Ponsonby Tails April 2010

Thursday, Apr 8, 2010

FREE bag of weight-loss food when you enrol your pet into the Slimfit weight-loss program, during April

Obesity is not only an increasing problem in the human population - it is on the rise in our furry friends too. An alarming number of pets are carrying a few too many kilos and the health risks posed to them are just as serious as they are to us. Unfortunately cats and dogs have no concept of weight management so it is up to us as their owners to help keep them in shape.

 

The disease risks include:

• Early onset arthritis (joint problems)
• Diabetes
• Heart Disease
• Shorter life span (studies show overweight dogs can live up to two years shorter than those within a good bodyweight)
• They also develop skin problems due to inability to groom themselves properly, and have a lowered immune system.

Like in humans, the weight creeps on when there is an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. We understand that it can be a real battle to help your beloved family member shed those unwanted kilos, so we are here to help!

The team at Ponsonby Veterinary Centre feels so strongly about managing overweight animals that we are offering a FREE pet slimming program in which you can enroll your cat or dog. The program offers an initial health check consultation with a vet, regular weigh-in visits and most importantly advice, encouragement and support for practical weight loss. To help get you started, we will give you a FREE bag of weight-loss diet if you enroll your pet in April, kindly sponsored by Royal Canin.

 KITTEN KINDERGARTEN

Heard all about puppy preschool? Now we have Kitten Kindergarten for our feline friends!

These are enjoyable and informative evenings for both you and your kitten. Safe play, handling, socialising and problem prevention all form part of the classes along with some basic training.Our classes are structured to incorporate kittens after their first vaccination, starting the course at 7-16 weeks of age. Research has shown that from
7 weeks old a kitten's learning capacity is as great as it will ever be and the peak socialisation period is from this age to about 16 weeks.  The course consists of two evening classes.

If you and your kitten would like to attend our Kitten Kindergarten, please contact us at the clinic. Numbers to classes are limited so be in quick to ensure your place

STAFF PROFILE

Dr. Sarah Mazengarb has recently joined our team. Some of you may have met her while she covered for Gareth when he broke his arm. Now she is here to stay.

Although Sarah enjoys most aspects of veterinary medicine she has special interests in soft tissue surgery and feline medicine.

Outside of work she enjoys mountain biking, hiking  and a good strong flat white.

 

BRAVEHEART OF THE MONTH

Venus, a 2.5 year old cat, came in for a check over when she went off her food, lost weight and became very unwell. Our vets realised something was seriously wrong during her clinical examination and she was rushed through to the hospital. An x-ray and ultrasound confirmed that she had a ruptured diaphragm with some of her abdominal organs pushing through into her chest cavity. Usually this happens after a traumatic event such as a road traffic accident and the diaphragm becomes torn, but Venus's Mum and Dad couldn't recall anything like this happening. Very occasionally this can start as a congenital condition and worsen with age.

Venus went into surgery and our vets replaced her organs back to their proper places and closed up the hole in her diaphragm. Her lungs were then able to re-inflate to full capacity as she recovered and was soon on the road to good health again after lots of TLC in our hospital.

We took her stitches out a few weeks ago, and her owners were pleased to announce this week that she was doing very well and back to her old tricks again.