Midwest Veterinary Centre

Midwest Veterinary Centre Monthly Online Newsletter

AUGUST 2010

Tips and useful materials  from around the home to making Dog and Cat toys.

Creating  a dog toy – Turn an old tea towel into a much-loved chew toy for Fido. Find 3 old Tea Towels and cut 2 long strips from one end to another about 10-12cm wide. Tie  towels tightly together at the top with one of the strips and braid them together tightly. Use the other cut strip to secure the end of the braid. Much enjoyment for little the cost

A Toy for your Puss… This is such an easy idea, but cats will love it! String three lids from milk bottles together and knot the ends to prevent the lids coming off. Then just throw it in front of them! You can also add felt to or instead of the milk bottles. Cats and kittens love getting their paws into felt Get your kids to help, it makes for a great craft day.

JULY 2010

WOW Already its July, time has certainly passed by very quickly. In this months Newsletter I would like to make mention that Peter Taylor has put a great deal of time, effort and finance into the running of this wonderful Vet Centre some of which you wont notice unless you went behind the scenes. But I can tell you your animals are in very capable hands and being treated with the best/most advanced technology, which is designed to help diagnose and treat your animals. We are the First in Geraldton to have a Brand New top of the wozza Blood Machine we have a New X-Ray machine that is transportable and were X-rays can now be taken in daylight, New software, New Surgery Instruments, New Electric Shavers, New Parvo Virus Test, New isolation cage (were we can clean the cage without disturbing the patient), New transportable Cattery Cage for our rehoming of kittens/cats,  long term cat boarders and its even perfect for birds and not to mention Brand New Premises (Pls watch this months space for update on new equipment and pictures). You maybe thinking that we are going to bump up all our pricing and be the most expensive Vet Centre in town, I can tell you THIS IS NOT THE CASE, We may have great Technology/Equipment and Excellent/Quality customer service offered by our staff but we are still a reasonably priced Vet Centre, but remember all Vet Centre costs are Big and we try our hardest to keep these costs low for our customers and we are competitive.

If you are on Facebook why not add us as a Friend or hit our ‘Like’ Button and see updates, read our day to day comments, get info, see pictures and enter our competitions (we always have one running) WATCH THIS SPACE

June 2010

Pets are cuddly, loyal, affectionate and good company but when considering to adopt or buy a pet PLEASE take into consideration that its not just the upfront cost or food every week, they will at some point need vet care and some alot more then others (noone can tell this) so when adopting or buying a pet please remember you need to be able to afford them as Vet centres need to be paid so they can continue to help Gods beautiful animals overcome illnesses etc.

$300 – $1000 is what you would pay on average per year for keeping a dog. Plus any grooming. The variation depends on whether you would give your animal a five star luxury life or a basic means of living.

$200-$700 per year is what you would pay on average per year for keeping a cat. Plus any grooming. The variation depends on whether you would give your animal a five star luxury life or a basic means of living.

Animals/Pets need to be put into your budgets. And if you find you can afford them then thats fantastic

“Save a Life and Adopt a Pet” Keep a look out on Facebook and our Websites for any pets that need good homes.

  May 2010

As we now have our own Facebook Page, I asked people what they might like to know about in my May Newsletter. The topics were cat Sterilisations and Pet Care with the colder months ahead.

Cat Sterilisation:

Kittens/Cats can be sterilised from 6 months onwards. Depending on whether its a male (castrate) or female (spey), these two procedure vary in cost – Castrates are quicker and easier and therefore cheaper. Before your appointment its important to remember to not feed your cat 12 hours before surgery or appointment time (surgeries are performed in the morning so they have the afternoon to recover and for us to monitor them after the surgery) Please do not deprive them of fluids, water is fine for them in this time. Once your cat gets admitted usually sometime in the morning between 8-10am, they’re usually ready for pick up about 4pm, so its just a day that they spend in the Vet Hospital. Each patient is sent home with ‘After Care Information’.  Stitches are removed by us between 7-10days following Surgery.

Please See April Newsletter below for information on Dog and Cat Sterilisation Subsidies.

Autumn and Winter Pet Care:

Animals feel the cold just as we do so please consider them in these colder nights/days. Things that can help keep your dog, cat, animal warm are:

1. Warm bedding – blankets, hot water bottles, kept indoors

2. Dog clothes

3. Make sure they have shelter from the rain

4. Feed regularly or at the same time every day.

Even though their water bowls may seem full please remember to freshen it up with new water. Fleas are still around in the colder months so remember to still keep up with your flea control.

Clinic Operations:

We have just bought a New Anaesthetic Machine (now makes 2) and accessories, X-Ray suits, Surgical Instruments, Catery Cage, Bird Cage, Isolation Cage which is perfect for cleaning and sterilising without moving or disturbing your animal. The staff are very excited and this is sure to help make your animals stay more comfortable

APRIL 2010

• WE ARE ON FACEBOOK – so please show your support and become a fan of Midwest Veterinary Clinic and join in the competitions and win prizes, receive information and check out our Photos.
  

