Provide a safe spot Watch your dog during a storm- is there a place or room they like to hide in? This is where they feel safest and would be the best area to confine them in. Confining them somewhere where they don’t feel safe can lead to increased anxiety, fear, and injury. Desensitise This […]
First step is to do a tip to tail check of your dog to see what you’re dealing with and check for any other wounds. Large, deep wounds exposing underlying tissue or bite wounds need to be seen by the Veterinarian as soon as possible. If the wound is bleeding apply sterile gauze and pressure […]
Grass seeds are the cause of one the most common problems encountered by pets, especially dogs. That is, grass seed foreign bodies or grass seed abscesses. This is a major problem in late Spring and through Summer. They are shaped like an arrow and easily penetrate your pet’s skin, from there they burrow through tissue […]
This type of behaviour at night often indicates anxiety and is unfortunately a fairly common problem in aged dogs. It’s thought that failing senses such as eyesight and hearing make these guys more disoriented in darkness or dim light. It can also be due to a condition called Canine Cognitive dysfunction (brain ageing), other medical conditions […]
Snail bait, due to its toxic component called metaldehyde, is a common cause of dog poisoning. It’s commonly seen during Spring and Summer when snail numbers are high and gardeners are trying to control their numbers. They are designed to attract and then kill snails and slugs, problem is they also attract our furry friends who […]
Although Paracetamol is a safe and commonly used pain reliever for humans, the same is not true for our pets. Cats and dogs are not little humans and the safety margin for both of them is really low. Cats – Never okay to give paracetamol Cats are so sensitive to paracetamol that even half a […]
Grapes, sultanas and raisins (which are just forms of dried grapes) are toxic to dogs. What’s in them, as well as the amount eaten to cause toxicity, is unknown. Ingestion of only a few sultanas may cause toxicity in some dogs, whereas be tolerated by other dogs. The toxin in grapes, sultanas and raisins acts […]
Rat bait (rodenticide) is unfortunately a common cause of dog poisoning. It’s often stored in the home and shed and can be put down and subsequently forgotten about…until of course you find your pup feasting on it. These poisons are designed to kill rats by stopping the bloods ability to clot normally by affecting the […]
Fertilisers are toxic to both cats and dogs, however most cases of poisoning happen to dogs, mainly due to their scavenging nature. Fertilisers generally contain nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium and can vary in what is added to the fertiliser such as agents to kill plants, insects and fungi. Signs seen after ingestion depend on the […]