Christmas is fast approaching and it’s very hard not to be excited with the upcoming events: days off work, sharing delicious meals with family and friends, gorgeous decorations and gifts!

During this time of the year our homes become filled with new items and this also has a considerable impact in our pet’s lives! This is why we wanted to remind all pet owners of the most common Christmas hazards in order to keep your pets safe during the festive season.

A big part of Christmas is the delicious food that loving pet owners often like to share with their pets. Unfortunately many of these foods can be dangerous for them. Chocolate is a great example of this and it seems to be everywhere at this time of the year. Chocolate contains a substance called theobromine that is toxic for our four-legged friends. Different types of chocolate contain different amounts of theobromine. As a general rule the more cocoa in the chocolate, the higher the levels of theobromine which means that dry cocoa powder, unsweetened (baking) chocolate and dark chocolates are the most dangerous for our pets.

It is also wise to keep any sweets, candies, cakes or biscuits away from them as many of these contain xylitol a sweetening agent that is poisonous, even if ingested in small amounts.

Owners should not feed their pets with Mince pies, Christmas cake and Christmas puddings as these common Christmas desserts are filled with raisins and sultanas, which are toxic for pets.

Other dangerous foods include onions, garlic, macadamia nuts which are also poisonous and leftovers from Christmas meals. The rich fatty foods of a Christmas dinner can cause digestive problems (vomiting, diarrhoea) and these foods also contribute to the onset of pancreatitis. It is also recommended to be careful with turkey bones as they can become lodged in a pet’s throat, cause constipation and in some cases it can even cause damage to their bowls.

Christmas decorations can also be dangerous if playful pets decide to chew or swallow them. Ornaments and small toys can cause bowl obstructions if ingested, plants typical of this season such as Poinsettia, lilies, holly and mistletoe are poisonous and it is not uncommon for pets to chew the electric cords from Christmas tree lights.

We hope that you have an accident-free, happy and joyful Christmas!

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Ebola has been a recurrent topic on the news lately and recent events involving companion animals that were in close contact with Ebola patients have raised many questions among veterinary surgeons and pet owners.

The first person to contract Ebola outside Africa was a Spanish nursing assistant called Teresa Romero Ramos. Teresa became sick after she helped treat an Ebola-stricken Spanish missionary and health Spanish authorities decided to euthanize her dog as a precaution. Animal activists and the nurse’s husband went on a campaign to save the family dog, which was sadly unsuccessful. The decision of ending this dog’s life sparked international outrage and started a worldwide debate on whether pets are actually capable of spreading Ebola and how authorities should proceed with pets that may have been exposed to the virus.

According to the World Health Organization Ebola is a viral illness of which the initial symptoms include sudden a sore throat, fever, weakness and muscle pain. As the disease progresses patients may present vomiting, diarrhoea and sometimes both internal and external bleeding. The disease is spread through direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs of infected peopleor indirectly through contact with contaminated environments and objects. Humans can also be infected through handling or consuming infected animals, including chimpanzees, fruit bats, porcupines and forest antelope. Symptomatic individuals should avoid contact with people and animals.

According to the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Foundation) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention there have been no reported cases of dogs or cats becoming sick with Ebola, even in Africa where the virus is present. A few studies have shown that dogs can contract asymptomatic Ebola, meaning they are infected but do not suffer any symptoms, as a result of eating infected animals. It is not yet known whether pets can spread the virus to humans or to other animals but there has not been a single case of Ebola being transmitted from a dog or a cat to a person.

In another recent Ebola case, a nurse called Nina Pham was also diagnosed with the deadly virus after treating an Ebola patient. Her dog Bentley was quarantined for 21 days, the maximum incubation period for Ebola in the human body, and after this period of time and several Ebola tests that came back negative the dog was released and reunited with its owner.

After working with vets, public health agencies and experts the AVMA has recently issued protocols that can be used by vets and other health officials to guide their decisions on the handling and care of pets that may have been exposed to Ebola.

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As our beloved dogs get into their golden years, they go through several physical and behaviour changes.

Age alone does not define a dog as being old or geriatric as aging is a process influenced by genetics and lifestyle. A dog’s size has an enormous influence in its rate of ageing. In general, when considering small and medium size breeds, dogs are considered old (senior) between 11 and 12 years and are considered geriatric when they are more than 15 years old. Large and giant breeds are considered old by the age of 7 to 10 years and a giant breed dog would be considered geriatric at 11 to 12 years.

