Companion Animals Archives | Page 6 of 8

Compulsory Chipping: Is It Cool for Cats?

Posted on January 20, 2017 by Les Ellison

Cats are uniquely exempt from most of the ownership laws relating to dogs and other domestic animals. But when it comes to micro-chipping, should they be subject the same laws as dogs?

Under the 1968 Theft Act, cats are treated like any other item of owned property. So if you adopt a ‘stray’ that wanders into your kitchen or even buy an expensive pedigree that turns out to be stolen, then no matter how much you paid in cash or compassion, it’s still the property of the original owner.

150,000 footloose felines going through rescue centres every year

That’s why, with up to 150,000 footloose felines going through rescue and re-homing centres every year, it’s vital to know whether a cat is truly abandoned and unwanted, or merely absent without leave from a devoted owner.

Microchipping for dogs in England, Scotland and Wales became compulsory in April 2016. Puppies more than 8 weeks old must be microchipped and registered with an approved microchip database before going on to their new homes. Rescue dogs too must be microchipped then registered to their new owners.

Microchipping database managed by the Kennel Club

Prior to compulsory microchipping for dogs, Petlog, a microchipping database managed by the Kennel Club, ran a 10-year project to test its effectiveness. Petlog reported that of more than 60,000 missing dogs and over 100,000 cats, 75% of dogs and 45% of cats have reunited with their owners all thanks to their microchip.

The microchip itself is a little smaller than a grain of rice. Implanting the chip under the skin between the shoulder blades, using a specialised hypodermic, is no more discomforting than a routine injection.

Every microchip is programmed with a unique reference number. When a hand-held scanner is passed over the chip, it signals its unique number back to the scanner. Cross-referencing the number to the database identifies the pet and their owner.

Talk to your vet about microchipping

So if you want your perambulating puss to find the way home, talk to your vet about microchipping on your next visit for treatment, vaccination, routine check-up and the essential FeLV-FIV diagnostic test.

With more than 90% of dogs now chipped, says the PDSA, the knock-on effect has been an increase in microchipping for cats of up to 62%. Compulsory or cool, more and more cat owners are recognising the benefits of microchipping for themselves, for cat breeders, cat re-homing charities and, of course, for their cats too.

Why Are Britain’s Dogs Getting Fatter?

Posted on December 23, 2016 by Les Ellison

The problem of pet obesity is one of the fastest growing pet welfare issues in Britain today. Pet nutritionists estimate that almost 60% of UK dogs are overweight.

Obesity in dogs is classed as a disease in its own right, but also has a significant effect on increasing the risk of other diseases including joint disorders, skin conditions as well as impairing heart and respiratory function.

Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and Cocker Spaniels take first, second and third in the list of breeds at highest risk of obesity, followed by Dachshund, Dalmatian, Rottweiler and Shetland Sheepdog.

Vets at the 2016 Companion Animal Nutrition Conference at Moulton College heard that although a genetic link predisposed some breeds to obesity, misinterpretation of an animal’s needs probably has the larger influence.

Dog owners felt that restricting their pet’s food intake made their animal companion unhappy

Surveys found that many dog owners felt that restricting their pet’s food intake made their animal companion unhappy. Owners often misinterpreted their pet’s behaviour as demanding food, when all their dog wanted was petting and reassurance from their human companion.

Many dog owners were likely to disagree with a vet’s assessment of an animal as overweight, and insist on feeding fattening treats even after discussing the need to reduce their dog’s calorie intake.

Don’t underestimate the energy content of the biscuit-based feed

Pet keepers who feed their dogs dried food often worried that the recommended serving was too little to satisfy their dog, and greatly underestimated the energy content of the biscuit-based feed.

The growing trend of feeding dogs raw or home prepared food risks further overfeeding as there are no recommendations for how much a dog needs to eat to stay healthy and satisfied.

The big difference between well-fed pet dogs and their wild ancestors is the easy availability of energy-rich food that they don’t have to hunt, chase down and laboriously tear up and eat.

Exercise is essential

Pet owners can help their dogs stay healthy by gradually improving mealtime interest and interaction – maybe feeding less but more often, and following a meal with a little attention and light activity. Exercise is essential, but suddenly moving a relatively inactive dog to a regime of physical exertion might bring on other muscle, joint and skeletal problems.

Owners rarely consult their vet solely in relation to an animal’s weight. This means that vets have to be ready to offer compelling advice on animal weight management when pet owners attend for anything from routine vaccination, to diagnostic testing to parasite assessment, treatment and prevention.

