Sileo For Dogs With Firework & Thunder Anxiety

sileo evidence dogs

The past two weeks have seen an uptick in thunderstorms here in Adelaide. With them comes the inevitable: owners asking for help for their panicked dogs, and dogs being picked up on the streets after desperate escape attempts.

What can be done for these poor suffering creatures? I’ve talked about noise phobias before, but now we have a new tool in our fight against this major welfare issue.

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Beransa: The New Canine Arthritis Injection

dog running after ball

For many years, canine arthritis has lacked major breakthroughs, despite the tremendous need for better therapies. Now, in 2023 we are witnessing the appearance of a whole new class of treatment.

These are exciting times, but we also need to be cautious. No treatment will work on every dog, and after initial overexcitement, some new products end up being major disappointments. However, with Beransa there is real hope for dogs that we have a new and effective tool to improve their quality of life.

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Should I Put My Dog on Vetmedin or Cardisure?

Vetmedin heart treatment

If you have a small dog, there’s a good chance they’ll end up being treated with pimobendan. Often sold as Vetmedin® or Cardisure®, it’s the most common treatment for a very common condition: heart disease in dogs.

One disease in particular, myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) is said to account for 75% of heart disease and affects 85% of small dogs over 13 years old. Not all of these will need treatment, but many will. Later I’ll show you how to tell.

There is no question that recent advances have made MMVD much less of a death sentence than it once was. So it’s good to get to know pimobendan, the newest, and most commonly used of these treatments.

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Is Fish Oil Good For Arthritis In Dogs?

home medications dog

When faced with arthritis in their dogs, owners often turn to products like glucosamine, turmeric or hemp oil. What always surprises me is how few dog owners try fish oil before I suggest it. I suspect the reason is that it’s hard to use well, and easy to get wrong.

Here I’m going to lead you through the evidence and end with advice on how to use fish oil most effectively.

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Help! My Dog Has A Splenic Tumour

old german shepherd

One of the most common tumours of dogs is haemangiosarcoma of the spleen. This is a malignant cancer of blood vessels found especially in large breeds like German Shepherds. But just because they’re common doesn’t mean that every lump on a dog’s spleen is malignant.

Many of these dogs can go on to lead a normal life with the right treatment. Others cannot be saved, and treatment could do more harm than good.

Here I’m going to help you decide what to do if a vet finds a mass in your dog’s spleen.

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Help! My Puppy Pees Inside Just After I’ve Taken Him Out

puppy toileting outside

You spend an hour standing around on the grass and nothing happens. Then, almost as soon as you come back inside, your puppy pees in the house right in front of you!

You’ve read all the tips for toilet training. You understand the theory. So why does this happen?

There’s actually quite a simple explanation and a not-so-simple solution. Be prepared for some basic neurology!

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Is A Raw Diet Good For Puppies?

dog raw diet

Australian raw feeders are still coming to terms with the horse meat scandal that killed and maimed so many Victorian dogs. Given the potential risk of buying pet meats, it begs the question: is it worth it?

In my vet practice we support raw feeding, but that doesn’t mean we don’t also have a watchful eye. I’ll cover the risks first. By knowing them and their solutions, you can do it more safely.

Afterwards, I’ll feature some of the first evidence to show a benefit for raw puppy foods.

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The Dog Deaths From Raw Meat: What Went Wrong

indigofera distribution picture

Update 3 August: What a difference a week makes!

The Maffra District Knackery has now admitted that they processed horses from the Northern Territory.

Now read on to see why it was always the most likely explanation…

An outbreak of liver failure in Victorian dogs has been linked to raw meat from a local supplier. At least 14 dogs died and a further 30 were hospitalised.

I’ve been following the story carefully. The more we know the stranger it gets.

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Help! My Dog Ate An Almond

almonds in bowl

Try searching “can dogs eat almonds” and you’ll see dire warnings, like “7 Dangers of Almonds for Dogs” or “Why Almonds Are Bad for Dogs“.

This is absolute rubbish and internet myth-making at its worst. Why is everyone so afraid of almonds? Because they only read each others’ blogs instead of trusting evidence or experience.

It’s always safer to say ‘no’ than ‘yes’, isn’t it! Here I’ll go through each of those ‘seven ways’ and demonstrate their lack of accuracy.

And what do you know, they actually missed a real problem too.

