Manly Daily Articles

	* GENETIC FUR LOSS As the weather turns cold, its times like these we wish we had a furry covering like our canine friends! Spare a thought then for the poor dogs of the world afflicted with a rare genetic disease that makes that protective fur coat fall out! Read more
	* WASHING MACHINE CAT Kimba snuggled into the nice warm clothes with the comforting smell of her owner for her afternoon snooze. Suddenly she was woken by the splash of cold water on her face as the world began to spin around her. Read more
	* A CASE STUDY - MAX Legge Perthes disease is seen most commonly in young small breed dogs between 3-12 months of age. It usually presents as slow onset lameness with reduced range of movement and muscle wasting around the hip joint but can suddenly cause severe lameness when the bone collapses. Read more
	* PERMETHRIN TOXICITY IN CATS Some spot on flea products sold at supermarkets, pet stores and veterinary practices contain a chemical called permethrin. While very effective and perfectly safe for dogs, these products can be lethal when used on cats. Small differences in the way a cats liver functions means they are unable to tolerate even small doses of this chemical. Read more
	* A CASE STUDY - FELIX ‘Felix’ had a pretty rough end to 2009. We saw ‘Felix’ on New Years Eve. When he came in to see us he was in quite a state. He was quiet, grumpy, and sore all over. When we checked him over it was clear that he had either been hit by a car or been beaten up by a bigger, tougher opponent. Read more
	* CALICIVIRUS - BUNNIES BEWARE! Recently we’ve been told that the National Parks and Wildlife Service will be releasing rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (calicivirus) in Lane Cove, Ku-ring-gai Chase and Garigal national parks next week. Other Northern Sydney locations will be considered for release of the virus in the future. This is an extremely contagious and often fatal disease of rabbits with the mortality rate being as high as 90% of those affected. Read more
	* FLY STRIKE Flies are annoying – buzzing around our homes and gardens, landing on food and on us – it all gets very irritating. However, for our pets flies can be more than just an annoyance. Read more
	* MOVING HOUSE One of the most stressful events people can experience is moving house. Things can be made a little less stressful however for both you and your pets if you have your beloved furry, finned and feathered ones organized and out of trouble. Read more
	* LUMPS AND BUMPS Lumps and ­bumps, unfortunately go together with getting old. It happens to people, and it also happens to our furry and feathered friends. The challenge, is to determine which lumps are a normal part of ageing and which ones are abnormal, and could cause serious problems. Read more
	* SNAIL BAIT POISONING Unfortunately there is no specific antidote for metaldehyde toxicity and recovery depends on controlling signs of toxicity. Read more
	* SUN SENSE Most of us are pretty sun savvy – we know to cover up, wear sunscreen, drink plenty of fluids and stay out of the sun during the hottest part of the day. Even with these precautions we often need a dip or a cold shower to keep our temperatures under control! But what about our four-legged friends? They also feel the heat and with many of them having their own ‘fur coat’ they often suffer more than us! Read more
	* DOGZHEIMERS Canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD) is a loosely defined syndrome that affects older dogs and has been compared to the early stages of Alzheimer's disease in people. The cause of the CCD is not really known but affected animals have shown a deposition amyloid (a protein) in their brains in patterns very similar to the amyloid plaques found in the brains of human Alzheimer’s patients. Read more
	* TOXOPLASMOSIS Toxoplasmosis is a protozoal infection that cats are susceptible to. Interpretation of the result can be a little complicated because a single positive blood test doesn’t differentiate between an infection some time ago (with possible immunity) and a current infection. Read more
	* MITES A recent trip to the clinic for little “Teddy” revealed that there’s more to this playful pug than meets the eye! “Teddy” is a bright and happy normal 6-month-old pup, but he had small patches of fur missing under his neck. Free of itch, redness or irritation, there was no obvious cause for these hairless spots. Read more
	* A CASE STUDY - PICI We recently treated an 11-year-old Hungarian Puli (yes, the dog breed which looks like a mop). He came on a Monday a few weeks ago with a number of problems: a number of his lymph nodes were enlarged; he was coughing; and he had a very high temperature. He was extremely unwell. Read more
	* MICROCHIPPING When someone acquires a new puppy or kitten they are often inundated with information from various sources. The breeder or pet shop has their information to give, the vet has their information, and then neighbours, friends and people that you meet in the street are also often keen to pass on their views. One thing that can easily get overlooked is ensuring that your pet’s microchipping and registration are completed. This is a three-step process. Read more
