Sanatorium Road Cardiff CF11 8DG Tel: 029 2038 2211 www.park-vets.com Christmas Newsletter 2016 MEET THE TEAM SIMON MOAT SUZANNE BAXTER MARY WALTERS ANDY WALES That crazy festive season is upon us. Christmas brings fun, laughter and many stresses, as we all know. So spare a thought for our pets, and plan for them to enjoy this time of year as well. If your house is going to be full to bursting this Christmas, maybe your pet would be safer and happier away from all of this. We may see boarding kennels or catteries as undesirable, but given the choice of a kennel routine or a noisy Christmas in unfamiliar surroundings, some of our pets may actually choose the former. So do your homework, make a plan and book the kennels well in advance. This is a busy time of year and the best establishments will be fully booked. Don t forget to check your pet s vaccines are up to date. If your pets are staying with you for the festivities, provide them with a bolt-hole to escape the craziness either a comfy indoor kennel or just a home-made cave behind the settee. Sudden noises including fireworks can startle them, so plan in advance, as you would for November 5 th. At Park Vets we have various products designed to reduce stress levels. These are natural pheromone products, available as plug in diffuser or sprays Feliway for cats and Adaptil for dogs. They help calm anxious individuals without replying on drugs. The Adaptil for dogs also comes in a collar version to accompany your anxious dog into all situations. We also have several natural calming products which can be given by mouth before an anticipated stressful event. And then we move onto all the accidents waiting to happen There are many poisoning opportunities over Christmas. Top of the list must be Chocolate with the advent calendar or wrapped present under the tree being the main culprit. Dogs become experts at sniffing out chocolate and over indulging. All chocolate is dangerous to dogs, but dark chocolate with high cocoa is the worst!
ANDY JEFFERS Chocolate contains a stimulant called Theobromine (a bit like coffee). It can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, restleness, twitchiness progressing to seizures and even death in highest doses. Mistletoe, Ivy and Poinsetta can cause vomiting and diarrhoea, retching, salivation and abdominal discomfort due to gastric irritation MORGAN RICHARDS Of course Anti-Freeze (ethylene gycol) can be accessible at this time of year. This also causes kidney failure and is rapidly fatal to cats who seem to actively lap it up. We have also seen cases of E-cigarette toxicity. These can contain a high concentration of nicotine, and the flavourings attract pets. Ingestion causes gastrointestinal signs including salivation, pain, vomiting and diarrhoea. They can also effect the heart and nervous system causing high blood pressure, collapse, ataxia, tremors or coma. They can cause death by paralysis of breathing muscles. THOMAS SEARLE And three cat specific poisonings are: Lily poisoning in cats must never be under estimated. If ingested, lilies can cause kidney failure and be fatal to cats. Paracetamol. This cannot be safely broken down by a cats metabolism so ingestion can cause liver failure which is fatal. So keep your hangover cures safely locked away! JESSICA READER MATT PACK Some dog flea spot ons contain Permethrin which cannot be processed by cats, causing tremors and seizures which can be fatal. One of the most common reasons for seeing your dogs over Christmas must be Turkey Tummy. Our pets need to stick to a regular diet and if given unfamiliar food will easily get vomiting and diarrhoea. Turkey is NOT the same as chicken it is much richer and more difficult to digest, so giving your dog his own Turkey Christmas dinner may backfire (literally!) and may mean a poorly dog and an unwanted trip to the vets. All those Christmas decoration, crackers and toys are an excellent opportunity for a nosey dog to swallow something which may obstruct his tummy, Foreign Bodies can be extremely distressing and may require surgery to remove the obstruction so please be careful! And not meaning to nag: Remember that Dogs and other pets are for life NOT just for Christmas! Please don t buy a pet as an impulse Christmas Present. Come and have a chat with our nurses who will happily guide you through the maze of decisions.
