Cats

The Science Behind Colourpoint Coats


Some of our most recognisable and charismatic cats are colourpoint cats!

The cream coloured body with the darker extremities shows up on breeds like the Siamese, Tonkinese, Birman, Himalayan and many others. This type of coat can have many different types of colours, anywhere from a cream body paired with a strong contrasting black to a smooth white and soft brown ‘lilac’ point.

This type of fur colour is quite special in cats as it is the result of a mutation of one of the enzymes that is responsible for producing melanin, a dark pigment responsible for coat colour. Technically, these cats have a very particular form of temperature sensitive albinism.

The enzyme, called tyrosinase, is mutated and will only work at temperatures cooler than the core body temperature. This is why the places that have a darker colour are extremities, face, ears and scrotum in male colourpoint cats as they are the only regions where tyrosinase will be active to produce melanin.

Amazing how a little genetic mishap gave some of our most popular kitties their unforgettable colour!

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Dogs

Temporomandibular Joint Disorders

Some of us might be familiar with temporomandibular joint issues in humans, especially because they are particularly annoying and might even hinder our capacity to eat properly but did you know our dogs can also suffer from this problem?
Pretty much in the same way we can have pain, difficulty biting and closing or opening our mouth, our dogs can also have these same signs.

Depending on the cause, it can present in many different ways:
• Pain when eating;
• Difficulty opening or closing mouth;
• Excessive movement of the jaw, especially laterally;
• Crackling noises when yawning, eating or vocalizing.

Any dog regardless of age, sex or breed can have temporomandibular joint disorders, however specific causes of joint disorder are more frequent in certain groups of animals. One such form is called open-mouth mandibular locking, where a bone protrusion in the jaw locks in with the zygomatic arch, and we know this happens in more in Basset Hounds and Irish Setters.
Other risk factors that make animals more likely to suffer from this sort of joint disorders are young and free roaming animals because of injuries, animals that carry heavy objects in their mouth and animals that are at risk of an auto immune disease of the muscles responsible for chewing.
Think your pet might be suffering from issues in their Temporomandibular joint? Give your vet a call and they will be able to discuss your dog’s case as well as advise on the best treatment!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Uncategorized

Antifreeze – Deadly and Delicious

Cold winter days have already arrived and, soon enough, antifreeze, which has been lying about in garages and homes will be back in use.

This means that there will be a much higher chance of our pets contacting it, either through spills or because your furry friend decided to investigate it closer, so we would like to remind pet owners to be very careful with how to handle and use it.

Antifreeze is made up of ethylene glycol, a fairly non-toxic compound that drastically lowers the freezing point of water and is tremendously useful in many places but especially in car engines. However, the biggest problem is when it is ingested this compound breaks down in the body, causes severe metabolic acidosis and reacts with calcium to create crystals that accumulate in the kidney, damaging it severely.
Unfortunately, antifreeze has a sweet taste, so this means that, if your dog finds it, they might actively ingest it or might even try to seek it out.

If you suspect your pup has ingested antifreeze, you need to take immediate action and take them to the vet! Only very small quantities are needed to cause extensive damage, but chances of a good recovery improve the sooner they are seen.

What can you expect if your pet has ingested antifreeze? Difficulty walking correctly, stupor, vomiting and lethargy followed by an apparent recovery around 12 to 24 hours later. However, about 2 to 3 days later kidney failure will set in with severe depression, coma, seizures and eventually, death.

Keep your pets away from this dangerous compound by keeping packages well out of reach and quickly cleaning any leaks or spills that might occur.

 

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Cats

What to do when your cat is lost?

 

Many of us have been in this very situation: your cat ran off for some unsanctioned outside fun, or they haven’t returned in a couple of days, or something spooked them and they escaped into the great outdoors and now, you don’t really know what to do.

Fortunately, there are a number of things you can try that will help improve the chances your feline friend will find you again:

  • Tell your microchip database immediately;
  • Post up posters in the neighbourhood with a good photo and ask people to check their sheds and garages;
  • Contact vets and rescue centres as they may have picked up your cat;
  • Speak to your closest neighbours personally and ask them to check their sheds/garages for you and keep an eye out;
  • Keep the cat flap or other usual entry points wide open in case they try to return;

Scared cats, especially indoor only cats that ventured out into the great open world, might be holed up somewhere very silently in a panic and are not responsive when you call.

It might even happen they are right next door, squeezed into some quiet corner waiting for an opportunity to leave so don’t forget that direct searching, especially in neighbours’ properties, might make the difference between recovering your cat safe and sound or not recovering them at all.

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

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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!

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