Glenvale Veterinary Clinic
Autumn 2013 Newsletter
RSPCA Million Paws Walk 2013!
Get your walking shoes on and grab your pooches to be involved in the biggest event on the RSPCA calendar- Million Paws Walk! Million Paws Walk is a terrific day out for you & your canine companion! Funds raised through entry fees, online fundraising and the sale of merchandise help assist the RSPCA to operate its animal shelters, support its Inspectorate services and provide community education on animal welfare issues.
To register for the Million Paws Walk or to find out more info, check out:
Date
Sunday 19 May 2013
Location
Albert Park Lake
Plus 17 other regional locations around Victoria.
Chocolate poisoning
Easter time means chocolate and lots of it. This can be a potentially fatal time of year for pets. Dogs are known for eating things when they are not supposed to. This is especially true of puppies.
Also, dogs have an excellent sense of smell, making it fairly easy to find any secret hiding spots for the chocolate. This can be a dangerous combination when there is chocolate around the house.
Chocolate is derived from the roasted seeds of Theobroma cacao, which contains certain properties that can be toxic to animals: caffeine and theobromine. If ingested, these two ingredients can also lead to various medical complications and may even prove fatal for your dog.
Dogs love the taste but if they eat too much it is toxic to their heart, brain, stomach & intestines. They show signs of vomiting, diarrhoea, increased urination, restlessness & seizures. More advanced signs are stiffness, weakness, coma & in extreme cases can lead to death (cardiac failure).
The poisonous ingredients are methylxanthine alkaloids – primarily theobromine & caffeine.
PRODUCT METHYLXANTHINES (mg/g)
Baking chocolate 16
Semisweet chocolate 9
Milk chocolate 2
Hot chocolate 0.4
White chocolate 0.05
Lethal doses of chocolate are 100 – 200 mg/kg body weight. For example a lethal dose for a 7kg dog = 450g milk chocolate or 150mg baking chocolate.
So keep those chocolate Easter eggs & chocolate bunnies hidden well from your furry family members this Easter!
The importance of desexing
Desexing companion animals at an early age, before they are sexually mature, ensures that they cannot produce any unwanted/unplanned litters. Reducing the number of unwanted and unplanned litters may help to reduce the number of unwanted companion animals in the community and thus reduce the number of animals entering shelters and pounds. In turn, this may decrease euthanasia rates (particularly of cats) in shelters and pounds. If cats and dogs are desexed at an early age (recommended 4 months) there can be significant health benefits too.
Female Dogs
- Prevents uterus infections which are very common in older dogs
- Prevents unwanted litters
- Prevention of mammary cancer (especially if prior to the first heat)
- Prevention of reproductive organ disease such as pyometra (life-threatening uterine infection) and ovarian cancer
- Prevention of pseudo-pregnancy behaviours
Male Dogs
- Prevents unwanted litters
- Prevention of prostatitis (inflammation/infection of the prostate gland)
- Prevention of benign prostatic hyperplasia (enlargement)
- Prevention of certain types of hernias and tumours of the testicles and anus
- Decrease in interest in wandering/roaming to find female mates
- Reduction of aggressive behaviour towards other male dogs
- Reduction of urine marking
- Reduction of inappropriate mounting
Female Cats
- Prevents unwanted litters
- Helps to prevent mammary cancer
- Prevention of reproductive organ disease such as ovarian cancer
- Prevention of potentially undesirable ‘on heat’ behaviours such as restlessness and being highly vocal
- Increase in affection towards people
Male Cats
- Prevents unwanted litters
- Prevention of testicular cancer
- Decrease in interest in wandering/roaming to find female mates and therefore less likely to be get lost or be in a traumatic accident e.g. hit by car
- Decrease in fighting with other male cats and therefore reduces risk of cat fight injuries and cat fight related diseases such as Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV)
- Reduction in urine spraying
- Reduction in aggression
- Increase in affection towards people
Address
236 Springvale Road
Glen Waverley VIC 3150
(Opp. the Glen Shopping Centre)
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Clinic hours
Monday to Friday 7:00am - 8:00pm
Saturday 7:00am - 1:00pm
Sunday and public holidays 10:00am - 12:00pm (Emergencies Only)
Standard consultation fees apply during clinic hours
