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If you want to feed treats to your dog or cat it’s important to know how to find safe and healthy options. Below are treat ideas using Jerky | Fruit & Veges | Raw Bones | Commercial & | Homemade Treats from us and thanks to our Facebook community.
Continue reading “Healthy Treats for Dogs and Cats”‘At A Glance (Details Below)’ Essential Facts
Recently we saw a 9 week old puppy who came from the breeder 7 days earlier. The day before we saw her she had started coughing, and by that night it had become very bad. Being a Boxer puppy, she wasn’t letting it get her down but you could see she wasn’t her normal self.
She has kennel cough. She hasn’t been around other dogs so where did she get it from?
Continue reading “Help! My Dog Has Kennel Cough”
Have you ever had this zoo experience? It takes a careful and patient observer. You’re enjoying watching an animal moving around their exhibit (after all, many animals are asleep or aren’t even visible) when suddenly you realise “hang on, this animal is doing exactly the same thing over and over again”?
This is stereotypic behaviour and it’s the bane of every zoo. Here’s the polar bear at Seaworld on the Gold Coast in 2007 who would do this for hours on end.
Continue reading “Why do dogs chase their tail?”
Sometimes cats don’t drink enough, and we worry. Sometimes they drink too much and we worry more! Cats’ drinking habits give us more worries than almost anything else.
‘At A Glance (Details Below)’ Essential Facts
Why is it so hard to know?:
When we were kids we used to ask these questions. Then we stopped. Finally, here are the answers!
Continue reading “Wet Noses Howling and Digging”
‘At A Glance (Details Below)’ Emergency Care
‘At A Glance (Details Below)’ Emergency Care
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”
Pets are generally good for your health, both physical and mental. If pets were dangerous to be around, I suspect we wouldn’t have got so in love with them in the first place. But there are a few diseases you should know about just to be sure…
Continue reading “What can I catch from my pets?”
I received this lovely message the other day from some clients who moved with their cats to Europe.
I remember seeing their two cats for the first time. I was told one of the cats was ferocious and required sedation to examine. I finished examining the easier cat, gave him his shots and put him back and said, “OK, now for the difficult patient”.
The owner says, “That was the one you just did.” There was a mix up and I had got the names muddled. It could have ended so badly.
Continue reading “Myth 31: You can hold a cat by the scruff of the neck”
Why are so many ginger cats male? What are the odds a ginger cat can be female?
Continue reading “Myth 30: Ginger cats are always male”
‘At A Glance (Details Below)’ Emergency Care
Every dog owner needs to know how easily heat stroke can harm their dog.
Heat exhaustion is caused by excessive body temperature. Anything over 39C is abnormal but heat stroke typically occurs at over 41C.
Runt. What a powerful word. It instantly brings to mind images of poor, sickly puppies destined to never be as healthy as their brothers and sisters.
What if the whole idea of the runt of the litter is a myth? Well that’s what I think, anyway. My 20 years tell me you can take home the smaller puppies without having poorer health, as long as you follow a few basic rules…
Continue reading “Myth 29: The runt of the litter”In the 1990’s something weird was happening to cats in Adelaide. It may have been happening sooner but it was certainly in full swing when I graduated in 1994. It was dramatic and awful, and we really couldn’t explain it at the time.
Continue reading “Does my cat need heartworm prevention?”‘At A Glance (Details Below)’ Rapid Care
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”
The fact that you are reading this means that you probably know how to use a smartphone. What you may not know is how useful your smartphone can be for your pets. These amazing pieces of technology are not only changing our lives but those of our pets as well. Here are some of the ideas we see:
Continue reading “How you can use your smartphone to help your pet”
“I thought you can’t bath a dog more than once a month”. We hear this almost every day when we tell someone how the right bathing strategy can help their dog’s skin (read how to bath dogs later). This has to be the most common and widely held myth of all and it deprives dogs of a great way to soothe their itchy skin. However, there is an element of truth to it.
Continue reading “Bathing Dogs: How Often To Bath, How To Do It”Please, please, don’t ever think you are wasting our time! When you tell us something isn’t right, we’re not going to ask for proof. You know your pet better than anyone so you are the first person to see your pet’s illness. Sometimes, at the vet we won’t even be able to see the problem but we’re always going to take it seriously.
Continue reading “You’re NOT wasting our time!”
Everyone says large dogs die sooner than small dogs. You hear it on the TV, in the park, and it’s been said as long as anyone can remember. Just google this blog’s title and you’ll see what I mean. But is it true?
Continue reading “Do big dogs have shorter life spans?”Choosing the right place to board your cat is more important than you think. Twice in the past week we’ve seen cats get sick after being in boarding. We also seen cats lose weight and have anxiety problems which could have been avoided if their owners knew what to look for when choosing.
If you’d rather just see our recommended catteries, click here.
Continue reading “How To Find A Good Cat Boarding Cattery”“Watch out. Those dogs are crazy, they bark and dig and destroy things.” This is what Daisy’s owner was warned when he told his friends he wanted a heeler.
Luckily for him and Daisy he didn’t listen and followed his instincts. And he is now able to enjoy one of the closest and happiest dog-owner relationships you will ever see. Read how he did it.
Continue reading “Myth 25: Heelers, Kelpies and Collies are crazy”
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”
Going through the grief of losing my beautiful old cat made me understand how we shouldn’t go through this alone. To avoid thinking about the death of our pets is natural but it leaves us terribly unprepared when the moment arrives. I know these discussions will be unwelcome to many and understand if they create feelings of anger or distress, for which you have my sincerest apologies.
