companion Animals MAY 2013 dog conditions digital xrays hip Screening Cover - Calypso the Burmese, Dave Kruger Photos by Richard Hilson www.vshb.co.nz
Farm Working Dogs employment conditions Caroline Robertson Our farm dogs do a tremendous amount of work but sometimes their conditions of employment leave a bit to be desired i.e. the dog kennel. There was a country calendar programme recently that profiled a farmer who had recently built new kennels and installed heating systems. I ve also heard that some working dog owners put coats on their dogs at night especially the older dogs. I am not suggesting that we all go and install heating systems or even bulk purchase dog coats, but it makes economic sense to ensure that your dogs who are worth a considerable amount of money, are housed well. A dog that has a warm and draft proof kennel will utilise less energy to keep warm and need less food to keep in optimal condition than a dog kept in a substandard kennel. It will also help keep them The Working dog vs the professional cyclist fitter and healthier. Maybe there is a place for installing some wall and ceiling insulation in new kennels it certainly works for us. Day to day on our farms we usually don t pay much attention to the state of the dog kennels. Take the time before it gets too cold to look at yours with fresh eyes. A simple check and a little bit of maintenance could make all the difference. Check the roof is not leaking and that there are no rotten boards that allow the wind in, and check the kennel position so that it is out of the wind, in the summer has shade, and in winter lets some sunshine in. Planting deciduous trees can also be useful. Hopefully we are all moving away from dogs tied under trees with rudimentary shelter and standing in the mud. This type of housing is very energy inefficient and also increases the risk of parasite worm burdens from the dogs constantly standing in faecal contaminated dirt. It also makes flea control much more difficult. Caroline Robertson As most parents of boarding school kids would attest to - food is important! The importance of food and working dogs was bought home to me recently when I attended the World Small Animal Veterinary Associations conference held last month in Auckland. Being the host country, New Zealand ran a series of lectures on the veterinary care of the New Zealand working dog. Of all of the lectures, one in particular stood out; comparing the food or calorie requirements of a sheep dog to those of an Alaskan sled dog and a professional cyclist. In various trials that have been carried out, the average NZ working dog runs 10-20km per day, (taking into account the time spent on the back of the quad-bike or truck) and it is estimated that at 50% of peak work the sheep dog requires 630-840 KJ/Kg bodyweight and at peak work or in inclement weather the requirement may be upwards of 1354 KJ/Kg bodyweight. In comparison an average active Labrador requires about 410 KJ/Kg bodyweight whilst an Alaskan Sled dog working in frozen conditions a requires a staggering 5183 KJ/Kg bodyweight/day The true extent of how much we need to feed our working dogs becomes clear when comparing a sheep dogs requirement to a professional cyclist. It is estimated that a professional cyclist doing 6 hours/day for 10 days (3300km over mountains) requires an average 1353KJ/Kg bodyweight, very similar to our peak work sheep dogs requirements think about the comparison - it is staggering! Trials have also been carried out to test different fat, carbohydrate and protein ratios in sheepdog diets. Those trials showed that sheepdogs require a diet which is: High in fat (improves endurance and reduces respiratory and heat loss) Low in carbohydrates (there is no known benefit from carbs in dogs diet, no benefit to carb loading before workout compared to humans, and the calories are better provided by fat and a high protein >25% ME diet). In trials, protein levels of 19% saw an occurrence of 8 times more injuries than those on a 24% ME protein diet. This is attributed to the lower protein content leading to increased muscle fatigue, increased incidences of stress fractures, and bone stress and strain as a result of muscle fatigue as the muscle takes less of the pressure and overloads the bone. This correlates to what we often see in practice. So in summary, according to the sheepdog trial work completed, the ideal diet for working dogs is a high fat, low carb, high protein diet such as is provided in Eukanuba or Hills foods and fed within two hours after work. Please make sure you talk to us about the most suitable food for your team of dogs. Other commonly sold foods which are low fat, low protein and high in carbohydrate were said to be unsuitable for working dogs. Food for thought and just be thankful you have no Alaskan sled dogs on your farm work dog team. Type Activity KJ/Kgbodyweight/day Sheepdog 50% peak 630-840 Sheepdog Peak or winter >1354 Labrador Active 410 Cyclist Mountain course- 10 day / 3300km 1354 Alaskan Sled dog Extreme 5183
