Vaccinating - it's just common sense

Vaccinating - it's just common sense http://bakershillvethospital.com.au/blog/rss Desexing - then best thing you can do http://bakershillvethospital.com.au/blog/new-blogentry-2/ <img class="right" src="http://bakershillvethospital.com.au/assets/Uploads/Clients/192/_resampled/resizedimage250131-pyo.jpg" width="250" height="131" alt="" title=""/>Spring is breeding season and this inspires me to talk about something very close to my heart... why on earth it is SUCH a GOOD idea to DESEX your pet!
Basically I believe that this operation, which is by no means insignificant or simple especially in a female don't get me wrong, is LIFE-SAVING! It may save your dog's life! For example, by preventing it from getting run over when in hormonal overdrive and in search of a mate! Or by preventing that risky pyometra surgery, as not all pyometras have a happy outcome. And it may also save many lives from euthanasia or the anguish of moving from home to home as they were never wanted in the first place. 
Desexing your pet just makes sense. Many vets, as do we, heavily subsidise this surgery meaning that, when done at an appropriate time, it is cost-effective for you and safe for your pet. Take it to the other extreme however, say when your dog is very ill and compromised from a pyometra and surgery must be done asap to save your dog's life, it becomes a very expensive surgery not to mention a much more risky one! 
This month we have done a few emergency pyometra surgeries. A pyometra is a pus-filled uterus and it needs to come out as soon as possible. I.e. it is an emergency and makes your dog very sick. The risk of a pyometra increases with every heat or season your dog has.
Dogs are "very good" at getting pyometras. Cats can get this condition too, but it is much less common.
Unequivocally ALL the owners of our pyometra dogs this month had wished they had understood better the risk they were taking when they decided not to desex or to delay desexing their dog... Please don't make the same mistake!
Have a look at<a title="Desexing - to do or not to do" href="http://bakershillvethospital.com.au/[sitetree_link id=12592]"> this link </a>if you are questioning whether sterilisation is a good idea or not.
Let the vet
 Mon, 10 Oct 2016 18:04:52 +1100 http://bakershillvethospital.com.au/blog/new-blogentry-2/ Spring has sprung and so has the allergy season! http://bakershillvethospital.com.au/blog/new-blogentry/ <img class="right" alt="Itchy dog" src="http://petpack.com.au/assets/Uploads/Clients/192/image.jpeg" width="235" title=""/>One of the things we spend a lot of time treating coming into this part of the year is allergies!
I once heard Perth described as the allergy capital of the world. That was for humans, but I believe it may just as well be true for our pets! And if Perth is the allergy capital, we can probably label Bakers Hill as the allergy suburb or region, being located right on the edge of the Wheatbelt!
Our cats and dogs suffer allergies just as we do, except they don't start sneezing. Instead they break out in a rash or start licking, scratching or chewing themselves. If the itch isn't treated, infections often result. 
Did you know that ear infections are part of the allergy syndrome? And that paw licking or rubbing on the grass or bushes is not a habit but actually a symptom of allergies?
Allergies are uncomfortable! I am lucky enough to not have allergies myself, but ask anyone who does and they will agree! Personally I can only imagine how uncomfortable it must be to be constantly itchy... and I see this confirmed when I see how much damage some pets with allergies will do to themselves. I also see the exhaustion which often results, and the relief when the itch is gone - both in the pet and the owner!
So what is my approach to treating allergies? First and foremost I try and get the pet comfortable again, give them a break from the itch! Then I address any problems that have developed as a result of the allergies, usually these are infections. Then we look at how the allergy can best be managed. Some allergies can be avoided in which case it may be worth spending some time finding out what the allergy is. Other allergies end up being treated medically and there are a range of options available these days for this. 
Frustrating? Yes, frequently. Long drawn-out process? Yes, unfortunately. For the faint-hearted? No way. Worth it? Hopefully!
My experience is that if both vet and owner stick with it and communicate well with each other, that more often than not the result for the pet and the owner is worth it!
So what are the most common allergies that cats and dogs get? They are fleas, food (eg chicken, beef and wheat) and environmental allergies (eg grasses, pollens but also house dust mite). And - as with any allergy - it only takes the slightest exposure to set the allergy off!
 
 
 
