Here are our top tips to help prevent a Christmas catastrophe and keep your pet healthy and happy this Christmas.

Keep leftovers off the menu!

Don't be tempted to feed your pet leftovers. Christmas dinner is notorious for causing upset tummies and nasty episodes of painful pancreatitis in our pets. Never feed cooked bones and watch out for skewered meat that falls from the BBQ - we don't want to have to remove one of those from your dog's stomach!

Be on hazard watch

Be on the look out for hazardous things your pet might find interesting. Cats love Christmas ornaments, electrical wires, ribbon, string and wrapping paper but all of these can cause major problems 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.

Make festive plans for your pet

Give your pet plenty of love and attention over Christmas - it is a busy time of year and your pet will pick up on this. Make sure you plan out some fun for your pet on Christmas Day and remember to keep them safe and secure during festive fireworks.

Don't forget: We have some great treats and presents available to help stuff your pet's Christmas stocking so drop by to check them out!

Charlie the chocolate labrador was shaking his head and using his foot to have a old good scratch around his head. He was wearing a new collar and his owners thought this was the culprit, but when he started to smell a bit funny he came in for a check up. 

An examination revealed hot, red and itchy ears. There was black 'muck' at the opening of his ear canals and his ears smelt terrible!

Using an otoscope (a fancy tool with a light) the canal was examined all the way to the ear drum. There was no sign of a foreign body (such as a grass seed) but the ear canals were very inflamed.

A sample was taken from the canal and examined under the microscope revealing a yeast infection. This was causing the horrible smell!

Ear infections are very common at this time of the year. We like to think of the ear as a 'mini environment'. If this environment is upset in any way (such as moisture from swimming or itchiness from an allergy) bacteria and yeast start to have a party in there! The result is a very unhappy ear canal and an uncomfortable pet. 

Charlie was treated with ear ointment for a week and a recheck revealed the infection and inflammation had cleared. 

If you think your pet might have itchy or smelly ears arrange a check up with us ASAP. The longer you leave an ear infection, the harder (and more expensive) it becomes to treat.

If your pet suffers from recurrent ear infections you should ask us about some of the new medications we have available to help prevent ongoing problems. 

It's World AIDS Day on 1st December so now is as good a time as ever to alert you to the fact that your feline friend can also develop the disease. 

What causes Feline AIDS?

Feline AIDS is caused by the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) which affects the immune system of cats. FIV acts in the same way as the human form of HIV, destroying the immune system and leaving a cat susceptible to infections, disease and cancers. Once a cat has been infected, FIV can then progress to feline acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, also known as Feline AIDS.

How is FIV spread?

The virus is most commonly spread from cat to cat through saliva (via a bite wound) but can also be transmitted by a mother cat to her kittens across the placenta or through her milk. Close to 30% of cats in Australia are thought to be FIV positive. Any cat that ventures outside and has contact with an infected cat is at risk. Thankfully FIV cannot be transferred to humans. 

Can I prevent the disease? 

There is good news for cats and cat lovers as there is a vaccine available to help prevent FIV infection - ask us about the vaccination program available to help protect your cat. Given that a successful vaccine has been developed against FIV, there is hope that an effective vaccine against HIV will be developed in the future.