'Our receptionists field a number of questions on a regular basis. Some of the most common of these have been answered in detail in the list below. Please feel free to call us for clarification on any of these points.'

1. What are my pet's routine healthcare needs?

a)     Regular health checks

Why should I do this? - 1 year of a dog or cat's life is equivalent to about 7 of our own years and a lot can change in this time. Dental disease, allergies, cancer, arthritis and kidney disease are all common findings and the earlier we detect these, the more likely we can keep your pet happy and healthy

How often should I be visiting? - At least yearly but for older pets and patients with some of the above diseases, we'd suggest more frequent visits. This way, we can stay on top of things and keep your pet living a longer more enjoyable life.

b)     Vaccinations

How often should vaccinations be done? - starting at 6 to 8 weeks for pups and kittens for an initial vaccination program then annual boosters for life.

Which vaccinations are required? - For dogs vaccination includes cover against parvovirus, hepatitis, distemper and 2 forms of kennel cough. For cats, we'd suggest vaccinating against feline enteritis, cat flu and feline aids.

What is feline aids? -  This is a viral disease very similar to aids in people. It's fatal to cats, it's becoming much more common and there is no treatment. The good news is that we can prevent it by vaccination.

When do I start? - Puppies should have their first vaccinations at 6 to 8 weeks with a booster at 10 to 12 weeks. They may also need an additional kennel cough booster depending on what they've had to start with but the staff can advise you on this. Kittens need 3 vaccinations at a 2-week interval starting at 8 weeks.

What about triennial (3-yearly) vaccines for my dog? Although there is a triennial (once every 3 years) vaccine against parvo-virus, we still suggest annual boosters as we are in a relatively high risk area for parvo and it's just not worth the risk of going to less frequent cover.

c)     Desexing

Why should I do this? - When females come into season, they spot blood, they change behaviour and they're generally difficult to live with. Unwanted pregnancies are a common occurrence as both pups and kittens are fertile from a very early age (6 months potentially!). Males are likely to wander in search of a mate and get into all sorts of trouble with car accidents, fight wounds and increased exposure to diseases. They also become much more aggressive. All of this is avoided by desexing.

What happens if I don't desex my pet? - Female dogs and cats have a high incidence of uterine infections and mammary tumours, both of which can be fatal diseases. Males are at risk of prostatic disease and testicular cancer and are much more likely to become aggressive.

When should I desex my pet? - 6 months of age is an ideal time for desexing. In most cases, this allows us to prevent females coming into season and to avoid the behaviour changes evident in adult males.

What's the process? - The surgery itself involves a day visit. In most cases, we'd expect your pet to be up and about by mid afternoon and ready to walk out of the door!

What about safety? We use the most up to date surgery, anaesthetic and monitoring equipment to ensure a safe outcome for your pet. Our vets are among the best in Australia and a monitoring nurse stays with your pet the entire time. We also provide a combination of intravenous fluid administration, pain relief and antibiotic cover for every surgical patient. All of this means a safe, pain-free procedure for your pet and a great recovery from anaesthetic.

I'm really worried about my pet! - we're all pet-owners ourselves and understand what you're going through. Our nurses make a big fuss over visiting animals and we give them a sedative shortly after their arrival. This means your pet is relaxed even if you are not! We try to schedule routine desexing surgeries for as early as possible and one of our staff members will call you as soon as surgery is finished. This means you won't have to endure a long wait worrying about how things are going.

Will my pet put on weight following desexing? - Dietary requirements are much lower for an adult dog, whether desexed or not. As a result, you should be reducing food volume once growth has finished (about a year of age), otherwise you will find that your pet starts to become overweight. Much as with humans, obesity is developing into a major health problem in both dogs and cats. Regulating food intake and content will prevent the problems associated with obesi ty such as arthritis, heart diseases, diabetes and others.

d)     Micro-chipping

What is this for? - A micro-chip is a permanent form of identification and will help you retrieve a lost pet more easily. This means peace of mind for you. The details are kept in a central registry and your contact details will be attached to your pets' individual microchip number.

How and when is it applied? - It's inserted by needle under the skin and is best done while your pup or kitten is under anaesthetic (it's quite a big needle!) so that it won't hurt. This is usually done at the time of desexing.  We place an "M" tattoo in the right ear to make it obvious your pet is micro-chipped if he or she is ever picked up by the council or pound.

