Ponsonby Tails - Easter 2006

Monday, Mar 6, 2006

In this issue:-

• Introducing a new 100% natural, NZ made pet food

• An alternative to dog castration

• Diarrhoea and vomiting in Ponsonby

• The New Microchipping Regulations

• Special Offers

Welcome to our First Newsletter for the New Year! We would like to thank you for your great support throughout 2005 and we look forward to striving to provide the best possible care for your pet(s) in 2006. In this regard we have re-written our Mission Statement and it is now prominently displayed at reception, to see a copy please visit http://petvet.co.nz/aboutus.cfm  We are very proud of the level of care we provide but we are always looking for ways to improve our service to you and your pet. If you have any suggestions for us then please let us know!

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to Marina. She joined us at the end of March as our first dedicated receptionist. This new role was created to provide you with a consistent point of contact with the clinic either by phone or in person, whilst allowing our excellent nurses to spend more time looking after your pets that have been hospitalised.

You will notice that the newsletters e-mailed this year will be in a more abbreviated format - this will alllow you to skim through it rapidly and see if you are interested in any of the articles. If you want to know more about a topic that is mentioned here, just click on the link at the end to take you to the full article on our website (even this editorial is expanded).

Part of improving our standard of care for your pets is working on our own knowledge, this includes attendance at conferences. Oliver recently attended an excellent conference presented by Dr Greg Ogilvie one of the worlds leading veterinary oncologists. This introduced some of the cutting edge cancer treatments that will becoming available over the next few years. 

Michael has recently been to Palmerston North to a conference on radiology and the latest developments in veterinary medicine. As with all conferences a lot of the benefits come from the ideas and infectious enthusiasm that the speakers have for their subjects. This conference was no different and Michael brought back a number of useful advances that we have put into place in our radiology.

Margaret, Kelly and Melinda have also been to a number of day seminars on canine behaviour, critical care and emergency medicine and fluid therapy. All of these conferences (along with journals, journal clubs and specialist lectures) allow us to check that our knowledge is up to date and that your pets receive the a quality, professional healthcare service. 

We hope your pets remain healthy throughout 2006 and that we only need to see them for their annual (or 6 monthly) health check.

Have a nice break over Easter.

Dr Oliver Young B.V.M.S., M.A.C.V.Sc (Emergency Medicine and Critical Care)

Introducing a New 100% Natural, NZ Made Pet Food

ZiwiPeak have launched a new range of high quality pet foods and treats and we now stock their entire range. So what makes these foods different/special?

1. Every single ingredient is 100% natural.
2. They contain a high proportion of real-meat.
3. A complete abscence of preservatives, colouring, fillers and grains.
4. The excellent choice of flavours - including Lamb, Tripe, Venison and Fish.
5. These foods have excellent potential for pets with food allergies and potential benefits for pets suffering from cancer.
6. The food comes in a canned and a freeze dried version for cats and dogs.

We feel these products offer an excellent option for high quality pet food for all pets. If you would like more information please visit http://www.ziwipeak.com/ or drop into our clinic for a free sample. 

An Alternative to Castration in Dogs

A new drug (GNRH agonist) has been recently developed as an alternative contraceptive to castration and speying in dogs called Suprelorin.

 The main uses we have found for this drug is to test how your dog will respond to castration or if you may wish to breed from your dog later on but you don't want to go through seasons or have male dominant behaviour.

Suprelorin comes as an implant that is placed under the skin via a needle. Once implanted your dog will behave as if he/she had been neutered, yet after 6 months or so the implant will run out and your dog will return to his/her previous behaviour.

These are the key points of this drug:

• GnRH agonists have been shown to suppress gonadal activity in both male and female dogs, to have a high margin of safety. 
• The effects of these drugs are fully reversible.
• Peptic, Australia has gained approval of sale of its implants by the relevant authorities in Australia and New Zealand under the name Suprelorin©.
• Peptic claims efficacy for at least 6 months in 98% of male dogs as contraception, and use as a treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and as an aid in the control of unacceptable behavior.
• This also increases the season interval time in bitches, although it is not yet licensed for this useage.
• An implant is placed under the skin via a needle, and this releases effective systemic concentrations for 6 mo. to one year or more.

