for the pets in your life your vet for life Pet Dental Month Caring for your Easter bunny The Importance of Annual Vaccination Practice Open Day
In this issue of : Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 6 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 12 Welcome! Useful Information Practice News Smile Please Vaccine Amnesty Cat Protection Rehoming Day Rabbit Awareness Week Get in touch via Facebook or at www.vetsonthepark.co.uk WELCOME Welcome to the latest edition of Vets on the Park s practice magazine, Park Life, packed with tips and information on pet health, as well as plenty of special offers for you and your pet. As always, we have plenty of practical information to help you keep the pets in your life in the best of health. On page six we explain why dental disease is so common in our pets and what we can do together to prevent your furry friend from suffering. We also have a great dental offer for April 2014. We are also hosting a rehoming day for Cheltenham Cats Protection in May 2014 where you can have a practice tour and see behind the scenes as well as take a look at some lovely cats that are needing new forever homes. We do hope you can join us! At Vets on the Park, our aim is to treat your pets in the same way we would like our own pets treated and this attitude is at the heart of everything we do; from giving a kitten their first vaccination to major surgery and emergency treatment. We are all pet owners ourselves and so we understand the special place your pet has in your home. Many of you have been with the practice for some time now, and we d like to take this opportunity once again to say a big thank you from all the team for your continued support and friendship. If you re new to the practice, then welcome along! Join us on Facebook or Twitter for all the latest practice news and special offers - simply search for Vets on the Park and like us! With best wishes from Alison and the team. Vets on the Park, for the pets in your life your vet for life. 2
Useful information Opening hours We know that many of you have plenty of things to fit into your busy lives, so we work hard to ensure that you can get an appointment with us at a time convenient for you, with late evening opening and Saturday clinics. Our opening hours are 8am - 7pm, Monday to Friday and on Saturdays we are open from 8am 1pm. To book your appointment, simply call 01242 517199 When the surgery is closed, the emergency out of hours clinic ChelVets begins. The service is run from the Surgery at Cheltenham Racecourse. Simply call 01242 522022 for help and advice in the event of an emergency. We also offer free home visits! Coming into the surgery can sometimes be difficult so we are pleased to offer a free Vets at Home service to our clients who live within an 5 mile radius of our surgery. You can find out more on our website www.vetsonthepark.co.uk How to find us: Moorend Grove, Leckhampton, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL53 0EX 01242 517199 www.vetsonthepark.co.uk SPECIAL OFFERS Recommend a friend and you both save 5! If you recommend Vets on the Park to a friend, we ll give each of you a voucher for 5 off * Simply fill in your details in part A of the form and pass it to the friend you wish to recommend us to. All your friend needs to do is fill in part B and hand in the completed form when they register their pet with us. N Bath Road Cheltenham Town Centre Shurdington Shurdington Road Leckhampton Road Church Road Charlton Lane Leckhampton Hill Once they have been in for a consultation, they can collect their 5 voucher* and we will send you your 5 voucher* by post. If you prefer you can donate your 5 to our chosen charity which this year is Medical Detection Dogs. *Please see our website for terms and conditions, www.vetsonthepark.co.uk 3
Practice news Photo shoot! Back in January, you may have visited the practice on a particular day when we were all looking unusually glam! The reason being we had a photographer spending the afternoon n with us to take pictures for our new website. We would like to say a big Thank You to those clients who took time out of their day to bring in their beautiful pets and children to pose for the camera. Visit our smashing new website today to see if your pet or child is featured! New Tasty Menu You may have noticed we are now stocking the fantastic Lily s Kitchen range, a wholesome, healthy, natural and organic range of grain free dog and cat food. Visit the practice today to see the range and find out more. Alison in Print! Alison will be writing an article every month in Cotswold Style magazine, pick up your free copy on your next visit. 4
Pet Shaming Our next booster reminder photo competition is inspired by the recent internet phenomenon of Dog Shaming, but we are going to open out to all our furry friends, so if your cat has stolen your take-away, or the dog has chewed your new Smartphone or your hamster has done a poo in your teapot then take a photo and send it to us with their shame!!! The picture with the most likes on our face book page will go out on our booster reminders in July. Accessories We are very excited to be stocking a new range of beautiful African hand beaded dog collars. They are made in Kenya and fair trade. Ideal gifts for your favourite pooch! We are also pleased to have been accepted as a Mutts and Hounds approved stockist. See the collections in our reception area. Do we have your up-to-date details? We have introduced a new reminder system, and you may notice over the next few months you will receive either a text message or an email for your pet s boosters, fl ea and worming treatments and health checks. We hope that this new system will make life easier for you so make sure on your next visit that we take your contact details. 5
