Monthly Archives: October 2017

Cats, Dogs

Have a great Guy Fawkes Day!

Firework season has officially started! Normally, this is not met with much joy from our pets and it’s not hard to understand why.

If you’ve done all the preparations prior to Bonfire night such as behaviour modification, introduced specific medication to help with anxiety, purchased a very fashionable thunder jacket and trained with your pet to minimise stress and fear there are still many things that can be done today to help ensure a calmer day.

We leave you with some helpful suggestions:

  • Build a nest! Grab a cage or a sturdy box and drape it with some thick blankets or other noise muffling materials and place it where your pet feels comfortable
  • Keep microchip information updated! Many pets run away in fear and get lost, and a current chip could be the difference between a happy reunion and being lost permanently
  • Let them have access indoors or to a comforting location! Don’t trap them outside with no way to hide and let them access whichever rooms they feel most comfortable in
  • Distract them! Put on the TV or some music that doesn’t stress them out and try to play with them or engage with them using fun toys

We hope you have a great Bonfire night and don’t forget! Check under your bonfires and make sure there are no friendly hedgehogs snuggling for warmth.

Cats, Dogs

Happy Halloween!

We wish you a merry, scary Halloween! We are sure it will be a night filled with delicious treats, spooky costumes and lots of fun!

Having said that, there are a couple of things that can sometimes be dangerous to our pets:

  • Sweets are toxic! Many contain chocolate or a sweetener called xylitol, so keep them well away from your pets
  • Pet costumes are great but take care to make sure they don’t hinder movements, are overly annoying or might hinder breathing or seeing
  • Sweet wrappers can obstruct the digestive system of any unwary pet so keep your hard-earned sweeties well away from your furry friends

With all of these things in mind, we are sure this tale of a spooky Halloween will go very smoothly for humans and pets alike!
Happy Halloween, everybody!

Horses

Mud Fever

With the colder months fast approaching, it’s always good to remember some things that might affect your horses during this weather.

Mud Fever is actually part of a series of conditions that make up Equine Pastern Dermatitis (EPD) and it can be caused by many different factors.

This condition shows up during spring and winter and to better understand it, we need to know that mud fever isn’t a diagnosis exactly, it’s how the pastern reacts to damage.

That is to say, there is an underlying cause that needs to be investigated when we realise that our horse has signs compatible with mud fever.

EPD can have several forms:

  • Mild – Lack of hair in the area, dry scales and crusts. Might also have thicker skin, itchiness and pain (This is what we readily recognise as Mud Fever)
  • Exudative – Reddening of skin, lack of hair with the presence of pus or other exudates. (Also called grease heel or dew poisoning)

Owners of draft breeds like Clydesdales or Shires know they might be prone to a third form of Equine Pastern Dermatitis which features the proliferation of excessive tissue in the form of nodular lesions because of issues in the lymphatic system that drains fluids from the limb. This form, more frequent in draft breeds, is commonly called grapes or verrucous pododermatitis and it may progress to the entire lower extremity. The prognosis for this condition is poor because horses often develop secondary infections, it has a poor response to therapy and eventually becomes debilitating for the horse.

There are many root causes of Mud Fever, and Equine Pastern Dermatitis like:

  • Genetic and environmental disposition
  • Infectious agents, physical or chemical irritants, cancer

This is perpetuated by secondary bacterial and parasite infections, pathologic changes to the skin and a less than ideal environment.

Be on the lookout for these important changes during these seasons. Treatment and positive resolution depend on identifying what is causing Mud Fever and fixing it, so don’t hesitate to contact your vet!

Via: “Mud Season” by RogerGoun, was built upon and is licensed under CC BY 2.0

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