Companion Animals Archives | Page 5 of 8

Health In The Hutch: June 17-25 Is RAW – Rabbit Awareness Week

Posted on June 1, 2017 by Les Ellison

When it comes to publicising pet care, cats and dogs get much more attention than smaller pets – especially when it comes to internal parasites and external parasites in pet rabbits.

That’s why June sees another concerted effort by a partnership of animal charities and commercial sponsors to raise owners’ awareness of the health, hygiene and dietary needs of pet rabbits.

The focus, as with all pet care initiatives is on what owners can do themselves to enhance the wellbeing and welfare of their pet rabbit. As the campaign title suggests ‘RAW’ is the key to a happy healthy rabbit.

Rabbits can’t get the nutrition they need merely from their bedding straw alone

In a world with more and more pre-processed, pre-packaged food for their owners, Britain’s 1.5 million pet rabbits are getting less and less fresh, raw food in their diets. Reduced to the equivalent of eating the furniture, rabbits can’t get the nutrition they need merely from their bedding straw alone.

The essential message of RAW is that owners must understand the needs of their pets. Bedding straw is not the same as hay – and rabbits must eat enough fresh hay and grass to stay healthy.

Experts in rabbit nutrition recommend a diet that’s 90% fresh hay and grass. Yet animal charity PDSA estimates that less than 1 in 3 British pet rabbits have a constant supply of fresh hay.

Rabbits that don’t get enough fresh hay and grass risk suffering dental, digestive and even emotional problems such as boredom and stress.

Health and behaviour tends not be so quickly noticed

Unlike indoor dogs and cats, adverse changes in a rabbit’s health and behaviour tends not be so quickly noticed – maybe because most rabbits live outside in a hutch rather than inside in the house.

Rabbits also seem less likely to make routine visits to the vet than dogs and cats. Yet they need the same expert attention, especially when it comes to the internal parasite and external parasites that can make their lives miserable.

Internal parasitic worms – such as roundworm, reduce the nutrition your rabbit gets from even a recommended RAW diet. Heavy worm infestations might even block the movement of food through your rabbit’s digestive system.

Untreated external parasites such as ringworm – which is a skin and fur destroying fungus, will leave your pet with unsightly bare patches open to further infection.

Your vet will have the veterinary diagnostic kits and veterinary laboratory supplies to detect ringworm and identify internal parasites. With a sure diagnose and an early start to treatment, your pet rabbit will be back on its way hopping along to health and happiness in the hutch.

Why Cats Go Viral And How To Make Sure That Yours Doesn’t

Posted on June 15, 2017 by Les Ellison

With more than 2 million uploads and almost 25 billion views, cat videos are by far and away the most popular and most shared subjects online. Yet around 3% of those cats may well test positive for Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV), and a similar number the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV).

Exactly why cat videos go viral is obvious to those who love cats and a complete mystery those who don’t. What can’t be denied is that more and more people want to show off their cats, and even more want to watch other people’s cats showing off.

If you want to see dogs doing what cats do on the internet, all you have to do is walk anywhere dogs are let off the leash. Set free, dogs perform the same feats of acrobatics and athleticism. Away from the camera, even healthy cats are mostly either sleeping or patiently stalking something.

Viral, in any context other than social media, is invariably bad news

The key word for both dogs and cats is ‘healthy’. Video clips and real-life views of sick animals offer no attraction to anyone who hasn’t an interest in veterinary diagnostics. Yet the word ‘viral’, in any context other than social media, is invariably bad news.

For cats and cat owners, the word ‘virus’ is most feared in relation to Feline Leukaemia Virus FeLV and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus FIV.

Though it may have the more serious immediate impact on your cat’s health, there is a vaccine for FeLV. A third of affected cats develop tumours while two-thirds succumb to infections related to the loss of disease resistance.

