Archive for the ‘Cats’ Category

Top tips to keep pets safe this winter

If it’s cold for you, it’s cold for your pet – that’s the key message from the British Veterinary Association (BVA)* as it urges pet owners to take extra precautions to ensure dogs, cats and other small pets are kept safe from hidden and potentially fatal hazards as snow flurries and icy conditions are forecast in many parts of the country.

As with humans, pets can fall ill upon exposure to extremely cold temperatures for extended periods. To avoid this, vets advise that dogs are walked for shorter periods of time than usual, but more frequently if required, and to consider putting a coat on old dogs or those with thin fur to keep them warm. Keep older cats inside during an extremely cold spell and ensure that even healthy young cats have easy access to shelter and warmth.

Dogs

When walking your dog in ice and snow, do not let it off the lead and avoid walking in areas where ponds or lakes may have frozen over – animals often don’t understand the difference between solid ground and ice and can fall through. In this situation, vets urge owners to call the emergency services for professional help rather than going in after their pet. Although distressing, it is never worth risking your own life as well as your dog’s. It’s also important to wipe your dog’s paws and belly on returning home from a snowy walk to remove any ice or salt, and to regularly check for cracks in paw-pads or for redness between the toes.

Cats

Cats are especially at risk of poisoning from antifreeze, which can be fatal for them even in small amounts, especially if veterinary treatment is not sought immediately after ingestion. Store and use antifreeze products carefully, clean any spillages thoroughly, and contact your vet immediately if your cat develops symptoms of antifreeze poisoning, such as vomiting, depression, lack of coordination, seizures and difficulty breathing.

Small Pets

Small pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs that usually live outdoors are vulnerable to the cold and damp despite their furry coats. Owners with outdoor hutches and runs should make sure that their pets’ living space is well-protected from snow, frost and winter rain and kept dry. Give rabbits and guinea pigs extra bedding to keep warm and check their water bottle or bowl regularly, as these can freeze when the temperature drops.

Here are some other top tips to keep pets safe this winter:

Provide a warm, draught-free shelter: Make sure your pet’s bed is in a draught-free, warm spot off the floor in the house. For outdoor pets, the hutch or run should be in a sheltered position, away from wind, rain and snow at least 10 cm off the ground.
Take precautions during and after walks: Dogs need to be exercised; however, during the colder months, try to walk your dog for shorter periods. Wipe your dog’s paws and belly on returning home from a snowy walk to remove any ice or salt, and to regularly check for cracks in paw-pads or for redness between the toes.
Avoid antifreeze poisoning: Wiping your pets’ paws can prevent them from ingesting toxins that they may have stood in whilst outside. Antifreeze in particular is highly toxic for cats even in small amounts, with almost one in six vets (17%) reporting treating cats for antifreeze poisoning over the 2018 winter season. Apart from use in car radiators, some cases that vets saw were thought to be from ingesting diluted antifreeze used in ornamental water features to protect the pumps.
Temperature control for small pets: Keep the temperature of rabbit and guinea pig homes between 10?C and 20?C for rabbits (the lower temperature assumes rabbits are healthy and kept with other rabbits, with lots of bedding for warmth) and 5?C to 20?C for guinea pigs, avoiding too many fluctuations in temperature.
Provide extra bedding for rabbits and guinea pigs: Make sure your rabbits and guinea pigs have extra bedding to keep warm during colder weather – line hutches with plenty of newspaper, provide lots of hay and cover with an old duvet/blanket/tarpaulin. If the weather becomes very severe, consider moving outdoor pets inside to a well-ventilated space with light and room to exercise – but never place them inside a garage in use, as vehicle exhaust fumes are harmful to rabbits and guinea pigs.

If you would like some more advice on how to keep your pet safe this winter, contact your local Goddard vet.

*The BVA is the largest membership community for the veterinary profession in the UK. They represent the views of over 18,000 vets and vet students on animal health and welfare, and veterinary policy issues to government, parliamentarians and key influencers in the UK and EU.

How to Have a Pet-Friendly Christmas

For most humans, Christmas is when we meet up with friends, celebrate with rich food and drink, put up sparkling decorations and have a wonderful time! However, for our pets, it can be really tough. Stress from strangers in the house, a change of routine, unexpected hazards from decorations and tasty foods that prove to have nasty toxic side effects. So, what can we do to make the festive season pet-friendly?

