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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.
Continue reading “How Far Is Too Far To Walk A Dog?”
Driven by high levels of public approval, Australia is haphazardly but relentlessly moving towards greater containment of cats. I support cat curfews, and keep my own cat inside, but I still have concerns.
The big problem with cat laws in Australia is that they seem to be enacted by those who know the least about cats. It’s leading to unrealistic expectations and poor results.
I’ll discuss why that is in a minute, but to not sound negative I’ll start with the benefits of curfews.
Continue reading “Cat Curfews & Confinement In Australia”
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. If you’ve thought about it I perfectly understand. But before you make the commitment, there are a few things to consider.
Continue reading “Buying A Puppy In Adelaide”
It must seem strange for a vet to compare humans and dogs and find humans better. Well let me tell you, this is an exception to a general rule. Just read Why Dogs Are Better Than Humans and you will agree.
However, our inferiority tends to mask the fact that there are a few special areas in which we do better. And because we don’t recognise them, we tend to make bad assumptions and harm our dogs. So here they are…
Continue reading “3 Ways Humans Are Better Than Dogs”
If you have a Scottish Fold and this is the first time you are hearing of their problems, you are not to blame. Finding good information before you get a cat is not easy, as you have probably learned by now.
Continue reading “What Cat Lovers Should Know About Scottish Folds”
I was a young vet only a few months out of university when I saw my first aortic or arterial thromboembolism (ATE). This is a horrible disease of cats caused by a saddle thrombus: a blood clot released from the heart that is ejected down the aorta and blocks it near the hind legs.
Continue reading “Saddle Thrombus in Cats: Evidence vs Experience” The age when you bring a puppy home matters. What you might be surprised by is how early that is.
The best age for a puppy to enter their new home is at seven to eight weeks old. This is what the evidence tells us, especially the best and most recent study.
Continue reading “The Best Age To Get A Puppy”
Everyone knows that having an overweight dog is bad. But how bad?
Twenty years ago, Purina demonstrated a two year reduction in lifespan in Labradors kept in a laboratory setting. Now a recent large study in the US has for the first time looked at common dog breeds in the home environment.
Here is what they found, in graphic form.
Continue reading “Which Overweight Dogs Have Shorter Lives?”
Keeping birds can be done well, and to the benefit of both them and us. But too often in doing so we take away the very thing that defines them: flight. So here are some suggested minimum case sizes to allow your feathered friends to enjoy their fullest lives.
Continue reading “What Is The Best Size For Budgie & Cockatiel Cages?”
Quick facts (details below):
Now dive deeper…
Continue reading “Where To Take Wildlife In Adelaide”“Unfortunately, there are people out there who don’t like cats — hate cats — and too often we see what happens to cats when they are trapped by these sorts of people.” RSPCA South Australia chief executive Paul Stevenson
“A law like this would give the worst elements of society Carte Blanche to abuse their neighbours’ pets” Brian May (guitarist in Queen)
Why are these two so worried?
New cat curfew laws proposed by Marion Council will allow the trapping of any cat found off the property from 9pm to 7am. Not just by council staff either. By anyone at all.
Continue reading “Do We Really Want To Live In A Society That Traps Cats?”
Have you heard this? The hair of double coated dog breeds doesn’t grow back properly after being shaved.
Continue reading “Can All Dog Breeds Have Summer Haircuts?”
Warning: this post contains descriptions of animal cruelty.
Images of racehorses being slaughtered at abattoirs have put the racing industry in the spotlight. And rightly so. But there’s also a connection that’s much closer to home.
Continue reading “Does Pet Food Contain Horse Meat?”
It’s easy to forget how refreshing Grumpy Cat was when she first appeared. If something wasn’t as good as the hype, then there she was with perfect one liner to burst the bubble. Coming from a cat like her, who could argue?
Grumpy Cat will always be the queen of memes, and perhaps the most famous cat of our time. Until now, I’ve refrained from talking about her death. But hopefully enough time has passed, because there’s a story in it about the future of cats.
Continue reading “The Death Of Grumpy Cat”
The picture below is Grouch. I guess he’s called that because of what he was, not what he is. Because what he is now is a house cat.
The loss of mental function with age is one of the hardest parts of dog ownership. To some extent it’s unavoidable, but there’s also a lot you can do.
The most important thing is knowing when it isn’t likely. I see far too many dogs written off with ‘dementia’ who really have something else entirely. Usually something that can be treated.
Continue reading “Cognitive Dysfunction In Old Dogs”
Sadly, the treatment of mental health problems in dogs is taken much more seriously than in cats. An anxious dog will often get help quickly due to destruction or noise issues. An anxious cat, by contrast, tends to suffer in silence. Even worse, when they do show signs they’re often blamed for it.
Continue reading “Fear, Stress & Anxiety In Cats”
No one wants to drug their pets. I get that. But we need to talk about mental health.
Let’s start by throwing out all the weasel words that stop us seeing it for what it is. It isn’t a ‘behaviour problem’ except to us. All these concerns like destruction, whining, howling, barking, biting or escaping. They’re only symptoms of a much greater problem.
Continue reading “We Need To Talk: Anxiety Medications In Dogs”
In the last 5 years, having someone look after your dog in their own home has become a genuine alternative to using dog boarding kennels. Generally, the change has been a very positive one. However, with new industries always come new challenges.
The dog you see isn’t the only one harmed. In fact, he’s one of a whole string of similar stories I’ve seen and heard recently in Adelaide. Let’s call him ‘X’.
