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Please ensure that we are in possession of your current details at all times. Should the need arise for us to contact you, it is important that we have your correct contact details.

petsure.co.za FROM THE EDITOR S DESK We advised that Dr Wimberley had a trip to the USA in July to learn about the PennHip system of grading for hip dysplasia.

1 PHONE: :: :: FAX: NEWSLETTER 106 February 2012 IN THIS ISSUE The Editor's desk th 28 February World Spay Day Shared ideas. Cat Litter Trays Did you know...? Flea Reminder Our Garden Pet Owner's Pledge Medical aid reminder Rabies Vaccinations Newsletters PennHip Report Stray Dogs Tail Piece Editor: Dr Alan Isdale Design and layout: Debra Müller Please ensure that we are in possession of your current details at all times. Should the need arise for us to contact you, it is important that we have your correct contact details. if you would like to receive an electronic version of this newsletter, or complete a subscription card at reception. Does your pet need medical cover? FROM THE EDITOR S DESK We advised that Dr Wimberley had a trip to the USA in July to learn about the PennHip system of grading for hip dysplasia. A successful informal meeting was held for a group of interested breeders in December to advise them of the mechanics of the scheme. A full report by Dr Wimberley is in the newsletter World Spay Day is an annual campaign of The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and Humane Society International (HSI). Begun in 1995, it aims to encourage people to prevent unwanted litters by spaying or neutering companion animals and feral cats (The number of unwanted animals in almost every country of the world runs into countless millions). In 2010, The Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association (HSVMA) became the third partner in this venture and World Spay Day was born. With view to the above, the entire month of February, is Spay/Neuter Awareness Month at Westville Veterinary Hospital. We will send special Goodie bags' home with those pets that are spayed/neutered during February. The 'Goodie bags' will contain vouchers and other exciting things, so book now before you miss out! Ask us about this... Love them enough to spay/neuter them... Love me enough to spay/neuter me We are looking for your cute pet pictures - them to debbie@westvet.co.za

PENNHIP University of Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program closer to 1. Hips with a DI of greater than 0.7 are especially at risk for developing hip dysplasia.

Dogs in the tighter half of the population are recommended for breeding. This means good selection pressure is applied.

Owners that are concerned about the state of their puppy's hips can elect to have a PennHIP score done at the time of sterilisation as the animal is already under anaesthesia.

For more information please contact Dr In July 2011 Dr Wimberley travelled to St Louis, Missouri to attend a PennHIP course.

Westville Veterinary Hospital can now offer this exciting method of early detection of hip dysplasia.

Puppies with very lax (loose) hips are more prone to developing hip dysplasia. Using PennHIP, puppies can now be accurately screened for hip dysplasia from as young as 4 months of age.

2 PENNHIP University of Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program closer to 1. Hips with a DI of greater than 0.7 are especially at risk for developing hip dysplasia. This information is of huge value to breeders. It allows for early decision making with regard to which dogs to breed. Based on the DI the dog is ranked within its breed. Dogs in the tighter half of the population are recommended for breeding. This means good selection pressure is applied. By breeding for tighter hips meaningful gains have been made around the world in eradicating hip dysplasia. Owners that are concerned about the state of their puppy's hips can elect to have a PennHIP score done at the time of sterilisation as the animal is already under anaesthesia. This will allow the vet and owner to make necessary adjustments in diet and exercise to diminish the course of the disease if present. For more information please contact Dr In July 2011 Dr Wimberley travelled to St Louis, Missouri to attend a PennHIP course. After completing the practical part of the course Dr Wimberley has now successfully registered as a certified PennHIP veterinarian. Westville Veterinary Hospital can now offer this exciting method of early detection of hip dysplasia. PennHIP uses the well known and documented correlation between hip Wimberley on laxity (hip looseness) and hip dysplasia. Puppies with very lax (loose) hips are more prone to developing hip dysplasia. Using PennHIP, puppies can now be accurately screened for hip dysplasia from as young as 4 months of age. A set of three radiographs are taken under general anaesthetic and are submitted online to be read. The three views are a hip extended view (the view commonly used by other hip dysplasia schemes), a compression view and a hip distraction view. A special distracting device is used to achieve the distraction radiograph. Based on the degree to which the hip distracts out of the acetabulum (hip socket) a hip laxity index called a distraction index (DI) is calculated for each hip. The distraction index is a figure between 0 and 1. Dogs with very tight or good hips will score closer to 0. Dogs with very loose hips will score Our recommendation for flea control is to treat each of your animals with a flea control product every month of the year. Every year we are told by the companies that sell these products that their volume of sales increases during the summer months when the fleas are most prevalent and drops during the winter months. This indicates that people are not treating their animals (and homes) for fleas as they should do right throughout the year. They thus cannot hope to ultimately control their flea problems completely and will never be in a position when they can say that their fleas are 'under control'. PUPPY AND TEENAGER CLASSES Remember to treat, all your pets for fleas... Every month of the year. contact vet@westvet.co.za for views, ideas and comments etc

PET INSURANCE NEXT COURSE IS STARTING THIS MONTH For all those clients starting off with new puppies and kittens, we strongly advise that they should be put onto a medical aid.

Because of the rising cost of keeping pets, when these animals are in their twilight years and are likely to need more veterinary attention, it will be very comforting to know that all costs for

They will be providing two options of cover for pets with UNLIMITED cover per pet per year.