MINIMISE STRESS

“God rest ye merry gentlemen let nothing you dismay…” But all those merry gentlemen certainly can dismay our pets! Almost all of them find the presence of strange people in the house stressful. Dogs may respond to this by aggression, destructive behaviours or hiding; rabbits freeze and try and stay motionless; whereas cats are more likely to start urine spraying, hide or just vanish for the duration. However, even an apparently excited and waggy dog may not be as happy as they seem – while some dogs genuinely do love company, others try and cope with the stress by being extra friendly.

Ideally, you should avoid putting your pet into a stressful situation at all. This means allowing them to have their own quiet space, away from people, minimising the amount of interaction with strangers (so those festive cat and dog costumes probably aren’t a good idea) and, as far as possible, keeping to their normal routine.

However, they aren’t going to be able to avoid the holiday season completely, so you will also have to look at managing their stress. For dogs and cats, the best approach is the use of pheromones – Feliway for cats and Adaptil for dogs. Sadly, there aren’t any products designed specifically for rabbits, but if your pet is really suffering, whatever their species, bring them down to see us and our vets can prescribe anti-anxiety medications that are very effective in the short-term.

AVOID ORNAMENT INJURIES

“Deck the halls with boughs of holly…” And fir trees, glass and plastic ornaments, ribbons, tinsel, lights and candles. All lovely to look at, all potentially dangerous! Cats often like to play with bright shiny things, but they can easily get themselves cut (on a broken glass bauble, for example) or burned by candle flames or hot fairy lights. Cats also love to play pounce with tinsel and ribbons, but if swallowed they can form a “linear foreign body”, cutting into the intestinal walls. find out more about what you can do with advice from Cats Protection.

Dogs, on the other hand, are more likely to try eating things – and any ornament can cause an intestinal blockage, or break and cut the mouth or bowel.

Christmas trees are a particular threat, as to cats they are nice climbing frames (potentially resulting in it raining cats as well as needles), while to dogs they are a convenient urinal (which may result in electric shocks in a rather unfortunate location).

The simplest way to avoid injuries is by preventing pets from having any unsupervised contact with ornaments or decorations!

PREVENT POISONING

“So bring us a figgy pudding, so bring us a figgy pudding, so bring us a figgy pudding and bring it out here…” Sadly, so many of our festive favourites can be toxic to our pets. Most people know how dangerous chocolate is for dogs (and the darker the chocolate, the more toxic it is). However, did you know that coffee, peanuts, Macadamia nuts, onions, and even raisins and dried fruit are all poisonous to dogs and cats? So no slices of Christmas pudding, mince pies, festive nuts, sage and onion stuffing for our pets! The Dogs Trust have created a Doggy Christmas Menu – especially designed with dogs in mind!

In addition, cooked bones are highly dangerous as they can splinter in the mouth or gut, leading to sharp wounds and even perforated bowels. So, watch out for left-over turkey carcasses!

Finally, be very careful not to give them too much rich food and treats – dogs and cats do not thrive on rapidly changing diets, and a sudden change can lead to nasty vomiting and diarrhoea. Likewise, rabbits shouldn’t have too many seeds and treats, but make sure they have plenty of good quality hay.

Christmas with pets can be great fun for both of you, but you do have to take certain precautions! If in doubt, contact your local Goddard vet for more advice.

Responsible use and disposal of Medicines

To reduce the environmental risk of the disposal of medicines in general waste we encourage you to return unused medicines to the practice for safe disposal:

Flushing medicines down the sink or toilet can lead to contamination of waterways
Putting them in the bin at home means they end up in landfill

We can arrange for safe and legal disposal of your unused or out-of-date medications to reduce this risk so please return them to your practice reception.

Responsible Use of Antibiotics

Antibiotic resistance is recognised by WHO as one of the greatest risks to human health, and consequently, animal health.

Antibiotics cannot be prescribed to your pet without being examined by a Veterinary Surgeon and this includes topical products such as ear drops.

It is always important to use the course as directed by your veterinary surgeon and complete the course to the recommended length. Please speak to a member of the team if you have any problems administering the medication.

