Sonny's Staff Spotlight! With Nurse Nicole

Nicole C (our newest Nicole) has just completed her Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing! She has been working with us for the last 6 months after initially volunteering with us while studying.

Outside of work, Nicole enjoys catching up with friends and family, knitting and listening to loud music, most of which are compatible with her favourite activity, spending time with her furry family members.

Nicole made a career change just over a year ago because she decided that she wanted to work in a field where she felt like she was doing something good. This combined with her love for animals led her to veterinary nursing and she hasn't looked back! Her favourite part of being a vet nurse is hand raising kittens for our cat adoption program and watching them go to their forever homes.

Nicole is both a cat and a dog person, she says there are no favourites among her children ;) Her furbabies are Isa - 7 year old Jack Russell x Poodle, Cookie - 4 year old German Shorthaired Pointer, Magnus & Indie - 1 year old Domestic Short Hairs, Titan - 9 month old Domestic Short Hair (her first foster kitten who never left) and the most recent addition, Tora - a 2 year old temperamental Bengal.

Stay tuned for more Staff Spotlights in the coming months, so you can get to know all my wonderful friends at Casula and Elizabeth Drive!

Love and Licks, 

Sonny

New Products & Promotions!

 

We are happy to announce that we have started stocking Activyl spot-on flea treatment. It is a brand new product that works through bioactivation. This means it only becomes fully active once inside the flea.

This product comes in 6 packs & single dose packs which is handy if you have a growing puppy or kitten.

Click here for more information on Activyl

Casula & Elizabeth Drive also have some new dog and cat toys & accessories including plush toys, harnesses, leads, collars and even little doggie backpacks!

 

 

Frontline dog & cat 12 packs are available at 25% off ****only while stocks last. Dog 12 packs also come with a free tick ID card & remover.

Get in quick, only limited stock!

  

Does Your Pet Have Bad Breath?

It is commonly believed that bad breath on your pet is normal, and that it is just part of being a dog or cat. 

 However, this bad breath can actually indicate dental disease.  What begins as tartar and plaque build up, gingivitis, and smelly breath can lead to serious dental issues such as rotten teeth, gum disease and tooth root abscess formation. 

FIV study

Please take a moment to answer these three questions:

 

- Do you have a cat? 

- Is it over 5 years old? 

- Does it have unrestricted outdoor access?

If the answer to these three questions is YES then your kitty might be eligible to be a part of this important study. 

 

We need cats who meet the above criteria, and who have never been vaccinated against FIV, and have never been tested for FIV. They also need to live within the postcode districts of 2170 or 2168. 

 

For being part of the study you'll receive a $30 voucher to be used at either our Casula or Elizabeth Drive clinic. 

  

What is the FIV Study?

This study is a world first, being conducted primarily to confirm the FIV vaccine is working under Australian conditions. With only ten clinics across Australia participating, we are very excited to be able to contribute to this important and valuable study. 

You as an owner will also benefit from this study, by being provided valuable information on the health of you cat, including:

• a full physical examination
• check on the FIV status of your cat
• white blood cell analysis to assess the immune status of you cat. 

What is Involved?

A small amount of blood (2.4ml) and a swab of saliva are all that is required from your cat, should you agree to participate in the study. A trained veterinarian will perform the blood collection, and a local anaesthetic cream will be used to minimise your cat's discomfort. 

If you would like this valuable study please phone Elizabeth Drive Animal Hospital.  

Remember, if your cat has ever been in a fight, there is a risk they could have contracted FIV! 

This is an ongoing study, please forward to any friends who may meet the criteria for this study. 

Welcome Back Dr Libby!

  

Dr Libby has returned from maternity leave, after having her second child. 

Dr Libby has returned to her previous consulting days of all day Monday and Tuesday mornings.  

Sonny's Staff Spotlight! With Nurse Amy

Sonny's Staff Spotlight!
With Nurse Amy

 Outside of work Nurse Amy loves spending time with friends and family, travelling, and of course playing with all of her fur-babies!

Amy became a Veterinary Nurse because she has always loved animals and thought this would be the best job so she could help them and play with animals all day long!

Amy has taken a special interest in medical nursing and 

loves to provide the best nursing care possible to all of our patients.

Find out more about Nurse Amy and our other wonderful staff in the Meet our Team section on our website.

Stay tuned for more Staff Spotlights in the coming months, so you can get to know all my wonderful friends at Casula and Elizabeth Drive!

Kelly gets new 'leash' on life with osteoarthritis treatment!

Osteoarthritis is a painful , debilitating, degenerative disease that affects a significant number of pets as they age, however there are steps we can take to slow the progression and also improve quality of life. There are many products available on the market to treat arthritis, usually, it is a combination of products that can do wonders for your pet. 

Take Kelly for instance - Kelly is a 14 (almost 15!!) year old Golden Retriever who suffers hip dysplasia and arthritis. In June 2010, Kelly's owner started noticing some early warning signs - difficulty rising in the mornings and reluctant to jump and brought her in for a check up with the vet. Thanks to the continued advancements veterinary medicine, Kelly's degenerative disease has been well managed for almost 5 years now.