	* CATARACTS A cataract is a change in the lens that renders it completely opaque and if involving the entire lens will result in blindness. A pet may be born with a cataract (congenital) or it may develop with age due to a genetic predisposition or other causes which include diabetes, inflammation, trauma, dietary deficiencies, electric shock or toxin. Read more
	* KITTEN KINDY Why should puppies get all the fun? Most kittens love to socialise too! The critical socialisation period for kittens is between 6 and 14 weeks of age. Beyond 16 weeks of age, many of these apparently harmless bundles of fur tend to become a little more hostile towards their new ‘fur friends’. That’s why it’s important to socialise new kittens when they are still young. Read more
	* A CASE STUDY - MISSY We saw a 3-month-old female Staffordshire Terrier called Missy a few months ago. She had been vomiting for three days, was quiet and not at all interested in food. If a 3-month-old Staffy doesn’t want to eat, you certainly know it is unwell. Read more
	* SIGNS OF PAIN The ability to identify what can be subtle behavioural changes that may indicate pain or illness is one of the real benefits of a close pet-owner bond. When an owner has a good understanding of their pet’s normal behaviour, they are more likely to notice these changes earlier. Read more
	* HERNIA Tabitha had been missing for 3 days and when her owners finally found her under the house she was not in a good way, refusing to eat anything. Tabitha was very affectionate when being examined despite a large swelling under her tummy and some wounds on her left back leg. The swelling was painful to touch and the skin very bruised. We were concerned that Tabitha may have been hit by a car and she was admitted for further evaluation. Read more
	* WILDLIFE Sydney weather can be confusing not just for people! As we struggle to decide between wearing a t-shirt or a puffy jacket each day, our native wildlife are equally confused. Read more
	* AN OLDER CAT WITH A YOUNG VIEW ON LIFE Over the past year we have been treating a 23-year-old cat called Paris for chronic renal failure. As well as renal failure, Paris has high blood pressure that also requires treatment. She has been remarkably stable over this time and despite her age, Paris is remarkably well. She is a very reluctant patient though. Every time Paris comes in she clings to her owner for dear life. She particularly dislikes having her blood pressure taken. Read more
	* COMPOST POISONING Like most Jack Russell Terriers, Rippa loves to stick her nose into all sorts of trouble. However, when she decided to “help” her Dad with the gardening he thought her innocent digging and eating compost was pretty harmless. Read more
	* EARLY SEASON FOR TICKS It may only be July but in the last week, several clinics in the area have already seen cases of tick paralysis. Read more
	* BLOOD TESTS Blood vessels traverse through every single organ in the body, picking up information and small clues along the way about health and disease. By sampling some of this precious blood we can analyse the different components of the cells and molecules. Doing this helps us to decipher which parts of the body are sick and what might be causing the problem. Read more
	* NOSE BLEEDS We saw an old Maltese Terrier earlier this week called ‘Ellie’. She has been having intermittent nose bleeds (called epistaxis) for the past six months with her most recent bleed being last weekend. There are a number of things that need to be considered when we see a dog with epistaxis. Broadly speaking epistaxis can be caused by either local disease (disease within the nose) or systemic disease (disease elsewhere in the body). Read more
	* ARTHRITIS IN WINTER As the temperature drops and the nights in particular get cooler, it is likely that not only will we find it harder to get up in the morning, but our pets will too. We can certainly understand the motivation to stay wrapped up in their blanky as very reasonable behaviour. Read more
	* PNEUMONIA We often hear the term pneumonia used to describe a severe lung disease in people but what does it actually mean and how does it relate to our pets? Pneumonia is by definition inflammation of the lung tissue. This is most often due to bacterial infection but can also be caused by fungal or parasitic infection, a foreign body in the chest or an allergic process. Read more
	* 25 YEARS AT ALLAMBIE VET CLINIC Written by Brian Mills -- Owner and Founder of Allambie Vet Clinic. Twenty-Five years ago to the day, my wife and I opened the doors to Allambie Vet. It is interesting to think about the changes that have taken place in pet health care over that time. Probably the most important change is that pets have moved out of the back yard and are now firmly entrenched in our living rooms as part of the family. Read more