As dogs get older they will become less active, sleep more and interact less with their surrounding environment. As a result they often put on weight.Owners may also notice their pet shows some degree of sight and hearing loss.

Their appearance changes as well as their haircoat loses shine, their skin becomes less elastic and white hairs may start to appear.

These changes will occur gradually over time and owners should be suspicious if they notice significant changes over weeks to a few months, particularly if one area is affected significantly more than others. This could suggest that there is disease involved instead of the normal ageing process. Older dogs showing sudden weight loss, marked behavioural changes, increased water intake or reduction in activity should be seen by a vet as soon as possible.

Older dogs are more prone to disease such as arthritis, a chronic and painful condition that limits their movements; dental disease; renal problems and they often present a reduced cognitive function. Some dogs may present gradual weight loss due to poor digestion.

There is much owners can do to keep their senior dog comfortable, happy and healthy. Provide a soft, warm, comfortable bed and make sure food, water and resting spots are easily accessible. Raising food bowls off the ground will bring relief to dogs with stiff and aching joints as they won’t be forced to reach down to the floor when feeding.

Try to keep a daily routine for meals, walks and bedtimes. If possible, keep your dog’s bed, food and water bowls in the same place over time.

Grooming will be necessary to keep their hair coat in good condition and it is recommended to pay special attention to their nails. The nails of less active dogs can easily become too long, curl around and grow into their pads.

It is very important for owners to control their dog’s weight and have an adequate exercise plan. This will not only prevent stiffness and loss of muscle mass but it will also alleviate arthritis symptoms. Older dogs still need to exercise, they just need to do it on a slower pace, without pushing their limits. It is best if their walks are shorter and frequent (two to three times a day).

Keep an eye on any lumps or growths. These are typical of older dogs and although some may be nothing to worry about, unfortunately, others may be cancerous.

Senior dogs should go to the vet twice a year. Regular health checks are very important to pick up on any problems as early as possible and are also a great opportunity to get some good advice from your vet regarding your dog’s diet, exercise and general health.

Have you seen our course on care of the ageing dog? This course will teach you about your dog’s natural ageing process and how to maintain his/her quality of life for as long as possible. Have a look at it here!

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Have you ever noticed if your dog has an optimistic or a pessimistic character?

In general, dogs seem cheerful and happy with their tail wags and enthusiasm for outdoor walks. For this reason most owners would probably think that their four-legged friend has an optimistic outlook on life. A recent study has showed that some dogs are distinctly more pessimistic than others!

In this study, the dogs were trained in a discrimination task involving two different sounds and two different rewards. They learned that if they touched a target after hearing a certain tone, they would get a lactose-free milk reward and if they touched the target after hearing another tone, they would get water instead of milk. This caused them to abstain from touching the target after hearing the tone associated with water because they really preferred to get milk as a reward. Then the dogs were presented with ‘ambiguous’ tones.

This test showed how optimistic they are by which tones they responded to. Dogs were considered optimistic if they responded to ambiguous tones expecting to receive milk as a reward (a positive outcome). A very optimistic dog would even respond to tones that sounded more like those played before water is offered.

Dogs were considered pessimistic if they showed more signs of stress when they felt they had failed the task. These dogs would whine, pace and avoid repeating the task while the optimistic dogs would not be bothered by their lack of success and would continue trying.

Optimistic dogs expect good things to happen and therefore, will happily take more risks. They are persistent and they’re not so affected by less positive outcomes. If things don’t go their way they will move past that and try again. On the other hand, pessimistic dogs will show more signs of stress if something doesn’t go their way, they will not risk as much and will give up more quickly if they have to face less positive outcomes. These dogs might need some encouragement to try new things.

This research has great potential as it measures positive and negative emotional states in dogs objectively and non-invasively, and can completely remodel how animal welfare is assessed. These findings can be used to find how a dog is feeling in any environment, assess how effective enrichment activities might be and pinpoint exactly what a dog finds emotionally distressing.

It can also be very helpful in the context of working and service dogs, helping dog trainers select dogs best suited to working roles. A pessimistic dog, not so keen on taking risks would be better as a guide dog while an optimistic, persistent dog would be more suited to detecting drugs or explosives.