No vaccine and no cure for FIV

The FIV virus reduces your cat’s ability to fight infection. There is no vaccine and no cure for FIV. However, most FIV positive cats still enjoy a normal life-span without any apparent health problems attributable to the virus.

Early diagnosis in cats exposed to infected animals, such as feral populations, is essential to effective treatment. Veterinary diagnostic kits such as Vetlab Supplies’ FASTest FeLV-FIV testing for Cats reliably checks for both viruses in a single test.

FeLV and FIV testing recommend

If you have new cat or kitten in the house, or a cat that likes to roam, or if you breed cats or manage a cattery, your veterinary laboratory will recommend FeLV and FIV testing.

Many of the most viewed cat videos show cats coming unstuck. Maybe that’s because we’re somehow in awe of the intelligence and agility of cats. We know that, if they could just get themselves organised, cats could take over the world.

But for now, and for their most important needs – a healthy diet, veterinary treatment and preventative vaccinations, cats are entirely dependent on us, their devoted owners and keepers, otherwise known as… their servants.

Big Five Parasite Safari: Tracking the Life that Lives On and In Your Pet

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Les Ellison

Tracking the ‘Big Five’ usually means a safari for lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhino in the wilds of Africa. Your vet can help you track-down the big five pet-parasites with Veterinary Diagnostics, Microscopy and Statspin Ovatube Parasite Detection System.

On the pet parasite safari, the big five are the Intestinal Worms, Lung Worms, Heart Worms, Ticks and Fleas that love to live on and in the animals that share your home.

Heavy infestations get tangled together and block your pet’s digestive system

Intestinal worms come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. Hook Worms, Round Worms, Whip Worms and Tape Worms all effectively starve your pet from the inside out. Heavy infestations get tangled together and block your pet’s digestive system.

Lungworms start life in snails, which leave a trail of infected slime that your pets can lick off their paws. Once in your pet’s lungs, they cause congestion, difficulty breathing, coughing and exhaustion. About 10% of lungworm infections prove fatal.

Heartworms get into your pet from mosquito bites. In your pet’s heart, they block the flow of blood. Your pet’s heart has to work much harder to pump blood around the body, which can lead to heart failure.

Ticks carry the microbes that cause serious diseases including Lymes disease

Ticks and Fleas live in the fur and skin feeding on your pet’s blood. Fleas cause skin irritations and transmit the most common tapeworms that infect cats and dogs. Ticks carry the microbes that cause serious diseases including Lymes disease and the new threat, Babesiosis.

Many of the big five parasites also live in the wild animal population. Some are much more common in the wild and pet populations of other countries. Avoiding infection demands constant monitoring and protection of your pet, especially if you’re taking your dog or cat abroad for the summer. Another concern is that some of these diseases can be passed to humans.

The holiday season increases the risk of travel-related infections

Warmer weather encourages fleas and ticks, and the holiday season increases the risk of travel-related infections. Taking action to hunt down potentially deadly infestations is best begun sooner rather than later.

Your vet has all the information, products and treatments to protect your pet from the big five parasites. Veterinary diagnostic kits quickly detect parasite infections such as Lymes disease, Babesiosis. Veterinary Microscopy identifies internal worms while specialist techniques such as Statspin Ovatube Parasite Detection System will uncover the extent of any infestation discovered.

What’s Eating Your Pet? Diagnosing Dermophytosis, Ringworm and Fungal Skin Diseases with Mykodermoassay-Trio

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Les Ellison

Ringworm is a dermophytic fungus that eats skin, hair, horn and claws in companion and commercial animals. Rapid veterinary diagnosis of dermophyte infection is the first step toward identifying, treating and eradicating fungal skin diseases.

Dermatophytosis (ringworm) is distressing to pet owners. Not a worm at all, the classic bald patches and circles of reddened skin with flaking dandruff is caused by a fungus that feeds on the keratin protein of skin, hair and claws.

