Benalla Veterinary Clinic
16 Church Street
Benalla, VIC, 3672
admin@benallavetclinic.com.au
www.benallavetclinic.com.au
Phone: 03 5762 2788

NEWSFEED

Hopefully the recent rain is the beginning of a super 'autumn break' and we will have verdant lush pastures and overflowing dams again shortly.  Until then while our dry and warm autumn weather lingers unseasonally.  Our local sheep farmers may benefit from the latest information on the department of agriculture's website - Click this link .

Cattle farmers will also find our article on scouring calves very useful.  

This month our small animal focus highlights vomiting (wonderful topic!) and also the many benefits of desexing your pets.

If you like a challenge then don't forget to enter Benalla Veterinary Clinic's monthly Facebook competitions to win a $15 voucher to spend on any product or service. 

And lastly, lets not underestimate the importance of dental disease prevention - FREE nurse dental checks are available year round at Benalla Veterinary Clinic because we care and bad teeth hurt!

An all too familiar sight at the moment .........

Jessie, a gorgeous two year old British Shorthair pussy cat, presented last month with a nasal problem that had steadily been getting worse since her owners received her as a cute young kitty.

She had been getting short of breath with short runs in the house (chasing paper balls), had some clear nasal discharge, noisy breathing and her owners noted the problem was exaggerated in colder weather.

As you can see she is one of a number of cat breeds which have very short noses, and some of these cats have very narrow nostril entrances – a condition called STENOTIC NARES.  This effectively makes breathing difficult, and so when they exercise they really have to heave the air in and out and always seem out of breath, which is distressing for the animals and also for owners! 

Dr Steph Miechel, wearing an operating magnifying loupe, delicately operated on Jessie’s nostril skin to remove a tiny wedge of skin (see diagram) from the top of each nostril – the alar folds.  Afterwards while still under general anaesthetic, a tiny 3mm video rhinoscope was inserted into her nostrils and her internal nasal structures were inspected and found to be completely normal.  The result of the removal of this tiny tissue and subsequent repair of the nostrils was almost immediate for Jessie.  By the next day her owners reported a big reduction in her respiratory noises, less discharge and she could happily play chase games without puffing. 

The surgery effectively increases the nostril opening, thus allowing air to flow without excessive resistance, which in turn means less respiratory effort and less noise.  Without surgical help, over the long term animals like Jessie often suffer laryngeal and tracheal collapse, which are life-threatening conditions.

Stenotic nares (tiny nostrils) are also a very common finding in short-nosed dog breeds such as British and French Bulldogs, Pugs, Boston Terriers, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and other brachycephalic breeds.  Like Jessie, they also benefit greatly from proper corrective nasal surgery.

So if you have a dog or cat who is finding breathing harder than it should be, have a look at their nose and if concerned, book a consultation with one of our veterinary surgeons.

Before the operation - you can appreciate the small nasal openings and nasal discharge	A photo taken immediately after Jessie's operation

With the autumn calving underway to varying degrees among different herds, it’s common to see outbreaks of calf scours. This year has been particularly frustrating for many clients as the persistent heat has lead to rapid dehydration, severe illness and even deaths of scouring calves. This is costly, as treatment of affected calves is time consuming at an often busy time of year.

Cows calve under shelter, generally among trees and on bare dirt. If the same paddock is used every year to calve in, over successive years there is a build up of pathogens as the bugs which cause scours live for longer than a year in damp, shaded areas. A number of cows will also harbour the scour pathogens without showing signs of the disease themselves. These cows shed high numbers of organisms into the environment due to stress and immune suppression around calving. The issue always gets worse with calving periods greater than 60 days, as the younger calves are exposed to higher pathogen loads which have accumulated.

Useful tips for preventing an outbreak of scours

• Target a tight joining period (ideally <8 weeks)
• Use a new calving paddock every year. This paddock should not have been used to calve cows for >18 months, and ideally has some pasture cover
• Avoid manure build up in calving area. Move hay and grain feeders around, and have multiple water toughs. Do not put cows into calving paddock until two weeks before the expected start of calving
• Maximise colostrum intake to maximise calves' immunity. The major reason calves miss their colostrum is when they experience calving difficulty. If dystocia exceeds 10% in heifers and 2% in cows you need to correct this

The essentials for treating a scouring calf

• Electrolytes – calves rapidly become dehydrated and depleted of electrolytes
• Anti-inflammatories – anti-inflammatories help relieve pain to maintain their drinking
• Antibiotics – frequently, scouring calves become bacteraemic. Speak to us about the need for antibiotics

Also if you do not own a Fluid Feeder bottle, do yourselves a favour and purchase one from the clinic as they make electrolyte and milk administration very easy and safe for those weak calves who refuse to suckle.  

The MLA have put out some great resources on Preventing calf scours in suckler beef enterprises and Treating calf scours.

There are many reasons your pet might vomit, and physical obstruction from eating a sock is just one of them!