2. What do I need to prevent my pet suffering from parasite problems?

a)     What parasites should I be concerned about? - The main things that affect both dogs and cats are as follows:

-        Intestinal worms such as roundworms, tapeworms and giardia

-        Fleas (same flea for both cats and dogs)

-        Mites such as scabies, ear mites and demodex ( a skin mite)

-        Heartworm (not as common in South Australia but with fatal consequences so worth preventing)

b)     What effects do parasites have on my pet? - Intestinal worms compete with their host (your pet) for food. Heavy worm burdens can cause weight loss, diarrhoea and abdominal discomfort. Fleas and mites cause skin irritation and can result in a very itchy dog or cat with marked secondary damage and bacterial infections from scratching. This can also prove expensive to treat! As already mentioned, heartworm can kill your pet by causing heart failure.

c)     What should I use to prevent these parasites? - There is a huge number of products on the market but be aware that some are much better than others (and vice versa!). Over the years, we have found a couple of products which we feel do the best job. They come in either a monthly tablet or spot-on which can control all parasites together (don't be misled by the ‘All-wormer' moniker on many supermarket products as they are generally only control intestinal worms). Ask our staff for specific details.

d)     What if I can't remember a monthly preventive? - In this case, the best option is to give an annual heartworm injection combined with 3-monthly intestinal worm tablets. The heartworm injection can be given at the same time as annual vaccinations and this makes it easier for you to remember.

e)     Can any of these parasites affect me or my children? - Unfortunately, quite a few of these are what we term zoonotic (can affect people) and children are particularly prone to some quite nasty side-effects. The most dangerous culprits include roundworms, giardia, tapeworm and scabies mites (vvv itchy!). Although fleas can't live on people, they can certainly bite us and some people are very sensitive to flea bites. Heartworm can also be contracted although the risk of this is minimal.

f)      What should I do next? - Parasite control is very important but is not as simple as it seems and depends, to an extent, on circumstances. We'd suggest you speak to our vets or nursing staff about the best method of parasite control and the best product for your individual situation.

3. What should I feed my pet? (growth, adult, weightloss, active and special needs diets)

Dogs and cats are classified as carnivores. This means they need a meat-based diet, although they also need a balance of good quality minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates and proteins.

Some people like to make up their own diet for their pets and this is perfectly acceptable as long as they are getting a well balanced diet. Most people find that it is much easier to use a commercially prepared food and this help in terms of achieving that balance. There is a large choice of commercial petfoods on the market but, as is the case with parasite control products, there is also a large range in quality and effectiveness. As with many things in life it is worth remembering the old adage that you get what you pay for and this applies equally to the pet-food situation.

We find that the ideal way to feed your pet is by using what are known as the ‘Super Premium' diets. The best known of these are Hills, Advance, Eukanuba and Royal Canin, all of which produce very high quality pet-foods. The benefits of these diets are a more concentrated food (so you need to feed less volume), better digestibility and absorption and less wastage (ie less passed out the other end!). Surprisingly, when the lower volume requirements are considered, the daily cost of feeding a super premium diet is not much more than that of a supermarket product!

Most of the higher quality foods are produced for various different life stages and you should consider this when buying food for your pet. The major categories are as follows:

a)     Growth - Growing pups and kittens have a much higher energy requirement and need all of the minerals required for healthy bone growth. We'd recommend feeding your pup or kitten several times a day, initially, before tapering off to once or twice daily at maturity. This will result in a healthy pet with good bone structure and will help to prevent some of the bone and joint problems we see in pets fed a poorer quality diet.

b)     Adult stage - once pets finish growing (normally at about 12 months of age), their energy requirements drop off. Continuing to feed growth diet will result in an overweight pet and this could lead to all sorts of problems such as arthritis, heart disease and diabetes. Adult stage lasts until about 8 years of age and pets should be fed once or twice a day.

c)     Senior stage - Beyond about 8 years of age, pets bone structure starts to alter (much as in older people). Energy requirements tend to reduce again with the general slowing down often seen in older pets. Good quality commercial diets provide a complete balanced diet for the needs of seniors and will keep them healthy into older age.

d)     Special diets - For many disease conditions such as arthritis, kidney and liver disease and for pets with dental disease, we recommend specific diets to help in treatment. These diets are tailored to the individual disease process and help to prevent deterioration of your pets' condition. These diets are treated in much the same way as a prescription drug and our veterinarians will talk to you about the benefits and requirements.

e)     Should I feed dry food, canned food or both? - most of the diets mentioned come in both dry and canned versions. Although dry food is generally better for preventing dental disease, the choice often comes down to personal choice. Once again, the main thing is to feed your pet a high quality diet and we would always recommend a super-premium brand to give you the best results.

f)      What about feeding bones? - Although this can be a controversial subject, most veterinarians would recommend feeding bones to dogs and, possibly, cats. There is no question that regular chewing on bones will help to prevent dental disease. In some cases, however, we can see fractures of the molar teeth as a result of over-vigorous chewing. An alternative to real bones is one of the dental chews (there are many of these on the market) or specific dental dry food diets such as those produced by Advance or Hills. The most important thing is to ensure that you maintain your pets dental health as this is the most common disease we see in both dogs and cats.

g)     Should I feed my pet milk or other supplements? - This is really not necessary if you feed your pet a super-premium diet. In fact, it can upset the balance of a good commercial diet. In most cases, we would discourage feeding supplements. Fresh water is best for your pet to drink.

h)     Why can't I just give my pet what I eat? - You can do this, but our dietary requirements are slightly different to other animals such as dogs and cats. Although there are recipes out there for making up home-cooked meals, it can be pretty hard work to create a complete balanced diet for your dog or cat. The better commercial companies spend millions of dollars working out what to put into specific pet foods and the super-premium foods have high quality ingredients which will keep your pet in good health.