Continue reading about Kelly's story in our Osteoarthritis article.

New Look Website!

Our website has a new look! We have been working hard to update all the information for you with new pages on: 

Follow the above links to have a look!

Sonny's Staff Spotlight! With Trish Rich - Practice Manager

   

Trish is the Practice Manager for Casula Veterinary Hospital and Elizabeth Drive Animal Hospital and has just celebrated 11 years of being a veterinary nurse at the clinics.  Let's get to know a bit more about Trish!

 

Outside of work, Trish loves spending time with her little family! Together they go travelling and visit play centres, as well as going to the park and the beach! 

 

Trish's favourite part of working here is being able to establish great relationships and liaise with our clients and their pets. She also loves team building which is a big part of her role as practice manager. Trish also really enjoys medical nursing, and caring for our hospital patients. 

Trish has loved animals since she was a child, and as such has always wanted a job where she can work with them. She started off doing work experience in year ten, and knowing this was the career for her, joined the Casula team full time as a vet nurse as soon as she finished school. Over her 11 years here, Trish has gained vast experience in all aspects of nursing, and worked her way into a senior role in the practice. 

Trish is a cat and dog person, and has a number of pets as home. Kelly the 14 year old Golden Retriever, Tabitha (11 years) and Shaela (3 years) both domestic short hairs, and Gary the fighting fish. 

Stay tuned for more Staff Spotlights in the coming months, so you can get to know all my wonderful friends at Casula and Elizabeth Drive!

Love and Licks, 

Sonny

Anal Gland Disease

   

Anal glands or anal sacs are pretty much what the name says. Glands just under the skin on either side of your dogs anus that naturally express when they defecate. They are located at the 8 and 4 position on either side of your dogs anus, as shown in the above picture. They produce and store a dark and smelly fluid, and, yes, it is as gross as it sounds. They are similar to the organs that a skunk uses to scare away their enemies. However because most dogs don't need to use them for this purpose the fluid can build up, and this can cause some problems.

We see three types of issues with dogs' anal glands; impaction, infection and abscesses.

Impaction is caused by the fluid building up and becoming thick or solidified. To treat impaction the anal gland is manually expressed (squeezed) to removed to clean out the solidified fluid.

Infection is caused by a build up of bacteria within the fluid, and can result in yellow or bloody pus. This is again treated by expressing the glands, and also with a course of antibiotics.

If this infection is not treated an abscess may occur within the gland, where the sac swells, and eventually overflows at which time the sac rupture or burst. This will require antibiotics, and also surgical treatment in some cases.

Some signs that your dogs anal glands need to be expressed include, scooting (dragging bottom along the ground), trying to excessively lick or chew at bottom region, pain or discomfort around tail area, swelling either side of the anus, or discharge from either side of the anus.

Regular visits to the vet to have their anal glands expressed can significantly reduce the chance of your dog having any of this unpleasant issues.

What to do with Lost or Stray Animals

If you ever find a stray dog or cat, here is a little guide as to what to do with them. 

There are different guidelines to determine if a dog or cat is a "stray" or "lost" animal. 

Any dog is considered a stray if it is wandering around without it's owner present, is in a prohibited area, or needs to be seized for the safety of the animal or nearby people. 

Cats on the other hand, are permitted to roam, which means that even if they are away from their home, they are not considered to be a stray. A cat is only to be seized if it they are in a prohibited area, such as a wildlife reserve, or in a place where seizing the animal is reasonable and necessary for the animal's welfare. 

If you find a stray animal, and it is injured, it should be taken immediately to the nearest vet for treatment. If the animal is not injured, the animal is then the responsibility of the local council. Though it is common practice to take strays to the vet to have them scanned for a microchip, the vet clinic is not obligated to accept the animal. It is however, the responsibility of the person who has seized the stray to return it to the owner or the council pound as soon as possible. Not complying with this can incur fines of up to $2200. 

If the stray is microchipped, authorised people within the clinic can look up the animal's owner and contact them directly. These details cannot be given to the finder, however if you bring a stray in we can collect your details so we can contact you with the result of finding the animal's owner. 

If the stray is not microchipped, or we are unable to contact the person listed on the microchip, we are under obligation to send the animal to the pound. 

Some people may be disinclined to take an animal to the pound for fear of what may happen to them, but sending the lost animal to the pound gives them the best chance of being reunited with their owner. The council pound must hold all non-microchipped animals for a minimum of 7 days, and all microchipped animals for 14 days. They also list the animal on their website and their Facebook page, and if they cannot find the owner of the cat or dog, the animal then becomes available for adoption, or can be taken in by rescue groups.

In case your own pet ever goes missing it is very important to ensure that they are microchipped, and that the microchip details are always kept up to date. Even if you have updated these details with the vet clinic you still need to update them with your local council. Animals can be microchipped from 8 weeks of age. 

You should also ensure your pet has a collar with a name tag with your contact number. Some people also put their vets contact number on the collar, in case your animal is injured it can be taken directly to your vet.