Vets across Australia are open as normal. Walkerville Vet requests that clients:

• Maintain 1.5m from staff and other clients (nurses will hold your pet for examinations)
• Do not pay with cash
• Not attend the clinic if in isolation or even mildly unwell
• Wait on the front lawn if there are 6 or more people in the waiting room
• Come to the clinic alone whenever possible, and without children

Now dive deeper…

Dogs & Cats Are Low Risk

There is no evidence yet of transmission of COVID-19 from dogs and cats to humans.

It is possible however that dogs, cats, ferrets, mink and even large cats can be infected and pass the virus. Here’s what we know so far:

• Dutch mink farmers are believed to have caught COVID-19 from their mink, who were showing an epidemic of respiratory disease.
• There have been two dogs and one cat test positive for COVID-19 in Hong Kong. Each of these was owned by a COVID-19 infected owner. All showed no signs of illness but one dog died a few days after being released from quarantine back to the home. It should be noted that this dog was 17 years old.
• A cat in Belgium that tested positive was reported to have vomiting, diarrhoea, and respiratory signs.
• A letter to The New England Journal of Medicine and a preliminary report from China (neither peer-reviewed) both suggest that cats can be infected and pass COVID-19 to other cats. The first report found that the infected cats had no signs of illness.
• Two cats in New York with respiratory signs tested positive; one had a COVID-19 infected owner, the source for the other was unknown.
• Five tigers and three lions at the Bronx Zoo in New York tested positive for COVID-19. Seven of these had a dry cough.

No other cases have been identified in the world. However, it’s fair to say that with the shortage of tests, dogs & cats probably aren’t being looked at very closely. Even if the virus can infect pets, it must be rare. The important source of infection is other humans.

Pet Care During The Outbreak

Right now, you should continue doing all the things you currently do to care for your pet. That might be feeding, walking, playing and cuddling. It’s always sensible to avoid such things as kissing, sharing food or drink, or not washing hands after touching animals.

There is no reason to change how you handle your dog, cat, ferret, rat or rabbit. This includes people in voluntary isolation without symptoms.

If you suspect you are infected with COVID-19, then it is a good idea to minimise contact. It is best that you keep your pets with you just in case they could pose a threat to other people. It’s also possible that an animal could act as a vector for the virus in the same way that hands or clothing might. However, any risk to humans is likely to be extremely low.

You might also need to make plans for how your pet can be looked after if you require hospitalisation.

You Can (Mostly) Still Go To The Vet

If you are unwell, especially with a fever or cough but even just a runny nose or sore throat, you should stay at home. The same applies for people in compulsory self isolation after travel or contact with an infected person. For everyone else, there is currently no reason to avoid the vet in Australia.

Keeping 1.5 m away from other people and avoiding physical contact are adequate precautions. Hand washing and disinfectants are always available at all vets. Infection control is what we have always done.

If you suspect you are infected with COVID-19, contact your vet to discuss how your animal can still be treated. An animal owned by a COVID-19 positive owner will need to be treated as a potential hazard and therefore the vets will need to be notified first. Some health problems can be adequately managed via video link.

In times like these, it’s important to make good, logical decisions and avoid the scaremongers. Your pets are valuable in sickness and in health, and coronavirus won’t change that.

Related: How To Socialise Puppies During COVID-19

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

Pet disasters tend to go along recurring themes. If you know what they are, you have an excellent chance to avoid them. Some might be upsetting, but I hope you can see the benefit in thinking about them now.

Dog Attack

One of the biggest causes of sudden death in dogs is the person who lives in denial of how dangerous their dog is to other dogs. They keep using off leash environments even though the warning signs are there. Often, these dogs and people are repeat offenders.

We all know them. You hear them say things like:

• “He’s only playing” (if that’s true, why do you need to tell me?)
• “Now be nice” (why are you saying this?)
• “He’s never done that before” (unlikely to say the least)

This time of year we also see more dog attacks when relatives or friends get together with their dogs. It could be at a barbecue or Christmas lunch, or perhaps while a friend looks after your dog when you’re away. The mixture of unfamiliar dogs and inattention can be explosive.

If that’s not all, last week I saw a dog badly attacked by another dog while being boarded at their breeder. Yes, I know good dog boarding kennels can look like prisons, but bad things seldom happen there.

Rabbits and chickens kept outside are at great risk of fox attack anywhere in Adelaide. As anyone who tries to keep chickens without a coop learns.

Snake Bite

Snake bite is a threat to dogs mainly because their owners don’t see it coming. All of my favourite Adelaide dog walks have snakes in warm weather, yet I always see dogs a long way from their owners whenever I go. Anytime you let your dog off, even in a strange yard, you should always think, “could there be a snake?”