For more information visit click on the above photo.

Diarrhoea and Vomiting Rife in Ponsonby

This summer we have observed an upsurge in the number of dogs and cats presenting to us with diarrhoea, vomiting or both. It has been noticeable that many of them shared similar symptoms. They might vomit a little, but the diarrhoea seems to be the dominant symptom. They are usually eating well and happy, though some have been lethargic or depressed. Two such dogs have tested positive for Campylobacter (a bacterium) and one has tested positive for Giardia (a parasite).

Both of these infections can be given to people (i.e. what we term "zoonotic"), and can cause chronic intestinal problems in certain circumstances.

We encourage faecal testing in dogs and cats with diarrhoea which runs more than 48 hours. To maximise the chance of finding a pathogen it is best if several days' worth of (refrigerated) stool is submitted as a pooled sample, since it may not show itself every day. Sometimes tests need to be repeated if the problem is ongoing, and we suspect a negative result to be false. However if there is a zoonotic organism being passed by your pet, then you should know about it.

To prevent your pet contracting harmful bacteria or parasites, there are a few guidelines we can suggest. When walking your dog, try to prevent him or her from eating or licking the passings of other animals or dead animals/birds. They should not be drinking from rivers and ponds, especially in dry weather when the water becomes stagnant. They should not play or socialise with other animals which are known to have gastrointestinal symptoms. Avoid feeding raw meat or bones - these are best frozen, then thoroughly defrosted (cooked bones should not be fed as they can cause constipation or intestinal blockages.) One of the reasons we recommend dry food is that it is less likely to spoil. Try to keep your pet as hygienic as possible (!), bathe him or her if they are dirty, and keep your property free of their stools. Make sure that you keep up to date with their worming and other medications as needed.

 Dr Michael Hardcastle BVSc

Please note: vomiting in cats is not normal and is often a sign of severe illness. If your cat is vomiting please seek help urgently. An exception to this is an occasional hairball but these should not be occurring more frequently than once a month (if at all).

The New Microchipping Regulations

You may or may not be aware that the Dog Control Act was recently amended by Parliament. One resulting measure has attracted considerable media attention, namely the compulsory microchipping of all dogs newly registered after the 1st of July this year.

Farming groups lobbied to have this new scheme stopped, or at the least to have working dogs exempted. At the time of writing it appears that it will come into force despite their efforts.

The aim of the scheme is to make dog control laws easier to enforce, since animal control officers will be able to scan dogs, identify their owners through the microchip system, and enforce fines etc. as necessary. However it also has some flow-on benefits in terms of animal welfare, since it will alleviate the frequent problem of sick or injured dogs being brought into shelters or veterinary clinics by members of the public who do not know who the true owners are. We have always advocated microchipping for dogs and cats on those grounds.

The database of microchip numbers will be maintained by Internal Affairs and accessible through local authorities. However it appears that this database will not be accessible out of hours, which detracts from it's use in welfare or emergency situations. For this reason we will be encouraging people to have a dual registration with the Australian Animal Registry, who New Zealand clinics have been using over recent years. The fee for doing this is reflected in our current price for microchipping.

We at Ponsonby Veterinary Centre use the excellent Allflex microchips. To find out more about these microchips please click on the above photo.

Special Offers

• It is Dog Pride Day on Sunday 23rd April. It costs just $10 to register and all proceeds are going to the SPCA. This is a great opportunity to support them whilst having a fun day with your dog and family. For more information and registration visit http://www.dogprideday.co.nz/
• We are still giving away a free Rogz collar with every Podz. Not sure what a Podz is? It is an ultra comfortable and ubercool pet bed and would make any pet the envy of their mates.  
• We are giving away a free cat carrier with every bag of new 3kg IAMS multi cat.
• With every bag of cat Advance pet food we are giving away a free feeding mat.
• Revolution Rewards. Receive a free 3 month supply of Revolution with every 12 pipettes purchased - See Reception to start a Rewards card today. 

All of the above offers are only available while stocks last or during dates of promotion.