Interesting Animal Facts

With holidays almost upon us, it is important to check if you will be travelling to a high-risk tick area and require tick prevention treatment.

The paralysis tick (Ixodes holocyclus) is a dangerous parasite that affects both humans and pets along the east coast of Australia. In humans, it causes a severe local skin irritation. In pets it can cause paralysis, vomiting, breathing difficulty and death.

The Eastern paralysis tick are travelling to Melbourne by hitching a ride on pets, people or belongings that have visited these infested areas.  Ticks are known as “deadly, blood-sucking critters” which is an ideal description.  They like to live in bushy, native terrain and long grass. 

Does your pet have the Summer itch?

With the warmer weather, our pet’s coats are changing.  They may be shedding an incredible amount of hair, leaving their trail through the home and on the furniture. 

How would you like a Vax Blade Pet Pro Cordless Handstick Vacuum to make cleaning easier.

Clients that purchase anything from the Hills Prescription Skin food range, will go in the draw to win the Vax Handstick.

This range includes Hills Z/D, D/D and Derm Defence for dogs or cats in wet or dry foods.

This competition will run until Christmas Eve, with the winner announced on our Facebook page in January.

1 - The tallest dogs are Great Danes and Irish Wolfhounds.

2 - The smallest dogs are the Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier and Toy Poodle.

3 -  A dog’s hearing is very acute. They can register sounds of 35,000 vibrations a second compared to our 20,000.

4 -  Dogs have a wonderful sense of smell. A Fox Terrier has 147 million ‘smelling cells’ and a German Shepherd has 220 million compared to our 5 million.

5 - The oldest reliable recorded age for a dog is 29 years and 5 months-an Australian Cattle Dog called Bluey.

6 - All dogs, regardless of breed are direct descendants of wolves. Technically they are the same species, which means they can breed together and produce fertile offspring.

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many changes to our lives.  One of these is the increase in people wearing facemasks to protect themselves and others.  For our pets this can be scary, as it makes us look different and removes one of the main ways, they communicate with us and read our emotions – through facial expressions.

When we are trying to help our pets become used to something new, it needs to be paired with something good, e.g. a treat or praise, so that the pet forms positive associations from the experience.