Cats in Australia are at highest risk of snakebite if they have outside access and live near open spaces like the river, parklands or vacant blocks. You can read a lot more about dogs, cats & snakes here.

Chocolate Poisoning

Look at our rates of dog poisonings and you’ll see that chocolate is the greatest problem. Here’s what we hear:

• “I didn’t think he went there”
• “I can’t believe he stole it”
• “I forgot it was in my handbag”
• “The cupboard was left open”
• “I didn’t know it was inside that Christmas present”

I’ve written a whole page on chocolate poisoning but here’s a quick summary: it’s most dangerous to smaller dogs and when it’s darker or better quality. Keep it in a secure place, just like you would any hazardous substance. Like medicines for example!

Human Medicines

Again this mainly concerns dogs, in two situations:

1. Dogs that watch you take a pill every day think it’s a treat and often pounce on any you drop
2. Some idiot thought it would be a good idea to put a sugary coating on ibuprofen tablets

Be careful by storing medicines securely and taking your own in private. And if any get eaten, come straight down so we can make them come straight up again.

Bin Raiding

Here’s a list of the things we’ve had to remove from pets:

• Cooked bones (dogs, cats, ferrets)
• Meat skewers and wrapping (dogs, cats)
• Corn cobs (dogs)
• Fruit stones (dogs)
• Underwear & hygiene products (some dogs)

Nearly all of these were either put in an insecure bin or left where pets could find them. If your bin’s getting raided, don’t wait. While not strictly a cause of sudden death, intestinal foreign bodies can kill within days.

Car Accidents

I know vets who think that good yard fencing has been the single greatest advance in dog health. These days a common story is a gate that gets left open. Sometimes it’s a tradesperson, sometimes it’s during home theft, but often it just needed maintenance.

As a vet who sees the consequences, I’m also very careful about when and where I let my dogs off leash. Once you do it, you’ve lost the most important level of protection you have. All your dog has to do is see another dog across the road.

Extendable leads are particularly dangerous. Anyone who’s used one knows how easily dogs can run onto roads. Other problematic areas are children walking dogs without adults and pets not restrained properly in cars.

A trap that even experienced dog owners fall into is the collar that’s too loose. If it can be pulled over the head then all a dog has to do is get a fright and they can back out of it. I have seen several dogs get hit this way after being startled by traffic noises.

To prevent car injuries and deaths in cats, they should be in after dark at very least. That’s when most car accidents occur. Of course, being an indoors cat or having an enclosed outdoor run is even better.

Drowning

Just the other day I got a fright when Loki fell in our pool. Luckily I was there because he can’t swim. Dogs not being able to swim are a lot more common than people think.

Even if a dog can swim, the pool cover often gets in the way, or they don’t swim to the steps. Very few dogs can get up and over the pool edge.

When Loki was a puppy I put extra fencing up. If he could have swum I also would have trained him where the steps were or submerged a ramp. He fell in recently because big pool toys had been left out that he couldn’t walk around, and the pool cover wasn’t on properly. However, I probably should never have taken that fencing down.

Pesticides

There’s no level of safety good enough for something that’s actually intended to kill. A poison made to be eaten by snails or rats is just as attractive to a dog. Cats even get poisoned by eating poisoned animals.

I believe the risks are too great to ever use animal poisons if we have pets.

Fertiliser Poisoning

It might come as a surprise to learn that dogs like fertiliser. Not so surprising when you learn that it’s often made from chook poo or animal products. The same goes for compost made from food waste.

Both are highly toxic and can cause serious illness or kill. Easy to prevent by storing them securely and always digging them well in. I also exclude the dogs for a day or two afterwards.

Heat Stroke

If people didn’t sweat, I don’t think dogs would ever get heat stroke. We wouldn’t stand there completely unaware that our dogs are getting hotter and hotter.

Anything over 26 degrees is too hot for a dog to run around for very long. Anything over 35 and they need a cool place to rest. Even less for flat-faced and long-haired dogs.

Most deaths occur when people keep throwing the ball just because the dog keeps chasing it. As I’ve said before, dogs don’t know when to stop.

Take water with you on warm days but also make sure the water supply at home can’t run out or be knocked over. And consider clipping dogs with thick coats.

Parvovirus

Canine parvovirus is present nearly everywhere as a contaminant of public spaces. Here in Adelaide we see sporadic disease year-round with a strong seasonal peak in December.

Parvo in Australia has been shown to be more common in disadvantaged communities (source) which are often the least able to afford the veterinary care needed for survival. Vaccines are an extremely effective protection.

