If you’re finding it a bit harder to get out of bed on these colder mornings, spare a thought for your pet. Arthritis loves to rear its ugly head around this time of the year and the reason your pet might be sleeping in more than usual could be due to pain.

Arthritis is characterised by the wearing down of the cartilage that covers the bones at the end of a joint. This cartilage usually helps joints move freely but as it wears down, the ends of the bones become exposed and rub together. This can be very painful and can really affect your pet’s quality of life.

Arthritis does seem to be worse in the colder months but it can certainly affect your pet all year round. It is very important to understand that your pet won’t necessarily limp or yelp if they are in pain so we recommend you watch out for these signs in your dog (we’ll talk more about cats in the article below):

• Hesitant to jump into the car, up onto furniture or use stairs 
• Lowers their body slowly when going to lie down then falls in a heap 
• Is a bit slow to get going after getting up and may slip on floorboards 
• Is slowing down on walks or is reluctant to walk as far as they used to 
• Exhibits behavioural changes such as being a bit grumpier than usual

Try not to put any of the above changes down to your pet "just getting old". Even if your pet is a senior animal, they shouldn’t be uncomfortable!

The best news is that there are plenty of ways to manage arthritis. We work towards a multi-targeted approach where we use different drugs to reduce the overall dose rate and side effects of any one treatment.

Now is the perfect time for an arthritis check with us, phone now to make an appointment 63618388.

We all love working at OVH as you never know what each day is going to bring! 

An unusual patient arrived last week presenting vet Nickala with an interesting scenario - 'Bender', the frog, had been munching on some artificial leaf in his enclosure and a piece had become stuck in his throat. As Nickala prepared to remove the leaf Bender vomited and fortunately the leaf dislodged - Bender happily went home with no ill effects from his experience.

Bender please avoid chewing those fake leaves in future! 

With Mother’s Day falling this month we’d love to wish all the mothers of the animal kingdom a happy Mother’s Day and also share this heartwarming YouTube video.

Guinea pigs make great pets. They are very friendly and are a little easier to handle than rabbits. They make ideal pets for kids in preschool or above and it’s important to remember that they require a good diet and careful husbandry to help prevent health problems.

Here are our top tips:

Diet
Diet is very important. A guinea pig’s teeth grow continuously so they require lots of fibre to help wear them down. They also require Vitamin C in their diet as they are unable to produce it themselves. Abundant veggies and fruit are essential and they love red capsicum, broccoli, strawberries, parsley, spinach (plus lots of others!) Good quality pellets should be a treat (max 1 tablespoon per day).

Housing
Guinea pigs are social animals and are best kept inside to help to strengthen their relationship with you. They require dust-free bedding (e.g.shredded paper) and this needs to be changed daily. Providing hiding spots and tunnels is essential. If your guinea pig is kept outside, keep them safe from predators (dogs, cats, foxes, birds). They are very susceptible to heat stroke so bring them indoors when temperatures get above 28 degrees. Never keep guinea pigs inside a metal hutch as these heat up very quickly.

Friendships
Guinea pigs are picky about their friends. The best situation is usually a desexed male with two to three females. They are not great companions for rabbits as they have different dietary requirements to rabbits and often get beaten up by dominant rabbits. Rabbits can also carry a disease that is deadly to guinea pigs.

We are here to answer any questions you might have about your pet so always feel free to ask us for advice.