Boness E-Newsletter. Call us any time, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year: GET FIT FOR THE SUMMER

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Virginia Potter
5 years ago
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1 Boness E-Newsletter Call us any time, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year: GET FIT FOR THE SUMMER We all know what Christmas means for ourselves - a few extra kilos! Follow that with a couple of weeks of cold snowy weather when all we want to is stay indoors and keep warm and eat hearty, warming food and there we go a jeans size bigger! Now look at your pet dog, cat or rabbit! Has the same thing happened to them? If we are not so keen to take the dog out and he or she gets a few extra tit bits then the same thing happens. You know what they say dogs are like their owners! And what about the cats â don't they just love sitting on the windowsill over the radiator watching the birds pecking around in the snow; and if they venture out there are always a few titbits they can feast on while on their rounds, such as next doors bird table! Ok, so how come rabbits are affected by the weather? Just like their feline foes they prefer to stay in the warm, especially if there is a plentiful supply of yummy food in their bowls â why would they go out and get their bottoms cold and wet and against the snow be obvious targets for predators? Now we have admitted it, what can we do about it? It is possible to help all our pets' diets and get fit for the summer. But there are no short cuts: The equation is simple â eat less and exercise more. FOOD Many proprietary complete foods are high in carbohydrates and fat because these are cheap ingredients. It is really hard to diet your pet whilst feeding these foods. Pet food manufacturers make profit from selling food â so the more food they sell, the more profit. This means they are constantly striving to improve its flavour and attractiveness â so more salts, more colours and flavour enhancers. These all pile in the calories and improve the palatability. So when you take into account that the manufacturers are always generous in their estimates of recommended daily allowances, and your pet likes it so much, and that he or she eats it really quickly and is then sniffing around for more, us pet owners cannot win â the fat will pile on without us realising what is going on. The good news is that there are some products out there to help; ironically many of these are made by the same manufacturers of the food that helped your pet put the weight on! Feeding your pet a calorie controlled diet is much easier and more effective if you use one of these foods. They are available for dogs, cats and rabbits and are complete feeds so you can control your pet's calorie intake without compromising its nutritional needs in terms of vital vitamins and minerals. For cats and dogs there are a variety of foods in dry and tinned or pouch formulas which are tasty but if used correctly, (that means fed in strictly measured amounts) will result in significant weight loss for your pet. For rabbits, the diet food is only available in pellet form; this is the only way it can work for rabbits to ensure they get the right balance of essential nutrients and fibre for their specialised digestive processes. If rabbits are allowed to choose what they eat they can become very selective eating the ingredients that predispose them to digestive upsets, which can be fatal in rabbits. WEIGHING It is really important to have your pet weighed regularly if you are trying to diet him or her. Firstly it is important to know the starting point â it is hard to admit to yourself how much your pet has gained, but there is no point in not measuring it.

Establish a routine and have your pet weighed regularly every 1 or 2 weeks â make sure it is at roughly the same time of day each time, and also on the same scales.