Regional Hazards

Everything so far is relevant to Adelaide, but for the last I’ll go national. Here are some examples:

• Paralysis ticks in eastern Australia
• Poisonous toads in northern Australia
• Puffer fish and sea hares on beaches
• 1080 baits in farmland and national parks
• Grape ‘marc’ in wine producing areas
• Local disease outbreaks

How do you know what to look out for in your area? Simple! Ask your vet.

To finish, I want to share with you the state of mind of a vet when it comes to preventing dangers. I call it…

Keeping Two Degrees Of Separation

Allow for human error. Everything dangerous to your pet should be separated by two levels of protection. There should be a backup for everything that could cause serious harm.

Here are just a few bad examples:

• The chocolate that’s only protected by a cupboard door
• The water bowl that can be tipped over
• The gate that’s easy to leave open

Solutions are usually simple, cheap, and a whole lot better than the alternative. They just take someone to ask, “what could go wrong here?”

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

Aargh! We can’t find the owners.

Before I tell you what went wrong, let’s remember why we use microchips in the first place. Microchips are without a doubt the best way to identify lost animals.

Benefits Of Microchips

• Permanent, unchangeable ID
• Identification that can’t slip off
• Proof of ownership
• 24 hour access to recovery details
• Worldwide standard of technology
• Virtually no adverse effects
• Low cost

Discover more in our page on getting and registering a microchip. Microchips are great technology but they aren’t foolproof. Here’s why things go wrong.

Details Need To Be Updated

The biggest problem with microchips is that people forget to update them when they move. Sometimes it seems like a third of lost pets have out of date details. It’s only going to get worse as chips become compulsory. We do our best Sherlock Holmes act to return the animals but sometimes we have no choice but to send them to the pound.

Another common mistake is to never register a chip in the first place. Among all the papers you are given with your new puppy will be the instructions for new owner registration. It’s very easy in the excitement and confusion to forget to get this done.

Read here how to update a Microchip’s details. It’s online and easy.

Microchip Aren’t GPS Trackers

A lot of people ask if pets can be tracked using microchips. The answer is no; GPS trackers need regularly recharged batteries, a SIM card and a mobile data plan. They’re also big enough to be a fair weight on a collar, not exactly rice grains. Microchips are passive transponders that redirect the outside energy from a scanner. They don’t actively emit anything and never will.

Related: What to do when your pet goes missing

Microchips Don’t Stop Theft

A chip only works if someone reads it. If pets are found on the street, it’s up to the person who finds them to get their chip scanned. Sometimes, the person who finds (or steals) them doesn’t take them anywhere. I’ve talked about this before in the form of people feeding other people’s cats.

I’ve met these people. Horrifyingly, they justify themselves by saying “I rescued him” when what they really did was kidnapping. I say to them, “there could be a child wondering what happened to their pet”. Even after this you wouldn’t believe how hard it is to get these pets brought to the vet to be scanned. I think they don’t want it done because they don’t want to know the truth.

Microchips Need To Be Scanned

A classic problem is the animal on the street without a collar. Your neighbour doesn’t own a scanner and will need to take the animal to a vet or shelter to find out the owner. For all you know, the cat could be sitting on her own front fence! This is why an old fashioned dog or cat tag is still a very good idea. Remember to change the details if you are using a dog or cat sitter.

Problems happen even in organised rescue. Several years ago we alerted the two Facebook lost pet finder groups to a new dognapping scam. An animal we posted was claimed using fake photographs, and it was only a suspicious vet who picked up the fraud. I think most well-meaning people would have been too trusting to detect the scam.

We suspect this was being done repeatedly, with the scammers making false claims and collecting lost pets for resale. The key point was that this form of lost pet finding was happening in people’s homes without systematic scanning and checking of chips. All lost pets must be taken to a vet or shelter for scanning before advertising. That’s certainly the policy for the Facebook groups.

Microchips Fall Out

Once or so a year we find a microchip on the floor during cleaning. It would have come back out of a bouncy puppy straight after getting microchipped. All we do is scan it and call the owner to put a new one in. However, the loss won’t be detected if it falls out anywhere else.

If your pet has had a microchip, make sure you get them re-scanned the next time you’re at the vet. That’s because the chip can occasionally slip back out the needle hole before the wound closes. If the chip is still there the next time, it’ll be there forever.

The Registry Need To Be Checked

Did you see the TodayTonight story about the stolen dog who was treated at two different vets without anyone realising? The point was made that the vets should have checked the chip. That’s fair criticism, but I’ve never heard of any vet who has the time to look up each new patient on the microchip database.

Perhaps cross-checking every new patient should be compulsory. This would be great for helping keep chip details updated but it won’t fix the problem. If vets started doing this, all that would happen was these pets would go even deeper underground. I don’t think there’s a simple answer to this problem but I would love to hear your ideas in the comments section.

