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Happy Christmas to you and your family pets from Andrew, Kim, John, Megan, Sunita, Kate, Lucienne and Genevieve and all the staff at Orange Veterinary Hospital.

'just a quick happy snap of part of the team at OVH manning the fort while everyone else was hard at work out in the field'

We are very excited to be emailing you our NEW clinic newsletter!

Our new email newsletter is designed to keep you informed of happenings at Orange Veterinary Hospital and to provide you with interesting articles and information regarding family pets or in the case of large animal clients, your herd animals. We believe you will enjoy this new newsletter format – and if you have friends who you think might enjoy our newsletter please send us an email and we can add them to our mailing list.

You will receive both our Small Animal and Large Animal newsletters for the first issue to cater for all our clients. From January we will send the Small Animal newsletter at the beginning of the month and the Large Animal one in the middle of the month. Simply unsubscribe from one if you don’t want to receive both.

Should you decide this newsletter is not for you it is easy to unsubscribe by following the link at the bottom of the email.

We wish you and the pets and animals in your family a happy and healthy festive season. If things don’t go quite as planned we reassure you that we are open as usual except for Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day however we do have a 24 hour emergency service at all times. Please call 63618388.

 

Contents of this newsletter

01  Top Christmas tips

02  Fireworks - how to de stress your dog

03  The old stealing beds trick

04  Help for wildlife

05  Kitty cautions

01 Top Christmas tips
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Christmas is a special time of year and it should be a great time for your furry friend too. Here are our top three tips to help keep your pet happy and healthy this Christmas.

1. Avoid human food!!

We commonly see pets that have over indulged during the Christmas period so PLEASE resist feeding your pet ham, turkey or fatty left overs - they can cause tummy upsets and pancreatitis. Keep all chocolate and fruit laden Christmas cake out of reach and NEVER feed your pet cooked bones.

 

2. Watch out for potential hazards

Be on the look out for things your pet might find interesting and tasty! Christmas ornaments, electrical wires, ribbon, string and wrapping paper can all cause a problem if ingested. Candles and burning oils are also dangerous. Remember that ingestion of stems, stamen or the flowers of Christmas lilies can cause kidney failure in cats.

 

3. Make plans for your pet

Give your pet plenty of love and attention over Christmas - it is a hectic time of year and your pet will pick up on this. Make sure you plan out some fun for your pet on Christmas Day. Stuff their stockings with a new toy to keep them occupied during the day - we have some great treats and Christmas presents available - ask us for more ideas!

 

02 Fireworks - how to de stress your dog
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New Year's Eve almost always involve explosions. Fireworks and firecrackers might help us celebrate the holiday but it can be a very nerve-wracking experience for your dog. 

There are several tips for helping your dog survive the noise:

1. Keep your dog indoors during fireworks. Even calmer dogs may get spooked and run away, jump over a fence or dig out

2. Make sure they are wearing an up to date identification tag and are microchipped, just in case they do escape

3. Place them in an interior room with a television or radio turned up so that they are distracted and the noise is dulled

4. If possible have one of their family stay with them during the celebrations

5. Make sure all windows are closed and all exits are secure

6. Dogs prefer a small, dark and secure place to retreat - a blanket over a coffee table can work well

7. Try not to reward and soothe nervous and anxious behaviour - otherwise your dog's patten of behaviour is reinforced

8. If your dog suffers from severe fireworks anxiety speak to us about prescribing a mild sedative to help your dog relax during this particular period

We can also offer advice on desensitisation to fireworks AND thunderstorms. Speak to one of our friendly staff for more information.

03 The old stealing beds trick

Do you often find your cat and dog swapping beds?! We've found a great video to give you a laugh this month - you can check it out here.

 

 

We'd love you to share any footage you have of your pets swapping, sharing or fighting over beds! Post them on our My Pet Stories Facebook page.

04 Help for wildlife
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Many will be driving long distances this holiday season and it is not uncommon to come across injured wildlife along the way.

What should you do?

Keep a cardboard box and towel in the boot of your car in case you find an injured animal

If you see an animal beside the road pull over only when it is safe to do so and put your hazard lights on

Approach the animal carefully and cover it with a towel or blanket to calm it and contain it

Stress is the major killer of injured animals so keep handling and disturbance to a minimum

Keep it in a dark, quiet and warm place and do not try and feed the animal, however you can offer water

Contact a local vet or local wildlife hotline in the appropriate state and they will direct you on what to do next

Remember to leave out a bowl of water for our wildlife in the hot weather AND keep cats and dogs inside and under control wherever possible.

The best way to help our wildlife following the devastating fires in NSW is to donate to the NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES) - or click here

05 Kitty cautions
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This month we're alerting you to a few kitty dangers you might not have thought about.

Please note that this list is not complete - these are just a few of the hazards we find people forget about or are not aware of ...

Human medicines - medicines such as panadol and antidepressants a pose a serious threat to your cat, so keep them in a place he can’t get in to

Common houseplants can be hazardous to your cat's health: lillies, poinsettia and tulips are the main culprits

Some chemicals taste especially good to cats - keep these and all chemicals locked away: antifreeze, bleach, detergents, fertilizers, herbicides, insect spray (eg. ant rid) and rodent bait

Dog flea and tick medication - A cat that shares a house with a dog that has had supermarket pyrethrin flea treatment is at risk. These can KILL your cat. Ask us for the safest flea prevention for ALL of your pets

Household products - chicken bones, dental floss, yarn, string, lights and tinsel can lead to intestinal blockages

If you think your cat might have ingested something toxic - phone us immediately for advice.