year round will control any existing flea problems, as well as prevent new infestations from occurring, even during winter. 

  

Bonnie Doon's Story

Bonnie Doon is a 9 year-old Jack Russell Terrier who is always a very cheerful and lively dog, bouncing in the air with a happy face every moment of her life. She loves greeting people, loves her food and even loves coming to the vet hospital. It seems that everything around her just makes her happy. Just by looking at such a happy dog, no one would have guessed that she has been through so much in the past 12 months. Bonnie Doon has been such a brave warrior and she has never shown us a sad face even while she was sick. In February 2012, she had a fitting episode at home and she was then diagnosed with stage 1 insulinoma. Insulinoma is a highly malignant tumour in the pancreas, which causes Bonnie to have low blood glucose at all times due to an excessive secretion of insulin from the tumour cells. Soon after diagnosis, she had a massive surgery done at a specialist hospital in which half of her pancreas and some of the lymph nodes were removed. Tests revealed that the tumour might have already spread to her lymphatic system at the time of surgery. Despite having the massive surgery, Bonnie Doon was doing very well after that and went into clinical remission. Unfortunately in August 2012, the nightmare came back. On a routine health check, she was found to have low blood glucose again and an ultrasonography exam revealed that her nasty tumour has come back. This time Bonnie's insulinoma came back even stronger and not only the pancreas, her liver, guts and bladder were also invaded with tumour masses. This time with a stage 3 insulinoma, her oncologists expected that she would only live for 2 months. Even with the poor prognosis, no one has ever thought of giving up on her as she was just such a happy dog!  We started Bonnie on chemotherapy since September 2012 and she did so well on the chemo surprisingly! We have never encountered any side effect from her chemo, and she is still as energetic and happy as she used to be. Today is almost 6 months since Bonnie was diagnosed with stage 3 insulinoma, and Bonnie Doon is still the same Bonnie Doon, who runs and jumps at us happily every time she comes to the hospital. Last year, we did not expect her to survive through Christmas. But look at Bonnie now, she even gained almost 2kg since the start of the chemo, sometimes we would be thinking, maybe she is going to live for many months or even years? Maybe staying happy does play a role in stopping the tumour from spreading? If one day she is not bouncy anymore, everyone will certainly be really upset. Bonnie Doon is just a miraculous dog. We all love her so much. Let's all hope that she will stay healthy and happy.

Heat Stroke

  

Dogs do not sweat like humans do. They rely upon panting to exchange warm air with cooler air. However, if the weather is hot and humid, this process would be much less effective. Heatstroke can be a life threatening condition, and does require emergency treatment.  A dog's normal body temperature is 37.8-39.2°C, if the body temperature is higher than 40.5°C, it can be very dangerous. 

Heatstroke commonly occurs in hot summer weather when dogs are left in hot vehicles without adequate ventilation. However, heatstroke may also occur when an animal is left outdoors or is exercised in hot/humid conditions without adequate shade and water. Heatstroke is also more common in long haired or brachycephalic (short-nosed) dogs. Other predisposing factors may be obesity and diseases affecting a pet's airway. 

Initially the pet appears distressed, pants excessively and becomes restless. Then, he/she may drool large amounts of saliva from the nose and/or mouth and may become unsteady on feet.  You may notice the gums starting to turn blue or bright red in colour due to poor oxygenation.

What to Do

• Move your pet to a shaded, well ventilated and cool environment. 
• If possible, determine rectal temperature and record it.
• Begin to cool the body by placing cool, wet towels over the back of the neck, in the armpits, and in the groin region.  You may also wet the ear flaps and paws with cool water.  Directing a fan on these wetted areas will help to speed evaporative cooling.  Transport to a veterinary hospital immediately.

What NOT to Do

• Do not use cold water or ice for cooling. 
• Do not overcool the pet.
• Do not attempt to force water into your pet's mouth, but you may have fresh cool water ready to offer should your pet be alert and show an interest in drinking.

It is very important to take your dog to a veterinarian as soon as possible following an episode of heatstroke. Heatstroke can lead to laryngeal oedema which can worsen breathing problems. Other possible consequences of heatstroke include kidney failure, spontaneous bleeding, irregular heartbeat and seizures. These complications can occur within hours or days later.