In conclusion, by knowing when microchipping fails, you have a better chance to prevent this happening to your pets. In the meantime, keep getting your pets microchipped.

I had to collect my Loki from the local vet recently when he slipped through the gate and lost his collar while I put the bins out. If he wasn’t microchipped, I’d hate to imagine what would have happened.

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

How To Get Rid Of Fleas

1. Use modern flea killers recommended by vets and pet stores
2. Remove fleas from the house and especially pet sleeping areas
3. Keep dogs and cats on good flea control to prevent new infestations

Now dive deeper…

Do you keep finding fleas on your dog, cat, rabbit or ferret despite your best efforts? Frustrating isn’t it? It seems so simple and yet so many people have the same problem.

Why Is It So Hard To Get Rid Of Fleas?

Here are a few reasons:

• Failing to kill every last flea
• Heavy house & garden infestation
• Catching fleas again

I’ll now explain each of these points…

How To Get Rid Of Fleas On Dogs

Using flea products recommended by vets is the most important step to having a flea-free pet. In many cases, it’s the only thing you need to do. The same applies for cats, rabbits and ferrets.

The reason most people can’t kill every last flea is that they are using outdated products. Until the mid 1990s the only products available could not eliminate fleas. Pets with flea allergy kept on suffering. The shocking news is that these products, mainly shampoos, sprays or rinses, are still widely sold, and resistance has only grown.

However, these products aren’t perfect either. Some, like Frontline or Nexgard have been shown to kill fleas more slowly than others (or not at all in the case of Sentinel) and resistance is suspected for others. I haven’t even mentioned Capstar as it’s far too short-acting. Nowadays I get best results with the flea tablets Simparica, Bravecto or Comfortis, and Advantage still works well.

Although the new flea controls are very safe, they remain unpopular with people wanting to get rid of fleas naturally. If you want to do this, it is possible and we’ll support you, but you have to have lower expectations of success.

How To Kill Fleas In The House And Garden

Fleas on the animal are no more that 5% of the total. That other 95% comprises eggs, larvae, pupae and adults waiting to jump. These are found wherever your pet, or any other dog or cat with fleas, has been.

You don’t have to kill all the fleas in the environment to eliminate them. The weak point in the flea life cycle is the need for adults to get a blood meal in order to lay eggs. Therefore if you’re not in a hurry, all you need to do is use a good flea killer on your pet and wait.

However your pets or children may disagree. If infestation levels are high, they will keep getting a lot of bites, even if each flea then dies. You or your family may also be getting nasty itchy welts on the ankles and legs.

To learn more please visit our separate page on treating fleas in the household and garden.

Help! My Pet Keeps Catching Fleas Again

That famous jump is how fleas get on passing animals, so unless you keep your dog or cat in a glass box they will keep getting flea hitch-hikers and bringing them home for everybody to enjoy.

The good news is: once you’ve eliminated fleas from your pet and home almost any good flea control will stop reinfestation. You’ve just got to remember to do it. Here’s some suggestions:

• Set a monthly recurring reminder on your phone
• Use Bravecto (dogs) so you only need to remember once every three months
• Buy from friendly local places that send reminder messages (OK, you got me there- that’s a shameless plug!)

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here. The information provided here is not intended to be used as a substitute for going to the vet. If your pet is unwell, please seek veterinary attention.

Walkerville Vet is open 8am to 7:00pm weekdays and 9am to 1pm Saturdays. Vets start consulting at 9am.

About The Map Of 24/7 Vets

Each of these vets advertise 24/7 service but there is no guarantee they will always be open, as occasionally vet staffing is low. Therefore, please call them either before leaving or while you are on your way. This will also make sure they are ready to help you if your problem is very urgent.

Now enlarge the map to check the quickest late night, Sunday or public holiday vet to your home!

* “Emergency Veterinary Hospitals” included if continuously staffed through the night and over weekends and public holidays.

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

• Puppies: Protective vaccination is now safely given at 10 weeks of age. This means there are usually only two vaccinations required before a puppy can safely walk, the first with the breeder and the second with you. (We also give a safety-net 16 week parvo shot as per the WSAVA guidelines)
• Adult Dogs: Parvovirus, Distemper and Hepatitis protection can now last for three years, meaning dogs only require annual Canine Cough vaccination.

Why have vaccine protocols changed?

Older protocols are still widely used. These changes only apply to the newer vaccines which have been developed and tested to provide earlier or longer protection.