In cases of dermatophytosis, the usual suspects are the Microsporum fungi: M.canis, M.gypseum, M.persicolor, the Trichophytons: T.verrucosum, T.mentagrophytes and the Epidermophytons.

Ringworm infection is spread through skin flakes from infected animals and can be transmitted to humans. These flakes carry fungal spores called conidia. Conidia are resistant to antimicrobial treatments such as chloramphenicol and cycloheximide.

The size and shape of conidia enable the veterinary laboratory to identify the species of fungus. But first, vets need a fast and reliable diagnostic test to distinguish dermophytic fungal infection from other fungi and bacteria.

Mykodermoassay-Trio features three purpose-optimised fungal growth media

Mykodermoassay-Trio features three purpose-optimised fungal growth media on a single petri dish test-plate. Divided into three sectors, the time-saving diagnostic provides SAB/SDA, DTM and ESA media in separate agar-based fungal growth environments.

The Sabouraud (SAB/SDA) agar sector encourages fungal growth while subduing the growth of bacteria that might otherwise complicate interpretation. The gel’s optical clarity enhances visual inspection and macro-identification of fungal colonies.

The Dermatophyte Test Media (DTM) inhibits bacteria and non-dermophytes by the inclusion of chloramphenicol and cycloheximide. Phenol red pH indicator confirms any alkaline waste products characteristic of dermophytic fungi with an orange to red colour change.

Clarity enhances species identification

The Enhanced Sporulation Agar (ESA) sector, optimised for spore formation, includes the pH indicator bromophenol blue. A colour change from yellow to green-blue further supports the presence of dermophyte fungi. The gel’s clarity enhances species identification by veterinary microscopy.

Mykodermoassay-Trio provides for reliable interpretation in only 2 to 3 days. And performs equally well with samples of hair roots, dandruff, scabs and skin scrapings. Finally, a long fridge life of up to 24 months makes Mykodermoassay a convenient and cost-effective method for reassuring pet owners that their pet’s skin and fur will soon be off the menu for ringworm fungus.

Are You A Health Risk to Your Pet? Anthroponitic and Humanotic Infections

Posted on May 23, 2017 by Les Ellison

Veterinary and Human health authorities worldwide are always on their guard against the possibility of animal diseases jumping the species barrier and infecting human populations. But what about the reverse? Is there a growing danger that the bacteria, viruses and parasites that cause human diseases might pose a health risk to companion, commercial and wild animal populations?

Most animal pathogens reside only in specific species or related host species. Infective agents that can, under certain conditions, also infect people are labelled Zoonotic. Zoonotic diseases, such as Lyme’s disease, toxoplasmosis, strains of avian flu, psittacosis (chlamydiosis) and brucellosis are well known to public health and veterinary laboratories, which are well equipped with diagnostic tools and medical responses.

Suspected incidents of anthroponotic infection are relatively uncommon

Pathogens generally specific to human hosts but which can, under certain conditions, cause diseases in animals are labelled Anthroponotic – or sometimes, Humanotic. Thankfully, proven and suspected incidents of anthroponotic infection are relatively uncommon. However, with increasingly close contact between human and animal populations in the home, farm and wild, the opportunity for anthroponotic transfer can only increase.

At greatest risk are species closely related to human

Perhaps at greatest risk are species closely related to humans; such as chimpanzees, gorillas, orang-utans and other apes. In 2012 a South African study of Cape Peninsula baboons found evidence of the human ‘whip worm’ intestinal parasite, Trichuris trichiura. The same poor hygiene and sanitation which accelerates infection in humans, together with close contact due to pressure on shared habitat, may have been responsible for the cross-species transfer.

Tuberculosis in humans, caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis, has been detected in some animals in regular close human contact. The now widespread tuberculosis infection of American zoo elephants, first noticed in 2015, is suspected of originating from human animal transfer.

Strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), have also been found in companion and commercial animals. Veterinary scientists suspect that MRSA in pets may have been acquired from close contact with owners having MRSA on their skin but without actually suffering any symptoms – which is why thorough hand-washing, even for visitors, is so important in hospitals and clinics.

