Choosing a diet for your pet can sometimes seem a daunting task with such a huge range to select from!To make matters morecomplicated - and just as with ourselves - our pet's dietary requirements alter as they grow from tiny kittens and puppies, into adulthood and eventually old age. However, the good news is that with life-stage diets, we are able to feed our pets a correctly balanced diet for every stage of their lives.
Puppies and kittens because of their rapid rate of growth, needhigher levels of energy, protein, fatty acids and other nutrients. Specifically formulated junior/growth diets ensure controlled growth (avoiding obesity) and healthy joint development. Puppies of large and giant breeds also have different dietary requirements and require their own specially formulated diets.
Adult pets, with their major growth phase now complete, require a balanced diet to keep them fit and healthy, but with lower levels of many of the nutrients mentioned above. To achieve this, adult pets require carefully balanced adult/maintenance diets.
Older pets also benefit from specifically formulated geriatric/senior diets. These have a reduced calorie content to help prevent weight gain in older age, higher fibre content to reduce constipation and changes in protein and mineral levels to educe the workload of internal organs such as the kidney, liver and heart. Whether healthy or poorly, your pet will benefit most from a high quality diet that suits their needs. If you have any queries, on the most suitable diet for your pet - we would be delighted to help you.
Prescription diets
Pets with particular disease problems may also benefit from specific "prescription diets". These are specifically formulated diets that can help greatly in the treatment of a variety of conditions including diseases of the kidneys, heart, joints, skin and teeth.
Don't Get Caught Out by the Cough!
KENNEL COUGH otherwise known as infectious bronchitis, is a highly contagious disease of the dog's respiratory tract. The cough is passed from dog to dog wherever they meet - out on walks, on the beach in the summer, at training classes, dog shows and, of course, boarding kennels!
Dogs of all ages can be affected and signs include a harsh, dry, whooping-type cough. Whilst some dogs recover relatively rapidly, others may cough for weeks and some may get more serious complications such as pneumonia.
Prevention is much better than cure, because without vaccination, treatment of kennel cough can be a costly and lengthy process involving isolation and antibiotic therapy. Kennel cough is caused by a mixture of viruses and a bacterium - Bordetella bronchispetica. We strongly recommend that dogs are vaccinated before staying in a boarding kennels and at any other time when the disease is rife. Please contact us for an appointment today!
Rabbits - keeping one jump ahead!
Like other pets, your rabbit needs to visit us from time to time for a routine health examination and vaccinations. Here we look at some of the health issues facing pet rabbits.
Vaccination With the onset of warmer weather, now is the time to ensure your rabbit is vaccinated. Vaccinations primes your rabbit's immune system to recognize and defend against incurable and life threatening infectious diseases - specifically Myxomatosis and Viral Haemorrhagic Disease.
Myxomatosis is a distressing viral disease spread by rabbit fleas, mosquitoes and other blood sucking insects. Affected rabbits typically suffer from swollen eyes, leading to blindness and death in most cases.
Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD) is another very serious viral infection. It spreads easily between rabbits or via contaminated hutches, bedding or food. Infected rabbits may show a variety of signs including nose bleeds, loss of appetite and lethargy. Sadly most will die despite treatment.
Flystrike is a really big problem in rabbits during the warmer months. Rabbit rear ends often become damp and this moist area attracts flies, which lay their eggs there. These eggs hatch out into maggots, which are capable of burrowing through the rabbit's skin and into the underlying flesh. Rabbit rear ends should be inspected daily for fly eggs and maggots. Soiled bedding should also be removed on a daily basis to minimize flies being attracted to the hutch. Please don't hesitate to ask us for further information on these or any other health issues affecting your rabbit.
Tooth Problems- Rabbits
You may be surprised to learn that dental disease is a very common health problem in rabbits. Rabbits have continuously growing teeth, with both the cheek teeth and the incisor (front) teeth growing by as much as 1-2mm per week! This enables wild rabbits to graze all day on grass and other abrasive foods without wearing out their teeth! Equally, feeding your pet rabbit the correct diet is very important. Their ideal diet includes plenty of hay (high in fibre), together with a selection of fresh food and a small amount of commercial rabbit food. High fibre diets promote dental health, reduce obesity and keep them occupied for several hours each day! Commercial rabbit foods are now available as extruded pellets and this helps to avoid the problem of rabbits selectively feeding - leaving vitamins and minerals uneaten.
Kidney
Disease - Is My Pet Affected?
Thankfully most
of our pets lead healthy active lives.
However for some, kidney disease can be a problem and it is particularly
prevalent in older pets (especially cats).
Dogs and cats
have two kidneys and each kidney has several hundred thousand tiny filters
called nephrons. These filter the
blood, removing toxic waste products, salts and water which are then
concentrated to form urine.
Over time, a
proportion of the nephrons will disappear with age and not be replaced. Other factors such as toxins, infections or
cancer may also destroy nephrons.
However, the
kidneys have excess filtering capacity with the result that visible symptoms
of kidney disease are not usually seen until roughly two thirds of the nephrons
have been lost. If this stage is reached
the filtering capacity falls and toxic wastes begin to accumulate in the blood. Common symptoms include increased drinking
and increased urination, weight loss, muscle waste, lack of appetite and
lethargy.
With regular
veterinary check-ups the symptoms of kidney disease can often be detected at a
very much earlier stage - before they become outwardly noticeable. So don't delay - if your pet is showing any
symptoms of kidney problems, please see us for a check-up. Whilst kidney disease cannot be cured, a
combination of specially formulated diets that reduce the workload of the
kidneys, together with novel forms of medication, can often significantly
improve the quality of life for affected pets.
Parasites: Spring Into Action!
The warmer months are peak season for pesky parasites and two of the most annoying are fleas and ticks!
Fleas need little introduction to most pet owners! Adult fleas are 2-3mm in length and can be seen without magnification. These tiny wingless insects survive by feeding on your pet's blood, causing very intense irritation and sometimes allergic skin disease. Fleas also play a major role in transmitting tapeworms in dogs and cats.
Ticks tend to be a problem in the warmer months, and commonly live in areas of heathland, moorland and woodland, waiting to attach themselves to passing animals. Ticks feed on your pet's blood and can cause problems in two ways - firstly they can cause a tissue reaction at their site of attachment and secondly they can transmit serious diseases such as Lyme disease and Babesiosis.
what to look for when you groom your pet’s coatSpecks of flea “dirt” (flea faeces) in the coat are easy to findParting the coat reveals a tick in situ with buried mouth parts.
Don't let fleas and ticks make your life a misery - Please let us advise you on the best form of flea and tick control for your pet!
Rabbits - keeping one jump ahead!