JOHNNY FAIRE Phew. Have we managed to put you off Christmas altogether yet? It s not that scary and should be fun, provided you plan ahead. With a little forethought, your family and your pets should stay safe and away from Park Vets over Christmas. But if the need arises we are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, as someone somewhere will need us and we promise to always be available for you and your pets. RYAN FRANCIS If you need any stocking fillers for your pets, we have a great selection of Christmas jumpers, selection boxes, toys and collars. Why not pop in for a social visit today? A chance to visit our waiting room with your dog without the scary vet visit is always a positive experience for any pet. Perhaps you d like one of our vet nurses to quickly check your pet s weight before any over indulgence begins! As with us humans it s so much easier to control a weight problem in the earlier stages, before the battle of the bulge is already lost. We run weight clinics for advice and guidance, but you are welcome to pop in at any time to weigh your pet. STEWART WILSON We have some weight clinic success stories later on in the newsletter. Not forgetting our senior pets. Winter can take its toll on our elderly dogs and cats as it does on our relatives. Make sure to provide extra warmth and draft free places to sleep and relax. Older arthritic pets will appreciate that extra warmth, especially if they have lost some muscle tone/body weight in their latter years. Older cats may need some extra help getting through the cat flap when the floor is icy and the flap is a little harder to push open. Encourage them to stay indoors in the warmth, maybe provide extra litter trays. Our nurses run Senior Pet Clinics if you think a general health check would benefit your older dog or cat. Just by weighing and examining your pet and talking, listening to you, they can pick up and deal with many of your concerns. Suzanne Baxter
Nurse Weight Clinics SPOCK Meet Spock, Spock has been a client of ours for a long time but we had recently noticed that Spock was suffering from a bit of middle age spread. Spock's weight had reached 8.03kgs, which meant he was 25% overweight. Overweight cats are highly susceptible to feline diabetes, heart disease, joint problems and reduced life expectancy, so we needed to address this. Spock was a lucky cat, his owner fully embraced the help we could offer through our nurse weight clinics. We signed Spock up in December 2015 at a weight of 8.03kgs, we started him on a specially formulated diet for weight loss RCW Satiety diet, which is high in digestible protein and fibre to ensure Spock would feel fuller for longer and not be hungry on his diet, best of both worlds! We used body condition scoring to also access Spock s progress, as well as the dreaded weigh in! Spock attended regular appointments so we could check his progress and help answer any questions his owner may have, by March he had lost 300g. In April he was down to 7kgs which was his half way to his target. By May he had reached a slim 6.6kgs then by July he had reached his target weight of 6.0kgs! I think you will agree he is looking wonderful! His owner cannot believe how much he has changed, she said that she has the old Spock back, hunting birds, running up and down the stairs and being far more playful! His best friend Data has also taken up the challenge! Spock will continue to be monitored by our nurses at our clubs to ensure his fit new lifestyle continues. LUCKY Lucky is another of our Weight Clinic successes from our Pontypridd branch. He started his weight loss plan in November 2015 when he was 20kg and has now reached his target of below 14kg. Lucky loves food, but he loves his new fit lifestyle more! Mrs Holmes, Lucky's owner said, "The classes helped us both a lot. Very helpful and friendly. Very pleased for lucky to reach his target weight. So thank you all for guiding us both. Thanks." We will continue to see Lucky regularly as we put in place a maintenance programme to ensure he stays at his best. Look at the difference in the before and after pictures!! Well done Lucky!
Case Report - E.P.I in a Cavalier Spaniel Pets Name: Fudge Breed: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Age: 5 years 2 months Illness: E.P.I. (Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency) Fudge has been coming back and forth to Park Vets since July this year. He has been very, very poorly and his owner thought at one stage she may lose him. He went from 10.5 kg to 7.2 kg in weeks. He has since been diagnosed with E.P.I. What is EPI? Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI) is the inability of the acinar cells of the exocrine pancreas to produce and secrete the 3 necessary enzymes needed to digest food. In easy terms the pancreas stops producing the enzymes needed to absorb the goodness from food. The three enzymes are:- Amylase for digestion of carbohydrates (sugars and starches in grains, fruits & vegetables). Lipases for digestion of fats and oils. Trypsin and Proteases for digestion of proteins. EPI is sometimes referred to as Pancreatic Hypoplasia or Pancreatic Acinar Atrophy (PAA). EPI can also be the secondary condition of a chronic illness, such as chronic pancreatitis. Without these naturally produced enzymes, food remains undigested and unabsorbed resulting in an EPI dog, who despite eating copious amounts of food, is constantly hungry, undernourished and can literally starve to death. Without proper treatment, dogs with EPI can die a painful death from malnourishment, starvation and/or organ failure. In addition to a special prescription diet & enzyme supplements, Fudge is having regular Vitamin B injections and is regularly checked by the vets to keep the condition under control. It s just as well Fudge loves coming here as she has been here a lot since July and we love having her!
