What's On and Coming Soon... Regulars... Dentals For Rabbits. Boness E-Newsletter - May 2010

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1 Boness E-Newsletter - May 2010 What's On and Coming Soon... Rabbit Awareness - From April 26th to May 9th it is National Rabbit Awareness week (we extended it to 2 weeks!) During this period we are offering free nurse healthc checks for all your rabbits. Tea Party - on 4th June at the Hospital, 125 Bedford Road, bring your kids and pets and have some fun, all in aid of the Blue Cross Regulars... Buster's Pet Health Club - for a simple monthly direct debit we offer Buster's Pet Health Club which provides two checkups per year plus continual vaccinations, worming and flea treatment AND saves you 10%. Call our team at any time to discuss the benefits to your pet's health. Puppy Parties - 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 - please phone to book your place, but be quick as they are usually busy and puppies must start the parties before they are 12 weeks old. Fantastic Felines - we also run cat focused evenings for our feline 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. Dentals For Rabbits Following on from National Rabbit Awareness week April 26 to May 2, at Boness Veterinary Hospital, we have been doing free of charge health checks for rabbits and are continuing this offer until 9th May. Dental Disease in Pet Rabbits Dental disease is common in pet rabbits and is something we see on an almost daily basis at the practice. Rabbits' teeth continue to grow throughout their lives and if the teeth do not occlude perfectly they do not get ground down and can become overgrown and misshapen. Once teeth have become so misshapen that they cause pain and injury to the mouth then repeated dentals and general anaesthetics become necessary. This is worrying for owners and can become costly and sadly some of these rabbits have to be 'put to sleep'. However, with better understanding of dental disease in rabbits it is now possible to take steps to reduce the problem. What is a rabbit's normal dentition? A rabbit has 28 teeth: 6 incisors, 10 premolars and 12 molars. Rabbit's teeth are adapted for a fibrous diet. All the teeth grow continuously and quickly (approximately 2 to 2.4mm per week). A natural diet of a variety of plant materials including bark and coarse vegetation means that a rabbit needs to eat large volumes of food to obtain enough calories for the day. The continuous crushing and grinding of the food ensures that wear of the teeth matches growth and so maintains a constant tooth length. Why do some rabbits have dental disease? Pet rabbits are often fed a commercial rabbit food which offers a comparatively high calorie level of nutrition. Rabbits do not need to eat as much of this food to obtain their energy for the day and so spend less time eating. The food is also softer than a natural diet and so provides less wear to the teeth. The teeth will continue to grow and become overlong causing them to change shape and direction. In some cases sharp spurs can develop which can cut into the tongue and cheeks. In other cases teeth can grow into the cheeks and encourage development of abscesses. What are the signs of dental disease in rabbits? - Change in feeding pattern from selection of soft foods to complete anorexia - Change in drinking habits (e.g. may prefer water from a bowl rather than a bottle) - Dropping uneaten food - Weight loss - Dribbling and drooling (may be seen as wet skin on the throat area or dewlap)

2 - Reduced or no faecal output or passage of small faecal pellets a sign of gut stasis - Grooming problems (matted fur and scurf as the rabbit cannot use its mouth comfortably) - Uneaten caecotrophs (wet sticky faeces accumulated under the tail) - Watering eyes (tear duct is blocked by lengthening tooth roots) - Swellings along the lower jaw What should I do if I see any of these signs? We recommend that the rabbit is seen as soon as possible by one of our vets. We will examine the head and feel the face, checking for swelling. We will perform a dental exam by either wrapping the rabbit in a towel or cradling them on their back to keep them safe while we use a scope to look at the cheek teeth. It is not possible to see every tooth in the awake rabbit and it may be necessary to recommend a general anaesthetic to allow further examination and possibly perform skull radiography to assess the roots. This will enable us to accurately diagnose the extent of dental disease and give the best possible advice on treatment. What can I do to prevent this from happening to my rabbit? We recommend the following dietary changes... - Exclude mixed, muesli-type rabbit food altogether - Offer freely available, fresh, good-quality hay or dried grass, even though the rabbit may not appear to eat much of it - Offer small amounts of pelleted food only once a day. Depending on the animal's size, one to two tablespoonfuls per rabbit is sufficient. Dried food can be excluded altogether, especially if the rabbit is overweight and eats plenty of hay and a variety of leafy green plants - Offer a wide variety of leafy green plants and vegetables at least twice daily. Palatable plants include: - Grass - Brambles (Rubus fruticosus) - Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) - Fruit tree leaves - Rough chervil (Chaerophyllum temulum) - Cow parsnip (also known as hog weed) (Heracleum sphondylium) - Young dock leaves (Rumex species) - Ground elder (Aegopodium podagraria) - Plantain (Plantago species) - Sow thistle (Sonchus oleraceus) - Clover (Trifolium species) - Vetches (Vicia species) - Broccoli - Cauliflower - Sprout peelings - Kale - Cabbage - Spring greens - Herbs - Celery - Salad leaves - Beans - Peas - Sweetcorn plants - Strawberry leaves - Raspberry leaves - Sunflower leaves - Leaves from pea and bean plants - Foods that are low in indigestible fibre (e.g, apples, pears, bananas, carrots and other root vegetables) should only be fed in moderation as they can be fattening and cause soft caecotrophs - If possible, allow the rabbit to graze outside as much as possible and lie in the sun this ensures high levels of