2 Establish a routine and have your pet weighed regularly every 1 or 2 weeks â make sure it is at roughly the same time of day each time, and also on the same scales. The important thing is the loss of weight and at different times of day the pet's weight will vary according to how long since the last meal, how much exercise or rest there has been in the preceding hours and whether he or she has recently passed urine or faeces. Keeping a chart of the weight loss is a great motivator for you and your family â mark the regular weight recordings and put it close to where you store the pet food! EXERCISE It is easy to increase your dog's exercise â you just go for longer walks! But is it that simple? It is important to try and stretch your dog a little more â it is really good to walk faster or even run! So if your dog just plods behind you, try making him or her move faster either by moving faster yourself or taking a toy for throwing or chasing. Walk up more hills and steps. Uneven ground is harder to walk on, so go to fields rather than just round the block. More frequent exercise is more effective than just longer periods of exercise, so an extra walk every day is far better than just one longer walk on a Sunday. So how do you persuade a cat or rabbit to exercise more? You will need to take time to play with your pet cat or rabbit more â just shutting them out for longer periods will not make much difference. There are some innovative toys to help stimulate these species to play such as laser lights and the catmosphere. Make your pet earn its food â use some of the accurately weighed daily ration as a treat â make the cat run upstairs for a biscuit, or the rabbit to the end of the garden! WEIGHT CLINICS Two of our nurses at Boness Veterinary Hospital, Corale and Laura, run these to help you succeed in dieting your pet. They can advise you on the right diet for your pet, assist you with weighing and charting their progress and offer you helpful tips for exercise management. They will also help to motivate you because the will power has to be yours not your pets! If you are having any difficulties they will be able to help â they have seen it all before and importantly they will be able to monitor your pet's progress and identify any problems. If your pet loses weight too quickly you might think that is great but Corale or Laura will keep an eye on things and look out for any tell tale signs of disease that may accelerate weight loss. On the other hand if your pet is not losing weight quickly enough they may be able to highlight a health problem that is responsible for this. Julia Boness MRCVS SUMMER HOLIDAYS Now the days are getting a little bit longer, and there are adverts in the papers and on the TV for long lazy days to be spent in the sun, it is also the time to start making plans for your pets' holiday too. If you are planning to take your pet on holiday abroad, your time is running out fast unless your pet already has a Pet Passport. If you have not, the whole process takes approximately 7 months until you are able to bring your pet back into the UK. So if you want to start the process this month, you will have to take your break at the end of August or September!

3 To travel abroad, firstly your pet needs to be microchipped. If your pet is a dog or cat he or she must then be vaccinated against rabies, and then be blood tested 3 weeks later to prove that the vaccine has been effective. The vast majority of the blood tests are fine but approximately 1 in 20 dogs or cats fail and have to be revaccinated and re-blood tested. You then have to wait 6 months from the blood test until you can bring your pet back into the UK, although you can take him or her out of the country whenever you like. If you have already got your Pet Passport, it is really important to make sure that the rabies booster vaccinations are up to date. The vaccine we use is valid for 3 years but many countries in Europe do not accept this so we send out reminders for rabies vaccines every year to make sure your pet is protected wherever he or she goes. Other species do not need to be vaccinated against rabies and the rules affecting them can be found at or by phoning or ing us for more information. If you are not planning to take your pet with you on holiday, you still need to think about what to do with him or her nice and early ahead of time. Local boarding catteries and kennels are already heavily booked for the Easter holidays! If you have not decided on a kennel or cattery take some time out to choose; go and visit the establishment, unannounced. Make sure the accommodation is clean and smells fresh, there is access to a reasonable exercise area, there are a variety of feeding options available and if your pet is on any medication make sure the staff are confident and happy to administer it for you while you are away. Ask the staff about the exercise routines they offer, whether they board animals together, whether they take in strays. Remember, these establishments are licensed by the local authority and there are a set of standards that they must achieve. If you do not like the look of something, do not board your pet there. There are also many people that offer to look after your pet in their own homes. Some of these facilities are better than others and most are not licensed or inspected. Whilst on the surface this may seem a more pleasant environment in which to leave your pet, you need to remember that people's homes

4 cannot be disinfected like a kennel or cattery; there may be more than one dog or cat taken in at any one time and there may be fights or tensions and access to a garden sounds nice but may pose a risk of escape. There are no licensed establishments for the boarding of rabbits or guinea pigs, although there are several around. Have a look at these places using the same criteria as if a dog or cat going into boarding and get some personal recommendations. You may have decided to leave your pet at home and ask a friend or neighbour to come in and look after him or her, this may seem less of an upheaval and a huge cost saving. However, it is really important to consider the arrangements very carefully. If your pet is used to the company of the family, being left on its own can be very stressful, so you need to see whether your friend or neighbour will be prepared to actually spend some time in your house, not just nip in for feeding once or twice a day. You also need to make arrangements for accident or illness â it happens to even the most apparently healthy of our pets. Make sure your neighbour or friend knows you bring your pet to us; make sure they can give any medication; contact us and tell us you are going away and what your wish would be if your pet was ill or injured. It is a very difficult problem to deal with a sick or injured pet without any clear instruction and whilst it is unpleasant to think about it ahead, it is far preferable than coming back to a situation that was handled differently to your wishes. Just think if your pet was run over and needed major surgery to fix it; if we do not know your wishes we have to make a decision on your behalf and you may come back to a large unexpected bill. Whatever the arrangements you make for your pet while you are on holiday, make sure you leave someone a number where you can be contacted in the event of an emergency. No-one will disturb you unnecessarily. Whether boarding somewhere or staying at home it is essential to make sure your pets vaccinations are up to date and regularly boostered. Don't leave this till the last minute in case we find any problems that prevent us from giving the vaccination. Boarding or being left at home is a stressful time for your pet â it is not their holiday â and stress can compromise the immune system so you may leave an apparently healthy pet that then comes down with some illness, so preventing the ones we can is an absolute must. Also remember to treat your pet for worms and fleas around the time of boarding â just like sending the children to school and they all come home with a cold and nits, putting a group of animals together in a stressful situation can lead to an outbreak of disease. Julia Boness MRCVS INTRODUCING - BUSTER'S PET HEALTH CLUB New for 2010.

