Interesting Animal Facts

In Australia, we assume that dogs and cats are the most popular pets in our homes. Surprisingly, there are estimated to be over 8 million pet birds in Australia, making them the most common household companions.

Despite how common they are, they’re often seen as a challenge in the Veterinary industry because of their unique anatomy, behaviour and amazing ability to hide injury and illness.

We know our dogs are not just like family – the are family.  In caring for our family, we need to look for signs of pain.  A common condition suffered is Osteoarthritis (OA). It is a joint disease that affects people as well as dogs and can be just as painful for dogs as it is for us.

In healthy joints, a slippery tissue called cartilage cushions the ends of the bones in the joints.  With OA, cartilage breaks down, causing pain and swelling.  As OA gets worse, bone spurs can form, causing more pain and joint damage.  When this happens, your dog may become less active or show signs of stiffness when getting up. 

To all the mums of four legged babies, the emotions of motherhood are universal.

We say thank you for the protection, nurturing and care. 

Hope your day is “paws-itively” wonderful and “purr-fectly” happy…thanks Mum.

Other extraordinary Mums in the animal world are:

New data reveals that pet obesity is on the rise for the 8^th consecutive year.

These expanding waist-lines are causing health repercussions, with nearly 20% of pet insurance claims in 2017 for medical conditions, related to obesity. It is estimated that 60% of cats and 56% of dogs are overweight or obese. We are continuing to see more pets diagnosed with obesity rather than being just overweight.

Clinical obesity results in more secondary conditions such as arthritis, high blood pressure, kidney disease and certain forms of cancer.  Pets with obesity have reduced quality of life and shorter life expectancy.