3 vitamin D which is important for mineralisation of teeth and bones - Chocolate and yoghurt drops, biscuits, bread and sugary cereal treats should not be fed to rabbits We hope that by encouraging our rabbit owners to follow this dietary advice we can help our patients have long, healthy lives without the discomfort and distress caused by dental disease. Jayne Schouten MA VetMB MRCVS Feline Stress It can be difficult to imagine why a much loved family pet should be suffering from stress. We feed them the best food, they share our comfortable homes and we lavish them with love and attention, although to be fair this is often on a cat's own terms. Despite that, at the veterinary hospital we frequently have to treat cats for stress related illnesses or behaviour problems. These include; - Cystitis - Gastro-intestinal problems - Skin problems due to over-grooming - Marking behaviours such as spraying urine in the house, scratching furniture, defaecating in prominent places (middening). - Reduced resistance to infections such as respiratory viruses. - Reduced inclination to go outdoors - Lethargy and reduced interaction with family members. What causes stress in cats? Early experiences, or rather lack of them can make a kitten poorly equipped to deal with modern living. Research has shown that if kittens are exposed to everyday noises such as the vacuum cleaner, washing machine etc, and are handled by several different types of people between the age of 2 and 5 weeks, then they are more likely to simply accept these things as part of their normal environment. It is common for feral kittens to have had no handling by humans at all until well beyond this formative period, and certainly no exposure to the trappings of modern household living. Pedigree kittens are usually kept by the breeder until they are 12 weeks old, and unless the breeder has deliberately had the kittens handled by several people and kept them for at least part of the time in the main part of the house, they too can be deprived of the necessary stimuli at a young age, to help them cope in a normal, busy house. Stress may also be due to some issues the cat has with its environment. For instance the cat may be reluctant to go outside due to a new cat in the neighbourhood, but if it doesn't have a litter tray or simply refuses to use one then even something as basic as going to the toilet becomes a major problem for the cat which the owner may be unaware of. Often neighbourhood cats will come through the cat flap and use the facilities. This is deeply stressful for cats, and is the equivalent of a burglary to humans. Imagine if you were being burgled on a daily basis! Another big risk factor for stress in cats is living in a multi-cat household. Cats have developed a communication system between themselves which is intended to reduce the need for conflict, so when two cats in a household are not getting on with one another there will not necessarily be fur flying and lots of hissing and spitting. One cat may simply sit for long periods near the cat flap or next to the water bowl, daring the other cats in the house to approach. Very often a stressed cat doesn't want to draw attention to his or her self and will simply become withdrawn, making the owner think that they simply don't want attention.