• Royal Canin for Dogs and Cats is a specially formulated food that is made in many different varieties to suit the age, gender and species of your beloved pet. Royal canine helps repair and maintain good skin and hair condition, gums and teeth and the overall well-being of your animal. With the Royal canin biscuits you do not need anything else, the biscuits have everything they need, however if you would like to go the extra mile and pamper your animal there is Royal Canin tin food available in store also. In comparison to commercial dog and cat food Royal canin :

1. Goes further
2. Over the life of an animal you will find fewer skin conditions
3. Over the life of an animal you will find less dental work required
   
4. Over the life of an animal you will find lesser Vet Bills for health issues
5. Just as tasty if not tastier then commercial food

The initial up front cost is more then your supermarket food, we wont lie to you, but looking at the pros well worth it. To get a price today please call any of the girls at Midwest Vet Centre on 9964 3671, they will help find the exact food that will suit your pet.

• Dog and Cat Sterilization Subsidies are available at the City of Geraldton-Greenough. A saving of between $30-$60 for Pensioners and/or Health Care Card holders. Courtesy of RSPCA and the City of Geraldton-Greenough.
  

~ As at February 2010 there are three subsidies available ~

1.         The RSPCA Geraldton Auxiliary’s Pet Sterilisation Subsidy:-

 

The RSPCA Geraldton Auxiliary provides a $30 Subsidy for Cat & Dog sterilisation for those people who have a PENSION OR HEALTH-CARE CARD. (Please note – the subsidy is NOT available to those who only have a Seniors Card, as the Seniors Card is not means-tested).  Raising the money to fund this program is done by the various fund-raising events held by the RSPCA Geraldton Auxiliary throughout the year.  The Community’s support is crucial and very welcome to allow us to continue to provide this very necessary subsidy.

 

The Geraldton RSPCA subsidy is available through any of the Vet surgeries in Geraldton.

 

When you make an appointment to have your pet sterilised, you can get a form from your Vet to fill in.    Your Vet faxes the completed form to the Geraldton RSPCA, and if the application is approved, the RSPCA gives it an approval number and faxes the form back to your Vet, who will then give a $30 discount off the cost of the pet sterilisation.  There is a limit of 3 subsidies per family per year.

 

 

2.         The City of Geraldton-Greenough Pet Sterilisation Subsidies:-

 

The Subsidy is $10 for a male dog or cat and $15 for a female dog or cat.

The City’s subsidy is available to everyone who can show evidence that they are a resident of the City of Geraldton-Greenough.

Call in to the City’s Customer Service Centre at Cathedral Avenue,  complete the Pet Sterilisation form and have it signed at the counter, then take it to your Vet clinic at the time of dropping off your pet for surgery to receive a discount off your pet’s sterilisation costs.

 

3.         The Cat Sterilisation Society Subsidy:-

This $20 subsidy for cat sterilisation is available to anyone in Geraldton who has a Healthcare or Pension card. There is no limit to the number of cats needing sterilisation that can be subsidised per household.

For further information, please contact Angela Verdenius on 9938 1841.

MARCH 2010

TOILET TRAINING your indoor animal.

I recently adopted a 7 week old kitten from work and managed to get her toilet trained in one week. This is how I went about it and just maybe, it may do the trick for you. We arrived home, set up her bed, food and water bowl, toy and litter tray in the laundry, the litter tray is just some newspaper folded on the bottom with shredded paper/newspaper on the top (animals like to dig and scratch before and after doing their business) this encourages that. I didn’t let her outside for 2 whole weeks, when we went to bed she went to bed in the laundry. Kittens will go to the toilet soon after having eaten a big meal, so once I fed her 3 – 4 times a day at this age, I would close the laundry door and leave her there and sure enough 1 hour later (give or take) she had gone to the toilet and I would then let her roam the house again until her feed time would come around I would repeat this process, she would however every now and then do her business in the wrong places ie, beds, carpet. I would show her what she did (Do not recommend physical contact/smacking as discipline) and say a stern ‘NO’ and put her  straight in the litter tray (even if they don’t need to go again they may hop straight out that’s ok or they will finish their business there) and close the laundry door, leave her there for about 15 – 20 minutes and then let them roam the house again. Do this and I’m sure you’ll have your cat toilet trained in no time. Key points, Persevere and Repetition

A good product for washing out feline or canine urine is BYOFresh, Stain and Odour remover, An Antifungal and Antibacterial formula. Comes in a 500ml spray bottle and costs around $11.99  . This has left not a stain and not an odour in my sheets, quilts or carpets, its an amazing product I discovered and well worth advertising.