The greatest safeguard of every pet’s welfare is the commitment of the owner

Whatever might be the health risk to pets from humans, the greatest safeguard of every pet’s welfare is the commitment and attention of a careful owner. Regular health checks, vaccine boosts and a good relationship with your veterinary surgeon, supported by the diagnostic resources of the veterinary laboratory, will help to safeguard your pet against all diseases and infections – wherever they come from.

Love Me Love My Dog: Vets, Pets, Nudging and Behavioural Economics

Posted on May 22, 2017 by Les Ellison

Pet owners love their companions but don’t always do what’s best for the health and well-being of the animals that share their lives and homes. With a little understanding of behavioural economics, veterinary surgeons can use ‘nudge theory’ to change the behaviour of pet owners, keepers and breeders to the benefit of pets from lizards to llamas.

In a perfect world, everyone would act in a way that benefits not just themselves, but also their wider community, their environment and the animals entrusted to their care. But in the real world, real people are driven by their emotions, personal preferences, past experiences and present needs.

In short, people do what benefits them here and now, rather what might be much more beneficial in the longer term; just about everyone says they care about climate change, but practically no-one walks to the shops on a cold, wet night if there’s a car on the drive.

‘Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness’

Developed from the work of psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, ‘nudge theory’ first appeared in the 2008 best seller, ‘Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness’, by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein.

Nudge theory is about understanding how people think, make decisions and behave; then identifying and modifying unhelpful influences while strengthening helpful influences toward good decisions and more beneficial behaviour.

Wealden Council successfully employed nudge theory in 2104. Using the strap-line: ‘Bag it and bin it, most people in this area do’, the combined ‘nudges’ that: permitting dogs to foul pavements was ‘not normal behaviour’, together with more conveniently placed waste-bins and the prospect of fines, produced a 66% reduction in dog fouling.

Missed appointments and the failure of owners to follow advice and programmes of medication

For the veterinary practice, missed appointments and the failure of owners to follow advice and programmes of medication is costly, frustrating and degrades outcomes. The application of nudge theory means understanding why pet owners do – or don’t do, what they should and nudging them toward more appropriate decisions and behaviours.

Positive nudges might include publicising good owner-behaviour as normal, and making good behaviour easier. Timely presentation of a pet for vaccination, provision of requested veterinary samples for veterinary laboratory diagnostics, adherence to set diets, exercise regimes, medication or parasite treatments might attract instant rewards. Negative nudges might be to show poor owner-behaviour abnormal, requiring more effort and with the potential of financial or other valued loss.

With a positive response to the vet’s positive nudges, pet owners will learn that loving their dog, cat, lizard or llama and loving themselves as a genuinely caring companion reaps positive rewards for their pet’s, their community’s and their own well-being.

PDSA Animal Charity Responds to PAWS with PETS

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Les Ellison

Produced annually since 2011, the PDSA’s 2016 Pet Animal Welfare (PAW) report offers a sobering view of public awareness of pet animal health, welfare and wellbeing issues in Great Britain.

Working with pollsters YouGov, the UK animal charity questioned 4,252 dog, cat and rabbit owners and 701 veterinary professionals on their awareness and application of the Five Animal Welfare Needs as laid out in the 2006 Animal Welfare Act.

The survey showed that only 35% of pet owners were familiar with the Act’s requirement that every pet should be given: a suitable environment, a suitable diet, the freedom to show normal behaviour, enjoy appropriate companionship and live protected from pain, injury, suffering and disease.

26% of pet owners were unaware of their responsibilities under the Act

Worryingly for veterinary practitioners, the 2016 PAW report showed that 26% of pet owners were unaware of their responsibilities under the Act. Further questioning revealed that 98% of owners underestimated the cost of pet ownership. 28% said they would consider buying their pet through an online advert and the same proportion said they would even import their pet from outside the UK.