What Vaccinations Pets Need Annually

Dogs

Annual: Canine Cough vaccination

Triennial (every 3 year): Parvovirus, Distemper and Hepatitis vaccination

Not recommended*: Coronavirus, Leptospirosis

Cats

Annual: Herpesvirus, Calicivirus, Enteritis

Biennial: Herpesvirus, Calicivirus, Enteritis for solitary, indoor only cats who don’t use cat boarding and whose owners have minimal contact with other cats**

Annual: FIV vaccination

Not recommended*: Feline Leukaemia Virus, Chlamydia

Rabbits

Annual: Calicivirus vaccination

Ferrets

Annual: Distemper vaccination

*Please ask us for more information. This advice reflects regional disease prevalence and is not relevant to other parts of Australia. Click here for areas requiring leptospirosis vaccination.

**There is no F3 vaccine available that has label recommendations or has been tested for 2 year intervals. This will require informed consent from the owner. When in doubt, annual is safest

Don’t miss our other articles on pet vaccination:

1. Diseases of dogs and diseases of cats that we use vaccines to prevent.
2. Vaccine reactions, vaccinating safely and alternatives to vaccination like titre testing.
3. The changes to vaccination schedules for your pet.

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

Whatever the procedure, there are several things you must do:

• Schedule The Day Of Surgery
• Prepare The House And Family
• Prepare Your Pet
• Know When To Stop Food And Water

Booking Your Pet’s Surgery

Most vet clinics operate on Monday to Friday. Unlike our consultations with a vet, we won’t always be able to do the surgery on the day you request. The more you book ahead the better chance you’ll get the day you want.

Even when you’ve done everything right, we may see another pet on the same day who needs immediate surgery. This means that on occasions the theatre will be tied up unexpectedly for an emergency procedure and we won’t be able to do your pet’s operation.

This only happens a few times a year, and annoying as it is, most owners understand that we’d do the same for their pet if he or she were the one in need. Your pet’s surgery is important, and we’ll never do it if it can only be done in a rush.

Desexing dogs and cats should be done before six months of age to avoid the first season in females, or unwanted male behaviours. Rabbits and ferrets should be done before four months of age. If your female goes into season, we will advise rescheduling their spey until after the end of the heat period. This avoids us performing an elective procedure at a time of greater risk.

The day before your pet’s surgery you should receive the nifty text message shown earlier. If you don’t, please check we have your up to date contact details.

Do You Need To Take Time Off?

Ask your vet! It’s always nice to be around the next day but for most routine procedures like dentistry or desexing, it’s not really necessary.

Preparing Your Pet

You won’t be able to bath or clip your pet for at least ten days after surgery and it’s not a good idea to apply flea control products. Therefore, it’s a great idea to give them a bath or book them in at the grooming salon before their operation, and then give them their monthly flea control. DO NOT bath your dog on the same day to avoid accidental body temperature loss.

Before coming in, I like a patient to have had some moderate exercise. Not only will it be their last decent outing for a few days, but it helps them toilet before their day in hospital.

Preparing The House & Family

Most pets will need to be well-rested after surgery.

Your vet will tell you how much activity is OK. Some orthopaedic procedures need 100% strict cage rest, others can tolerate some activity. After desexing, for example, pets are OK to walk around the house. For all surgeries you will need to plan how to stop your pet from running and jumping.

Dogs: There are many ways to keep a dog quiet, but the best is to use a crate. We’ve written about using crates for resting and training dogs before.

If your dog isn’t used to being in a crate, a great idea is to purchase one (they are around $100) and train your dog to settle there in advance. It’s best to take it slowly so they don’t get stressed, and then when they come home needing rest, they will tolerate being restricted so much better.

If crating is difficult, you should at least plan to prevent your dog from any access to furniture such as beds and couches by closing doors or overturning chairs. You should also plan to stop any activity with causes excitement, jumping or running. Sometimes you have to disconnect the doorbell!

Cats will need to be kept inside the house, and possibly in just one room if there is still too much activity. You may need to restrict access to benches and other high places.

Rabbits, ferrets and rodents can be easily rested by using their usual nighttime accommodation. Make sure the litter is freshly changed and their enclosure is cleaned for when they come home.

Many people take time off for their pet’s recovery. This is great, but not essential, especially for soft tissue surgery like desexing or lump removal. I made sure I had a day off after Loki’s surgery and it was well worth it.

When To Stop Food & Water

It is essential that your dog, cat or ferret has no food or water in their stomach at the time of their anaesthetic. If they do, under anaesthetic their oesophageal sphincter can relax and allow fluids to pass into the oesophagus, causing acid burns. In some cases these fluids can even reach the lungs, causing severe aspiration pneumonia.