Penn Hip The Future of Hip Screening Neil Stuttle The Penn Hip (University of Pennsylvania Hip Improvement Program) method to test for hip dysplasia and subsequent risk for hip osteoarthritis is available at Vet Services Hawkes Bay. Canine hip dysplasia is the most commonly inherited orthopaedic disease, resulting in increased hip laxity and the development of hip arthritis, pain, stiffness and diminished quality of life. The Penn Hip technique, developed in the 1980s by a leading orthopaedic surgeon measures the degree of hip laxity (distraction index) through a series of x-rays performed under sedation by a Penn Hip certified vet. Over the past twenty years evidence based medicine has shown Penn Hip to be the most accurate method for detecting hip dysplasia and the risk of early onset hip arthritis. This is because Penn Hip assesses the primary cause of the problem (hip laxity) as opposed to identifying secondary arthritis as is the case with other screening methods. Who can benefit from Penn Hip? Breeders Penn Hip has the highest heritability value of the hip scoring methods. This means dams/sires will pass good hip characteristics onto their offspring. Real genetic progress can be made by breeding dogs with better than average breed scores. Over the past twenty years using the NZVA Willis system the average hip score value has barely dropped! It is time for a change in approach! Working/Service Dogs - Training working dogs involves a great deal of investment in both time and money. Penn Hip can screen dogs from as early as four months to determine the risk of development of hip dysplasia/arthritis. New Zealand police dog puppies are all screened using the Penn Hip system. Huntaways are particularly susceptible to hip dysplasia and we commonly see young dogs affected by this condition. Early screening can help prevent this. Pet Dogs Early information regarding the risk for hip dysplasia/ arthritis can mean early intervention with management strategies involving exercise/ diet. If you are interested in Penn Hip or have any queries please contact us. Hip dysplasia is a disease that continues to be prevalent; looking into the future the Penn Hip system hopes to make it a disease of the past. DIGITAL X RAY FOR SMALL ANIMALS Dave Kruger We have recently installed a digital x ray unit in our companion animal clinics in Waipukurau and Dannevirke. The Hastings unit will be installed within the next few months. These systems have a number of advantages over the traditional film x- rays we were using. The quality of image generated is far superior and can be easily manipulated in terms of brightness and contrast, areas of interest can be magnified for examination and images can be labelled/ measured using the installed software. Additionally, the digital images can easily be emailed to specialists or referral centres when required. We are also now able to eliminate the use of developer and fixer chemicals and the inherent problems that are associated with wet developing and automatic processers. With emergency cases there is no need to wait for developers to heat up and images can be obtained within minutes. Case example: Indi is a four month old (very deaf) white kitten who suffered a fractured femur six weeks ago. The image shown demonstrates the intramedullary bone pin and healed fracture. As can be seen by Indi s relaxed pose, there are now no worries with this cat!
LEPTOSPIROSIS IN DOGS AN UPDATE Leptospirosis (Lepto) in dogs is a topic we have visited a few times over the last couple of years, but it warrants another update for two reasons! We are heading into the season of risk for farm dogs picking up Leptospirosis Pomona and Hardjo the strains that we find in sheep, cattle, and deer. Previous canine cases have shown up in the winter, and this season, with the current wet period preceded by drought, the risk is likely to be higher. There will be more livestock stressed by feed shortage and feed change, and by parasitism; and possibly more ground-water which the animals will be grazing right into. Because of these factors, shedding of bacteria, and therefore challenge to other animals, may be higher this year. Keep an eye out for lethargic, unwell livestock (usually lambs or weaner cattle and deer). Infected dogs will also be lethargic, and you may notice them drinking more and eating less, or vomiting. If you have a sick dog, bring it in to us as soon as possible - obviously there are other causes for the symptoms listed above, but in all cases Richard Sides the earlier the diagnosis and treatment the greater the chance of success. At the International Sheep Congress (Rotorua Feb 2013) there was a working-dog day, at which Massey outlined research being undertaken on Lepto vaccination in farm dogs (we were involved in this trial). I spoke about the cases seen in Central Hawkes Bay, and there was an expert-panel discussion on the state of this disease in New Zealand. The upshot of the discussion is there is still a lot more we need to know about Lepto in rural dogs. It is hard to be sure how great the risks are, and no-one is ready to recommend whole-sale vaccination, yet. But watch this space, and if you feel your dogs are at higher risk (for example if you have had an outbreak confirmed in livestock) please