3 PET INSURANCE NEXT COURSE IS STARTING THIS MONTH For all those clients starting off with new puppies and kittens, we strongly advise that they should be put onto a medical aid. Please see the websites in this newsletter for further information. Because of the rising cost of keeping pets, when these animals are in their twilight years and are likely to need more veterinary attention, it will be very comforting to know that all costs for optimal treatment will be covered. Medipet has recently advised that they will be increasing the scope of their cover as from 1 April They will be providing two options of cover for pets with UNLIMITED cover per pet per year. In addition they are now prepared to admit animals of any age to the scheme pre existing conditions are not covered. As far as we are concerned this scheme warrants a consideration. The numbers of clients making use of a medical aid is increasing. In the UK in the region of st seventy per cent of clients have their pets covered by a medical aid. A client recently had their pet in our hospital with a very serious condition, and sadly, in spite of a lot of intense treatment, died. It was covered by Medipet and the owner paid R of an R11, bill. In addition, a death benefit is included in the policy and so the owners received a further R This was certainly a worthwhile situation. If you are faced with an account after your pet has been treated and you are not covered by a medical aid then this has been a choice that you have made, and the responsibility for the account is solely yours. First Aid Course starting this month... Please enquire at reception or ask to speak to Sarah or Debbie Log on to for the latest information, news and various other items

smear or a smear from the ear to look at under the microscope, the slide has to be prepared before it can be looked at.

coloured stains before it can be examined. This all takes time!

There are occasions when our cages are full and we physically cannot take in these animals- we just have nowhere to put them.

These animals have to take preference over stray dogs that are brought in.

You can take the animal to the SPCA at Kloof at any time of the day or night and lock them in the cages provided where they

4 Ask about one of these... available with a specified Hills product - ask in our shop for details That when one of our veterinarians takes a blood smear or a smear from the ear to look at under the microscope, the slide has to be prepared before it can be looked at. A fixative has to be applied so the material will stick to the smear glass and then it has to be stained with two different coloured stains before it can be examined. This all takes time! STRAY DOGS As has been mentioned before, we do assist the public in our area by taking in stray dogs found on the streets. There are occasions when our cages are full and we physically cannot take in these animals- we just have nowhere to put them. We are a Veterinary Hospital and our prime focus is the treatment and care of sick and injured animals. These animals have to take preference over stray dogs that are brought in. If you find a stray dog and we are unable to assist you, please understand our position. You can take the animal to the SPCA at Kloof at any time of the day or night and lock them in the cages provided where they can be cared for and will be safe until they can be attended to by the SPCA staff. Our receptionists on occasions have had to take verbal abuse from the public when they are told we do not have room for strays. This is quite unfair as the people who have picked up the strays are trying to make their problem our problem. Please understand that we will help when we can, but sometimes this is just not possible.

It is imperative for us all to make sure that all animals are fully up to date with these so that we can keep this disease from affecting the people of Westville.

The garden that we planted on the verge opposite our hospital seems to be fated.

After the lovely rains we had in October and early November the garden really 'took off' and the indigenous plants were all coming into their own, then along came the trench diggers for the fourth

5 In spite of the recent articles we have had in our newsletters urging people to have their animals vaccinated, we are still finding animals that are way overdue with their vaccinations. These are often not only folk who do not know or understand the situation regarding vaccinations, but people who should know better. It is imperative for us all to make sure that all animals are fully up to date with these so that we can keep this disease from affecting the people of Westville. A Rabid Dachshund was discovered in Amanzimtoti at the beginning of December after it had bitten four people - two of them residents of an old age home. THIS DISEASE IS ALWAYS HERE! The garden that we planted on the verge opposite our hospital seems to be fated. Every time that it is reported as starting to look really good, another trench is dug through it and we have to start all over again. After the lovely rains we had in October and early November the garden really 'took off' and the indigenous plants were all coming into their own, then along came the trench diggers for the fourth time- to dig another trench! It's very disheartening for Glenda Gossman our gardener and her assistant Siyabonga and we have to thank her for her perseverance. We just had to start again, and it is with some trepidation that we report that it is starting to recover! We are now sending out editions of this newsletter to 1400 clients on a monthly basis. If you do not receive an edition and would like to do so, please contact Debbie and she will ensure that you are put on the list. Cats living in an environment where they do not have access to the outdoors are provided with sand trays. The rule of thumb for the number of sand trays present should be one for each cat and one extra. A problem with inappropriate urination, particularly, can sometimes be solved by providing the correct number of clean litter trays. Other factors, of course, often need to be addressed at the same time. At the end of November, Drs Wimberley and Smith visited three of the main veterinary hospitals in Gauteng to discuss mutual problems and to see how they deal with various issues. It was also interesting to visit the facilities and to see how the hospitals were run. They came back with some good ideas that we can consider putting into place at the Westville Veterinary Hospital, overall it was interesting to discover that; in general, the issues that they have to contend with are not much different to our own. We thank the hospitals visited for their hospitality and shared ideas. TAIL PIECE If a dog's prayers were answered, bones would fall from the sky. Proverb.

Sept 2014: Issue

Sept 2014: Issue 137 1. From the Editor s Desk 2. Pamper your pet special at Pet s of Westville Grooming Parlour 3. FREE Dental care assessments with our nurses 4. Bravecto 5. Spay your cat 6. Coffee &