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SPRING NEWSLETTER 2000
Can You Help Your Pet Find Its Way Home?
Bonnie slips the lead and runs across the park towards the bushes. By the time her owner gets to where she last saw her she is nowhere in sight. After searching and calling for some time her owner finds her collar and name tag on a branch. How is he going to find Bonnie, now? Luckily Bonnie has a microchip under the skin at the back of her neck; this chip has a special number which can be scanned rather like a barcode at the supermarket. By knowing this number we can trace Bonnie's owner and they can be re-united.
A microchip is slightly bigger than a grain
of rice and is inserted by a quick injection. We often have injured cats
or dogs handed in which look like they have a loving home but we cannot
tell who they belong to as they have no collar. It is wonderful when we
find a chip that will tell us exactly who they are.
Ask at reception about microchipping your pet... It could be you left holding
the broken collar.
Pre Operative Blood Tests: Should Your Pet Have One?
From tartar laden teeth to those annoying
warts that itch and bleed and on to more worrying lumps and bumps where
there is sometimes no option but to give a general anaesthetic.
Modern anaesthetic agents are a lot gentler on the body than the more old
fashioned variety and recovery times are a lot shorter and less stressful
than they used to be. Overnight starvation for surgery and a reluctance
to drink because of sedation can take their toll, however. Therefore an
awareness of pre-existing problems can give us the chance of minimising
further damage by providing fluids during the operation and choosing the
best drugs for the patient. We may even decide to postpone an elective procedure,
such as dentistry, until we are happy that your pet is better able to cope
with it.
We have the benefit of an in-house biochemistry
analyser which looks at the chemicals in your pet's blood to give us an
idea of how the liver and kidneys are working and if we ought to suspect
other diseases such as diabetes.
If your cat is over 10 years, your dog is 8 years or older or your pet has
been drinking a lot recently, has been off colour and is in need of an anaesthetic
ask about pre-anaesthetic blood testing. It causes minimal distress, is
affordable and could save your pet's life.
The New Pet Travel Scheme - Prepare Your Pet for Going Abroad
This scheme was launched in March 2000 and
means that dogs and cats can travel to a lot of European countries and rabies-free
islands and then return to Britain without spending 6 months in Quarantine.
Although it was originally aimed at people returning from living abroad
it means that it will be possible to take your pet with you on Holiday.
To make sure that Britain remains free of Rabies and other diseases found
on the Continent, there is a strict procedure that must be followed before
travel. This means that planning for a trip must start well in advance of
when you wish to travel.
Pets must first have a microchip implanted
to permanently identify them. They also need to be vaccinated against rabies
and blood-tested to make sure the vaccination has "worked". This
process can take 1-2 months and pets cannot re-enter Britain until 6 months
after a positive blood test.
In the warmer climate of Europe, ticks carry a lot of unpleasant diseases
that so-far are very rare in Britain. Pets can also pick up a kind of tapeworm
that can be passed to people. This is why, before returning to Britain,
pets must have a certificate signed by a European vet to say that they have
been treated for ticks and tapeworms. For their own safety, we would recommend
treating dogs and cats BEFORE going to Europe as well to prevent them getting
any ticks at all.
More detailed information is available on the PET helpline 0870
241 1710 (8.30am-5pm on weekdays) or on the DEFRA website: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/quarantine/index.htm
Ask one of our vets for more details about preventative measures against
ticks, tapeworms and other exotic diseases.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
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