I am so sorry that there was no official "June" newsletter, but I promise a packed July edition instead.  Set yourself down with a nice cup of tea or your favourite beverage, and enjoy. 

This newsletter is all about urinary problems (wee), keeping  joints healthy, and some information about our puppy classes starting up again, AND, of course,  information on our upcoming Open Day (party). 

There is a lot more in this newsletter, so read on, and share it too with your friends.

Yours & Thank You!

• Pets will investigate open flames.  
• Cats can tip candles over
• Always supervise  around candles  

• "Baby proof" your home from the teethies of chewing puppies and playful cats
• Crate your pet when you aren't at home or use baby gates 

• "Pet proof" your stove top knobs!
• Did you know that stoves are the number one piece of equipment involved in starting a fire? 

• Drying clothes in front of a heater and our pets do not mix!  

General Tips:

•  Check smoke detectors  
• Have your Home Escape plan that includes your pets (and PRACTICE IT)
• Keep all of your pet's identification up to date including a collar and tag  
• Put a sticker on your front window to alert firemen that there are pets inside   

Urinary problems in our pets have been on the increase in the last few months.  I honestly do not know why that is.  I am blaming the weather (it is as good as any other reason I can come up with). 

We are seeing cats who are struggling to wee or weeing in unusual places (or passing blood), and dogs who want to wee all the time, but only small puddles.  

Feline Lower Urinary Tract disease is a common, but complex problem. It is not always due to a bacterial infection, but can be due to a combination of factors such as  

• stress
• inactivity
• being indoors
• overweight
• dietary (i.e not drinking enough).
• unhappy with the kitty litter provided 

In dogs, bacterial urinary tract infections are common, and can also be associated with bladder stones (pictured)  

The signs you will notice are

frequent weeing  

sometimes blood, and sometimes no blood will be visible (but can be seen on testing)

straining to urinate 

Further testing - 

• A urine sample is always needed to be tested for any evidence of blood, protein, glucose and we always check the  pH level too.  
• The urine sample is then spun down to check for crystals and blood
• The sediment is stained to check for bacteria.
• Finally, we may submit the urine sample to a pathology laboratory for a Culture and Sensitivity (essential if a urinary tract infection is suspected, as we need to know what is the right antibiotic to use).

How do you collect a urine sample?   

Well, Dirk has written a handy info sheet. Visit our handouts page on our website. But do not despair - bring your pet in with a full bladder and let Dirk do his magic.  Dirk is our "urine collecting" champion! 

Obstructed Cats can get very very sick!

As well all know, it is usually on a Saturday afternoon or late in the evening when we may notice a problem with our pets.  And whilst most urinary problems are not a life threatening emergency, you will need to get them in to see me as soon as you can.

An ideal opportunity to take advantage of the free online consults (although the advice would be to collect a urine sample and drop it in).  

So what can you do till you can get them in to see us?  

For cats:

• Stop all dry food and feed only wet food  
• allow multiple sources of water - consider  a water fountain too (our cat Dash, loves to drink out of the shower box)
• Identify and eliminate the stressor (we use alot of Feliway when our cats start to show signs of problems)

For dogs  

• Feed wet food only  
• Add Vitamin C  (it won't hurt but it might help) - in small dogs give 100 mg three times a day,  and in large dogs,  give 250 - 500 mg three times a day.   

In all pets, a vet consultation is needed, as we need to identify the cause of the urinary problem and if needed, treat the infection or remove the stones.  

A Very Important Note for Male Cats and Dogs:

These guys can get "obstructed" - that is, they try to pass a bladder stone, which then gets stuck in the urethra.  

THIS IS A LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCY!

If your pet cannot wee at all, this is an emergency, and you need immediate veterinary attention.   

This is what a "crate" should be - a dog's own "safe" spot

 Should all dogs be "crate" trained"?  

A few years ago, I would've said "No", but in recent months (with Piper joining our family), the fact that she had a "crate"  helped alot when we needed to confine her after her pelvic surgery.  

