Please ensure that we are in possession of your current email address so that we may send you our newsletter, and any other important information should the need arise. February 2014: Issue 130 www.medipetsa.co.za www.petsure.co.za 1. From the Editor’s desk 2. Parasite Control 3. The heat of Summer 4. New Product 5. Is your puppy a 5 star puppy 6. Students 7. Pets of Westville 8. Staff News Editor: Dr Alan Isdale Design and layout: Debra Müller
Transcript
Please ensure that we are inpossession of your currentemail address so that we maysend you our newsletter, andany other important informationshould the need arise.
February 2014: Issue 130
www.medipetsa.co.za
www.petsure.co.za
1. From the Editor’s desk2. Parasite Control3. The heat of Summer4. New Product5. Is your puppy a 5 star
Once children are back at school the year really begins and thedaily routine once again becomes the norm. During the chaos ofthe Festive Season some of your routine regarding your petsmay have been pushed aside. Now is the time to get back ontrack. It’s also the time to do those things that you have beenmeaning to do for some time and just never seem to have thetime to put into action. Now is the time to JUST DO IT - thevaccinations that may be overdue, that microchip you havebeen meaning to do for a while, the spaying or neutering thatyou have been putting off until 'later' to name but a few.
Parasite Control
From the editor’s desk
The summer months are when external parasites- fleas andticks - are at their most active. One should remember thatflea control in particular is ongoing and should be continuedRIGHT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
Many people have not continued their flea treatmentthroughout the year to their cost. All the flea products thatwe sell are very efficient and interfere with the flea life cycleas they should. Find out how your chosen flea product actuallyworks and stick with it.
If your flea product ' does not seem to be working' come in anddiscuss the matter with one of our staff and we may be ableto pinpoint a problem for you. Just changing from one productto another is not the answer in sorting out an ongoing problem.
Did youknow ?
Fleas account for more than half ofall dermatological conditionsrequiring veterinary assistance andeven a single fleabite to ahypersensitive animal or person maycause intense itching and irritation.
February can be avery hot month andwith it comes thedanger of animalsoverheating. Themost obvious iswhen unthinkingowners leave theirdogs in cars overthis period. It doesnot take long for adog (or a child forthat matter) left ina car by anunthinking owner tosuffer fromheatstroke. Other
dogs , particularlythosebrachycephalic (short nosed ) breedssuch as Pekingese,Bulldogs, Boxers ,Boston Terriers andthe like are alsoprone to heatstrokeas they are unableto efficiently coolthemselves down bypanting.
Heatstroke may befatal for dogs, or ifnot treated quickly
and result inongoing conditionssuch as epilepsy.First aid treatmentfor these animals isparamount. Theyshould immediatelybe plunged intocold water- such asa swimming pool- orat least sprayedwith water from ahose pipe. If thedog is stilldistressed it shouldbe brought in forveterinary attention.
Follow this link to read moreabout neutering your cat
New product … [Comfortis] This is a 'new' flea control product that comes in tablet form, is only fordogs - Please note - not for epileptic dogs, pregnant or lactatingbitches. It keeps dogs free of fleas for a month and is particularly usefulin dogs that have an allergy to fleas.
There are many owners who havetaken on a puppy during theholidays, and there are severalthings that your should beremembering to deal with on topof the daily caring for the dog. Inorder to have your puppy becomea five star puppy, the followingshould be considered:
Vaccinations are imperative:
Once again this year we have hadoccasional puppies brought inwith Parvo Virus as a result of theanimal not having had a completevaccination series. The onevaccination that may or may nothave been done by the breeder isnot the only vaccination that thepuppy needs. Many owners askbreeders or even a well meaningfriend for advice regardingvaccinations and quite franklythis advice, which is no doubtgiven in good faith, may be farfrom what is required. When youget a new puppy, please bring itin for a check and then be put onthe right vaccination programmeand then you can't go wrong. Anincomplete vaccinated puppy is avulnerable puppy and this canresult in heartache for the ownerand even the death of the puppyshould it pick up an infection.
Microchipping:
Many a puppy has strayed- orbeen stolen- and then returned toit’s owner because of a microchip.A microchip is the ultimatemarking of your pet. Oneinsertion of a microchip under theskin will have your petindividually marked for the restof it’s life. A recent article in aBritish paper related the story ofhow a dog was reunited with it’sowner nine years after it wentmissing. A heart-warming storyand it seems the dog recognisedit’s owner and members of herfamily after all that time.
Has your puppy earned 5 stars ?
Pet Insurance:
When you get a new pet, a cat ora dog, the time to take outmedical cover is when you get theanimal. The early months of apet's life is a very vulnerable timeand should it become ill at thisstage it will need very intensivetreatment which of course isexpensive. Sadly Veterinary costs,like everything else, are risingeach year and an accidentresulting in a broken leg, forexample, can require costlytreatment. Having some form ofmedical cover, as in humans, isbecoming more of a necessity andallows one to have a pet andpeace of mind that should anymedical emergency happen therewill be no need to stress over thelikely costs involved.
Puppy Socialisation:
It has been well established nowthat puppies learn to socialisewith one another, other people’schildren, unusual sounds etcstrictly between the ages of 6 and14 weeks. This is therefore a veryimportant time in the animal'sdevelopment. We hold puppysocialisation classes for puppiesof this age. The classes will set upyour puppy for life. It is a very
worthwhile investment for anynew puppy.
Sterilisation:
Sadly, there are always dogs andcats at the SPCA and other animalshelters. These are animals thathave no homes and are often as aresult of indiscriminate breeding.All responsible dog and catsowners - should have theiranimals sterilised at the age of sixmonths. This will be before thefemales come into season. Do notbe swayed by old wives’ talesthat say that a bitch should havea season or a litter before theyare spayed.
We bid farewell to SamanthaTaylor who has been with usfor the last 3 years in areception, the dispensary andin administration. We thankher for her help in the pastand wish her all good thingsto come with her move toCape Town.
Staff News
Students …We rely heavily on our studentreceptionists to 'man' the front desk andtelephones during Saturday afternoons,Sundays and Public Holidays. They alsoassist us at other times when our usualreceptionists are away for some reason.The start of a year always heralds achangeover in the students as some of theolder students finish their individualformal training and move off into the bigwide world.
Our new students will be slowly gettingused to their positions. We thank thestudents who are leaving us and wishthem all the best for their futures.
We say goodbye to Craig and welcomeKate to our team of students.
Our current ‘crop’ of students are thefollowing:-
Dale Franklin; Ashley Bond; MichaelLoubser; Shea Strachan and KateWimberley
We are always amazedto discover that clientswere not aware’ thatwe have our own inhouse groomingparlour. This issituated below thehospital and bookingscan be made bycontactingPets of Westville on[031] 267 8016.
Pets ofWestville
Don’t forget to ‘like’ our Facebook pagewww.facebook.com/westvilleveterinaryhospital