Almost a quarter of owners had done no research before choosing their pet with only 1 in 20 saying they had sought any advice from a vet. Questioned about their chosen pet, 12% of dog owners had not trained their dog in any way, and only just over half knew their pet’s actual weight.

Responding to the report’s findings, the PDSA launched a campaign to support owners in taking better care of their pet’s welfare. The charity’s 4-point PETS initiative focuses owners on the Place, Exercise, Time and Spend that companion animals need to stay healthy and happy.

Vet professionals were ready to take the lead in raising pet owners’ awareness of their pets’ needs

The survey also reported that vet professionals were ready to take the lead in raising pet owners’ awareness of their pets’ needs. With their regular owner-practitioner contact for routine vaccinations, diagnostic tests and parasite examinations, 95% of vets recognised themselves as the primary educators of owners on their pets’ 5 basic needs.

Just over 8 out of 10 vets pointed to the importance of the media as playing a potentially critical role in pet welfare education. Maybe that’s why the profession’s Veterinary Record magazine proposed – perhaps just a little tongue in cheek – the airing of new animal welfare prime-time TV shows such as ‘Strictly Come Dog Training’ and ‘The Great British Bark Off’.

Pets, Pounds and Pence – What Your Pet Costs Your Pocket

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Les Ellison

The seasonal message that a dog is for life has become a familiar warning. Yet the consequences of a puppy or kitten for Christmas are all too common in animal shelters and re-homing centres throughout the year that follows.

But it’s not only dogs that outgrow, out-eat and outspend their Christmas welcome. Other well-meant gifts of a pet also find their upkeep running far beyond their owners’ means to support them.

Cost of pet ownership

To help prepare would-be pet owners for the ongoing commitment, Wood Green Animal Charity and Total Money.com have pooled their respective expertise to build an online ‘cost of Pet Ownership’ calculator.

Intended primarily to pre-warn Christmas pet purchasers, the website gives a broad estimate of the impact on your pocket you can expect from various sorts of pet over the animal’s lifetime.

Given the longevity of some pets such as a tortoise – which can be a member of the household for up to 75 years, the lifetime costs of some relatively undemanding animals can be surprisingly high.

The calculator offers you twelve pet options including various size dogs, cats, guinea-pigs, lizards and fish.

Intending to pamper your pet?

Depending on how much you intend to pamper your pet, the most expensive to keep animal is a tortoise. Thanks to its longevity, a tortoise can cost as much as £27,787 over 75 years. Small dogs can be surprisingly more expensive than large dogs, because they tend to live longer lives – 15 years compared to 11.5, with a lifetime difference of £19,224 compared to £17,234

A cat is almost a bargain at £12,322 over a respectable life-span of 16 years. But if you can give your love to a chicken, you’ll only spend a penny-pinching £4,701 – not to mention the money you might save on buying eggs. But if you want a really economical pet, the solution for you is simple: it’s a fish.

Responsibly, the pet calculator includes an investment in veterinary diagnosis, care, treatment, microchipping and dedicated food bowls, bedding and collars where appropriate.

Reassuringly perhaps, in a recent survey of 1000 dog owners, American Express found that more than a quarter spent more on their dogs today than they did five years ago. Hopefully, this indicates that pet owners are happy to share their hard-earned cash with the animals that share their homes – not just for Christmas, but for life.

Dogs, Diagnostics and Driver-less Cars

Posted on February 22, 2017 by Les Ellison

Remember the TV show where a dog apparently drives and steers a moving car around the city streets to the shock and amazement of other road users? Of course, it was just a prank; yes, the dog stands in the driving seat with front paws on the steering wheel, but the real driving is done by a human concealed within the noticeably larger-than-usual driver’s seat.

Until recently, it was an accepted fact that controlling a car safely, with all the complicated observation-taking and decision-making that entails, could only be performed by a human driver. That, it seems, is no longer the case.

