We are excited to introduce the Cuddly Companion Club!

Joining our loyalty club means that you will earn points on your purchases that can be redeemed for future products and services, giving you more value for money. We have designed the Cuddly Companion Club to show you our appreciation by rewarding you for your continued support. This also entitles you exclusive member offers including bonus points promotions.

We will be launching the Cuddly Companion Club on Monday 27th April 2015 so make sure you ask us about it next time you're in!

Visit our website for more information and to see our terms & conditions or visit us to sign up today!!

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.

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!