talk to us about ways of reducing this risk. Humans catch Lepto just as easily as dogs, so a conversation on managing the risk of leptospirosis on your farm could be worthwhile for your own sake as well as that of your animals. Lighter note... A couple were Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve and the whole place was heaving, packed with other last minute shoppers. Walking through the shopping centre the surprised wife looked up from a window display and noticed her husband was nowhere to be seen. She knew they had lots still to do and she became very upset. She rummaged in her handbag and found her mobile phoned then used it to call her husband to ask him where he was. The husband in a calm voice replied: Darling, you remember the jewellery shop we went into five years ago, where you fell in love with that diamond necklace that we could not afford and I told you that one day I would get it for you...? His wife s eyes filled with tears of emotion, she began to cry softly and stifling a sob she whispered: Yes, I remember that jewellery shop... Well, he said, I m in the pub next door! GET YOUR BEST WORKER BACK. Osteoarthritis is a painful and debilitating condition affecting 1 in 5 dogs. It could be the reason your dog is stiff, hesitant to jump on the ute or isn t as enthusiastic on the job as it used to be. Trocoxil Chewable Tablets for Dogs are a breakthrough treatment just one tablet each month* provides continuous pain relief and can help transform your dog s quality of life. To find out more, talk to your vet today or visit www.trocoxil.co.nz * after an initial loading dose Relief that lasts Zoetis New Zealand Limited. Level 3, 14 Normanby Road, Mt Eden, Auckland 1024, New Zealand. Tel: 0800 650 277, Fax: 0800 628 629. TROCOXIL is a registered trade mark of Zoetis Inc. or its subsidiaries. ACVM Registration No. A10459. RVM; Available only under Veterinary Authorisation. BCG2-H TRX0016 Reminder: Sheep scanning If you haven t received a letter yet or got in touch to make a booking please get in touch with us. DON T FORGET: You can also register on-line at www.vshb.co.nz/sheepscanning
this months winners Frontline Garden Pack: Hastings: Tracey Oliver Waipukurau: Kerry White Waterblaster: Napier: Bruce & Michelle Tomlinson Papakiri Farm Hastings: DG & VJ Cornes Waipukurau: Tim Chittick, Kyren Farm Dannevirke: Rex & Kerry Rosacker Gastric dilation volvulus (GDV) Mike Fitzgerald Gastric dilation-volvulus, (also known as bloat or twisted stomach ) is an acute life threatening syndrome predominantly occurring in large breed dogs. The syndrome is characterised by rapid accumulation of gas, ingesta and fluid in the stomach, resulting in dilation and/or twisting of the stomach. This results in compression of the major blood vessels and impaired breathing, leading to cardiovascular shock and if left untreated, death. GDV syndrome most commonly occurs in large and giant breed, deep chested dogs (Huntaways being the most common dogs presented to us for GDV). Initial clinical signs include restlessness, salivation and nonproductive attempts to vomit, followed by abdominal and/ or chest distension, pain, weakness and generally a very sick looking dog! Symptoms usually appear a few hours after feeding (which often means that affected dogs are not noticed until the next morning!) Please remember that GDV is an emergency! Treatment involves cardiovascular stabilisation, deflating the stomach and surgery to reposition the stomach and attach it to the abdominal wall in its correct position. Prognosis depends on severity of the dilation/twist, and the time between the onset of symptoms and veterinary attention. Approximately 65% of working dogs treated for GDV in New Zealand return back to work. The cause of GDV is unknown, but a set of risk factors have been identified that appear to be associated with the syndrome Risk factors include Exercise after a large meal Feeding a large meal once daily Male dogs more at risk Fast eating dogs and scavenging dogs Underweight dogs Fear at time of feeding (e.g. fear of kennel mates or owner) Elevated feeding bowls Having a 1 st degree relative affected by GDV syndrome (genetics) Season (summer) Prevention measures include avoiding the above risk factors, plus; At risk dogs should have their daily food ration split in half and fed twice daily. Ideally dogs should not be exercised within two hours of feeding, one hour at a minimum Preventative surgery (attaching the stomach to the abdominal wall) should be considered in high risk animals (animals with a 1 st degree relative affected by GDV) or in high value animals Animals treated for GDV should not be used for future breeding If you suspect your dog to be suffering from GDV / bloat / twisted stomach, ring us at the clinic immediately! Buy any Eukanuba 12kg or larger and receive the 2.5 or 3kg in the equivalent FREEproduct FREE! Eukanuba 2.5/3kg Dog Food Limited time only. While stocks last. Excludes Farm Food and Veterinary Diets.
NAPIER 210 Taradale Road 06 843 5308 HASTINGS 801W Heretaunga Street 06 876 7001 DANNEVIRKE 9 Gordon Street 06 374 7021 WAIPUKURAU 43 Takapau Road 06 858 9060 www.vshb.co.nz