Forth Valley Veterinary Clinic Blog
Our top tips and useful information regarding pet and animal health…
Pre - Anaesthetic Blood Test
Current generation anaesthetic drugs are the safest ever produced, but that does not mean that anaesthetic risk is zero. The risk to patients depends on several factors including age, presence of disease, having a full stomach, allergies, stress, amount of body fat and even breed. Minimising these risk factors is the logical step before having an anaesthetic.
Giant and Large Breed Dogs and Puppies
Big dogs seem strong, bold, and robust. But, in reality, giant dog breeds are more fragile than medium sized dogs! That’s because of their phenomenal growth rate as puppies, which puts them at a high risk of bone and joint problems.
Protecting Your Puppy’s Growing Joints
Too much exercise results in muscle fatigue, creating instability in a puppy’s immature joints. This can lead to inflammation, and the early onset of arthritis and joint disease.
Kidney Disease
Your cat’s kidneys play a vital role in maintaining thier health. They help control blood pressure, regulate the bloodstream, produce important hormones, enzymes, and red blood cells, as well as remove metabolic waste from the blood. If their kidneys aren’t able to do their job properly, this can lead to significant and life-threatening problems, such as Kidney Failure.
10 Reasons for Intermittent Lameness in Dogs
Does your doggo show signs of intermittent lameness? Whether it’s mild or severe, lameness is one of the first signs that something is not right with your best mate.
Post-Lockdown Separation Anxiety in our Dogs
If COVID-19 has had a silver lining, it’s been getting to spend more time with our pets. Dogs all over the world have enjoyed snuggling into laps while their humans held video conferences and worked away on the phone or computer. Frequent walks and one-on-one time has become the new norm, and we’ve all loved it. But a topic of discussion amongst vets at the moment is whether we’ll see an increase in separation anxiety in our dogs as work restrictions are eased?
Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis
Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis is a serious disease that causes mastitis, ill-thrift, arthritis, pneumonia, and paralysis that moves up the body, and brain disease (encephalomyelitis). CAE is also considered an animal welfare issue. There is no cure for CAE.
Older Dogs - Stress
“I’m not as sharp as I was…I get confused a little now, I have forgotten some of the house rules and I feel more anxious.”
Older Dogs - Feeling the Cold
“Brrrrrrrrrrrr, has the colder season come early? I feel the cold more easily now and I need some extra warmth.”
Older Dogs - I am in Pain
“I’m sorry I growled and snapped at the little boy from next door, but he just wasn’t respecting my space and I can’t move like I use to. My hips and knees are painful and I can’t get up as quick as I use to.”
Older Dogs - Body Changes
“My skin is dry and thinner… my coat has become coarse and it takes longer to come out when the season changes. And my nails don’t wear down like they use to! They’re preventing me from balancing properly and they get in my way when we go walking. I need a little extra care with grooming these days!”
Lameness - A lame topic? Or crucial to Animal Health?
Worldwide the incidence of lameness in cattle, with numerous studies, has indicated that as many as 60% of cows in a given herd will become lame once a year. Most cases of lameness are due to claw lesions (up to 90%) with the minority being associated with upper limb problems. Even though the cows carry half the weight on the front and the other half on the back, most of the foot disease (80%) occur in the back legs.
Food Glorious Food
“It’s simply my most favourite thing in the whole wide world apart from being with you my human. But I just can’t handle as many calories as I use too, and the extra weight makes it harder for me to get around.”
Goat Lice Management
here are two types of lice affecting goats in Tasmania: the biting louse and the sucking louse. These lice are small (only 1 to 2 mm long) and are grey or cream in colour. Goat lice affect only goats. They may survive on sheep for about 5 to 7 days, but not propagate. Lice from cattle do not affect goats.
Sheep Lice Management
Regular checking of your sheep for the signs of lice is important if infestations are to be identified early. Sheep can be infested with lice without showing overt signs so it is important during regular flock checks to catch some sheep for a closer inspection.
Games for Your Older Dog - Physical and Mental Stimulation
Feeding a portion of your Doggo’s daily food intake from your hand during games is brilliant for mental stimulation, not only with young dogs but especially with older dogs as it helps keep them bright, alert and happy!
Exercise for Older Doggos
The best rule for exercising your older dog is little and often. It’s important to keep those joints mobile. Several regular short walks throughout the day is much more effective than one long walk per day. And one long walk a week or twice a week can often make things much worse.
Signs your Dog might be in Pain
How good is it being a dog these past couple of months??! Walk in the morning, another one at lunch, and the hooman is bored again by 3pm and guess what! Yep! Another walk! While life is getting back to sort-of-normal, our canine kids are loving the extra time spent with us. But maybe you’ve noticed pooch is a bit stiff in the mornings or a bit sore after a big walk? It could be Arthritis…
Blackleg
Today we look at the importance of vaccinating our cattle against potentially fatal diseases. Blackleg is an infectious disease most commonly caused by the bacteria Clostridium chauvoei.
These bacteria survive in the environment and pasture as durable spores for many years. The bacteria are ingested by grazing cattle, enter the blood stream and lodge in the muscle. The bacteria cause inflammation of the muscle, the muscle then becomes toxic and usually at this point leads to rapid death.
Drenching
Internal parasites or ‘worms’ impact significantly on the production efficiency of cattle herds, causing disease, reducing growth rates and sometimes causing death. Internal parasites include tapeworms (cestodes), roundworms (nematodes) and flukes (trematodes). Liver fluke and roundworms cause the biggest problems for producers.
Our staff are wildly passionate about animals and making sure your pet is living its healthiest and happiest life
Back that passion with expert qualifications and a love of learning, and it’s safe to say your fur family is in very safe hands.