Puppies who are "crate" trained are also easier to house train, are less destructive in the house, and it appears, overall happier.     

Crate training is not locking your dog up for hours on end in a square box - it is giving your dog its own "bedroom" or "safe haven", so it can sleep, chill out, zone out - with no interference from kids or other pets!.   

Some helpful tips to help you get started

• put the crate in a safe, quiet, draught free place  
• Line the crate with comfortable bedding 
• Make sure the door is open during the training sessions
• do not lock the door at all in the early stages 
• We recommend spraying the crate daily with Adaptil spray
• Feed your pet in the crate  
• The end goal of crate training your dog is for them to know it is their "safe place" or "safe haven"
  
    

And one of our cat's Pusski - agrees -

Even not in the crate, Pusski loves to hog the dog bed! Cat's rule!

 Storm season  (and fireworks too), are a few months away, and NOW, is the time to help your pet cope.   

When we are in the middle of almost daily thunderstorms, training your pet to be calm is not going to be possible, and relying on drugs to do so.... well, it is necessary, but not ideal. 

 For more detailed information, read it on my blog. 

Piper, our dog, is very noise sensitive (unfortunately), but we were able to desensitize her to thunderstorms and fireworks, so we know it is possible if you start your prevention program early, rather than waiting to see if they grow out of it) 

 Some helpful hints

• Start with lots of Adaptil (for dogs) or Feliway (for cats). We now stock Adaptil Collars for dogs, which we recommend in all anxious dogs.  
• Have a CD of calming music - classical music works well
• Have your pet's favourite toy or treat at hand!  
• Crate train or have a "safe haven" area for your pet - make this place the "best place ever" 

The Perth vet conference was all about "Best Practice, and I tweeted, blogged and instagrammed whilst I was away. 

I attended seminars on  

• appropriate age for desexing
• how to talk to clients and teamwork
• ethical discussion on end of life and palliative care
• future of the veterinary profession (is there a future?)
• home dental programs  
• Advanced dental techniques
• Frustrating forelimb lamenesses
• Reducing anxiety and stress in our pets  

just to name a few of the sessions and themes that I attended.  

Whilst I was away, I also wrote several posts for Vetanswers about the conference, and have them shared internationally on DVM360 (an American veterinary resource), and on the Australian Veterinary Association website too.  

As for the trip back?  

The Indian Pacific was alot of fun, and it reinforced my belief that we live in a very beautiful, very diverse country.   

A useless fact: The lighthouse at Cape Leewin was built the same year as the building you and I know as Russell Vale Animal Clinic (different architect though).  I just love old buildings - if only the walls could talk!  

 The date is set for the biggest party (we hope) to hit the Northern Suburbs in a while.

It is FREE, it is our way of saying "Thank You" for supporting us all these years (or if you are new, for being part of the animalclinic family).

And we are excited!  

Saturday, 13th of September, 2014

Starting from 10 am to around 2 pm

And it is going to be bigger, better and brighter than before.  

This year, we are going to get up close and personal with our animals, with the help of Get Wild and our Farmyard Nursery.  

Get up close to snakes, lizards, spiders and even a BABY CROC!  

The farmyard nursery has the usual baby pigs, cows, a kid or two, lambs all hungry and needing little people to feed them.  

Jumping Castle, and Free food and drink - what a better way to spend with the family!

Till next time

Feel free to share our Animail Tails with your pet loving friends, as you know I try to make it practical, helpful and universal.  If you have any suggestions or ideas, just hit reply, and let me know.  

We appreciate the positive feedback - as you can guess, our newsletter is 100% pure home spun.   

Don't forget that your family photos of your pets are always welcome, and we will happily add them to our online animalclinic family album.

 

Till next time....

Yours

Book your Pet in now!

All of you know that we offer FREE Dental checks all year round.  At any time that you feel your pet's breath is a bit wiffy or you need a helping hand on brushing them, or to find out the best way to keep them healthy, just give us a call.

