Sandstone Point Vet

Rescued is my favourite breed!

admin — Tue, 26 Jan 2016 08:40:49 +0000

Did you know there is a very active pet rehoming group right here, on Bribie Island?
There is a shop in the main shopping precinct (next door to the noodle bar opposite the BP) where you can have a lost pet scanned for a microchip and the database searched for the owner, you can read adds for pets needing fostering or re-homing, or arrange to place an add. You can also shop for bric-a-brac.
There is always a bowl of fresh water outside for pets to drink after walking their humans down to the animal welfare shop. The group relies on a network of volunteers who foster pets in their homes, avoiding the need for cages. All rehomed pets are vet checked, up to date with all vaccinations and flea treatments etc. and come with a desexing voucher (if not already desexed). Many experienced or older pet lovers prefer to give a pet (sometimes an older pet) a new start and most of us need a new start at some stage of our lives!
There has been some amazing success stories….it really is a great, soul-warming thing to do. Drop into the animal rescue shop (in the Woolworths centre outside) or contact the Animal Coordinator on 0455 778 166
Rescued is my favourite breed!

Digging Dog

admin — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 13:11:28 +0000

Q:“How do I stop my Mini Foxie from digging holes in my yard?”
Digging is a normal doggie behaviour but too much can create a moonscape and may spread fleas.
Dogs dig for many reasons, including making a comfortable place to lay, creating a den, chasing lizards and storing excess food in their outdoor “pantries”, while others love to dig for fun and rolling in the sand massages those hard to reach spots! Some dogs enjoy it more than others and the local sandy soils make it easy.
Foxie’s are Terriers, bred to be ratters and that means DIGGING!!! so you will have to be persistent in order to reduce your Foxie’s urges and change his preferred area to one that satisfies you both.
More exercise, especially vigorous, off-lead exercise helps reduce excess energy. Introduce rewarding, daily alternatives to digging, such as working for food from food dispensing toys, instead of bowl feeding.
Redirect digging from lawn and garden to a designated area or sandpit, where digging is fun. Large plastic clamshells for children work for smaller dogs and keeping cool reduces the need to dig so put sand in one half, water in the other. Reward him for using them.
Finally, remember that some dogs have digging in their genes so compromise, patience and persistence will be needed.

Cocoa Poisoning

admin — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 13:09:15 +0000

Death by chocolate is a reality for our furry friends, unfortunately.
Cocoa beans are used to make chocolate and the bean shells are sold commercially in some places as organic garden mulch.
Both chocolate and cocoa bean mulch contain theobromine, a toxin that can kill dogs and cats if eaten, yet our own bodies can deal with it.
Dogs are attracted to the strong, sweet chocolate smell and are more likely to eat it than cats are. Signs of poisoning are vomiting, muscle tremors, seizures and irregular heart rhythm, causing sudden death.
It may take several hours for these signs to show but if poisoning is suspected, vomiting should be induced within 1 hour of eating the chocolate or cocoa mulch. It is a dangerous and deadly poison and smaller dogs and cats are most at risk simply because a deadly dose can be as little as 1 ounce for them. The good news is that chocolate pet treats contain smaller amounts of theobromine and are generally safe to be given in small quantities.
Cocoa mulch is not widely available here, but chocolate is a common household item, so please be sure to keep all chocolate out of pet reach!

Give the sword to paralysis ticks!!!

admin — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 11:03:08 +0000

Each year on Bribie there seems to be more cases of paralysis ticks found on pets. Recently I was seeing a pet for a routine check- up and discovered a paralysis tick!
Paralysis ticks are hard-bodied ticks and very tough customers, there are few effective treatments. The natural hosts are native animals and they cause no disease or paralysis in natives because they evolved together. Not so with our introduced, beloved dogs and cats.

Scalibor is the name of the newest weapon against paralysis ticks. It is an anti-tick collar costing around $25 and reduces paralysis ticks by 98% for 3 months. Impressive! It is rolled white plastic so is more comfortable for your dog than the traditional flat tick collar. Scalibor goes well with Comfortis, a highly effective flea control tablet given once per month. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!

This article published January 2013. More recent information may be available and pricing may have changed since this article was published. Please contact Jackie for up to date information.

First Aid for Burns

admin — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 06:08:32 +0000

With the recent bushfires it seems timely to give advice about burns.

Burns are extremely painful and always become infected, since skin is the natural barrier to infection and that has been breached by the burn.
Applying clean, cool water or cold packs wrapped in a light cloth, can give some Immediate relief and can actually reduce the severity of the burn, this should continue for as long as necessary which could be hours. Your Veterinarian will need to administer antibiotics and strong pain relief as soon as possible by injection.

Injections are important in treating burns because if the pet is in shock the gut will not absorb oral antibiotics or pain relief, and injections bypass the gut and are also much faster acting. Bandaging burns may also be needed if the burn is deep; bandaging is difficult in pets because they try hard to remove it, failing to understand the good of a bandage, just that it is foreign. Sometimes sedation and hospitalisation are also needed.

Volunteers play an essential role in all natural disasters and many thanks to our local Fire and Rescue Service.