Monthly Archives: December 2017

Cats, Dogs

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! We hope this was a productive and amazing year and we hope 2018 is even better! Wishes of all of the best this season has to offer from all of us here at The Pet Professionals.

While the New Year brings a lot of fun for us humans, don’t forget the challenges many pets face during these days.

Fireworks are everything but fun for our pets. The loud bags and whizzes are often terrifying to them and many cats and dogs get so scared they often run off in panic. Don’t forget to microchip your pet and/or update your details with the microchip company.

Creating a comfortable den for your pets to hide and feel safe when they are scared, is an easy and effective way to help them cope. This area should be away from any doors or windows, and should be covered with a duvet or a blanket to muffle out the loud sounds.

Taking your dog out for walks during the day and keeping your cat indoors is also a good idea if fireworks are expected. Closing doors and windows as well as turning the TV or the radio on can help muffle the sounds.

Other options include anxiety-support supplements, products and behaviour modifying techniques that make a huge difference in reducing your pet’s stress levels.

Talk to your vet to know what would be the best approach for you and your pet.

Help us spread the word about these issues and hopefully more pets will enjoy a safe and happy Christmas.

Would you like to know more about cats and dogs? Check our Feline and Canine Courses:

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Cats, Dogs

Merry Christmas to all!

 

A very Merry Christmas from all of us here at The Pet Professionals! We hope this season is filled with joy and warmth! We also want toremind all owners to keep their pets safe during Christmas and New Years’ celebrations.

Delicious foods and beautiful decorations seem to be everywhere right now. It’s important to keep in mind that our four-legged friends should not have access to many of these foods and that it is really worth keeping a close eye on them during this time of the year.

Chocolates and sweets are a big part of Christmas and these can be poisonous to pets. Chocolate contains theobromine, a substance that is toxic for them and the darker the chocolate, the more dangerous it is to a pet. Certain types of chocolate such as dry cocoa powder, dark chocolate and unsweetened (baking) chocolate should be kept out of their reach at all times.

Sweets not only have incredibly high levels of sugar but many often contain xylitol, an artificial sweetening agent that is also poisonous, even if ingested in very small amounts. Xylitol can be added to tea, to several other baked goods and it is even used in some brands of peanut butter.

Mince pies, Christmas cake, and Christmas puddings are not recommended since they are full of raisins and sultanas, which are also known to cause kidney problems in dogs.

Get some healthy treats ready for your furry companions and avoid feeding them with leftovers from Christmas meals. Although delicious, our Christmas feasts are high in fat which can lead to digestive issues and contribute to the onset of pancreatitis.

Pets usually love Christmas decorations, especially curious and playful cats. However, tinsel, string, ribbons and any other ornaments being chewed or swallowed are not only a choking hazard, but can also cause intestinal blockage. Cats and dogs nibbling on plants such as mistletoe, poinsettia and holly is also to be avoided as these are mildly toxic for them.

Help us spread the word about these issues and hopefully more pets will enjoy a safe and happy Christmas.

Would you like to know more about cats and dogs? Check our Feline and Canine Courses:

Feline courses

Canine courses

Horses

Foaling

 

Foaling, also called parturition, is a very important stage of a mare’s life and it is just as important for the owners.

The correct recognition of the stages of labour and knowing what to expect is fundamental to ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible. Now, luckily, most mares will give birth successfully without needing any intervention.

Knowing what to expect and how long the stages of labour last will help owners decide if help is needed or if everything is progressing normally.

Normal labour is divided into 3 distinct stages:

  • First stage: When the foal shifts and positions their head and forelimbs extended into the birth canal. The mare may be quite restless, very nervous, sweating on the flanks and in pain due to uterine contractions becoming more severe. Depending on the animal, she may have no observable signs or be in a lot of distress for several hours. This stage ends with the rupture of the allantoic membrane and there will be the release of allantoic fluid – this happens around 1 to 4 hours after the start of the first stage;
  • Second stage: The foal is born! A foal’s normal presentation is with their head tucked between their extended forelegs. Other positions might require veterinary assistance so this should be checked. The mare will lay down on her side and rise several times, even when the foal is already partially out. This is due to the very strong uterine and abdominal contractions required to give birth. After the foal’s shoulders are out successfully the mare will usually rest a bit before delivering them fully. Foetal membranes should rupture when the foal tries to get up and move around – should this not happen, they should be ruptured by hand (except for the umbilical cord!) to allow for the foal to clear their nasal passages and breathe. This period usually lasts around 30 minutes but may continue for an hour. If it overextends a veterinary surgeon should be called.
  • Third stage: After the foal is born, the placenta has to be expelled from the uterus. This usually takes somewhere between 1 to 3 hours but it may continue for up to 8 hours – if the placenta is retained for too long it might cause severe issues but its important to not pull the placenta forcefully to get it out.

In summary, let things progress undisturbed for as long as possible but if any of these phases takes too long, if the foal isn’t in their proper place in the birth canal or if you see them or their mother struggling too much, don’t hesitate and call your vet at once.

And there you have it! After all of this excitement, hopefully there is a healthy young horse just dying to explore the big wide world.

Would you like to know more about horses? Check our Equine Courses:

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Cats

Big Hearted Felines – Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Many of us have heard about dilated heart disease in our daring dogs, a disease that is especially prevalent in giant breeds, but did you know that our cats also have a type of specific heart disease that is much more common to them and quite uncommon in dogs?

In dogs, the most common issue is that the heart has enlarged chambers and it compromises the normal rhythm of the heart and fluid dynamics in the circulatory system. In our cats however, it’s the heart muscle itself that gets too big. We call this the hypertrophy of the heart muscle and it usually happens on the left ventricle.

While it might sound like having a bigger heart muscle would definitely aid in the heartbeat, what really happens is that the wall becomes so thick it makes the flow of blood throughout the heart much more difficult.

We are not 100% sure why cats develop this sort of cardiomyopathy and several causes might exist but we do know that some breeds of cats like the Ragdoll and the Maine Coon are more predisposed to the condition. Research has revealed that it’s most likely a genetic deficiency in the protein of the heart muscle of these cats.

What to look out for in cats that might hint to a heart problem:

  • Difficulty breathing due to congested lungs;
  • Not wanting to play around or move much;
  • Vomiting;
  • Collapsing;
  • Lack of appetite;
  • Sudden paralysis of hindlegs due to embolisms in the arteries of the leg;

Clinical signs and severity of disease can vary a lot, some animals might never show any signs while others might suffer from sudden death due to heart failure.

As soon as you suspect something might be wrong, take your cat to your vet as soon as possible. There are several things that can be done to help them out and to lessen the progression of the disease.

Would you like to know more about cats? Check our Feline Courses:

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