GOLD PET HEALTH CLUB Why it makes perfect sense to join our GOLD Pet Health Club It helps you provide essential routine care for your pet, which is all part of being a responsible pet owner. You save money on the cost of treatments and services that keep your pet healthy and happy. You can spread the cost of routine care by convenient Direct Debit, making it easier to manage. Save money and spread the cost with convenient direct debits Included in your GOLD Health Club Annual booster vaccination Annual Kennel Cough Vaccination (Dogs only) 12 months Flea and worm treatment Check out the extra benefits of membership: Free micro chipping for dogs 25% off micro chipping for cats 30 annual voucher for out of hours treatment 10% off repeat prescriptions 10% off routine dentals and dentistry products 10% off routine neutering 15% off diets including prescription diets 10% off additional parasite control FREE health checks with our nurses for nail clips, weight checks, ear cleaning and general advice Cost Per Month And it s so easy to join Ask at reception and join our Pet Health Club today. There is no joining fee so just ask for an application form and we ll get you started on a program of affordable life-long veterinary care for your pet. DOGS Toy 0-3kg Small 4-10kg Medium 11kg - 25kg Large 26kg - 40kg Very Large 41-65kg CATS Cats Less than 10kg 10.61 per month 11.92 per month 12.46 per month 13.91 per month 20.29 per month 9.53 per month
CHRISTMAS OPENING HOURS AT ALL OUR BRANCHES Morgan Street, Pontypridd Tel: 01443 403535 Sanatorium Road, (Main Branch) Tel: 029 20 382211 Albert Rd, Penarth Tel: 029 20 703952 Fri 23 rd Dec - Normal Hours Sat 24 th Dec -8.30am 12.00 pm Sun 25 th Dec - Emergencies Only Mon 26 th Dec - Emergencies Only Tues 27 th Dec - Emergencies Only Wed 28 th Dec - Normal Hours Thur 29 th Dec Normal Hours Fri 30 th Dec - Normal Hours Sat 31 st Dec -8.30am 12.00 pm Sun 1 st Jan 2017 - Emergencies Only Mon 2 nd Jan 2017 Emergencies Only Tues 3 rd Jan 2017- Normal Hours Fri 23 rd Dec - Normal Hours Sat 24 th Dec - 8.30 3.00 pm Sun 25 th Dec - Emergencies Only Mon 26 th Dec - Emergencies Only Tues 27 th Dec - Emergencies Only Wed 28 th Dec - Normal Hours Thur 29 th Dec Normal Hours Fri 30 th Dec - Normal Hours Sat 31 st Dec -8.30 3.00 pm Sun 1 st Jan 2017 - Emergencies Only Mon 2 nd Jan 2017 Emergencies Only Tues 3 rd Jan 2017- Normal Hours Fri 23 rd Dec - Normal Hours Sat 24 th Dec 8.30am 12.00 pm Sun 25 th Dec - Emergencies Only Mon 26 th Dec - Emergencies Only Tue 27 th Dec - Emergencies Only Wed 28 th Dec - Normal Hours Thur 29 th Dec Normal Hours Fri 30 th Dec Normal hours Sat 31 st Dec 8.30am 12.00 pm Sun 1 st Jan 2017 - Emergencies Only Mon 2 nd Jan 2017 Emergencies Only Tues 3 rd Jan 2017- Normal Hours INCASE OF AN EMERGENCY OUT OF HOURS PLEASE TEL: 029 20 382211 All the staff at Park Vets would like to wish all our customers and their pets a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!