Helpful Hints

Every month we write a column of helpful hints in our local magazine Community.com.  Below are a selection of articles that have featured.

Making the decision to bring a puppy into your life can be very rewarding.  However, have you considered the best way to find your perfect puppy?

Here are some tips to help you…..

 Research your favourite breed and its medical problems:

Can you put up with a herding Border Collie, a retriever that constantly keeps picking things up or a spaniel that is programmed to follow scents?

Some breeds are naturally prone to medical disorders, for example Cavalier King Charles Spaniels are prone to heart conditions, West Highland Terriers often have skin disorders and Labradors can have joint trouble.

Have you enough time and money?

Dogs require at least two good walks a day and need to be kept amused in between. If you work full time what arrangements have you made for your dog whilst you are at work?

Financial planning is not only for the purchase price, over its lifetime a dog can cost many thousands of pounds just in feeding and routine preventive veterinary cover.  are you prepared for any unexpected vet bills?

 Breeder

The best possible start for a puppy is to be born into a busy, lively household where he can experience all the sights and sounds that he will need to be familiar with.

Being handled  gently by children and adults as well as meeting visitors to the house and other dogs, will mean that by the time he comes to you he will already be on the way, to being well balanced and confident in all situations.

If the litter was planned, and care was taken to use parents with sound friendly temperaments, you have the best possible recipe for future success.

Make sure that you visit the puppy with its mother and if possible the father, be suspicious if the breeder makes excuses why this is not possible. 

Seeing the mother with the puppies gives a good indication of your future puppy’s temperament.

Beware of adverts that offer puppies of several breeds as these may be from a puppy farm which are illegal in England, however it is still possible for them to be transported into England to be sold.  If the breeder offers to meet you halfway to sell you a puppy or delivers the puppy to you without you first seeing the litter, the chances are the puppy is from a puppy farm.  If you have any concerns about the welfare of the puppies, walk away and contact the RSPCA as this is the only way to solve the problem long term. 

Do you own a cat?

 If you do and it is un-neutered then now is a good time to think about it.

Sturminster Newton is becoming awash with kittens, and it is getting increasingly difficult to find good homes for them. Even the big rescue centres are full up!

 Here are a few common myths that are not true:

1-     A queen (female cat) needs to have a litter before she is spayed.

2-     Whilst rearing kittens she will not become pregnant again.

3-     A cat will not become pregnant before she is a year old.

Kittens have their first season when they are about 4–6 months old and they can become pregnant at their first season. Having kittens at this age puts their body under immense stress as they are still growing and developing. They can become pregnant again within a few days of giving birth. Cats come into season every three weeks from early spring to autumn.  One un-neutered cat can produce more than two thousand offspring in her lifetime!

Advantages of neutering your cat:

• A neutered cat has been proven to live a longer and a healthier life
• They are less likely to stray looking for a mate – this is when most cats either go missing or are involved in road traffic accidents.
• Less likely to fight therefore less likely to catch contagious diseases
• More affectionate towards owner and toms smell a lot less! 

Neutering male and female cats is a straightforward procedure carried out under general anaesthetic and they usually go home the same day.

If you need any financial help then there are several charities that may be able to help with some or all of the cost.

Firework fear.

Did you know that 49% of dogs have a fear of fireworks?

Here are a few tips to help your dog and cat have a less stressful firework season.

 Two weeks before the event

• Create a safehaven for your pet, e.g. a basket under a table, or a cage with the bed inside and a blanket over the top.  Ideally this should be in an area where your pet spends most of his/her time.
• Plug a DAP/Feliway diffuser into the room that the dog uses the most.  DAP is a synthetic pheromone based on the mothers natural pheromone that she emits from her mammary glands to help calm her puppies.  Feliway is a synthetic pheromone of a cats facial scent glands and acts in the same way as the DAP.
• Get your dog/cat used to going into that room around dusk every night, perhaps start feeding him/her in there.

 On the day:

• Quietly and without fuss, move your pet to the room with the safehaven.  Close the curtains at the window.
• Put on the television or some calming music (no heavy drum beats).
• Interact with your dog by playing some games together.
• Ignore any fearful behaviour as this reaffirms to your pet that there is something to be scared of. 
• If your pet wants to go and hide, allow him/her (as long as it is in a safe place).  Do not cradle him/her in your arms as again you are confirming that the noises and flashes are something to be scared of.

Key points.

• Keep your pets indoors from dusk onwards.
• Make sure that your pet is microchipped or is wearing a collar, so if he/she does manage to escape there is a means if identification.
• If your dog in a bid to escape causes damage by chewing door frames etc to escape the fireworks, invest in a cage which will become the safehaven.  This will reduce injury to your dog and your house.
• Try to ignore the fireworks, close curtains and have either a television or radio on.
• Stay calm and act normally.
• Make sure that your house is secure, cats especially are very good escape artists.

Is bad breath a problem? 

Bad breath and red gums may be a sign of gum disease.  It’s very common, with more than 70% of cats and dogs over three years of age suffering from dental disease.

Any animal with bad breath and red gums should be checked over by a vet or a vet nurse, as he or she may need some dental work (usually a scale and polish) followed by a dental hygiene programme, just as for humans!

