Hello everyone and welcome to our Hello everyone and welcome to our Hello everyone and welcome to our Hello everyone and welcome to our June issue of Pettales.June issue of Pettales.June issue of Pettales.June issue of Pettales.

Winter has arrived and with it cold temperatures. It is a good time to lie back on something comfy in front of a warm fire.

In this issue there are articles on:

♦ Geriatric Vestibular Disease ♦ Fish Hooks ♦ Arthritis & Winter

PETTALES Te Puke Veterinary Centre Companion Animal Newsletter

JUNE 2015

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Te Puke Vet Centre - Proud sponsors of Cam and Carter

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Geriatric Vestibular Disease

Max, a 12 year old golden retriever, couldn't get out of bed one day. No, it wasn't because there was a frost outside! In fact, Max could not stand without falling over. When we saw him at the clinic he had a marked head tilt, his eyes were flickering, he couldn't balance well enough to stand and he was very nauseous. The sudden onset and Max’s age and symptoms pointed towards Geriatric Vestibular Disease (GVD). Other less likely possibili-ties included brain tumour, inner ear infection and stroke. However, unlike these other conditions GVD will usually come right. The vestibular system is composed of portions of the brain and ear and is responsible for balance. Irrita-tion to the nerves connecting the inner ear to the brain can result in GVD. The cause of the irritation is unknown. Mild cases will often come right by themselves. Max was quite bad in that he could not walk and was vomiting. Max was put on an intravenous drip to keep him hydrated, and given anti-nausea drugs to stop him being sick and to get him eating again. He needed regular turning and cleaning and assistance with a body sling to allow him to toilet. Max spent 4 days with us and improved steadily each day.

Ends 30 June 2015

Fishing gear hazards

Over the past few months we have seen a range

of cases where discarded fishing gear has been

the cause of problems for pet dogs and cats.

These problems have ranged from simple to fix,

such as fish hooks stuck in the nose, mouth or

tongue, through to the more serious emergen-

cies such as a fish hook stuck in the throat

of a puppy and a soft bait causing a bowel

blockage in a cat. To avoid these problems,

remove bait (including soft baits) from hooks

and store fishing gear including nylon out of

reach of pets.

Never pull on nylon hanging out of a pets

mouth - it will set the hook causing more dam-

age and making it more difficult to remove.

Instead trim it so that a few centimetres are

left hanging out the mouth, then bring it in.

Arthritis and Winter Time

Winter is the time you might notice your pets start-

ing to stiffen up. During these cold wet months your

older pets especially may require a little extra TLC.

Here are some things you can do to help your pet:

♦ Make sure it has a soft warm bed at night. We

have some good value beds at the clinic, or alter-

natively, add an extra soft blanket to the sleeping

area.

♦ For old cats and small dogs a hot water bottle will

keep them toasty and warm. Make sure the HWB

is under the blankets so they do

not get burnt.

♦ Dog coats can also make a dif-

ference, especially for those

with thin fur. We have these at

the clinic too.

♦ Regular gentle exercise is important.

♦ Nutritional supplements can help. Anti-arthritic

supplements can be given as capsules or powders

added to a regular diet.

♦ Specially formulated diet such as Hills J/D, Eu-

kanuba Sensitive Joints or Royal Canin Mobility

can provide excellent relief.

♦ If your pet is still sore or lame then it may need

some pain relief. Pain medication in pets has

made some big advances over the last few years

and can make a huge difference to how happy

your pet is. To go on these your pet will need a

health check and veterinary consultation.

The hook is stuck in the throat, inside the chest cavity. It has not reached the stomach which can be seen as the dark circular area to the right of the hook.

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