We have had an influx of dogs with cut pads and grazes recently. Poor dogs, poor owners!

Unfortunately it seems most cases occur from the carelessness of people dropping bottles and not using a bin. It is really important to check your dogs paws every day after their walks, especially longer-haired breeds where something happening may not be as obvious.

If you find anything on your dogs’ paws, no matter how small, it is important to get it checked by your vet as soon as possible. Something as insignificant as a small graze can soon turn into something much less manageable (and less affordable), the moment your dog starts to lick as most dogs do!

Please don’t be tempted to apply any creams you may have in your first aid box at home (they could do more harm than good) or attempt putting on a bandage. Any bandage should be put on by a professional to make sure the correct materials are used and it is not too tight or too loose.

Carolyn

Last week someone brought in a kitten that she found in her garden. She was clearly in distress with a very badly damaged eye. When we examined her she was lovely and friendly – very sweet! She seemed to be about 4 months old. None of us were prepared to put such a young and lovely kitten to sleep that was otherwise healthy so the team opted to help her out.

We removed her bad eye and neutered her at the same time for her long-term health. She was full of worms and so was wormed on recovery. The nurses took turns looking after her in the day and taking her home at night.

The Cat’s Protection League and the RSPCA gave us some funding for the case.

She’s been so full of fun and with such a lovely nature we’re all pleased we could help her out and we have already found her a loving home.

Carolyn

 As we near the end of February birds are thinking about nesting. Nestboxes are excellent substitutes for the holes found in old trees. In young woodlands and plantations, and in many parks and gardens there may be plenty of food for small birds but nowhere for hole-nesting birds to nest. In my Leylandii hedge birds just love the small hanging-type simple wicker baskets – especially the wrens.Over 60 species are known to have used nestboxes. Regular residents include blue, great and coal tits, nuthatches, house and tree sparrows, starlings, spotted and pied flycatchers, robins, house martins, kestrels and tawny owls. Much depends on the type of the box, where it is located, and on its surroundings. If you’re in the process of purchasing or building a new house or extension, ask either the developer or builder to fit internal nestboxes for swifts, house sparrows or starlings into the design of the building.The box, and new entrance hole, should be located at the same place as any existing nests and access should be a slot or hole, usually where the soffit meets the wall. It’s worth remembering that places for new starling nests are best located away from windows, doors and bedrooms as they can be a little noisy and messy.Buying boxes can be costly and there are many sites online with guides to build your own if you are a handy person.We can also help be providing nesting materials – nothing fancy is required – when you brush your dog or cat collect the fur and put it in a peanut holder – you’d be amazed how quickly it gets taken. If possible also leave some on the ground though as it’s mainly only the tits that will take from the feeder.Providing nesting places and materials encourages a healthy bird population but is also highly entertaining – especially when the fledglings appear and you can have hours of entertainment watching them learn to fly and running their parents ragged!

Shona

Generally speaking you could say that dogs run away for one of two reasons. They take off in order to get to somewhere or something they want or to get away from something or someone they’re not comfortable with.

More specifically you can usually trace your dog’s running away behavior back to one or more of the following causes:
Boredom, roaming for a mate, loud noises (such as a thunderstorm or fireworks), separation anxiety, isolation, escaping from mistreatment, lack of obedience training, easy access to “freedom”, predatory drive, following a tasty scent, eliciting play, other animals around, psychological problems or inadequate socialization

As you can see there are many reasons for a dog to run away – don’t take it personally, my new bitch is an escape artist. I realised the reason she was doing this is simple, she is on day 20 of her season so could be looking for a mate. Therefore the solution to my problem would be to get her spayed, if it is a mate she’s looking for.

It’s not always as simple as that though, today when she escaped I found her with a male.  Now I have the problem of pregnancy. So now, I have to wait until she is finished her season, then on two consecutive days she will need an injection of Alizin to terminate the pregnancy.

Lindsay

Many of our clients here at St Clair’s already use and trust the James Wellbeloved brand of Pet Foods and we would love to encourage more of our clients to try it. The company are constantly striving to improve the foods’ already trusted high quality level of ingredients. JWB provide our pets with specially selected wholesome ingredients to make it completely satisfying and very tasty. Furthermore it is hypoallergenic and uses NO artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, making it ideal for those pets with itchy skin or an iffy tummy.

James Wellbeloved is always trying to expand their range of food so do keep an eye out for changes and additions. Many of the staff here and their family and friends feed JWB to their own pets and are happy to recommend it to others, so always feel free to ask a member of staff here at St Clair’s for any advice.

Some of the range is kept in stock but anything else can be ordered in within 24 hours.

Laura

Feeding is another great expense and again will vary with the size and needs of your pet. Larger breeds for example will need help with their joints, smaller breeds for their teeth and some others may have specific requirements. Young animals should get food designed for growing etc. and older animals need special requirements too.

Laura

 If you are interested in birds and love watching real live wildlife right outside your home you probably routinely feed the birds. I was concerned I had seen so few this year, my mother commented it was the same 300 miles north – normally both of our tables need twice daily feeding to keep up with demand!

