 
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.
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Monday, 4 March 2013
Bonnie Doon's Story
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.
Wednesday, 26 December 2012
Kris Kringle
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Today (Boxing Day), I've opened my Kris Kringle present that I got from Dr. Naomi at our work Christmas Party last Friday. I'm a bee.... buzz... buzz...
Hope everyone has received some interesting gifts from your families and friends like I did!
Tuesday, 4 December 2012
Sonny, the Public Relations Manager of our hospitals
Hi Everyone,
My name is Sonny, I'm the newly appointed Public Relations Manager of the
Let me start with introducing our online platforms available for us to keep in touch with each other, you can:
3. Follow us on Twitter @ CasulaVet
Stay tuned.. more updates coming!
Woof Woof.
Sonny
Pet Health Insurance
Pet insurance is becoming more and more popular in Australia. It offers you peace of mind as it covers some or all of the treatment costs if your pet was ever involved in an accident or suffers a sudden illness. Did you know that 24-hour emergency care for animals can cost over $1000 per day? It is a heartbreaking situation to have to choose between the health of your pet and financial constraints, so for peace of mind we strongly recommend that your pet is insured.
PERCY SHOWED US HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO HAVE PET HEALTH INSURANCE!
Little Poseidon broke his fingers a couple of weeks ago, after an accident in the garden. His family is glad and relieved that he is fully protected by the 4 weeks free Petplan health insurance for puppies, so he can have all the appropriate treatment with no financial concern. All they have to worry about is keeping his cute bandage clean and little Percy confined during his recovery. Contact us if you are interested to get your puppy / kitten (up to 1 year old) covered with this 4 weeks free pet health insurance
Washing and Grooming
Grooming is an important part of pet care. Depending on the breed, age, and health of your pet, grooming may even need to be a part of you and your pet's daily routine. Many breeds require less grooming than this, but regular grooming always helps to keep your pet healthy and comfortable.
SPECIAL CHRISTMAS OFFER
In December, each pet groomed will go home with a special Christmas bow or bandana!
Flea Allergy Dermatitis
Summer is approaching! While this is great news to our pets and us as we get to enjoy the outdoors, this also means that summer heralds a pest we all hate - fleas!
Dogs and cats commonly get a skin condition known as flea allergy dermatitis (FAD). This means that our pets get an allergic reaction to the saliva that is produced by fleas when it feeds on their blood.
What are the signs that my pet has FAD?
Our pets have an allergic reaction to flea saliva because their immune system reacts with an inflammatory response - this can cause our pets intense itchiness and discomfort. Dogs tend to bite and scratch excessively, and this can lead to redness, hair loss, secondary bacterial infections, and a scaly coat. Most dogs tend to be affected along the back near their tail base, but signs can still occur all over their bodies. Cats tend to be more agile and so can bite and scratch all over the body as well.
I don't see fleas on my pets...does this mean I don't have them?
Definitely not! Adult fleas do not breed on our pets - they instead deposit their eggs in the environment like on our pets' bedding and carpeted floors. This means that while you may not actually see adult fleas on your pet, they may still be in your house and your pet may still have FAD. Up to 95% of fleas exist as larval and pupal stages in the environment, while only 5% are adults. While you may not see flea adults in your pet's coat, this does not mean that fleas aren't bugging them!
What can I do to get rid of fleas?
If you suspect your pet has FAD, seek veterinary attention appropriately. Depending on the severity of lesions, our veterinarians may prescribe medicated shampoos, antibiotics, steroids, or antihistamines, and advise you on the use of flea preventatives for your pets.
The only real long term 'treatment' however, is to keep our pets flea-free as much as possible. This requires attacking fleas at all stages of their life cycle.
We first need to pick flea-killing agents which work directly on our pets. Products such as Frontline, Advocate, Advantage, Comfortis, Capstar, and Advantix are examples of these. Using these regularly all throughout the year will ensure our pets are covered. Our veterinarians and nurses can assist you in choosing a product which will best suit your needs.
We then also need to treat the environment. Regular vacuuming of carpets, washing and replacing pet bedding, yard sprays and house fogging can all help keep the flea population in check. The use of insecticide sprays which say 'egg stoppers' on them will also work on eliminating flea eggs - remember to spray under furniture and in quiet, dark corners of the house.
And remember...
Follow all manufacturers' instructions properly! Avoid using permethrin-based flea preventative products on cats, or on dogs which co-habit with cats, as permethrin is highly toxic to them. These products will often say 'Not for use on cats'. When in doubt - please call us and our nurses will be happy to help you!
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