February 2010

The topic of Discussion is Poisons. We regularly get pets (mainly Dogs) come into the clinic  that are victims of poison consumption   Here are 20 Typical Signs of Animal poisoning to watch out for:

• Mouth irritation
• Swollen mouth or throat
• Vomiting/diarrhoea
• Irregular heartbeat
• Dilated pupils
• Difficulty breathing
• Pale gums
• Swollen abdomen
• Muscle tremors
• Hyperactivity/Weakness
• Bloody/painful urination or defecation
• Bleeding from any orifice
• Confusion
• Restlessness/Pacing
• Blindness
• Paralysis
• Seizures
• Coma
• Cardiac arrest
• Death

Family pets (and all animals) risk all kinds of poisoning from all kinds of places. Snakes can poison; some plants can poison; and hundreds of poisonous materials are used around the home by people every day -things like pesticides, weed killers, lawn sprays, acids, fertilizers, paints . . . the list is endless. Here’s what you can do if your pet is poisoned:

1. Immediately Call a Veterinarian

If you decide to take the pet to your vet, bring the container (or the label) with you. Most of the time poisoning is accidental. Keep poisonous materials out of reach, know what your pet is doing at all times, and keep emergency telephone numbers handy.

2. Keep the animal warm and quiet

Try to determine what the poison was, when it was ingested, and the amount swallowed

JANUARY 2010

I have come across a great website for those who are looking for names to call their pets.

http://www.bowwow.com.au/find-a-name-for-your-pet/pet-name-search.aspx#

Check it out and i hope it helps you when deciding on a name for your pet.

DECEMBER 2009

Its CHRISTMAS TIME, and although Christmas time is a great time to give animals as presents  you do need to take careful consideration. Animals/Pets are a life long commitment (See Canine and Feline Life Span Info Below)  and although all animals are extremely cute when they are little , they do grow up to become adults (thats not to say they lose their cuteness

Research the type of animal (breed etc..)  carefully and find out what would most SUIT YOUR LIFESTYLE!?! ie. Grooming requirements, level of exercise your Animal/Breed may require.

The Cost of keeping an animal is not cheap,  not only is there the  initial upfront cost or ongoing food costs but Annual Vet Care Costs as well ie. Yearly Vaccinations, Worming, Flea Control, Hair cuts, Bedding, – God Forbid – injuries/hospitalisations.

If you do Get a lovely Pet for Christmas Congratulations they are truely great and i’m sure you will do your very best to give it the best possible care throughout its life and we would love to meet them one day.

INTERESTING INFORMATION on the Lifespan of a Cat and Dog

Cat Years:

Cats and humans age differently, between the ages of 1 and 9, each year equates to 5 to 6 years in humans. A 25-year age cat is 108 years old in human terms.

Dog Years:

 

The old rule-of-thumb that one dog year equals seven years of a human life is not accurate. The ratio is higher with youth and decreases a bit as the dog ages. Depending on breed, a dog experiences the raging hormones of adolescence anywhere from eight months to two years or more. Generally, a dog of six has aged about as much as a 45-year-old human. At 10, she’s like a human of 65; at 12, a human of 75; and at 15, a human of 90.

A dog’s lifespan is only a fraction of the average human’s lifespan, which means that a dog ages more quickly in the same amount of time. This chart shows how a dog’s age might be adjusted to compare to a human’s age.

Canine Age	Human Age
2 Months	14 Months
6 Months	5 Years
8 Months	9 Years
1 Year	15 Years
2 Years	24 Years
3 Years	28 Years
4 Years	32 Years
5 Years	37 Years
6 Years	42 Years
7 Years	47 Years
8 Years	52 Years
9 Years	57 Years
10 Years	62 Years
11 Years	67 Years
12 Years	72 Years
13 Years	77 Years
14 Years	82 Years

NOVEMBER 2009

Now that the Hot weather has arrived please remember to keep your pets water clean and fresh, in the shade and accessible to them at all times.

 

The dreaded Flea season is at large and so to help you, your pet and your house hold with flea infestations, we have  a range of topical flea treatments instore including Frontline, Advocate and Advantage. This needs to be given Monthly to your dog or cat and is effective and very easy to apply. Checkout our Products and Specials Page.

Does your Dog or Cat have a long or wooly coat? Have you thought about taking them to get a hair cut or shave? Now that its summer time to help your dog or cat cope with the heat and prevent those dreaded burs and grass seeds, which you have probably already discovered, from getting your pet? In most cases the grass seeds get into all sorts of places over your animal including their ears, between toes  and can pierce into the skin causing infection, irritation and lumps where grass seeds have pierced into the skin and not come out. This is greatly uncomfortable and will hurt your animal resulting in the need for minor surgical removal and treatment.

We recommend Ruffeez Dog Grooming 0418 454 914 for your animals hair cutting needs.

 

Monthly Newsletters By: Sheree Dines

Registered Veterinary Nurse