 Last weekend the RSPB ran their annual birdwatch campaign – counting all species seen in your garden over one weekend. Across the country people dutifully watched and noted and the outcome was the numbers and variety of species had plummeted – was this cause for concern?

 Apparently not. Experts have confirmed all species are as healthy as ever but due to the mild winter (my cherry tree blossomed over Christmas….) the birds are preferring the eat a healthier diet of berries, insects etc rather than the fast food snacks available at a table – maybe I should be taking some tips from them!

 Here’s hoping I see plenty back for the nesting season.

Shona

I have recently adopted another Siberian husky bitch called Starr, I was a bit worried about Shadow my male as he can be very protective towards his mother Skye. However he has taken to her like she has always been part of the family. Whereas Skye who normally gets on with most animals turned out to be the territorial one of the house.

The first week was hard making sure they didn’t fight, ensuring everyone ate there own food as Starr seemed to polish off everyone’s meals if given the opportunity. Skye has been a bit temperamental when, Starr tried to lie on her bed, however looks like Starr has realised Skye’s the boss of the house, and backs off so hopefully all will stay well.

I have even been leaving them alone this week and so far we still have three dogs, without cuts and scrapes. (phew) I was a bit scared the first day I left them, (actually I didn’t want to come home just in case!!) However I ensured they all had there food before I left, as its still to soon to leave them alone with food. I gave them a few bowls of fresh water and they had enough places to lie as they have the garden and conservatory to roam, fortunately all went well as far as I know anyway!!

Lindsay

- If your pet is having dental work or surgery, it is important to run same-day blood work prior to anaesthesia primarily to ensure your pet can properly process and eliminate the drugs given to induce and maintain anaesthesia. It is especially recommended in animals over the age of 7 years, as they are more likely to have problems.
- Pre-anaesthetic testing helps us understand whether your pet’s vital organs are functioning properly and alerts us to potential underlying diseases, which can help us create an individualized anaesthetic plan for your pet and avoid potential complications during surgery.
- Regardless of why your pet is being anaesthetized, pre-anaesthetic testing establishes a baseline for their individual health, which is helpful for future reference

WHAT INFORMATION WILL THE RESULTS OF MY PET’S BLOOD WORK SHOW?
 
- The blood sample is collected from a vein in the foreleg or neck and is used to check your pet’s blood cells (haematology part ), liver and kidneys as well as for diabetes (biochemistry part).
- Haematology is the check on the blood cells. Anaemia is where the red blood cells are low and this could be a worry if the operation is likely to cause a lot of blood loss. If the red blood cell level is high this is most likely a sign of dehydration so your pet is likely to need to go on a drip. A high white blood cell count is usually a sign of infection so your pet may be put on antibiotics.
- As anaesthetic drugs are mainly removed from your pet’s body by the liver and kidneys it is important to know how they are functioning.
- The liver is checked by measuring two enzymes in the blood, which are normally at very low levels. Any damage to the liver cells causes a release of these enzymes into the blood and can indicate an underlying problem that will need investigating.
- Urea and creatinine are removed from the blood by the kidneys so if the kidneys are not working properly levels rise.
- It is important to also check a urine sample to see how concentrated it is when looking at kidney function.
- Glucose is measured to ensure your pet is not diabetic (a urine sample will be required to interpret the result) and to make sure they have enough energy for the duration of the operation.

WHAT CAN I DO TO PREPARE MY PET FOR SURGERY?
 
- Make sure your pet has not eaten anything (fasted) at least 12 hours before surgery. Fasted samples ensure more accurate testing and interpretation of results.
- Bring any medication your pet is taking and consider taking along a favourite toy. The comforts of home can be a great help to your pet during recovery
- Ask questions if you don’t understand what is being done or why. Surgery can be complicated, so it is important to know all you can about your pet’s health.

Vio Doran

 You may not have noticed but it’s been a little cold this week! Many of us have to drive to work and de-icing products are commonly used to get us on our way. However you may not be aware of just how poisonous these products can be to cats and dogs.

 The poison is called ethylene glycol and very little needs to be taken in to cause poisoning. It is a sweet substance and so attractive to dogs and cats (and wildlife).

 This is a very severe poisoning and timing is of the essence as animals die very rapidly after ingestion – contact a vet IMMEDIATELY if you see your animal drinking some of the product or if you see the following signs.

 1.     30 minutes after ingestion up to 12 hours (dependent on dose) looks like the animal is “drunk”. You may also see vomiting and seizures (fits).

 2.     12-24 hours later the animal will have an incredibly high heart rate and breathing rate

 3.     24-72 hours later the animal goes into renal (kidney) failure

 Now this blog is mainly to make people aware that this is a poison as often people do not realise until too late that the animal has been poisoned. However we recently had a case where some very observant owners brought their cat in – he appears drunk and was breathing very fast. He was immediately put on fluids and sedated to control the fitting and given alcohol into his vein – this seems odd but it is the antidote for the poisoning! Although it took over 12 hours of sedation to control the fits the cat returned to full health with no kidney problems because of a very rapid diagnosis.

 Rapid action is essential but prevention is always the best cure – make sure animals cannot get access to de-icers, certain transmission fluids and even the fluid in “snow globes”.

 In the meantime let’s hope it warms up and de-icer is no longer required!

Shona