Continue reading “Adelaide Pet Sitters: What Can Go Wrong”The dog you see above was harmed by a bad experience at a pet sitter. You can read more about his story here. It’s a useful warning to all dog owners of the dangers of choosing the wrong pet sitter.
Continue reading “Adelaide Dog Sitters, Dog Minding & House Sitting”
Did you see the animals in this year’s Guinness World Records? That’s two of them above.
The world’s longest living pet cat was a Maine Coon called Ludo, who is a phenomenal 118.3cm long.
The world’s tallest living female dog was a 96.4cm Great Dane.
Why do these cute facts make all vets shudder?
Continue reading “Is Breeding Bigger Better?”
Here’s a rare public comment on a dog breeder forum about what I think is one of South Australia’s dirty little secrets.
Here’s some bad news for people with barking problems. Humans may have deliberately selected dogs for their ability to bark. It’s one of the big differences between wolves and dogs.
Continue reading “Stopping Dogs Barking”
Sam and Jesse are these two charming Cavaliers. The decision their owners made is the same one many dog owners face. I went through it three years ago.
However, it isn’t always a good idea…
Continue reading “Should I Get A Second Dog?”UPDATE 2018
In July, 2018 the new laws for dogs and cats came into force. You can read the details by following the link.
Although it will not be universally popular, the move towards universal desexing and microchipping of dogs and cats should produce a clear net benefit to pets and the community.
Regarding the concerns I raised below back in 2016, most have been addressed satisfactorily:
However:
I once knew a German Shepherd who lived in a tower block in an English estate. A normal first reaction would be to feel sorry for him, right?
He was one happy, happy dog. Why? His owner was well aware of the potential for problems. He went up and down the lift all day for his walks and toileting.
Was he happier than a dog that lives outside? Can it be true?
Continue reading “Is It OK To Put Dogs Outside?”
If there’s one thing that always makes me sad it’s ‘hard rubbish’ time. I ride my pushbike to work past the unwanted gear piled up on the kerbside and it gets an animal lover down.
It’s not the waste or mess that bothers me; it’s something common and very specific that we vets don’t usually get to see. These things.
It’s unlikely there will be enough information to catch these people. We need you to help. We also need you to be aware of what they are doing.
That’s Arkie above. He was found wandering the streets near Walkerville Vet and brought to us, as are so many other stray pets. Usually all we do is scan their microchip and make a phone call to reunite them with their owners.
Continue reading “Dog Rescue Scam Foiled By Dr Sky”
Can we help you by talking about euthanasia? We’ll try to talk about:
We find that the less mystery there is about euthanasia the less there is to fear. If you have concerns we hope we can put these at rest.
Continue reading “Euthanasia”Having pets is such a rewarding part of being human. But have you ever thought how it is we can keep animals as pets? Why are some animals great as pets and others often a complete disaster? What’s going on? Today I want to explain why a small group of mammals are literally made to be our pets and why you should think very carefully before owning any others.
Continue reading “What koala cuddling can teach us about pets”
Those who have been following our Facebook will know about the three dogs owned by a victim of domestic violence. She was taken to hospital and her dogs were in urgent need of emergency housing. Now that their owner has found safe accommodation, she has been reunited wth her beloved dogs and it is safe to tell their story.
Continue reading “Golden Grove Boarding Kennels help a woman in need”
Here I go again! Another unbearably cute puppy picture in the paper and all I can do is complain!
There’s no question that adorable images of a Shar Pei puppy and a Scottish Fold kitten from the Adelaide Advertiser melt the heart. So why do most vets see something different when we look at these pictures?
Continue reading “Myth 23: Choosing a cute pet is harmless”
‘At A Glance (Details Below)’ Emergency Care
Update 2019: South Australian laws on dog and cat breeding now make it harder for people like Gary Taylor to continue. However, we still have a problem with pet shops selling sick puppies!
See also an update below from 2016 from after the trial.
Continue reading “The puppy and dog breeding scandal continues”After my cranky rant in the recent blog Feeding Stray Cats here is the uplifting and inspirational story of a local college being a genuine role model in the care of their stray cats.
Continue reading “Cat welfare disaster to happy felines” It all starts innocently enough, An unknown cat starts hanging around the house and looks like she doesn’t have a home. So the householder starts to worry that she’s hungry, and puts out some cat food for her. The next thing she’s hanging around every day and sometimes even coming in the house. Before too long she can always be found somewhere around the yard.
So what’s wrong with this?
Continue reading “What’s Wrong With Feeding Stray Cats?”
We all love funny animal pictures but sometimes we come across ones that are just so wrong we can only shudder. It’s when the interpretation of the animal’s behaviour results in them being blamed for behaviour where they are actually the victims.
We all have different opinions on how much and how often dogs should be walked. Each of our three vets offers their opinion.
After reading, why not try one of our eight best Adelaide walks or Adelaide’s off leash beaches?
Continue reading “Myth 12: My dog doesn’t need walks”For those of us who care about animal welfare, the news, Facebook, and our inbox can be hard to cope with. There seems to be a never-ending series of distressing stories about acts of cruelty towards animals.
Continue reading “Myth 2: Animal Cruelty is Getting Worse”Update: this was one of my first blogs, and still one of the most important. Now you can also visit our pages on treating arthritis or pain in cats or dogs.
My dog will cry if he is in pain or,
My cat will tell me if she has painful joints; and so on….
That is, a pet owner can tell when a pet is in pain.
Continue reading “How To Know If A Cat Is In Pain”