For the veterinary practitioner, understanding the relationship between a particular pet owner and their pet is the key to persuading an owner to act on expert advice and maintain their pet at its ideal weight.

Are Our Dogs Losing Their Wags?

Posted on December 19, 2016 by Les Ellison

We rely on our dogs’ wagging tails to help us diagnose their moods, needs and what they want to tell us. But are some dogs losing their ability to wag their tails?

Limber Tail – also known as ‘broken tail’, dead tail and broken wag comes on suddenly leaving dogs’ tails apparently paralysed; dogs’ tails become stiff at the base but floppy nearer the tip, sometimes making it difficult for a dog to sit comfortably.

Most common in sporting and working dogs

Limber Tail is most common in sporting and working dogs including Labrador and Golden Retrievers, Setters, Pointers and Foxhounds. Appearing most often after heavy, outdoor work or swimming on a cold day – which accounts for other names for this condition including cold water tail and swimmer’s tail.

Vets diagnosing Limber Tail say that injury to the coccygeal muscles near the base of the tail, rather than damage to the tail’s bones or spinal injury, is the cause of the condition.

In the first large-scale study, veterinary laboratory scientists at the Roslin Institute and Royal School of Veterinary Studies at Edinburgh University received questionnaires from owners reporting Limber Tail in their dogs.

Possible genetic link with affected dogs

Vets found that not all affected dogs had been swimming prior to the onset of the condition, but they were more likely to live in northern areas of the UK – apparently supporting the link to colder weather conditions. Animals unaccustomed to vigorous activity suddenly plunged into cold, strenuous, outdoor work might also be more at risk.

But vets also found a possible genetic link with affected dogs more likely to be related to each other rather than to unaffected animals.

Affected dogs should be rested until the tail returns to normal

Fortunately, Limber Tail symptoms though distressing when first encountered are largely temporary, with almost all affected dogs returning to normal within a week or so; similar to a sprain or muscle strain in humans.

Affected dogs should be rested until the tail returns to normal, though a visit to your vet is recommended so that treatment to ease the soreness, or examination for any more serious injury, might be considered.

Your vet is best placed to examine and treat your dog for Limber Tail. Supported by the resources of well-equipped vet lab, further diagnostic tests including soft tissue scans and bone visualisation techniques might be recommended to support your dog on its way to a full, tail-wagging recovery.

How Do You Stop Your Dog Getting Distemper?

Posted on December 14, 2016 by Les Ellison

“Tell the man in the paint shop not to serve him.” So goes the old music-hall joke. But how did a once common disease of pet dogs get the same name as a kind of paint?

Distemper – also known as Hardpad first appeared in the UK in the mid-1840s, though it had been known in Europe since the Middle Ages. ‘Hardpad’ refers to one of the symptoms of distemper known to veterinary medicine as hyperkeratosis.

Keratin is the hard protein that toughens skin, hair and horn. In hyperkeratosis, so much extra protein is laid down in a dog’s feet that its pads become hard enough to make a tapping noise as it walks over hard floors of wood or stone.

‘Distemper’ comes from the Latin ‘distemperare’ meaning ‘to mix in the wrong proportions’, which later came to describe a whitish water-based paint mixed with glue and used on walls and murals. As hyperkeratinsed skin breaks away in large, white flakes, an infected dog’s face and coat look like it’s covered in flaking white distemper paint.

The first signs of canine distemper

In the mid-1500s distemper came to mean ‘bad temper’ and eventually ‘upset’ or even ‘deranged’. The first signs of canine distemper might be a dog that’s ‘out of sorts’; sneezing and coughing with thick mucus around the eyes and nose. Fever, a general lethargy, vomiting and diarrhoea are also symptoms of the distemper ‘paramyxovirus’ virus.

Before the discovery of the paramyxovirus, veterinary scientists suspected the weather and climate of spreading the infection. Modern veterinary research shows that infection is dog-to-dog through contact with fresh urine, blood, saliva, and through shared food and water bowls – especially among puppies.

A call to your vet is essential as soon as symptoms are suspected

Although an effective vaccine is readily available, distemper is still a serious health risk to young dogs prior to vaccination, and to dogs with a weakened immune system. A call to your vet is essential as soon as symptoms are suspected or whenever you give a home to a new pup.

With the FASTest Distemper Strip veterinary diagnostic test, your vet’s veterinary laboratory will be able to quickly and accurately diagnose the cause of your dog’s symptoms and determine whether or not paramyxovirus is present.

Distemper is no music hall joke and can prove fatal, or leave your dog with serious neurological damage. But with the right diagnostic test, your vet will be able to recommend the best course of action to treat your dog and recommend methods to prevent further infection.

