General News

Protecting a dog’s ability to run and play is key to preserving quality of life. That’s why early recognition and treatment is so important. Did you know that 20% of dogs over the age of 1 and 80% of dogs of 8 will show sign of Osteoarthritis (OA)?

As winter is now upon us, your dog may be showing signs of stiffness such as trouble jumping up on the couch, difficulty climbing up stairs, or taking longer to get up in the morning. Painful joints may be aggravated by the cold temperature from the change in season.

OA is a chronic condition where cartilage in the joints breaks down, causing pain and swelling. As OA gets worse, bone spurs can form, causing more pain and joint damage.

Simple lifestyle changes can help protect against OA:

• Food: Make sure your dog is eating a nutritious and balanced diet to help them maintain a consistent weight.
• Bedding: Padded, soft bedding can relieve pressure on joints. It is also important to make sure your dog is warm when they sleep.
• Exercise: Make sure your dog is getting light to moderate exercise every day. Avoid high impact activities that can over-stress joints, worsen pain and slow recovery and improvement.

Welcome back - an experienced, personable Veterinary Nurse is not easy to find, but we have one in Renee.

An experienced Nurse brings with them surgical skills involving monitoring anaesthetics, equipment, knowledge, terminology, invaluable aftercare monitoring and a product/pharmacy background along with reception and client communication skills.  Experience like this makes introducing new staff members into the team a breeze.

Another happy ending story, proving that, once again, microchipping your pets helps to ensure you can be reunited with them if they go missing.

Rosa Sheppard, a two-year-old miniature Fox Terrier, disappeared four months ago while the family were on holiday in South Australia.   They spent four days looking for Rosa in a small, remote town but they could not find their precious girl.  It was time to continue their journey.

In dogs, hip dysplasia is an abnormal formation of the hip socket that, in its more severe form, can eventually cause crippling lameness and painful arthritis of the joints. Hip Dysplasia is the most common single cause of arthritis in the hips.

Hip dysplasia may be caused by the femur that does not fit correctly into the pelvic socket, or poorly developed muscles in the pelvic area supporting these bones.  The joint tries to help itself by producing new cartilage but this is a relatively slow process.  The joint gradually degrades due to abnormal wear and tear and it may not be able to support the bodyweight of the animal.  This is when the joint becomes inflamed and a cycle of cartilage damage, inflammation and pain commences.  This process spirals, in that the more the joint becomes damaged, the less able it is to resist further damage.  This breakdown of cartilage results in painful bone-to-bone contact known as osteoarthritis.