New for 2010, all your pet's preventive health care needs can now be paid for by monthly direct debit saving you 10% and giving you exclusive access to other discounted services and products, when

5 New for 2010, all your pet's preventive health care needs can now be paid for by monthly direct debit saving you 10% and giving you exclusive access to other discounted services and products, when your pet joins Buster's Pet Health Club - Buster is in the picture above! The key benefits for you and your pet are: Lower costs on healthcare products Discounts on a range of other products Piece of mind that your pet(s) are getting the correct, regular health care that they need Confidence that we will remind you when action is due Membership is per pet and includes: Annual booster vaccinations Routine multi-worming treatments - quarterly for cats, twice a year for dogs Routine external parasite protection - monthly Advocate or Advantix Twice yearly, 12 body-system checkups which also include: o weight checks o dental checks o claw clipping o anal gland emptying How much does it cost? Normal costs for these products and services would be between 180 and 300. Buster's Pet Health Club prices are fixed (until January 2012) and include a 10% discount. Monthly Direct Debit charge: Cats or small dogs Medium dog 14.75

6 Large dog Giant breed dog These prices represent savings of between 20 and 25 per year for this year, and more again for next as prices will rise but we guarantee to keep Pet Health Club members prices frozen until January Reminders To help you remember, every time your pet is due to have a new supply of any of the above, you will get a reminder by post, and/or SMS text. Discount Scheme In addition, Buster's Pet Health Club members are entitled to exclusive access to the following discounted services and products: - 10% off neutering - 10% off Hills Science Plan pet food - 10% off dental homecare products (toothbrushes, pastes, rinses) - 10% off skin and coat products (shampoos, conditioners, nutritional supplements) - 15% off In house blood tests including thyroid screening and coagulation profiles - 15% off in house urine tests - 15% off glaucoma tests - 15% off blood pressure checks - 15% off dental treatment - 15% off kennel cough vaccines To start with Buster's Pet Health Club will only be applicable to dogs and cats, but we hope to include rabbits later in the year. MONTHLY OFFER February's offer is 10% off all diet related prescription foods. Please quote 02DIET10. FUTURE EVENTS Don't forget our regular Tuesday evening Puppy Parties - if you know of someone who has just acquired a new puppy, please let them know our Puppy Parties are FREE - be quick as they are usually busy and Puppy's must start the Parties before they are 12 weeks old. Fantastic Felines - we also run Cat focused evenings for our kitty friends. If you would like to come along and spend an hour or so with Linda Horn to learn more about your cat, please just give us a call to book a slot on the next evening. FREE If you received this from a friend, please sign up to our Boness E-Newsletterclick here Please note, we never sell or give your address to any other organisation.

7 Finally... Please let us know what you think. your views on any veterinary topic or the Hospital and websites etc to And, if you like this newsletter, why not forward it to a friend or send their address to us and we will add it to the distribution list.

Happy New Year! NEWSFLASH BEAT THE VAT RISE - PRICES FROZEN UNTIL MARCH

Happy New Year! NEWSFLASH BEAT THE VAT RISE - PRICES FROZEN UNTIL MARCH 31 2011 We will not be passing on the VAT rise to our clients for the first quarter of the year GUARANTEED AND REMEMBER, BUSTER'S