Dogs and cats should have had no food for 12 hours before an anaesthetic, and no water for 8 hours. In our clinic, unless you are otherwise instructed, this means your dog or cat should have their last meal at 9pm the night before, and no water after 1am.

All dogs and cats go on intravenous fluids (the cost is included in desexing) and so you do not need to worry about your pet becoming dehydrated.

You must be utterly ruthless at eliminating all chances of your dog or cat having access to food. All family members need to be instructed to behave themselves! It’s also best all the animals in the house are not fed over the same time to avoid accidents. Water sources such as toilets need to be closed away or covered. Cats must be kept inside to prevent scavenging and food removed even from benchtops.

Food restriction is critical. If there is any chance that your pet may have eaten even one biscuit, please tell us. We will usually reschedule the surgery to avoid any risk.

Water restriction is less important. Please let us know if you haven’t taken the water away, or left it out until morning. We usually can still do the surgery, but we may just do it later in the day.

Ferrets, Rabbits and Rodents should NOT be deprived of food and water. Ferrets have such a rapid gut transit time that the short wait in hospital will be enough. Rabbits and rodents are safe to have food in their stomachs, and in fact it is best if they do.

Please bring in your ferret’s, rabbit’s or rodent’s usual food so they can eat as soon as they are awake.

What To Expect On The Day

Surgery Admission

We ask our patients to be admitted between 8am and 8:45am on the morning of surgery. If this is a problem, please ask as it is possible to be flexible. If we haven’t seen your pet before, your pet will receive a free checkup with the vet as well.

The nurse on admission will ask you a series of questions. These include:

• Has your pet been unwell?
• Has there has been any access to food and water?
• Do you have any concerns or other requests such as nail clipping?
• Would you like pre-anaesthetic blood testing? (read why you might choose blood testing here)

Surgery and Anaesthetic

When the theatre and nurses are ready, we’ll start by placing an intravenous drip. Through this we will give a premedicant calming pain relief. Some patients will also have the pain relief patch shown earlier.

Next, we will administer the anaesthetic induction agent (usually propofol).

Once this takes effect, the vet will insert an endotracheal tube and the nurses will connect your pet to a anaesthetic machine delivering inhaled isoflurane gas in oxygen.

Monitoring equipment and thermal insulation wrapping will be placed, and the surgery site will be clipped of hair.

Then the patient is transferred to the theatre for sterile surgery. See our guide to vet anaesthetics to learn more about how we monitor your pet during their anaesthetic and recovery.

Recovery

Once the surgery is completed, your pet will be transferred to recovery. A nurse will monitor all animals continuously until they are able to sit up and maintain their airway. After this they will usually want to sleep off the rest of the anaesthetic. During this time we will monitor your pet’s pain levels and give extra relief as needed.

Once your pet is awake and ready to go one of our nurses will usually call you. If you have not heard from us by 3pm, please call to arrange a time for discharge from hospital.

Next week I’ll tell you how to look after your pet after surgery.

By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. These blogs are from a series regularly posted on email and Twitter. Subscribe via email here to never miss a story!
Have something to add? Comments are welcome below and will appear within 24 hours of lodging.

Here are two examples from one week last month. Just two of many.

Charlie’s Itchy Ears

Charlie is a working dog who spends most of his time on a sheep property. When he started shaking his head his owner thought “here we go again: another grass seed” and brought him to us.

Sheepdogs do get a lot of grass seed trouble, as you can imagine. Funny thing was, despite the head shaking, when we looked, the ears were normal. They were certainly itchy so I gave an anti inflammatory injection and suggested we monitor the situation due to there being no visible causes.

As I was cleaning up we started chatting about Charlie. He’s half working dog, half pet and spends time with the kids at home. He just loves the new ferret.

Wait a minute… New ferret? Not many people know that most ferrets have ear mite infestations when they are sold. Although intimate contact is unlikely between dogs and ferrets, if it happened the ear mites could spread.

Just how much contact was there between the ferret and the dog? Well, it turned out that they snuggle up together and play rough games. Who would have guessed? It’s a first for me.

Armed with the knowledge, we checked the ferret shortly afterwards (that’s him at the start) and confirmed he did indeed have ear mites. We added an ear mite treatment for all in-contact animals. And things are now good.

(By the way, catching an illness from a new animal isn’t just a veterinary problem; it can happen to you. If you ever come down with a fever and flu-like symptoms after getting a pet parrot, make sure you tell your doctor about the bird. They’ll be unlikely to think about psittacosis without it.)

Cherry’s Mouth Ulcers

When Cherry the cat came for her annual checkup recently, we noticed she had mouth ulcers. Investigation proved them to be a common disease with an unpronounceable name: eosinophilic granuloma complex.