4.How do I know if my pet has dental disease?

Dental disease is the most common problem we encounter in veterinary practice. A high proportion of both dogs and cats will present with some degree of change such as gingivitis, plaque accumulation, tooth damage or fractures and gingival pocketing. Even in relatively early stages, this will cause a combination of discomfort and bad breath. In more advanced cases, pets will undergo considerable amounts of pain although this will seldom stop them from eating. Spread of bacterial infection from the gums to places like heart valves and kidneys is a common sequel to more advanced dental decay and this will often cause irreversible disease in these organs. As with any disease condition, the earlier we can detect, the better our chance of sorting the problem out before it advances to a more serious stage.

a)     How do I know about it? - Most commonly, a tell-tale sign is bad breath. Although this can come from poor digestion or eating the wrong thing, it is most commonly associated with dental disease.

b)     Can I see the changes myself? - Certainly, by lifting up your pets' lip, you can often see brown deposits, or plaque, building up on the enamel at the margin of the gum. It's a great idea if you can train your pup or kitten to allow you to do this from an early age.

c)     What should I do about it? - As mentioned, the earlier we can get to it, the better our chances of preventing irreversible damage. Also, even in the early stages, your pet is experiencing pain and discomfort (if you've ever had gingivitis yourself you'll know that it's not much fun!), and so we need to resolve that as soon as possible.

d)     What's involved in treating dental disease? - In some cases, we can use specific dental diets to remove early plaque. In more established cases, we'll need to use an ultrasonic scaler to remove this. Sometimes, there's nothing we can do to treat an infected or damaged tooth and it's better to remove it so that we can resolve the infection and pain associated with this. In the latter 2 situations, this involves a general anaesthetic to allow us good access to the whole mouth in a pain-free manner. We use the most up-to-date equipment and we always use local anaesthetic as well to help provide a pain-free recovery for your pet. Our vets do a lot of additional training in dentistry as we feel it's such an important area of practice. This means you can rest assured your pet is getting the best possible treatment.

e)     Can I do anything to prevent dental disease? - Most definitely, there are several options available to reduce the onset or progression of dental decay. Regular chewing helps dogs and cats effectively clean their gums. Either raw bones or one of the commercial products such as greenies, kong chews or dentabones work quite well. Both Hills and Advance produce a high quality dental diet which cleans the teeth and gums as your pet is eating. These are available for both dogs and cats. It may sound strange, but one of the best ways of preventing dental disease is to brush your pets' teeth on a daily basis with a soft toothbrush. If you start them at a young age, pets will learn to tolerate this very well and it makes a huge difference. Probably the main thing to do, though, is to come in for regular check-ups so that we can detect the early signs of disease. This can be done at the same time as your annual health checks or vaccinations or we can arrange an appointment specifically to look in your pets' mouth. If in any doubt, give us a call to arrange an appointment.

5. My pet is unwell or injured? What should I do?

Despite the best of care, dogs and cats often run into problems with injuries or illness. This is particularly the case with older animals (pets age at about seven times the rate of people and so a dog or cat eight years or older is considered to be senior). Animals suffer from many of the same diseases that we do including cancer, kidney failure, heart disease, dermatitis, arthritis, and many others.  Some of these diseases are more urgent and serious than others. Just as with human medicine, however, effective and affordable treatments are available to help your pet.  Although the clinical signs are varied, the most important indicator that your pet has a problem is a change in normal behaviour or activity. Any such change is worth investigating and should be a trigger for you to call us. In some cases, our nursing staff may be able to advise you over the phone.  Otherwise, we would advise bringing your pet in for examination. In all cases, the sooner we can pick up signs of disease, the greater our chances of successful treatment.

As a result of their activity levels, dogs are particularly prone to injury. This can vary from minor scrapes and cuts to more serious lacerations, dog fight wounds and joint injuries. The basic principles of first aid care apply to pets and can help to minimize the effects of wounds. Pressure on affected areas can slow bleeding (if there is any). Injured animals should be kept quiet and warm, if possible. Gentle cleaning of wounds with clean warm water helps but we would suggest that you avoid disinfectants such as dettol, as these can cause more harm than good.  If you have appropriate materials at hand, a light protective bandage can help to keep a wound clean and moist and this will help prevent further deterioration of exposed tissues. Once again, the most important thing is to call us as soon as possible so that we can provide your pet with appropriate care and get him or her back to a pain-free, healthy state!