 
 Tue, 06 Sep 2016 16:38:03 +1000 http://bakershillvethospital.com.au/blog/new-blogentry/ Dental disease - not just a pain for your pet http://bakershillvethospital.com.au/blog/dental-disease-not-just-pain-for-pet/ It strikes me that I have been doing a lot of major dentals again lately. In other words dentals where we end up taking out numerous teeth, often leading to surgeries lasting as long as 4 or even 5 hours! 
<img class="center" src="http://bakershillvethospital.com.au/assets/Uploads/Clients/192/_resampled/resizedimage300200-Dental-Dog-Web.jpg" alt="Dental Dog" width="300" height="200" title=""/>Now don't get me wrong, despite the fact that this is very physical and hard work (probably one of the most physical things a vet would ever do), it is usually extremely rewarding afterwards as these pets become almost different personalities with all that dental pain gone! In fact this is how my love for dentistry started, when I gave a number of cats at the Animal Protection Society (where I worked once a week) their lives back by removing their dental pain. It was a life changing experience - to them and to me! Since then I have continued to do many dentals in private practice also, and it still astounds me what a difference an appropriate dental can make to an animals life!
But how does it get to that point where a pet requires a major dental and not just a simple clean? That is a good question, and personally I do blame our profession for this. It is my opinion that dental disease was and in some cases still is one of the most poorly recognised and therefore underdiagnosed diseases that our pets get. And at first it seems that there is not much harm in "missing" an early diagnosis as our pets don't seem to be in pain and the teeth don't look too bad the next time we see them... However ALL dental disease starts somewhere and ALL dental disease progresses, I just cannot tell you how fast it will progress in your pet. But when I have to take out multiple teeth in an anaesthetic that lasts several hours in a pet which is now potentially quite old and therefore carries a much higher anaesthetic risk (especially for such a long procedure) and costing the owner a small fortune, I cant help thinking how good it would have been for this pet and this owner if this disease had been recognised and explained to them much earlier on - when intervention was still simple, safe, and quite affordable.
But 4 or 5 hours sounds so drastic! Yes it does, but bear in mind that these teeth are all decayed in one way or another extremely painful to your pet (even if they don't show it) and the teeth will not get any better! So in pets we take the approach that these teeth are better out than in, and an average multi-root tooth takes about 15 to 20 minutes to extract. It very quickly adds up.
So what can you do? Simple! Make sure you are seeing a vet that recognises this disease, make sure your pet sees them at least once a year, and try to act on any signs of dental disease early!
It is Dental Month this month and most vet practices will be focusing on this important disease. At Bakers Hill Vet Hospital we want to make it easier for you to do something for your pet if they are suffering from this disease. Remember around 80% of dogs and 70% of cats over the age of 3 fall into this category! Read more about what we are offering <a title="Special Offers - Dental Month" href="http://bakershillvethospital.com.au/[sitetree_link id=12351]" target="_blank">here</a>. 
Keep smiling everyone!
<h2>Let the Vet</h2> Mon, 08 Aug 2016 11:31:06 +1000 http://bakershillvethospital.com.au/blog/dental-disease-not-just-pain-for-pet/ Vaccinating - it's just common sense http://bakershillvethospital.com.au/blog/Vaccinating-it-s-just-common-sense/ At Bakers Hill Vet Hospital we vaccinate a lot of puppies, and it's wonderful! Here I am with one just a couple of weeks ago - a miniature Dachshund named "Ollie". In the same week however, I had a client in tears as they came to grips with the terrible fear that their 10 year old dog, who was vaccinated as a puppy but not since, may have Parvovirus and may die or at the very least be very costly to treat.... 
<img class="right" src="http://bakershillvethospital.com.au/assets/Uploads/Clients/192/_resampled/resizedimage426600-Ollie.JPG" width="250" alt="" title=""/>And it's true. When I look at our records, I am astounded by how many adult dogs and cats we have on our records that are not vaccinated on a regular basis.... Dogs and cats who belong to owners who love them, owners who care about them immensely, owners who bring them in to see us when they are sick, owners who I am sure want the very best for their dogs and cats, yet these dogs and cats are not vaccinated.
Do people not know that vaccination in dogs and cats is for life?? Unfortunately it appears that many people indeed do not know this...
It is why I decided that vaccination should be the first topic for my " blog". Something that is so simple to do, that does not cost an arm and a leg, that has huuuuge side benefits because hey, your pet gets a full health examination at the same time, that is something worth telling people about!
So why do it? Why vaccinate? That is simple. Vaccination protects our beloved pets against some very deadly yet very real diseases that are present where we live The big example is Parvovirus (yes cats get their own version of a parvovirus too) which this year has seen unprecedented rates of occurrence, in particular in WA and in particular in country areas - areas like Northam - where we work, shop or even live! And if not deadly, vaccination protects against very debilitating diseases, diseases which can cause lifelong suffering, and the example here is the " cat flue".
So how do you keep your dog or cat protected? Most dog owners vaccinate their dogs when they are puppies. This is a great start but it is then important to keep up the vaccinations annually. If not, your dog is no longer protected and can contract these deadly illnesses. For dogs there is a three-yearly vaccination that covers against the three core diseases (C3), and we do stock this vaccine at Bakers Hill Veterinary Hospital so ask us if you are interested in this. What if you have missed a few years? Easy! Our superior vaccine ensures that your dog will only need one vaccination to be protected again! Cats are a different story.... They need two vaccinations if they have fallen behind or have never been vaccinated before. And often this is the case, as sadly I am learning that kittens often do no get as lucky when they start off in life... they often don't get vaccinated at all! Why? I don't know. It is almost as if owners of cats don't think they deserve to be free from the risk of disease! Cynical? Maybe. But then why would you not protect your beloved pet against diseases that are totally preventable or at the very least can be made so much less debilitating? Anyway, vaccination for cats is then always annual, as there is no registered three-yearly vaccine yet that covers for all three core diseases (F3).
What about "over-vaccinating"? Basically there is no such thing. Your pet either has anti-bodies against the diseases we aim to protect them against or it does not. If it does, it is protected. If it does not, it is not. The vaccination schedules are set the way they are to ensure that 100% of pets will be protected if they follow the schedule. But if you are concerned that your pet may still have anti-bodies and that therefore a booster vaccination is not yet indicated, you can of course always have your pet's anti-bodies tested! When, however it will be time for your pet to have its booster, no-body will be able to tell you. You just have to keep testing the anti-bodies. Or, much simpler, trust the schedule!
<a href="http://bakershillvethospital.com.au/[sitetree_link id=12658]">Click here</a> to read more about the types of vaccines available for dogs and cats.
Have a great month everyone! Keep happy and healthy yourselves but, most importantly, keep your pets happy and healthy - they rely on you to do that for them!
(Ar)Let(te) the Vet Tue, 19 Jul 2016 11:00:00 +1000 http://bakershillvethospital.com.au/blog/Vaccinating-it-s-just-common-sense/