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A recent survey carried out amongst 100 veterinary practitioners by a UK based insurance company, revealed that more than 75% of the participating vets reported to have treated pets that have ingested human medication in the last year. While on most of these cases animals had ingested human medicines by accident, in 28% of them (over a quarter!) owners had deliberately given human drugs to their pets. Most cases (76 per cent) involved dogs, however other animal species were also affected.

According to the survey the most common types of medication ingested were paracetamol, ibuprofen, specificprescribed medications (e.g. for heart conditions or diabetes) contraceptive pills, anti-depressants and sleeping tablets. Pet owners believed that paracetamol would help their pet with conditions like arthritis and limping.

Many owners are not aware that giving human medication to pets is extremely dangerous as it can cause serious illnesses or even death! These incidents happen because owners are trying to help a pet that seems unwell and often believe that if a drug is safe for us, it is also safe for our four-legged friends. This is particularly common with pain relief medications. These caring owners have their hearts in the right place but by trying to help their pet with human drugs they are in fact putting them at risk!

Many human medicines are toxic for pets. Even if the active substance within a human drug is also appropriate for a dog, for example, the adequate dose to be administered is very different.

Our companion animals have different metabolisms from humans which means that human medications can have devastating effects on their organs. A drug that is safe for people like paracetamol or ibuprofen can cause liver and kidney failure to pets. In some cases, the toxic effect of these drugs can be fatal.

Please be very careful and keep all medications out of reach from your pets. Do not assume that a smaller amount of human medicine is safe for your pet and seek veterinary advice before giving it any type of medication.If you suspect that your furry friend has ingested human medication, take it to see a vet immediately.

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Fireworks season is upon us and although this is a time of great fun for us, it can cause a lot of fear and stress to our pets. Some dogs are absolutely terrified of those loud, sudden bangs and it is truly heart-breaking to see them hiding, shaking and cowering underneath the furniture!

The best way to help your pet if he or she suffers with this type of phobia is to start addressing the problem before fireworks season begins. Please remember that most therapies can take some time to become effective.

Sound therapy CDs can work very well for mild phobias in adult dogs. These CDs can help dogs become desensitised and overcome their fear of loud noises.

Pets suffering from a moderate to severe phobia may benefit from medication that can be prescribed by your veterinary surgeon. For long term treatment, it is recommended to resort to a qualified pet behaviourist.

This problem has very serious consequences. It is very common for dogs to run off in fear and end up lost in the middle of all the ruckus. A pet insurance company has revealed in a recent article that 35% more dogs are reported missing on this night than any other of the year. Given these statistics it is very important for owners to take steps to ensure their pets remain safe at their homes.

If your pet is not microchipped yet this is a very good time to consider it. If your pet is already chipped please make sure all your details are all up to date with the microchipping company. Hundreds of lost pet are never returned to their owners due to lack of identification or because the details in the microchip database are incorrect or not up to date.

Since Bonfire Night is upon us, here are a few tips that can help your pet go through this stressful time:

• Walk you pet during the day and before the event.
• Provide a den or a covered area with comfortable bedding for your pet to snuggle into, where he or she can hide and feel safe. If possible, it should be somewhere that is protected from outside noise.
• Keep the doors and windows closed.
• Use background noise to distract them – leave the TV or the radio on.
• Try to occupy your pet with games, toys and treats.
• Try not to react on the noises yourself as the dog may react on your behaviour. Acting normally will help reduce its anxiety.
• There are products that may help your pet feel more calm and relaxed such as pheromone diffusersor Thundershirts/Thundercaps that work by applying gentle pressure to make the pet feel safe and secure.

The most effective way to prevent a dog from ever developing this fear is to expose puppies to these types of noises at a young age in a comfortable, safe and controlled environment.

Have a great Bonfire Night and keep your pet safe!

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How does your dog feel about car rides? Is your pet overjoyed with the idea of getting into your car or is that somehow a source of stress in his or her life?

Although all dogs can suffer from motion sickness, this is more commonly seen in puppies and young dogs. This happens because puppies don’t have all their inner ear structures fully formed yet and these structures are responsible for their balance. Puppies will usually grow out of it but sometimes the problem persists.

When dogs are feeling travel sickness they will often show one or more of these signs: panting, frequent lip-licking and yawning, restlessness, anxiety, trembling, drooling, retching and vomiting. Some dogs may even whine, bark and be reluctant to get in the car in the first place.