Sometimes this disease is cortisone-responsive, and sometimes it takes more complex drugs to treat it. As Cherry is not great at taking pills, I prescribed prednisolone in liquid form as a sensible first treatment trial.

At her recheck a month later, there was no improvement. So we planned to start Cherry on the second-line treatment, which is both more expensive and requires more care in its use.

The day Cherry’s owner came to pick up the new medicine, it was a busy time at our front desk. Despite this, I chatted with her about the treatment so far, and what was expected in the future. At one point she commented, “we felt so silly going though all that struggle just to give one drop of the old medicine”.

Wait a minute… One drop? We delved deeper and found an unexpected confusion: I had written ‘give one dropper’ on the label but I was unaware that the medicine no longer came supplied with it’s dropper. The owner had purchased one which was very different to be one I had used in the past.

Both of us felt a bit silly and I think we both apologised to each other. A new plan was made to give the full dose of the old medication and not try the new one. Lo and behold, I saw Cherry last week and she’s responded well.

Closing The Gap

The communication gap between vets and pet owners is always too wide, and it’s too easy for each of us to fail to bridge it. These stories show examples of information struggling to cross in each direction.

It might seem lucky to have found the crucial clues but in reality, with community vet care, we get to know a lot about your pets’ lives, and yours as well. Factors in the wider environment can have a profound effect on your pet’s health and wellbeing. That’s why you should feel free to tell us even the things that might be irrelevant.

If we were in more of a hurry, those little clues would have been lost forever. And your pets would have been the ones to suffer.

OK we admit it, we love chatting with animal people. It’s just nice that it’s more than a fun thing to do.

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By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

In the final post I’ll you which vaccinations pets need every year

This adorable kelpie cross came to me last week for his ten week puppy vaccination. Most of you already know that we can give a final puppy vaccine at 10 weeks of age which allows puppies to go out at 11 weeks of age.

The problem was, when I looked at his file, he was 9 weeks and 6 days old: one day early.

What’s the problem? It’s only one day early!

I really want you to know the answer; I promise it will be worth it. Once you understand, you’ll know how vaccines work and how they are developed and tested for your pet.

Maternally Derived Antibody is a natural system developed in animals to provide early protection. In the first day of life, the mother’s milk contains high levels of antibodies, and the new puppy or kitten has the ability for these to pass straight from the gut to the bloodstream.

We call this Passive Immunity and it’s essential for animals to survive their first few weeks.

The problem is that it interferes with vaccination. That’s why we can’t give vaccines early even if we want to.

Different vaccines have different abilities to overcome passive immunity, and that’s why you hear all sorts of recommendations for when your puppy or kitten should get their shots.

The thing is though, nothing in nature is predictable. The loss of maternal ability will follow a pattern like I’ve pictured here. Using puppies as an example, some (red arrow) lose protection early, and some (green arrow) late.

BUT we have to protect 100% of the puppies we see. If we knew when the MDA wore off we’d do it at the earliest possible for each puppy.

Since we don’t, we have to choose an age when we can say all puppies will develop protective immunity after vaccination. That’s at the time of the green arrow.

For our vaccine that’s 10 weeks of age. The problem is, we only know this because the manufacturer has tested the vaccine in exactly this way.

They never tested the vaccine at every age, and we have no way of knowing if 100% are still protected at 9 weeks and 6 days.

That’s why:

• The dates are very strict
• We can be just as happy if the puppy is older than 10 weeks, just not any younger.
• We’re so nervous about puppies going out before their final vaccination. For the final vaccine to ‘take’, there always has to be a gap where the puppy has lost their immunity, and in some pups it can be up to four weeks.

The same is true for cats.

Now let’s look at adult dogs and cats. Once again, immunity will wear off at some time, and the graph will look much the same. Once again, our job is that no animal is left unprotected, so we have to give the booster at a time when no dog or cat has yet lost immunity.

That’s the red arrow. As you can see, most pets will lose the immunity much later. The problem is, if we try to predict this, some animals will be at risk, and the consequences could be terrible.

As I said last week, we have no reliable way of detecting which cats and dogs have lost their immunity.

The vaccine schedules we use are designed to make the time between vaccinations as long as possible without any animals being put at risk.

Our vaccine schedules are therefore quite complicated. You’ll find the complete guidelines for Walkerville Vet at Vaccination Explained page. There’s a quick summary for adult animals at the end of this article.

What else is done to make vaccines work?