An increasing number of experimental vehicles

The technology for driverless cars is already cruising our streets in an increasing number of experimental vehicles operated by motor manufacturers and computer software designers. Advances in artificial intelligence and information processing, backed by a government keen on the science as a way of reducing accidents, congestion and vehicle emissions, means the pace of development is set to accelerate.

Just one of many concerns for those sceptical of driver-less technology is the responsiveness of control systems to sudden and unexpected events; such as a dog emerging into the path of a moving car. But with thousands of dogs, cats, deer and other animals killed or injured annually on Britain’s roads, plus the additional damage and injury caused by motorists attempting evasive action, it seems likely that driver-less cars could only improve matters – for people, property and animals.

Driver-less vehicles may have other, unforeseen, impacts on the lives of dogs and other pets. Pets are regularly delivered and collected from veterinary surgeries in their owner’s cars. With artificially guided and directed vehicles, there might be no reason why an animal couldn’t be placed in a car pre-programmed to navigate its way to the vets and, eventually, home again.

The benefits and convenience for owners, and in scheduling for vets, are obvious. Less obvious, perhaps is the effect on animal welfare from the reduced opportunity for vet-owner interaction. A key factor in Evidence-Based Veterinary Medicine (EBVM) is the evidence given by pet owners about their pet’s history, condition and behaviour. Combined with evidence from veterinary examination, expertise, and diagnostic test results, vet-owner interaction is vital to selecting the course of action most appropriate to pets, owners and their circumstances.

The needs and aspirations of dog owners, veterinary professionals and possibly dogs themselves may yet have other, unexpected, influences on the development and introduction of driver-less cars. It remains to be seen whether or not, on the aspiration dogs themselves, this includes the revival of the motor industry’s ‘Rover’ marque… possibly.

First Aid For Pets – Could You Save Your Pet’s Life?

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Les Ellison

Stories of animals saving the lives of their owners and even strangers are almost daily news. For some animals, in the military and civilian rescue services, saving lives is just a part of their daily routine.

Yet most pet owners wouldn’t know what to do if they found their pet in a life-threatening situation with only their owner to rely on for life-saving first aid. Attempting to redress the balance, many UK pet and animal charities are running veterinary led animal-emergency first aid courses.

Primarily aimed at professionals with close day-to-day responsibilities – such as breeders, trainers, re-homers and kennel-keepers, the courses also offer advice and practical training for the domestic dog, cat and other pet owners.

Courses and training are tailored to suit owners and their pets

Courses and training are tailored to suit owners and their pets, including dogs, cats and horses. Life-threatening situations cover a range of emergencies from choking on food, through various traumas and injuries to poisoning and heart failure.

Many of the first aid techniques and treatment principles are exactly the same as those employed in human emergency relief, but tailored to the usually smaller and more delicate anatomy and physiology of most pets. Techniques of particular interest to pet owners include canine and feline cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Specialist suppliers now support animal first aid with emergency response kits containing bandages, adhesive tapes, eye-wash, tweezers, scissors, wipes and even hypothermia foil blankets.

Web-based courses – ideal for pet owners

Web-based courses mean the vast majority of pet owners can get at least an introduction in how to spot the signs that their pet could be dangerously unwell, and what to do about it. Online ‘how-to’ videos instruct pet owners in recognising symptoms and responding with the appropriate treatment.

Central to pet welfare whether in cases of emergency, injury, longer-term illness and in good health, is the veterinary surgeon. Even after successful first aid intervention, it’s important to get the recovered animal to professional assessment and care as soon as possible.

The veterinary practice is the best starting place for training in animal first aid – whether that’s just for looking after your own pet, or providing a service to a commercial animal facility. Your vet can also help to minimise the risk of an emergency situation arising in the first place, with expert advice on diet, exercise, parasite or disease prevention, and diagnostic and treatment options to keep your pet safe and sound.