Latrobe Vet Clinic Dogs & Cats Information

The Latrobe Veterinary Group recommends that puppies have a series of three vaccinations to ensure adequate immunity, as outlined in the following régime:

1 st vaccination at 6 - 8 weeks of age, against Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus.

2nd vaccination at 12 - 14 weeks of age against Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus.
(plus Kennel Cough if you think your puppy will be boarding at kennels.)

3rd vaccination at 16 - 18 weeks of age against Parvovirus.
(plus Kennel Cough if given at the 2 nd vaccination.)

We advise you not to take your puppy to public areas such as parks and streets, until 2 weeks after their 2nd vaccination, so as to reduce the possible risk of picking up diseases such as Parvovirus. Puppies are generally allowed to attend obedience classes after they have had their 3rd vaccination.

If your puppy is between 3 and 6 months of age and has not had any vaccinations, we recommend two vaccinations a month apart, against Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus, and Kennel Cough if required. Then he/she should have recommended boosters.

If your puppy is over 6 months of age one vaccination, and then recommended boosters will suffice.

All dogs should have a full booster at approximately 15 months of age.

The Latrobe Veterinary Group recommends vaccination against distemper, hepatitis & parvo virus every 3 years for dogs after their first booster. This is based on current recommendations by veterinary immunologists.

Kennel cough vaccines require a booster every 12 months. If your dog is at all likely to go into boarding kennels it is essential to keep the KC vaccinations up to date.

A full health check is recommended every 12 months. The health check becomes much more important as your dog gets older, to identify and start management of developing problems before they become serious.

Dogs and Cats need to be registered with your local shire once they are 6 months old. Annual registration is required and it is cheaper to register a desexed pet than an entire one. For breeders microchipping can lower this annual fee also. To be eligible for the discount, a certificate proving your pet is either desexed or microchipped is necessary.

Animals can be microchipped from 2 months of age at a quick consultation visit with the vet, or many owners choose to have it done when their pet is under anaesthetic for desexing. Microchipping involves the insertion of a chip the size of a rice grain under the skin between the shoulder blades. The microchip contains a number that will scan, enabling the owner to be contacted and reunited with their pet.

The owners' details are recorded on a central database controlled by Central Animal Records which can be accessed on the Internet at www.car.com.au. C.A.R is a nation wide, 24-hour service, meaning your pet can be returned to you at anytime. The privacy clause enforced by C.A.R also means your personal details cannot be handed out to anyone without authorization. Central Animal Records will contact you if someone who does not have authorization finds your pet.

A one-off fee is payable for lifetime registration. The benefit of having a microchip implanted is the chip is there for life, and cannot be lost or fall off like a collar might. The Shire and vet centres scan all stray animals. Microchipping is an added form of identification and does not replace the Shire registration.

WORMING and HEARTWORM

Intestinal Worms
Large worm burdens in your pet can pose not only a health risk them but also to you and your family. Worms can cause anemia, poor growth, diarrhoea and poor health. Some worms can be transmitted to humans, especially to young children who sometimes play with dogs and then forget to wash their hands before putting their hands in their mouth.

Worming your pet for gastro-intestinal worms should be commenced at 2 weeks of age, and undertaken every fortnight until 12 weeks of age. This is usually done with a syrup wormer such as pip-cit syrup. From 3-6 months of age your pet can be wormed once a month with an all wormer tablet such as Drontal, Popantel, Canex Chews (for dogs) or Felex Paste (for cats). Animals over 6 months of age should be wormed every 3 months, using an all wormer.

Heartworm Prevention
The Latrobe Valley is generally considered to be a heartworm free area. However, if you are contemplating taking your dog traveling with you to other areas, you may need to consider heartworm preventative medicine. Heartworms are transferred between dogs by mosquitoes. Dogs will generally not show symptoms of infestation until they have a very large burden, and the function of the heart has been affected.

Puppies can start heartworm prevention medication, generally once they are weaned. If started before they turn 6 months old they do not require a blood test. After 6 months of age they require a blood test first, to determine if there is a current heartworm infestation. We recommend using Heartgard, Sentinel or Revolution, all of which are a once a month treatment.

Cats are not generally affected by Heartworms.

FLEA CONTROL

Flea burdens can lead to a miserable, scratching pet, as they are one of the major causes of skin irritations. Fleas also transmit tapeworm and severe infestations can cause anemia. They can also infest the house and bite people.

Flea control measures should be initiated to prevent and/or eliminate infestations. Many products are available to treat both young and adult pets. We recommend products such as Frontline PLUS spot on’s, Frontline spray, Advantage spot on’s, Revolution, Sentinel (for dogs) or Program. (Sentinel and Program do not kill adult fleas they only control reproduction). Flea control is somewhat of a technical matter these days so do not hesitate to talk to the staff of the Latrobe Vet Group to determine the best treatment for your situation.

Another parasite that should never be forgotten about is the tick. If traveling with your pet into an area where ticks are known (East Gippsland, Coastal Areas and Interstate) also make sure you use a tick prevention such as Frontline AS WELL AS checking your pet daily for ticks. Paralysis ticks can be fatal to your pet.

DESEXING

At 3-7 months of age your female pet can be spayed, and males can be castrated. We advise females be done before their first season to reduce the risk of developing mammary tumors later in life. It also reduces the risk of the animal developing ovarian or testicular tumors later in life and minimises the nuisance caused by entire animals wandering and fighting, as well as the problem of unwanted offspring.

As part of responsible pet ownership, if you are not going to use your pet for breeding, we strongly recommend desexing.

NUTRITION

Nutrition directly impacts on the health of your pet, so feeding the appropriate diet through all its different life-stages is very important. One food cannot maintain your pets health all of its life. The different life stages will place different demands on your pets body.

Life-stage’s for your dog include: puppy hood, adulthood, working dog, active dog, pregnant and lactating bitch, senior dog, overweight dog, and dogs requiring special diets due to illnesses. For cats the life stages are very similar, although we often can’t consider our cats “working cats!” Different diets for the appropriate life-stage will have varying levels of protein, carbohydrates, fats, salts, vitamins, minerals, etc.

It is also worth noting that there are different puppy diets available depending on whether your pup is a small, medium or large breed, because the growth stage is such an important period in life. For our feline friends size is usually irrelevant. Young less than 12 weeks of age can be feed 3 times a day, then once over 12 weeks, reduce to 2 feeds per day. It is a good idea to feed adults morning and night, but if you prefer to feed once daily it should be in the morning.

Once weaned, gradually introduce your pet to a commercially prepared diet. Ensure the food is a complete, nutritionally balanced diet for growing animals. A combination of dry and canned food can be fed, or dry food alone. Always ensure plenty of clean, fresh water is available. (Note: weaned young do not require milk)

We recommend feeding premium brands of pet food such as Hills Science Diet or Eukanuba, or a quality supermarket brand such as Supercoat. There are many benefits of feeding the premium diets in comparison to the cheaper supermarket foods, which can be discussed at anytime with our staff members. Remember not to exercise your puppy or dog for a couple of hours after feeding as it can potentially cause fatal stomach bloating.

Introduce raw bones to your pet as an aid in cleaning their teeth and maintaining oral hygiene. Pick the size of the bones according to the size of your pet. A little animal isn't going to be able to handle a bone too large, whereas bones that are too small can be dangerous to a larger animal. It is also important to remember that cooked bones should never be fed, as they become brittle and can perforate the gut or cause intestinal blockage and constipation. Certain foods such as onions, broccoli, chocolate and garlic can also be toxic to dogs. Most vegetables should only be fed in moderation to avoid toxic levels.