 Gum disease does not just lead to bad breath, severe pain and tooth decay; the bacteria from the gum disease can also cause further problems related to the heart, liver, kidneys and bone marrow. It is also not easy to tell if an animal is in pain, so waiting for them to tell you could take a while! Dental disease is progressive and if you leave it too long you may have a much bigger problem to deal with.

 Tooth brushing is one way of keeping your pets mouth in good order but if this proves too difficult, dental chews and specific dental diets will help as well, small changes may be enough. Please feel free to come and ask us about this or any other query you may have.

House hold hazards.

 Have you ever thought about which everyday house hold items can be lethal to our pets?

Anti-freeze.

Anti freeze tastes sweet to cats but is fatal if ingested so make sure you keep it well out of a cats reach.

 Lillies.

A lot of people are aware that the pollen is poisonous to cats, but in actual fact the entire plant is poisonous.

Chocolate

This is probably the number one hazard for dogs.  The toxic component is called theobromine which is present in variable concentrations, the higher the level of cocoa, the more dangerous the chocolate.

Grapes, raisins and sultanas

These can cause renal failure in dogs, even in small amounts.  Fruite cakes containing these products should also be avoided.

 Onions

Raw or cooked, these are considered toxic to dogs.

We don’t want you to panic but just think about what you feed your pets and what plants and products you have around your house.

Microchipping

 Did you know that every year more then 300,000 treasured family pets become lost or go missing? Only a fraction of those not microchipped get re-united again!

More than 3 million animals in the UK currently have a microchip, leaving many more without permanent identification.

If your pet has had a microchip fitted it gives you lifelong reassurance that your pet has the best chance of being reunited with you if it gets lost.

Having a microchip inserted is a simple procedure that can be done in a normal appointment with your vet.  The microchip itself is no bigger than a grain of rice and has a unique 15 digit code which has all of yours and your pet’s details. 

If your pet goes missing, most vets, animal charities and local authorities have microchip readers, so when someone finds your pet they can read the chip’s 15 digit code.  This identifies your pet on the secure national database which is accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so you can be together again in no time at all.

The law still requires all dogs to have a collar and identification tag with your contact details on at all times.

Microchipping your cat also gives you the option to fit a cat flap which is activated solely by your cat’s microchip.  This would give you the advantage of ensuring that only your own cat(s) can enter your house.

Horse passports and microchipping.

Existing legislation (The Horse Passport Regulations 2008) state that all horses should have a horse passport. From 1s July 2009, the regulations will also require that horse passports are linked to the animal by a uniquely-coded microchip.

All new passports issued after 30 June 2009 will require the horse to be chipped at the time, with foals being implanted with a microchip before 31 December of the year they are born or within 6 months of birth, whichever is later.

Horses already issued with a passport are recommended to have a microchip implanted, as microchips provide a foolproof means of identifying the animal.

To obtain a passport for your horse an application must be made to a Passport Issuing Organisation – contact DEFRA for further information (www.defra.gov.uk/)

The new regulations apply to all horses, ponies, donkeys and other equidae.

From the 1^st July 2009 all horses should have a passport and be implanted with an identification microchip.

If your horse already has a passport you will need to have a microchip inserted, foals will need to be implanted with a microchip before the 31^st December of the year of their birth, or within 6 months of their birth, whichever is later.  If your horse has neither a passport or microchip you must apply for both.

Under the new legislation only Veterinary surgeons can implant a microchip into a horse.

The owner or keeper of the horse (a person who takes care of the animal on a day to day basis) must ensure their horse is correctly identified.  Owner non-compliance is punishable by a fine of up to £5,000.  Only owners can apply for a passport.

Sweet-Itch.

Sweet itch can be an extremely distressing condition for your equine friend, caused by an allergic response to the bites of Culicodes midges. Due to the changing weather patterns, midges seem to be more and more in abundance for a longer period of time each year.

Affected horses are very itchy and can become very distressed, constantly rubbing and biting themselves.  They can cause quite a lot of damage to fencing, stabling or even vegetation trying to get some relief.   The midges feed primarily at dusk and dawn and often on specific sites, particularly around the head, withers, base of mane and tail head and belly.  The affected areas become bald, with broken skin and can often have a secondary skin infection so the area can look scabby and weepy.

Prevention is the best treatment in the control of sweet-itch and there are many different methods to try:

• Stabling – Keeping your horse in during dawn and dusk, when midge feeding is at its peak – remember to shut doors and windows if possible, but remember ventilation. Installing a fan can help, midges cannot fly if the air speed is faster than just a few miles per hour
• Grazing – Keep your horse away from wet areas where midges breed, but also watch for muck heaps and rotting vegetation that attract the midges. 
• Barrier Techniques – Fly rugs and masks.  In particular the Boett rug, which fits snugly over the entire horse. Fitting it before the season starts works best.
• Herbal and nutritional supplements, e.g. garlic is a natural repellent, chamomile is soothing, and there is now a product called Cavallesse which looks promising to build up their immunity.
• Insecticides and Repellents – Permethrins (please note these are poisonous to cats) and Benzyl Benzoate.  They often have to be repeatedly applied.
• Grooming – The midges are attracted by mud and sweat, so after exercise ensure you wash off all sweat and mud from your horse

For more information on sweet-itch go to http://www.sweet-itch.co.uk/