Canobolas Family Pet Hospital / October 2010

Canobolas Family Pet Hospital

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Canobolas Pet Hospital

October 2010

We are well and truly into spring and have already seen the first snake envenomation of the year - a Copperhead bite to a cat from Millthorpe. So this month we are including some information on the snakes found in the area.

Sara's talk at Horseland a few weeks ago was a great success in informing horse owners about the risks to them and their horses from the deadly Hendra virus. The virus is carried by fruit bats, which are becoming more common in the district.

Spring is also a time that we see more Feline Urological Syndrome (FUS) because there is a direct link between this potentially fatal disease and the amount of rainfall.

cartwalk

Here is another bit of fun. How is this for some good dog training. Apparently all done in one shot. Watch video

In This Issue

First aid kit

Library

Getting off dry food

Tech your dog to stand

Quick Links

Funny web photos
American college of veterinary nutrition
The Australian venom research unit

Contact Us

10 William St
Orange, NSW 2800
Phone (02) 63626991
Email geoff-fr@hotmail.com

Subscribe to Our Newsletter!

Contact Us

10 William St
Orange, NSW 2800
Phone (02) 63626991

Email geoff-fr@hotmail.com

First Aid Kit

What should you have prepared in advance of an emergency? There are many pet first aid kits on the market which seem to be more complicated that most ER units in hospitals. A first aid kit is different to a medicine cabinet. So what are the essentials? We cut through the bull for you and give you the essentials.

Health care library dogatcomputer

Many people don't realise that we have a vast library on our web site. It has 1845 dog, 967 cat, 534 horse, 194 other pet articles and lots on therapeutic drugs, behaviour and nutrition.

We also have many videos on training and common behavioural problems

Changing to canned cat food
It is well established that the potentially fatal disease feline urological syndrome (FUS) is associated with the feeding of dry cat food. To prevent FUS we need to increase the total water intake of your cat. The easiest way is to feed canned food, which has a high water content. Here is an article telling you how to wean your cat off dry food onto canned.

Teach your dog to stand
girldogsit

The next step in teaching your dog obedience is to go from the sit to the stand.

Life Stages

Like humans dogs go through different life stages. Old age diseases tend to be from things wearing out as, otherwise known as degenrative diseases. Read more.....

If you have an old dog it is worth reading through our geriatric questionnaire. And a reminder that any dog or cat over 8 years of age has a seniors card waiting for them at the clinic which allows for substantial discounts on veterinary care.

Lets bust a myth
dogscooting

When a dog rubs his bottom (otherwise known as scooting) on the ground he has worms, right?
Wrong
Dogs don't get the pinworms that cause irritation around the bottom like humans and horses do.

It can be caused by skin irritations like allergies or infection but more than likely he has impacted anal glands that he is trying to clear them.

The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Friendly and easy to train, the Cavalier is a trustworthy companion for children and thrives as part of a family. The coat requires weekly brushing, but no trimming. The breed is adaptable in their need for exercise, happy with either sleeping on the couch or taking long walks.Read more............

Chocco update
chocco

In our last newsletter we told the story of Chocco.

It was a very popular story so we thought we would give an update. This is the lastest picture of Chocco looking a very different dog to when we first saw him. His hair is growing back and is the dark chocolate colour of his youth

Snake season
bsnake

This is a Brown snake about to strike. Note the typical horizontal "S" shape of a Brown snake strike. Brown snakes are the second most venomous snake in the world and are ubiquitous across Australia. Around Orange though we only see Brown snake bites come in from an arc extending from Clifton Grove around to the north around to about Borenore. King Brown snakes do not exist in this area and are actually a Black snake. Many people who see a very large Brown snake call it a King Brown. Death Adders are almost certainly in the area but we haven't yet seen an animal bitten by one. East and south of the city the Highland Copperhead and Red-bellied Black Snake predominate.

Australia has 20 of the top 25 most venomous snakes in the world. Have a look at the list.

Have a squizz at a case of Brown Snake envenomation from Molong

Or here is a scientific write up of two cases of dogs being bitten by copperhead snakes seen at Canobolas Pet Hospital.

Actually that is pretty dry and heavy stuff. The Australian reptile park is probably more interesting and here is a good general article on treatment of human snake envenomations from the University of Sydney department of medicine.