Pet Hospice Movement: At-Home End-Of-Life Dignity For Pets

Posted on November 29, 2016 by Les Ellison

Pet hospice providers believe a loved pet deserves the same care at the end of its life as it did in its prime.

Euthanasia has become the responsible pet owner’s first last resort when faced with a terminally sick, suffering or simply aged pet with a rapidly deteriorating quality of life. But when that first diagnosis is made, it may well be that such a step is not immediately necessary.

Also, many owners are shocked when they first receive the news that their pet has a life-limiting condition. They’re often not ready to ask their veterinary surgeon for euthanasia of their companion animal, but neither do they want their pet to suffer the stress of repeated visits to the vet.

Outside help and expert palliative animal care

Add to that an understanding that some owners won’t have the time and resources to make their home into the place of refuge their pet needs, and it’s easier to appreciate the growing interest in calling in outside help and expert palliative animal care.

In the past, a pet owner’s regular veterinary professional has been the main provider of palliative care and medication. Monitoring the animal through home visits and preparing owners to make the difficult decisions at the right time, the regular vet has also been the one who will carry out the euthanasia.

More recently, vets with a particular interest in the lifelong animal-human bond have begun to offer pet owners specialised end-of-life care for their animal companions. The package of care provision can be tailored to the individual needs of a pet and their owners. This might include home visits from representatives of pet cremation or burial services, pet sitters for work days or holidays, animal psychologists, grief support counsellors and faith-based chaplaincy services.

Avoiding the unnecessary suffering of pets and the emotional distress of their owners

Critics of the pet hospice movement accuse owners of selfishness and providers of exploitation. In truth, the motivation of professionals and providers is almost always to avoid the unnecessary suffering of pets and the emotional distress of their owners.

Sensitively informed and advised by the veterinary practice that provided preventative, laboratory diagnostic and medical care for the pet and its owner throughout their lifelong bond, a pet owner will be able to make a considered decision on what kind of care is required and affordable.

Most of all, a pet owner will be able to look back on these last days of their time together with affection, and in the knowledge that they honoured their bond with their pet right to the end.

Herd Animals Are Increasingly Popular As Domestic Pets

Posted on November 21, 2016 by Les Ellison

More and more Brits are keeping livestock animals as domestic pets. Exotic herd animals including llamas, alpacas, and other camel-type species have joined sheep, pigs and goats on the list of ‘pet’ animals served by veterinary laboratories.

An estimated 53,000 UK pet owners keep goats as household pets compared to the 8.5 million who own a dog and the 13 million with a resident cat. Some goat owners even allow their pet goat access rights normally enjoyed by a dog or cat; giving up a share of the sofa and fitting a ‘goat flap’ to an outer door.

2006 Animal Welfare Act

The law sets out the five basic welfare needs of any animal relating to proper diet, suitable living space, separation from incompatible species, freedom to behave normally and health care. Pet farm animals are covered by further laws governing the way an animal is identified, registered, transported documented.

With enough resources, planning and consideration, traditional herd animals can make affectionate and fascinating companions. One important thing to remember is that these are herd animals, which means they’re genetically programmed to live most happily and naturally in the company of other members of their own species, not on their own with only human company.

Increasingly popular as field pets

Increasingly popular as field pets are South American members of the camel family. Domesticated in their native lands for centuries, Llamas and Alpacas have been variously farmed for their wool, milk, meat and as pack animals. Docility has been bred into their nature – which does not mean that manners and good behaviour can be taken for granted. These are intelligent animals with a will of their own.

There are about 35,000 alpacas in the UK and around 3,000 llamas. Classed as endangered species there are fewer vicuna and guanaco – the wild ancestor of the domesticated llama. Small herds of vicuna can be seen in UK zoos and wildlife parks, with a few guanaco herds kept for commercial production their fine, high-quality wool.

Owners must become observant

Keeping camelids as pets brings its own unique welfare problems. Alpacas, in particular, can give little indication of when they are unwell before becoming seriously sick, so it’s important for owners to become observant and establish good relations with their veterinary practice as soon as they take charge of their animals.

With the resource to quick and accurate veterinary diagnostic tests, and the expertise to identify and treat the gastrointestinal parasites that can infest all field animals, your vet will help you discover the delight and fascination of caring for these beautiful – if still a little unusual, herd animals as pets.

What’s Breed Got To Do With It? 25 Years Of The Dangerous Dogs Act

Posted on December 1, 2016 by Les Ellison

25 years on from the introduction of The Dangerous Dogs Act, researchers from the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home have published a report claiming there’s little evidence to suggest that the controversial law has reduced the frequency of dog attacks in the UK.

