With the onset of sunny days it is a good time to get out into the garden. Your pet may wish to help out but remember there are many hidden dangers:

Snail and Slug Bait:

On the garden or in the box, these are very attractive to pets. Ingestion of small amounts can be fatal. Products that claim they are pet safe are bitter and only act as a deterrent. Some pets will still eat these highly toxic baits so consider if these baits are necessary in your garden.

Fertiliser:

Pets love the smell and taste of some fertilisers and if eaten, these can prove rapidly toxic or even fatal.

Compost:

The garden compost heap is very attractive to your pet but the contents contains bacteria, moulds and toxins all of which can make your pet very sick.

Rat and Mouse baits:

These are very toxic and unfortunately very attractive to pets. Ingestion causes internal bleeding and your pet can become unwell before you are even aware.

Insecticides and weed killers:

These are toxic to pets and should be safely stored and locked up.

Avoid poisonous plants such as rhododendrons and azaleas, daffodil bulbs and daphne. Lillies, if ingested are poisonous to cats so it is best to avoid these too.

IF YOUR PET INGESTS ANY OF THE ABOVE CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY

There are many causes of heart disease but the signs often sneak up on you and your pet.

Signs Include:

Coughing or gagging especially after lying down or in the morning.

Tiring from minimal exercise.

Increased breathing rate (greater than 30 breaths per minute when resting quietly).

Panting induced easily.

When the heart is not pumping properly, blood backs up in the lung and produces a 'wet' cough. Fluid can also accumulate in the belly leading to a 'pot belly' appearance. You may notice your pet runs out of energy quickly and this is because the diseased heart is not able to pump enough oxygenated blood to the tissues.

Simply listening to the heart may not be enough to diagnose disease so we will often need to perform a combination of tests.These include blood tests, x-rays, ultrasound and ECG.

We have the ability at the clinic to perform all these tests

The good news is that there are a range of treatments available for heart disease.

Our Veterinarians will design a medication regime that will best help your pet.

Desexing prevents unwanted pregnancies in female cats and dogs.

Did you know that there are also medcial reasons for desexing?

Desexing around the age of six months greatly reduces the risk of cancers in both male and female pets. Non castrated male dogs are at a higher risk of suffering from testicular cancer and prostate disease and are far more likely to roam, getting themselves into trouble.

Female pets that have not been speyed can develop mammary cancer. It is also not uncommon for non desexed female dogs to develop a uterine infection. This leads to a septic uterus, also known as pyometra and your pet can become very ill and even die if the uterus is not removed promptly.

There are countless stray and abandoned animals euthanased every year so desexing your pet gives unwanted animals a far greater chance of finding a home. If you do not plan to breed from your pet, we recommend desexing.

If you are considering breeding with your pet make sure you discuss this with our vets and only commence breeding at a safe age for your pet (generally after the age of 18 months).

A dog's brain is specialised for identifying scents. The percentage of the dog's brain that is devoted to analysing smells is actually 40 times larger than that of a human! It's been estimated that dogs can identify smells somewhere between 1,000 to 10,000 times better than humans.

When it comes to what dogs see, we know that dogs see in colour, but not the same way that we do. Dogs can see bluish and greenish shades but not reddish ones. To a dog, a bright orange ball on a grassy lawn appears as a light greenish ball in greenish grass.

Dogs sweat through the pads of their feet.

The oldest dog, verified by Guinness World Record is Bluey who lived ( 7 June 1910 - November 1939). He was an Australian Cattle Dog. He was 29 years old.

Don't forget to look at our web site, we are always updating it with clinic news and photos. You can read our previous newsletters or shop online.

Watch out for our shopping special coming soon!

                                                                            Go to: www.bannockburnvet.com.au