There are several things you can try to help reduce your dog’s nausea and make the car ride a bit more comfortable:

• Have him or her facing forward while you’re traveling. There are specially designed dog seat belts that will not only help you with this but will also ensure your dog is safely restrained in case of accident. Please remember to disable passenger airbags if you choose to have your dog travelling in the front passenger seat.
• Lower your car windows a couple of inches to equalise the air pressure in the car with the air pressure outside. This will keep the car cool and well ventilated, avoiding the sensation of being in a hot, stuffy vehicle.
• Try not to feed your pet a large meal before travelling as a full stomach can make things a lot worse for a dog that tends to feel poorly during car rides.
• Give your pet a treat or a toy to try and keep it distracted whilst on the move.
• Take regular breaks and let your dog out on a lead to stretch his or hers legs, have some fresh air and have a drink of water.
• Do your best to be careful with your driving and make the trip as smooth as possible.

Many dog owners prefer to have their pet travelling in a cage or a crate. Using a crate can help your pet feel more secure. It should be well ventilated and as open as possible so the dog can see out.

If the dog does not outgrow motion sickness it might benefit from a behavioural modification approach where the owner tries to get the dog used to car trips gradually. Owners can also consult their veterinary surgeon as there is medication available that can help prevent or decrease car sickness in your dog.

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Most dog owners and pet lovers have seen or heard of this particular dog behaviour. It can be quite inconvenient especially if the beloved family dog drags his or hers bottom across the living room carpet.Dogs will scoot their bums along the floor when something is causing discomfort or irritation. This is a way for our pooches to somehow scratch themselves and find relief! There are several reasons why a dog may display this behaviour:

• One of the most common causes is anal sac impaction. Dogs have two glands located on either side of their anus that produce a smelly, fatty, dark substance. This fluid is supposed to be gradually released when there is a bowel movement but sometimes the fluid builds up. If their anal sacs become inflamed, blocked, infected and sometimes even abscessed it causes discomfort and pain.  Other signs of discomfort due to anal sac problems include chewing or licking around the area, swelling around the anus and difficulty defecating.
• If for some reason their fur around that area becomes messy, it will also cause discomfort and irritation. This is very common if your dog is suffering from diarrhoea or constipation and long-haired dogs are especially at risk of getting mats and other coat issues.
• Another possible cause is the presence of parasites such as tapeworms. A dog will get infected by tapeworms when swallowing worm-infested fleas. These parasites will make their way through your pet’s body and end up being eliminated along with the dog’s faeces. The parasites (tiny, rice-like tapeworm segments) can often be seen on the dog’s faeces or around the dog’s anus and they will cause irritation.

If you notice that your dog often displays this behaviour or if you notice any other signs such as diarrhoea, swelling around the anus, frequent chewing or licking around the area and difficulty defecating please consult your vet. Treating the condition will not only make your pet feel much better but it will also stop this inconvenient behaviour.

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Most of us is aware or has heard at some point that our canine friends have an amazing sense of smell. Dogs have about 200 million olfactory cells in their noses that allow them to detect several different odours.

We have been using that ability to our advantage for many years. Dogs have been used to help authorities locate drugs, firearms, explosives and missing people.

Recent studies show that their amazing noses can go even further. Researchers have shown that a dog’s snout may be more accurate when detecting certain forms of cancer than current laboratory procedures!

The largest study ever performed using cancer-detection dogs was recently conducted in Italy. Researchers used two trained dogs to test their ability to detect prostate cancer in urine samples. These two dogs identified signs of prostate cancer from a pool of 677 people with a combined 98 percent accuracy! This success rate is much, much higher than the standard Prostate-Specific Antigen test, which has a false positive rate as high as 80 percent. All these false positives lead to many unnecessary treatments.

Several other smaller studies showed that dogs are capable of detecting melanoma, lung, colon and ovarian cancer. Although it has not yet been determined what it is the dogs are detecting it seems that our canine friends can smell the chemicals given off by cancerous cells.

Some scientists are now focused on identifying and understanding the biological mechanisms dogs use to detect cancer. The idea is to use this knowledge to create a machine or a chemical test that could copy the canine ability to detect this terrible disease and effectively diagnose cancer in a large number of patient samples!

These findings are not only amazing developments in science and medicine but they are also one more reason for us to love dogs!

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