The 1991 Act outlawed four dog breeds; the Pit Bull Terrier, Dogo Argentino, Japanese Tosa and the Fila Braziliero. However, according to the Home’s Chief Executive, the Act has failed by: “focusing on how a dog looks rather than on anything it has done or the actions of the owner”.

In Battersea’s survey of 215 UK dog behaviour experts, 74% said that breed was at most only slightly relevant to whether or not a dog could be judged dangerous. Further, the four named breeds were not the most likely to be involved in aggressive behaviour.

30 dog attack fatalities including 16 children over the life of the Act

Against the 25 Pit Bull Terriers put to sleep by the charity in the last year, the NHS recorded 7,227 dog bite admissions in the same period – a 6% year on year increase, with 30 dog attack fatalities including 16 children over the life of the Act.

Calling for the repeal of the Act, Battersea argues that a law based solely on an animal’s breed or appearance does not enhance the protection of the public from dangerous dogs.

Citing the Home’s reception of 91 Bull Terrier type dogs in the last year alone, Battersea also claims that the Act has failed to deal with the rearing and sale of the breed that triggered the Law, instead of pushing the trade in dogs of this type underground.

Continued care by the owner is no less important than a good start with the breeder

Of the experts consulted, 73% thought the treatment given by the breeder more significant than the breed itself, while 86% highlighted the treatment given by the dog’s owner as more likely to influence a dog’s aggressive nature than its appearance or type.

The vast majority of responsible dog breeders, dealers and owners do show themselves willing and capable of giving the lifelong behavioural, emotional and veterinary care a dog needs. If a dog of any breed is to behave acceptably in a family and in a wider social setting, then continued care by the owner is no less important than a good start with the breeder.

For a good start, all dogs should receive vaccinations for the common dog diseases Parvovirus, Parainfluenza, Distemper, Adenovirus and Leptospirosis. Attentive, ongoing care will spot any early symptoms of illness or disease which your vet will be able to quickly diagnose with a Veterinary Diagnostic Test Kit, recommending the best treatment to put your dog on the road to recovery – whatever the breed!

Your Tick Prevention Tick List

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Les Ellison

Britain’s biggest veterinary survey of blood-sucking tick infection shows that 1 in 3 dogs could harbour this disease-carrying parasite.

When you’re out with your dog in the countryside, your dog could be at risk of picking up a hitch-hiker unawares. Britain’s changing climate means that blood-sucking ticks are on the increase and looking for a free ride and a free meal on your dog and even on you.

So how to cut the risk of picking up a disease-carrying tick, how to spot when your dog has one and what to do about it? Here’s your simple 5 point tick-list to help avoid, find and treat ticks on your dog.

Be Aware of Where Ticks Live

Ticks suck the blood of other animals such as deer and cattle. Blood-thirsty ticks climb to the top of tall grass or bracken to wait for a meal opportunity to pass by. Always be wary when walking your dogs among high vegetation on pasture and grazed land that ticks might be present.

Be Prepared For Ticks

Ticks aren’t fleas but both can be killed by the same kinds of medication. Your vet will be able to tell you the best anti-tick and flea treatment or collar for your dog so that you’re well defended should a tick try and make a meal of your pet.

Be On The Look-Out For Ticks

After a stroll in the park or countryside check your dog for small hard lumps in the coat. Ticks feel like very small flecks of gravel and might be in the fur, or closer to the skin. If they’re in the fur, you can tease them out. But if they’ve already attached themselves to your dog’s skin, don’t try to pull them off – they break, leaving their vicious mouth-parts embedded in your dog.

Be Ready To Take Quick Action

Your Vet is the expert in treating ticks and the diseases ticks carry. If you think your dog’s picked up a tick, see your vet as soon as possible. Your vet will safely remove any tick and advise you how to tackle ticks in the future. If your dog might be infected with Lymes Disease or other diseases carried by ticks, your vet will have a veterinary diagnostic test kit to determine whether or not your dog might be infected.

Be Tick-Proof At Home

Remember, ticks can be brought into your own outdoor space by wild animals and even into your home by other dogs. Ask your vet about tick-prevention treatments to keep your loved pet safe at home as well as out and about in the countryside.

If You Haven’t Yet Heard About Canine Leishmaniosis…

Posted on November 7, 2016 by Les Ellison

If you haven’t yet heard about canine leishmaniosis (Canl or CaniLeish), one thing is certain – you will, and very soon. Here’s why your vet might need to test for Leishmania, and what you can do to protect your dog when travelling abroad in high-risk areas.