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Having Trouble Getting That Dog Breed? Think Laterally!

pure breed photos

I had two very enlightening conversations last week. 

The first was from a frustrated ex- Cavalier owner who has been waiting over 12 months to get a Golden Retriever puppy. According to the breeders she’s talking to, she’s not even any closer.

The second was from the owner of a new (second) Golden Retriever puppy. She said that due to unprecedented demand, her breeder is only selling to people she’s sold to before. 

Clearly, these two observations are flip sides of the same problem. So before I give you some suggestions, let’s look at what’s happening.

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Should I Clean Inside My Dog’s Ears?

What could possibly go wrong? Quite a lot actually.

Ear cleaning can be a great way to improve the health of your dog’s ears but it can also cause a lot of harm. Therefore, it’s important to know if it’s the right treatment for your dog.

Here I’m going to help you recognise when ear cleaning is beneficial & when it’s harmful. Everything I say here also applies to cats.

In two weeks I’ll talk about how to do it and what to use.

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How Far Is Too Far To Walk A Dog?

dog on long walk

With more people working from home than every before, there’s a new question: am I walking my dog too much?

And indeed, over the past year we have seen many dogs over-exercised. But then there are dogs like my Loki. One day last week he pulled me for 25km and then ran laps around the yard afterwards!

So it’s complicated, and there’s no one answer. Each day and each dog is going to be different.

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Vet Sees People Manipulated By Clickbait, You Won’t Believe What Happens Next!

cat dog beach fishing

OK, jokey title aside, this is serious.

Are you struggling under the weight of too many choices? Everyone telling you how you must use a certain food, or a special remedy? You’re in good company.

Linus Pauling was one of the greatest scientists of all time, but even that didn’t save him. Despite groundbreaking discoveries and a Nobel Prize, he is perhaps most famous for the wrong reason.

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Which ACL Surgery Is Best For Dogs?

tplo tta mmp dog

So your 15kg dog has torn an ACL You know that a lateral suture technique is no good at this size. One vet has told you need an MMP, another a TTA and. third a TPLO.

What do all these random letters mean for your dog? Which one is better?

Here you won’t find an opinion; you’ll find the facts from research papers that compare these cruciate surgery techniques. This is the most-studied surgical procedure in veterinary science.

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Buying A Puppy In Adelaide

young new puppy

Are you looking for a puppy in Adelaide? Then no doubt you have already seen how hard it is to get one. There’s a massive demand for new puppies, and seemingly a reduced supply since the new dog breeding regulations came into effect.

Traditional sources like breeders and shelters have long waiting lists. The only quick and easy way to get a puppy is from a pet shop. I perfectly understand if you’ve thought about it. But before you make the commitment, there are a few things to consider.

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The Outbreak Of Ehrlichia In Australian Dogs

dog ehrlichiosis australia

Canine ehrlichiosis is cause for considerable alarm for the millions of dog owners around the country.

ABC News 27/1/2021

The arrival of Ehrlichia in Australia has been devastating for some remote dog communities. However, there is no reason to panic, and prevention is easy.

Here I’m going to help Australian dog owners to understand the risks, and know how to easily prevent it.

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Using Evidence To Choose The Best Puppy Name

questioning dog look

What do dogs actually hear when we speak to them?

Is this the single most important question of dog ownership? Could getting it wrong be the reason why so many dogs end up unhappy or worse?

I’m not going to solve it, because in 2021 that still isn’t possible. What I can do is show you some tantalising recent science that’s starting to give us glimpses of the truth . And what is said is probably also true for how cats hear us.

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Dog Attacks: What To Do, How To Prevent Them

dog attack

Emergency Info (details to follow):

If Your Dog Is Being Attacked

To separate dogs, try:

  • Water sprays or buckets
  • Aerosols and sprays (pepper spray is only legal in WA)
  • Personal duress alarm (hold buttons on each side of an iPhone down for 5 seconds)
  • A beach towel thrown over the aggressor
  • Picking the aggressor up by the back legs (wheelbarrowing) is dangerous and should only done by the dog’s owner

Do not try to pull the other dog off. That’s up to their owner to do. You will get badly injured. Click here for your closest Adelaide Emergency vet.

Do not blame yourself. Often there’s nothing you can do due to the size and determination of the aggressor. You’ll probably also fail to get the owner’s details in the heat of the moment.

Now dive deeper…

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