Smile Please! We regularly visit the dentist, we know about plaque prevention, we brush and floss, twice a day to keep our teeth healthy and avoid bad breath. Despite our awareness of human dentistry many pet owners do not realise that their pets can get the same problems as us. So why should you care for your pets teeth? Well, for the same reason you care for your own. The most common disease in pets is periodontal disease. Plaque and gingivitis (red gums) are seen regularly by vets and theses symptoms can quickly lead to periodontal disease which cannot be reversed and leads to circulating bacteria in your pet s bloodstream. This can cause damage to the heart, liver and kidneys. In other words, bad teeth can lead to a sick animal. Often when dental disease is pointed out to owners they say that they hadn t noticed any change in their pets behaviour so it can t be causing them any discomfort. But remember our pets are descended from wild animals, and some of those instincts have remained with them-advertising that you are sick or not eating because you have 6
toothache will not do you any favors in the wild. So many pets continue eating even though they are experiencing chronic pain. So, what can you do to look after your pet s teeth? Well, first things first-have a look in your pets mouth-or ask one of our nurses to do it for you! This should be done regularly, check to see if the gums appear red or inflamed, if your pets breath smells foul, if you can see broken teeth or infection then urgent veterinary attention is needed A longer more preventative solution is daily brushing to remove plaque before it mineralizes and becomes tartar- (that is the stuff that needs cracking off whilst your pet is under anaesthetic) Plaque builds up within hours, just like it does in our own mouths and it will only take a few days to become tartar. It is important that owners commit to brushing, ideally daily. Here at Vets on the Park we can help you start your homecare programme with a series of nurse consultations who will help you through each step as slowly as necessary to avoid upsetting your pet. With plenty of positive reinforcement and a handful of liver treats we hope that your pet will actually come to enjoy brushing! The secret is to start them young, as early as 8-12 weeks old but we often find that even the old timers can learn very quickly to accept toothbrushing If your pet does need a scale and polish to get them started we are offering half price dentals for the month of April 2014. For more information or to make a free dental appointment with one of our nurses please don t hesitate to contact us on 01242 517199 7
Vaccine Amnesty In June 2014 we are holding a vaccine amnesty. This will give owners who have let their pets vaccinations lapse the chance to get the course re-started for the price of a regular booster! Dogs, cats and rabbits all require annual vaccinations to remain healthy. Every month we send out our reminder cards and several days later the phones will be hot with owners diligently booking in their pets for boosters, however many people ask the same question What am I vaccinating my pet against? Dogs are routinely vaccinated against three viral disease parvovirus, distemper, and hepatitis and two bacterial disease leptospirosis and infectious tracheobronchitis (also known as kennel cough). Leptospirosis is a zoonotic bacterial disease (which means owners can get it too) and so annual vaccination is vital. Vets on the Park were one of the very first practices in the country to upgrade our Leptospirosis vaccine to the recently launched L4 vaccine. This vaccine targets new wild bacterial strains that have emerged since the introduction of canine leptospirosis vaccine over 50 years ago. All dogs require two injections four weeks apart for optimum immunity but we are covering the cost of the second vaccine and so you only pay the normal booster price. Cats are vaccinated against four viral diseases. Feline calici virus, and feline herpes virus cause cat flu, infectious enteritis which causes vomiting and diarrhoea plus feline leukaemia virus. Indoor cats will still require annual boosters because you can bring live flu viruses home on your hands and clothes after you have touched another cat. 8
We recommend that all pet rabbits are vaccinated each year against the viral diseases myxomatosis and VHD. This is now a single annual combined vaccine. If you want to take your pet abroad then you will also need to talk to us about the compulsory rabies vaccination. So as you can see there are all manner of nasty diseases out there but thankfully due to regular vaccination many of these are now uncommon. Make sure your pet is up to date with their boosters to maintain lifelong disease protection. Cats Protection Re-homing Event Cats Protection was founded in 1927 and is now the UK s leading feline welfare charity. They help around 218,000 cats and kittens every year through their network of over 250 volunteer-run branches and 29 adoption centres. In May we will be holding a re-homing event, where you will be able to come and meet some of the cats that are looking for new homes. There will be volunteers from Cats Protection available to discuss all aspects involved in adopting a cat. You will also be invited to look around our practice, and be given the chance to go behind the scenes ; plus there will be face-painting, refreshments, tombola and much, much more! Check out our Facebook page, new improved website or come in and see us at the practice for more information on this event and all future events. www.vetsonthepark.co.uk 9
