Armstrong mobile vets newsletter no 1 september 2005

Armstrong Mobile Vets News
Winter 2007
E-mail addresses
If you would be happy to be contacted by e-mail and to receive future newsletters and
reminders for your pets this way then please let us know by e-mailing us at
[email protected] . We will soon be putting all our paper records onto computer and any of
our clients not happy for us to hold their details in this way should contact us. Your e-
mail and contact details will never be shared with or passed onto any third party.
Vaccinations
We have produced a lengthy information sheet on cat and dog vaccinations. Please take
time to read it, especially if your pet is not regularly vaccinated.
Rabbits should be vaccinated too. This was a bad year for myxomatosis, as highlighted in
the national press. We do see a steady trickle of cases through the year and these are
always put to sleep. Please vaccinate your rabbits regularly. They can also be protected
against rhvd. This is a killer disease of rabbits but is thankfully now rare due to
widespread vaccination.
Travel sickness
This year saw the launch of a new tablet to combat travel sickness in dogs. Lots of
puppies go through a phase of this as they get used to the car but some dogs never grow
out of it. The tablets are fairly expensive so not likely to be useful on a daily basis for
short trips but for longer journeys like going on holiday or occasions when you really
don’t want your dog to be sick then they work very well. Please call and enquire if your
think they might be useful for your dog.
Giving birth tonight?
Thank you to all those who have pets that are due to give birth and who let us know in
advance. Even if you don’t think you will need us and don’t envisage any problems a
quick call to let us know if you think labour isn’t far away allows us to be half prepared if
we are needed.
Horror Story (repeated)
Still one of the commonest causes of poisoning in pet cats is mistakenly applying
permethrin based spot on flea products that are sold for dogs and should only be used on
dogs. Many of these cases are fatal, though cats can survive with intensive treatment. If
you buy these pet shop / supermarket products they are labeled as toxic to cats but the
warnings are not always huge. Please check what you put on your cat’s neck – not all
‘spot ons’ are the same!
Change of spot on flea products
After many years of using Frontline spot on as our routine flea treatment we have recently
moved over to Practic for dogs and Promeris for cats. We can still provide you with
Frontline if you want it. Promeris last for a full 6 weeks in cats and works out less
expensive than Frontline which only lasts for up to 5 weeks.
If you have any questions or need advice about these new products then please ask.
Pet sitting
Louise, who works with us, has for a long time now offered her services as a ‘pet sitter’
for cats while owners are away. Some cats don’t get on with catteries and this sort of
service can be a real alternative for them. She will happily call in and change trays and
feed cats and check all is ok. This is a service she runs in her own time and not directly
offered by AMV. Louise is very reliable, loves cats (having a menagerie of her own) and
has been involved in local rescue work for many years.
Please contact her via the clinic if you would be interested.
Truly Awful Horror Story (don’t read if you are squeamish)
Last month a vet wrote into my weekly vet journal with details of a case he saw in order
to highlight it to as many people as possible. Like lots of homes, the owners of this dog
had a document shredder but it was kept on the floor and was on, in ‘standby’ mode.
Their young dog passed by and licked the top of the machine. His tongue was dragged
into the machine and effectively shredded from his mouth. The poor owner, covered in
blood, rushed him to the vets where he was put to sleep….
These machines are now in lots of homes; please don’t leave them on standby and
accessible to pets.
Matted cats and dogs
Some cat’s don’t like being groomed and as they get older and stiffer they don’t look after
their coats so well. Their coats can get matted and be impossible to manage at home. We
regularly undertake clipping and combing of these cats and we do this under a mild
sedative. This means it is not torture for the cat as they are asleep while it is done.
Keeping the newly matt free coat under control is then much easier at home. Some old
cats come in every few months to be dematted.
Dogs suffer much less and dog groomers manage most of the ones who get out of hand.
Those that are very difficult or won’t let you do it, can be sedated and helped at our
surgery.
Please call if you would like to find out more.
Deliveries and food
Thank you for your help in giving us more notice for repeat prescriptions and food orders.
We deliver most of these on Wednesdays but do fit others in through the week as needed.
We are happy to deliver food and prescription diets to our clients and make no extra
charge for doing so. Bulky items like large bags of cat litter can also be delivered to your
door.
Tail docking
New tail docking legislation came into effect this year making it illegal to dock the tail of
a puppy of any breed other than working terriers and working spaniels. These must be
carried out by a vet before they are a week old and must be issued with a certificate and
be micro chipped before they are sold. Only puppies intended for working homes should
be docked, not those going to pet homes. If you are buying a puppy with a docked tail and
it is hasn’t got this certificate then it has been done illegally.

Source: http://www.armstrongmobilevets.co.uk/winter07.pdf