Diseases such as pancreatitis, liver or kidney disease, or endocrine diseases like diabetes can all produce vomiting. Dogs and cats can also suffer from inflammatory bowel disease and may vomit intermittently or have periods of severe gastrointestinal upsets associated with the condition.

So if your pet is vomiting, what should you do and when should you start to worry?

As a guide, if your pet has had a one off vomit but appears happy, bright and alert and otherwise well you should keep a close eye on him over the next 24 hours. It's best to withhold food for a few hours (gastric rest) and offer fluids for rehydration. Feeding a bland diet (steamed chicken and rice) for a few days may be all that is needed.

If your pet has vomited more than once in a short period of time, seems quiet and lethargic or has a reduced appetite or diarrhoea you should call us for advice.

Pets who are chronic (long term) vomiters or are losing weight should also have a check up to rule out other diseases.

If you ever have a hunch that something's not quite right with your pet, you should phone us. We are always happy to examine your pet for piece of mind.  Waiting too long can be very dangerous.

We feel priviledged to now have a modern video gastroscope for use in dogs and cats.  This wonderful technology allows vets to look in real-time at the oesophagus, stomach and intestines, and to take biopsies and even makes removal of foreign objects in these awkward areas possible without any conventional surgery.  

Our gastroscope is one metre long and only 9mm wide, but can move in two directions at the tip which houses the tiny video camera.  The tube has a tiny channel to allow passage of fine instruments and also another channel used for sucking fluids and/or pumping air into organs. A fine water spray keeps the camera clear of debris much like a car windscreen washer and wiper.

Of course general anaesthetics are required for endoscopy as animals would not allow such a procedure to be performed when awake.  However current injectable and inhalational anaesthetics carry far less risk than in years gone by, and animals also recover much faster. This means there is now a much greater ability for us to help more pets by performing endoscopic procedures just as is the case in human medicine.

Click on this LINK for some video endoscopy action in a dog's oesophagus and stomach.

This is a tale about a missing sock. The sock was long, red and very smelly and one afternoon it went missing from a footy bag. 

The next day, Jake, the well-loved and playful labrador started to look a bit 'off'. He was quieter than usual and didn't want to eat his breakfast. This is very unusual behaviour for a labrador, a breed often referred to as vacuum cleaners! 

After a rather large vomit, a visit to the vet was in order. Examination revealed some tummy pain and x-rays were taken showing a large amount of gas and food in the stomach. Suddenly there was a suspicion that something was stuck in Jake's stomach...

As time was ticking by, Jake became more and more unwell so the decision was made to perform surgery to open Jake's stomach and sure enough, the sock was found!

Gastrointestinal obstructions are not uncommon. Our pets love to eat things they shouldn't and sometimes these become stuck. Dogs are particularly susceptible as they love to scavenge but cats may also ingest objects such as string or plastic wrapping.

Watch out for:

• Vomiting
• Lethargy
• Loss of appetite
• Abdominal discomfort

Diagnosis can be a bit difficult as not all items show up on x-ray and if the obstruction is left too long, areas of the gut can become unhealthy and require extensive surgery. Ultrasound and endoscopy (see previous article on gastroscopy) are also often used to help to get the diagnosis.  Early intervention and treatment is essential to ensure a good outcome.

If you are worried your pet might have eaten something out of the ordinary you should call us for advice on 57622788 all hours.

Surgical desexing or neutering involves removing part of the reproductive system of dogs and cats so that they can't have puppies or kittens. In females it is known as a spey and in males it is referred to as castration.

Why do vets recommend desexing?

Desexing ultimately prevents unwanted pregnancies in female cats and dogs. It helps stop unwanted attention from males and reduces the wandering instinct.

There are also medical reasons for desexing. It greatly reduces the risk of cancers in both males and females and other life threatening conditions such as pyometra (see below).

With the large number of strays and abandoned animals euthanised every year we recommend you desex your pet. Maximum benefits are achieved if desexing is done at a young age.

We can give you more information about the appropriate time to desex your pet and discuss how to prepare your pet for the surgery.  Click on this link  - DESEXING

Pyometra is a serious condition that can develop in female pets that have not been desexed. It is more common in middle-aged to older dogs but cats are not immune from the condition.

Over time, there are changes to a female's reproductive tract that can lead to thickening of the uterus and formation of cysts. These cysts provide a perfect environment for bacteria to replicate and the thickened uterus has trouble contracting to remove the bacteria.

The result can be a septic uterus and this is a very serious and potentially life threatening condition.

Signs of pyometra:

• Increased thirst
• Lethargy
• Vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• There may or may NOT be vaginal discharge

Treatment needs to be aggressive and surgical intervention to remove the uterus and ovaries (spey) is almost always necessary. Some pets will also require intravenous fluid and antibiotic therapy as well as intensive care.

The good news is that desexing your female pet will prevent this condition and it will also help reduce the likelihood of other diseases such as breast cancer.

We strongly recommend that all non-breeding female pets are desexed, and we are happy to answer any questions you might have.