BUT, this winter, we are offering FREE Arthritis check ups for all dogs and cats, no matter what age they are.  It is up to you on whether we are able to offer this all year round - if it is popular and a valuable service, it will be like our dental checks (available all year), however, if only one or two of you take advantage of it, then we will reserve it for the winter months only.  

We have seen dogs as young as six months with arthritic changes, so it isn't always an old pet disease.  

Our FREE arthritis checks are "By Appointment" as they are with a vet, which is me (Dr Liz).   

What will we do?  

• We will examine all of your pet's joints for range of motion, crepitus, and swelling
• We will watch how they walk and run. 
• We will examine the muscles for any tears or atrophy

• We will give you a "worksheet" of what the examination showed - good and bad
• And if needed, we will put together a home exercise plan to improve your pet's muscle strength and mobility.

Want some more information or ideas on home exercises for your pet?  Visit our 'All About Joints" page on our website, which has recently been updated. At the bottom of the page are handouts on "Everyday Joint care" (to prevent joint damage), and "Advanced Joint care (to heal damaged joints).  

Book your appointment online  OR  

Select - A Free Arthritis Check

   Call us on 42 845 988  

Planning is underway for Puppy Classes to come back to Russell Vale Animal Clinic.  

A few little known facts.... 

• Dr Liz was the first veterinarian to run Puppy Preschool back in 1992 (at Crown Street Veterinary Hospital) after hearing about it at the AVA Annual Conference in Adelaide.
• Dr Liz has helped many other veterinary hospitals establish theirs.
• Tegan has a Certificate in Animal Behaviour, and also has a Psychology degree.  

Between Dr Liz and Tegan, we aim to run a modern, "best practice" puppy socialisation program, unlike anything Wollongong has ever seen before. 

Thanks to Piper, we realised that we really missed puppy classes. 

We are planning on a September starting date, so if you know anyone who is intending on getting a puppy, please think of us.  

We were awarded "Highly Commended" in the Illawarra Women in Business Awards earlier this year.

And thanks to your votes, we are also Finalist in the Local Business Awards. The winners are to be announced in August 2014.   

As a way of saying "Thank You" to our community, we are having a "Thank You Party" (and Open Day) on Saturday 13th of September, 2014.   

More information below or visit here.

Sharing a video of George taken early June 2014 - enjoying the outdoors!  

He is getting stronger, he enjoys his food, his sleeps and going outdoors!  

• Heat oven to 150 degrees celsius
• Lightly grease a cookie tray
• Dissolve the beef stock cubes in boiling water and allow to cool
• Combine the flour, dry milk, egg, oil, broth and brown sugar. Mix well and knead dough for 1 minute
• On a floured surface, roll out the dough to quarter inch thickeness. Cut out your "bone" shapes and place on a cookie tray
• Bake for 30 minutes
• Allow to cool!

One of our more recent posts explains why there is a photo of Piper on a bed with her bottom half shaved, and her head in an "Elizabethan collar" .  Check it out here.  

Some other posts which may interest you are

• New Hope for Sore Joints
• When desexing your pet gets complicated   
• Wollongong Dog Parks 

You may or may not know that we offer free online advice to all registered pets of Russell Vale Animal Clinic.

In other words, we are just an email away in asking for help.

A reminder that  we operate by appointment only.

We wouldn't want you falling asleep waiting to see Dr Liz!  An appointment would be appreciated.

We know that most of you do make appointments, but we are seeing an increase of walk-ins during our busy Saturday mornings, and between 11 am and 3 pm (our surgery/house call time).

We try to allot at least 20 minutes per visit, but we do not like to keep people waiting for long either. 

As we are fully operational veterinary hospital, we perform a wide range of surgery procedures, as well as have hospital patients needing ongoing medical care. 

Appointments can be made via

1. Txt - 0401348849 your preferred date and time

2. Booking online - This is available 24/7.

3. Calling us on 42 845 988 to speak with Dirk or Tegan (our nurses to make a time).

4. Email us on lizvet@animalclinic.com.au or russellvalevet@gmail.com

True Emergencies will always be seen first, and we try to help whenever it is possible to do so.