Rabbit Awareness Week May 10th-18th This May sees the return of Rabbit Awareness Week or RAW. This is an annual event designed so rabbit experts such as vets, pet retailers and welfare charities can work together to educate the public about proper care and welfare of the nation s bunnies. Rabbits are the third most popular pets in Britain with an estimated 1.7 million being kept as fluffy companions. Diet, environment, behaviour and healthcare are all very important and must be considered before choosing a rabbit as a pet. Diet Firstly, diet. Rabbits have a very complex digestive system and if they are not fed correctly it can be very serious, in some cases life threatening. The old-fashioned muesli type diets can cause many health problems including selective feeding-leading to nutritional imbalances, obesity, eating less hay which can cause dental disease, and most serious of all gut stasis, which is often fatal. Rabbits should be fed a fibre rabbit pellet- this should make up no more than 20% of their diet, meaning only about a tablespoon twice a day. 80% of the diet should be made up of good quality hay or grass. Rabbits may also have small quantities of fresh greens such as kale, spinach and savoy cabbage, however these can be too rich for some rabbits and cause diarrhoea. Greens also contain high levels of calcium which can cause bladder stones. Carrots are very high in sugar so must only be given in small quantities occasionally as a treat. Always ensure your bunny has a plentiful supply of fresh water. Environment In the wild, your rabbit s territory would span 30 tennis courts! Sadly, today many rabbits suffer in tiny hutches barely big enough for them to turn around in. Ideally they should have a hutch that acts as their bedroom which 10
should be big enough for them to hop across 3 times and tall enough so they can stand. It should have plenty of clean hay for bedding to keep them warm. On particularly cold nights the hutch should be taken into a shed, garage or into the house. In addition to their bedroom, they should have a large exercise run or even better a paddock, which should be secure, have plenty of hiding spaces and an area for digging. Their toilet area should be cleaned daily and the bedroom should be cleaned out regularly. Behaviour Being prey animals it is important that rabbits have plenty of places to hide, such as tunnels and cardboard boxes. You can also enrich their environment with toys, unsprayed twigs, tree stumps and digging boxes. Rabbits spend 80% of their time in the wild foraging so it is a great idea to put their food in different places or even in brown paper bags so they have to unwrap it. All of these little tricks will help replicate some of the normal behaviour that they would display in the wild, thus reducing stress and anxiety. Rabbits are social creatures and much happier kept in groups of 2 or more- but please make sure either you have same sex or they are neutered! Healthcare Your rabbit should receive regular health checks from the vet as well as annual vaccinations. We vaccinate against myxomatosis which is a virus spread by fleas, mites and mosquitoes. Signs of myxomatosis are a puffiness around the face and eyes which over a few days progress to cause blindness, in most cases it results in death. We also vaccinate against Viral Heamorrhagic Disease, which is a virus that is spread by direct contact between rabbits, or from insects, people, clothing or shoes- it causes internal bleeding and liver disease. Your rabbits should also receive regular dental checks as their teeth can quickly become overgrown which can lead to painful abscesses and difficulty eating. They should also be regularly treated for fleas mites and worms. During the warmer months owners should ensure that their bunnies bottoms are clean on a daily basis as dirty bottoms can very quickly result in fly strikewhere flies lay their eggs in the sore areas around the anus- as the eggs hatch the maggots feed on the skin causing terrible wounds. If you see fly eggs or maggots on your rabbit seek urgent veterinary advice. At Vets on the Park, we will be offering free health checks for your rabbits and heaps of information on feeding and care. Please call 01242 517199 to make your RAW healthcheck appointment. 11
ONLINE ALL THE TIME! At Vets on the Park we work hard to ensure that you always have access to help and advice when you need it - we offer evening opening and Saturday clinics, as well as 24 hour emergency cover through our partnership with ChelVets, so that you can organise your pet s care to fit in with your busy life. However, we know that sometimes you might remember the appointment you meant to book, or the repeat prescription you needed to arrange, just as you re putting the children to bed, or washing your hair. Or is that just us? If so, you ll be pleased to know that you can book appointments, order repeat prescriptions and so much more on our new website: www.vetsonthepark.co.uk We also have a facebook page where we add news and special offers that we think might be of interest to our friends. You can share photos and funny stories, as well as ask for advice, so don t forget to like us at Vets on the Park. Vets on the Park Moorend Grove, Leckhampton Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL53 OEX 01242 517 199 www.vetsonthepark.co.uk Follow us on Tweet us on www.facebook.com/vetsonthepark www.twitter.com/vetsonthepark for the pets in your life - your vet for life 12