Here are my suggestions to help you or others through this terrible time. Remember that everyone’s individual experience of grief is different and not all these will apply to each case. And it will get better.
Continue reading “Dealing with the loss of a pet”
We’re so excited that one of our patients has a pacemaker that we can’t stop talking about it.
Jack came to us a few months ago with a history of falling over at home. From the moment of his first examination it was clear there was something very wrong with his cardiac rhythm. A good heart creates a rhythm you can dance to but this beat would empty the dance floor.
Continue reading “Jack gets a pacemaker”
I’m going to start with an admission; my dogs have been fat. This will come as a relief (and possibly a delight) to those thousands of dog owners over the years to whom I’ve discussed their dogs’ weight. Today I’m going to explain why this happens to all of us, how to judge your dog’s weight and how to decide how much to feed them.
The guidelines written on dog foods are almost never right for your dog.
Continue reading “Myth 24: You feed a dog by following the instructions”
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
Do you have a friend with ‘cat breath’ or ‘dog breath’? We joke about it, sometimes tell them off for it, perhaps even suspect them of eating something foul.
The truth is that bad breath doesn’t come from the stomach and it isn’t just from the food. Instead it’s often the only sign of a painful dental problem.Thankfully, more and more owners now bring their pets in just because their breath smells bad.
Continue reading “What Causes Bad Breath?”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”
This is Toyah’s gift to all dogs with itchy skin. She had mild dermatitis for a while and her owners quite rightly thought a bath would help. They found a nice-looking soothing shampoo with tea tree oil and gave her a good clean. Instead of getting better, her dermatitis got dramatically worse, and three days later when she came to us her skin was looking angry and sore.
Continue reading “Myth 21: Tea Tree Oil is good for my dog’s skin”
We’ve known Mia since she came bounding in to the clinic twelve years ago and started stealing our soft toys.
These days she still has a go but though she’s a puppy at heart, she’s old and has significant arthritis. However, her quality of life is good. A few weeks ago, her owner noticed Mia being a bit unsteady and wondered if it could be the arthritis treatment. We thought that was unlikely and so did a home visit to check on her.
Continue reading “Myth 20: My dog is too old for surgery”
Whether to desex or neuter your male dog is one of the most important decisions you as a pet owner will make. It’s not a simple decision; there are pros and cons plus a good amount of misinformation which utterly defy a simple answer.
Continue reading “The Truth About Neutering: Desexing Male Dogs”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”
This is Micki. He’s so happy and active that this is the best photo we could take. But he wasn’t always so perky. Last year he started having seizures and his very concerned owner brought him to us. There was nothing remarkable found on his physical exam, so we took blood for haematology and biochemistry, as we always do when dogs are having seizures.
Continue reading “How Micki’s seizures were fixed by a new diet”
‘At A Glance (Details Below)’ Essential Facts
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?”In these days of the ‘Cone of Shame’ most people know that pets shouldn’t lick their wounds. But there is also a long folk tradition that licking and saliva are good for healing. So where is the truth? Somewhere in the middle, as I will explain.
Continue reading “Myth 18: Dog saliva is good for wounds”
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.
Listen to anyone who owns a dog (myself included) and you will hear them talking to their dogs in complex sentences. But what do dogs hear?
Continue reading “Myth 17: My dog understands what I say”Many of our cat-owning clients will already know how much we hate the name ‘cat flu’. The name comes from a time when we didn’t fully understand what these viruses were. These are serious diseases with often lifelong consequences for the infected cat. Here are the stories of four such cats: Felix, Sooty, Princess and Twitch.
Continue reading “The Unusual & Severe Effects Of Cat Flu”
The most common bleeding disorder in dogs after rodenticide poisoning is a low platelet count.
Platelets are the small darkly stained blobs in this blood smear (the larger ones are red blood cells). They don’t look like much but they perform an essential function.
Continue reading “Thrombocytopenia or Low Platelets in Dogs”
‘At A Glance (Details Below)’ Emergency Care
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”
Just to to prove it happens to us all, here is Loki’s recent health emergency and some advice on how to identify and avoid pet poisons.
Four days ago Andrew’s 9 week Jack Russell Terrier was doing his usual morning routine of running around the garden seeing what could be destroyed or eaten. He was of course under supervision but all the same was darting in and out of sight among the bushes. All seemed fine but only ten minutes later he suddenly looked extremely unwell, vomited and passed diarrhoea. It was obvious something was terribly wrong so he was immediately rushed to the surgery.
One of the saddest things I see is indoor cats living in houses with FANTASTIC vertical territory that they just can’t reach. My kitchen, like most, has wall cabinets which create a high gallery for a cat to patrol. The only problem is there’s no way to get up there.
In this construction, an off the shelf IKEA product undergoes cat-friendly modification. Alternate shelves are offset to create a simple and elegant way to give your cat access to high places.
I can’t promise, but if you live in Adelaide and want a hand, I’ll do my best to help.
Continue reading “Cat Tree Climb IKEA Hack”
From time to time all of us need to transport our pets in the car, and it’s important to make these trips as safe as possible, both for the pets and for us people travelling in the car with them. One of our nurses, Jackie, recently alerted us to a problem with many harnesses as you will read below.
Continue reading “Safe car travel for pets”This article aims to save pets lives and improve owners’ awareness of their rights. While I believe it is a discussion we need to have, it includes topics which may be upsetting to some. It in no way is intended to be read as criticism of the business practices of any veterinarian and is not referring to any specific surgery, clinic or hospital. At the end is a series of recommendations for what to do when faced with the need to make a quick decision.
Continue reading “Myth 11: All Vets Charge The Same”