4 Cats can also become stressed when changes occur in their core territory, for instance alterations to the house whether it's a whole new extension, a coat of paint, or even just moving the furniture around. A new baby can be stressful for all concerned, but especially for cats and cats often find toddlers so unpredictable and therefore stressful, that they spend less and less time in the home. Inconsistency in the way the owner interacts with the cat may cause stress, for instance if the owner is sometimes happy to have the cat jump on a kitchen worktop but at other times punishes the cat for doing the same thing. Finally, illness itself can result in feline stress either because it is necessary to give medication daily, or because the cat is restricted to the house, a single room or even a hospital cage. How can I recognise signs of stress in my cat? The following list shows some of the signs to look for, particularly when a cat appears to have a bit of a behavioural change. - Flight or freezing; either spending longer periods away from home, or longer periods in exactly the same spot in the house. - Shyness, avoidance, flattened posture; trying to make themselves almost invisible. There may be a decrease in exploration, play or interaction and an increase in hiding. - Hyperactivity/attention seeking; unable to settle or needing constant reassurance. - Increase/Decrease in grooming; either the coat becomes matted or tatty looking, or bald areas appear possibly on the backs of the hind legs or along the back. - Hypervigilance/aggression; more jumpy or grumpy than normal. - Changes in vocalisation; more vocal when needing reassurance, or less vocal if trying to make themselves inconspicuous. - Change in feeding habits; poor appetite or refusing to eat, or possibly an increase in appetite just like comfort eating in humans. Some cats may even start to eat inedible materials like their bedding. This abnormal behaviour is called 'Pica'. - Changes in toileting or marking habits; Toileting in inappropriate places, spraying urine, scratching walls or furniture. - Increased/decreased sleeping. How can I prevent stress in my cat? 1. Vet check; First make sure that there is no underlying illness which could be making you cat anxious by having one of our vets give your cat a thorough examination. 2. Environmental Enrichment. All cats whether single or in multi-cat households need free access to food, water, toilet facilities, resting places and hiding places. They often also like to be able to view their territory from high perches, if possible a good two meters off the floor. In days gone by, houses were often furnished in such a way that there was ample opportunity for cats to have a choice of hiding places/high perches in amongst all the clutter, but the modern, more minimalist approach to furnishing tends not to offer these valued resources. Even in the garden, a designer approach may have eliminated many options to climb and relax in secret places. You can make your house and garden more cat friendly by providing climbing frames or strategically placed shelves, or making it easier for them to climb onto the shed roof. If you have more than one cat, provide more feeding, watering and litter tray locations in different parts of the house and if possible have more than one cat flap or access to outdoors. 3. Introduction of new cats to the home. Particularly when bringing a new cat into a household with one or more resident cats, this needs to be done very carefully over at least two weeks, by exchanging scent between cats. Once they are familiar with each other's scent, then they can make visual contact in a very controlled way. 4. Toys. Rotate toys, by putting them away out of reach for a few days at a time, so that when they are reintroduced they are more fun. Some cats like to play with paper bags, or cardboard boxes with a few treats scrunched into newspaper to encourage exploratory behaviour. 5. Cat Flap. If neighbourhood cats coming into the house are a potential problem, consider locking your cat flap and letting your cat in and out the door if this is practical. If not, you can now get cat flaps which are operated by identichips. This is an improvement on the magnetic operated cat flaps as the magnets are worn on the collar which can (and for safety should in certain circumstances) fall off. 6. Pheromones. To reduce stress in cats visiting the hospital and cat clinic we use a product called 'Feliway'. This is a synthetic form of the scent that cats use to head mark their core territory; the scent that tells them that they are in a safe place. The plug-in diffuser lasts for about a month, and it can be used for short term stresses such as redecoration or the owner going on holiday, or for long term stress. A spray version can be used for car journeys or trips to the vet. This is sprayed on the inside of the cat basket and on the bedding minutes before placing the cat in the carrier. Both versions are available from us. 7. Zylkene. This is a food supplement in the form of capsules. The contents can easily be sprinkled in food, and some anxious cats seem to respond well to it. It has no known side effects and can be used safely for short or long term stress. It is available without a prescription, but if you are thinking of using it we would still like to check your cat in case there is a medical problem present. 8. Medication. There a number of anti-anxiety drugs which have been used to good effect in cats with chronic anxiety. These would only be dispensed after a thorough physical examination including blood tests, and in-depth discussions of other ways to relieve anxiety. Stress is something that can affect us all, even our pets. Please contact us if you think that your cat may be suffering from stress so that we can help. Linda Horn B.V.M.S., Dip A.S.(C.A.B.C.),M.R.C.V.S.

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