Mind your Moggie

Home care
Many people like to have their pet cared for at home while they are away because they feel that their pet is more comfortable in a familiar environment. Here are some local providers of pet home care.

Cin's pet care and dog walking

TLC pet care

Pets playground  also has a list of holiday spots

Tricks of the trade - litter boxes 

What do we use in our litter boxes in hospital? Chicken feed! That's right, we don't use normal kitty litter we use chicken layer pellets. Not only is it cheaper but afterwards you can use it on the garden as a fertiliser and it degrades in the space of days. Read here to find out some other handy litter box do's and dont's.

A guide to leash free areas around Orange 

There is nothing better than taking your dog for a walk just as the sun is setting on a summer's evening. Orange has some of the most picturesque and generous leash free areas of any town. We have gone around to look at them all and give you our summary. The good points and bad points of each.

• Here is the brochure put out by the council
• Here is our review of each of the areas

Can dogs detect cancer? 
Dog's have about 300 million scent receptor cells in their nose. We have 5 million. There are numerous stories of dogs and their amazing nasal abilities.

Dog's can tell if their diabetic owner is unwell by the smell of their breath. But can they detect cancer? Read more......

Video vault - house training

Obesity

There are no diseases associated with an underweight pet. However there are many diseases that come with being overweight, let alone with a pet being obese. So as pet owners we should err on the side of being able to see rib and hip bones and a waist. Dogs and cats are carnivores they will always feel hungry even when they have had sufficient food. That comes with being a carniovore, but unfortunately it leads to obesity.
A recent study showed that dogs who are fed ad lib have an average lifespan of 11.2 years but that dogs on a calorie restricted diet lived an average 13 years of age. The dogs on a restricted diet also had decreased orthopaedic problems such as arthritis. Other problems such as cardiovascular disease, endocrine problems, tumours, urinary tract disorders and skin disease(particularly with obese cats) are more prevalent in obese animals.

• How do animals suffer when they are too fat?
  
• Feline obesity 
• Here is a chart to help you decide if your pet is too fat
• Dietary management of weight

"Gastro" 

The Crosbie family sent us an email saying that they had seen a segment on the Bondi vet TV show, where a little dog got "gastro" and it was both distressing and concerning.

Gastro is short for gastroenteritis or an inflammation of the stomach and small intestine. The primary signs are vomiting and diarhoea. 
The major causes of gastro in dogs are infectious diseases such as parvo and corona virus. These two are included in a normal vaccination. There are other viral causes but they tend to be less severe.

Other common causes that we see are campylobacter and salmonella caught from either dogs that have been in a shelter or the pound, dodgy chicken meat or transmitted from humans or other dogs in the family. These tend to be self limiting except in younger animals ie they get better by themselves given time. Of course then you have garbage guts - compost, old bones, off food, even eating caustic or poisonous substances can cause problems.
In summary vaccinate, feed the right food, keep them away from other sick dogs and people and your dog should be safe from gastroenteritis.