• Development and testing: All vaccines in order to achieve registration for legal use in Australia are required to have their safety and efficacy proven in clinical trials. Once in use, any adverse effects or vaccine failures are reported to the same registering body, who can revoke licensing if necessary.
• Correct storage: Have you heard of the ‘cold chain’? This refers to the correct transportation and storage of vaccines to ensure they remain effective. We use a local supplier to ensure rapid transit times and have specialised vaccine chillers to hold them at the correct temperature. Thats one on the wall behind me.
• Choosing the right patient: Last week (and above) I talked about when we do not vaccinate your pet. This is important both for their health and for the vaccine to work properly.
• Correct use: We have correct handling and administration guidelines which I’m always happy to explain as I do it.

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By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

Click here to see vaccination protocols for dogs or continue reading to learn about these important illnesses.

Distemper

A feared disease of dogs for hundreds of years, distemper is easily spread via infected secretions. It starts with a fever, lethargy and a thick discharge from the eyes plus occasionally a cough, vomiting and diarrhoea. The disease then can seem to improve before progressing to severe nervous system signs.

Dogs usually die from pneumonia, paralysis or seizures. Survivors often show signs of permanent brain damage. Treatment is supportive via fluids and antibiotics.

How common is distemper?

Before vaccination, vets saw distemper every day. Around two thirds to three quarters of these dogs would die. The development of effective vaccines made it a rare disease in Australia.

Distemper appears to be increasing again, probably due to low vaccination rates. An Australian study for the years 2006-2014 found 29 confirmed and 19 suspected cases, always in un-vaccinated dogs (Wyllie et al, 2016).

Infectious Hepatitis

Canine hepatitis is caused by an adenovirus which was once a common cause of death of young, unvaccinated dogs. The signs of liver failure are severe but not easy to diagnose without blood testing. Sometimes the dogs develop ‘blue eye’ due to infection in the eye. Treatment is supportive.

How common is viral hepatitis?

As above, only now found in areas where preventative medicine for dogs is very poor or nonexistent.

Parvovirus

Parvovirus is unique for the tremendous toughness and persistence of the virus. It is passed in faeces and can easily remain infective for over 12 months under Adelaide conditions.

It has an incubation period of around seven days during which infected dogs spread the virus before becoming sick themselves.

The disease starts with a high fever and a characteristic lack of white blood cells, Once the vomiting starts it is followed by a profuse and often bloody diarrhoea a day or two later.

Death comes swiftly without prompt fluid and electrolyte replacement, and antibiotic cover. With veterinary care most adult dogs survive after 7-10 days in hospital but mortality rates in puppies are distressingly high.

How common is canine parvovirus?

Parvo appeared in 1978 and has since become the most dangerous disease of dogs in Adelaide. Most years see an outbreak and some can affect widespread areas.

Bordetella & Parainfluenza

Canine Cough or Kennel Cough is an infection of the upper respiratory tract and trachea (windpipe) and is one of the most contagious diseases we see. It is caused by two agents: Bordetella bronchiseptica and parainfluenzavirus.

B. bronchiseptica is a bacteria in the same genus as B. pertussis, the cause of whooping cough in people. It produces a severe, repetitive, hacking cough and fever. In adult dogs the disease is distressing but rarely fatal; puppies are at higher risk.

Parainfluenza in dogs is a very similar disease. Both diseases are spread by airborne particles or shared food or water.

Treatment is supportive but antibiotics and antiinflammatories can lessen the severity.

How common is canine cough?

Extremely. We regularly see dogs who catch it without leaving their yard, presumably from dogs passing in the street. Canine Cough vaccination is essential for any social dog. Read more about canine cough here.

Visit this page for all the common causes of coughing in dogs.

Prevention of Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus and Canine Cough

• The first vaccination with the breeder is a temporary vaccine and is not protective on its own.
• Get your puppy vaccinated as soon as possible, and follow your vet’s dog vaccination schedule. Take note of when your vet advises you their vaccine will start being protective (Ours protects from 11 weeks of age if given at 10).
• Until this date, avoid areas where dogs have been who may not be fully vaccinated. This includes all public spaces, grooming salons, pet shops and dog training.
• Only allow your puppy to meet dogs you are certain are fully vaccinated, and only on uncontaminated private property. Virus can be transmitted by dogs and puppies, but also dirt, hands, shoes, clothing, bowls etc that have been in contact with other dogs.
• Avoid contact with sick dogs. If you have been in contact with a sick dog, dispose of your clothing, and keep the puppy away from yourself, and the infected environment until the puppy is fully protected. Do not rely on disinfectants.
• Vaccination is close to 100% effective. As long as you follow your veterinarian’s schedule, you’ll be nearly certain of your dog never experiencing these diseases.

There are a lot more important diseases you can stop your dog from experiencing. Click on the links to learn more about the parasitic diseases such as heartworm and intestinal worms.

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.