In the same way, the malaria microbe Plasmodium uses mosquitoes to transfer between victims, Leishmania microbes use sandflies to infect dogs, other animals and humans.

Temperatures before climate warming

Before climate warming, British dog owners travelling in northern Europe could be sure that leishmaniosis wouldn’t be a problem. Blood-sucking sandflies need temperatures above 15.6^oC for at least three months of the year and can’t easily survive winters below 10^oC. The rise in average temperatures means that sandflies now range throughout Spain, Italy, southern and central France and even as far as the French coast of the English Channel.

Travelling with your dog in any of these countries means you need to be aware of the Leishmaniosis risk, especially as infection can be hard to spot, with symptoms developing only months or even years later.

Leishmania infiltrates the defending white blood cells

Once in your dog’s bloodstream, Leishmania infiltrates the defending white blood cells. Infected white cells carry the invaders into your dogs liver, spleen, bone marrow and lymph nodes. Eventually, your dog might develop skin sores or become more and more lethargic or feverish. Bleeding from the nose, lameness and kidney failure might also follow.

A number of treatments for Leishmaniosis are available but require long courses of medication. Large-scale attempts to control sandflies has so far proved ineffective, and the long-term effectiveness of the available CaniLeish vaccines is still uncertain.

Stay Safe – Steer Clear of Sandflies

For now, the most reliable protection your dog has when travelling in high-risk Leishmaniosis infected areas is you.

Keep your dog indoors at dusk and overnight when sandflies are feeding, especially during the high-risk months of April to November. Use mosquito nets on windows and doors and insecticide room sprays and collars as recommended by your vet. Avoid exposing your dog to the dank and stagnant swamps where sandflies breed.

If you think your dog might have been exposed to sandflies or shows symptoms of Leishmaniosis, visit your vet as soon as possible. Using a quick and accurate veterinary diagnostic test such as the reliable Megacor FASTest®LEISH your vet be able to put your mind at rest or get that crucial early start on the best course of treatment for your dog.

1 in 3 UK Dogs Carry Blood-Sucking Ticks

Posted on October 10, 2016 by Les Ellison

In the UK’s biggest ever study of ticks and tick-borne diseases, veterinary laboratory scientists at Bristol University signed up more than 1400 local vets and their canine clients.

Between April and July 2015, the months when parasitic ticks are most active, vets examined over 14,000 dogs reporting that nearly 30% were found to carry blood-sucking ticks potentially infected with deadly dog diseases including Lymes Disease, Anaplasmosis and the new threat, Canine Babesiosis.

Blood-sucking ticks are significantly more abundant and more widespread than 10 years ago

Fronted by BBC wildlife presenter and naturalist, Chris Packham, the project showed that blood-sucking ticks are significantly more abundant and more widespread than 10 years ago. Although relatively few ticks are infected with Anaplasma phagocytophilum – a blood parasite causing symptoms including fever, lethargy, vomiting and diarrhoea in dogs, the increasing number of ticks not only means an increased risk of Anaplasmosis, but also of Borrelia infection – the microbe that causes Borreliosis, commonly called Lymes Disease.

Lymes Disease can also cause serious illness in humans with between 2,000 and 3,000 people in England and Wales newly infected each year and about 1 in 8 picking up the disease while travelling abroad. Treatable with antibiotics if caught early enough, serious flu-like symptoms including painful joints, together with the nervous system and heart problems, can develop if treatment is delayed.

This new invader carries the potentially fatal dog disease Babesiosis which attacks the dog’s red blood cells

90% of dogs with ticks were found to have the common UK variety, Ixodes ricinus. However, a number of dogs in Southwest England and Wales were found to carry the continental Brown Tick, Dermacentor reticulatus. This new invader carries the potentially fatal dog disease Babesiosis which attacks the dog’s red blood cells and shows in red/brown urine, fever and jaundice.

Be aware, avoid and act

The best way to protect your dog from Borreliosis (Lymes Disease), Anaplasmosis and the new scourge, Babesiosis is to be aware, avoid and quickly act against carrying ticks:

Aware: Tick and flea collars and skin treatments are a must to protect your dog – especially when out and about in tall grass and bracken shared with deer and livestock.
Avoid: Always keep a look out for ticks in the home and inspect your dog thoroughly and regularly for small hard lumps that might be a tick.
Act: Your vet will show you how to remove ticks quickly and safely, and offer a full range of veterinary diagnostic tests to determine whether or not your pet might have become infected with a tick-borne disease enabling potentially life-saving treatment to begin right away.