We may recommend tests to see which antibiotic is most effective for your pet’s condition and to check for antibiotic resistance and this may involve taking a swab to look at the bacteria under a microscope and grow – “culture” – the bacteria to test the antibiotics.

Preventative Healthcare

Preventing disease is a really important way to reduce the environmental impact of healthcare.

Vaccinating your pet against infectious diseases and preventing parasite infections is very important for animal welfare and to prevent illness in your pet. It is also much cheaper and has less environmental impact to prevent a disease than to treat it.

We use risk assessments of your pet’s lifestyle to tailor preventative healthcare to your pet’s needs and recommend regular checkups to monitor their health and weight to detect early signs of disease and prevent the risk of chronic conditions like obesity. Find out more about our preventative healthcare plan, ProActive Pets.

Responsible Use of Parasiticides

Watch our video guide to applying spot-on flea treatment to your dog or video on how to apply spot-on flea treatments for cats.

Always read the product label and leaflet for correct administration and frequency of use
If using a topical product, don’t bathe your pet or let them swim for 4 days after application
Always bin and bag pet poo to help prevent parasites and treatments from spreading in the environment
Please speak to a member of the team if you have problems applying a treatment – we have a number of options under ProActive Pets

For further information, read the BVA’s Responsible use of parasiticides for cats and dogs: The five point plan.

How to easily clean your cat’s ears at home

Cats are great at grooming themselves, generally keeping clean and tidy without any assistance. However, sometimes they need a helping paw with cleaning their ears. Whilst ears are self-cleaning, inflammation, infection, or polyps can create discharge and extra nasty gunk that needs to be removed.

Cleaning your cat’s ears can be a little tricky compared to grooming your canine companions. Cats can be very sensitive in the area around their ears, and don’t always appreciate your best efforts to help them clean!

But don’t worry, we know you have their best interests at heart. In this guide, experts from Goddard Vet Group will give you the best advice to help you with the ear-cleaning process.

Preparation

If you think your cat’s ears need cleaning, it’s important to check with a vet before attempting any home remedies. Itching, scratching, and a build-up of wax can all be indicators that they need a clean, however, these are also symptoms of other issues such as infection, fleas, mites, and more. These will all need to be treated properly with the appropriate medication.

What you’ll need…

Ear cleaning solution – it’s very important that you use ear cleaning products specifically made for cats. Using something wrong here could cause permanent damage to your cat’s hearing and balance.
Cotton wool balls/pads – to help clean, wipe, and dry your cat’s ears. Just don’t use Q-tips!
A towel/blanket – wrapping your cat in a towel or blanket can help to both hold them in position and keep them comfortable.
Assistance – not all cats will be very accepting of your help! Sometimes it can be beneficial to have an extra pair of hands to support you.
Lots and lots of treats – rewarding your cat with treats throughout the process can help acclimate them to cleaning and treatments, creating a positive association

How to clean cat ears: step-by-step guide

Make sure your cat is positioned comfortably either in your lap or on a flat surface facing away from you. Wrapping them in a blanket or towel can help to stop them from wriggling around. Have treats available nearby!
Roll the cleaning solution bottle in your hand to warm up the liquid so it’s not as cold before applying it into the ear.
Apply the cleaning solution to the cotton wool and gently clean around the opening of the ear canal and the pinna (the pointy bit of the ear!).
Gently pressing the cotton wool will cause some of the cleaner to enter the ear canal, helping to bring out any debris. Use some dry cotton wool to wipe this away.
Continue for as long as you think is necessary, or as long as your cat will allow, before moving on to the next ear. If your cat has an ear problem, you may need to schedule regular ear-cleaning sessions to help with treatment.

If you need further advice, book an appointment with your local Goddard vet practice, or get in touch with our Central Clinical Team at 020 8506 9944.

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How to trim your cat’s claws at home

Cats love to keep themselves neat and tidy! However, even the most well-groomed cats can have problems with the length of their claws and need help to keep them short.

Nailing trimming is a vital part of your cat’s health and well-being, but it may leave you feeling overwhelmed if you don’t know where to start. Fortunately, there are simple steps that you can take to ensure that trimming your cat’s claws goes as smoothly as possible – hopefully without any scratches!

Preparation

All cats are different, each with their own personalities and temperaments. There’s a chance your cat will have no problems with you helping them to groom, but some of your feline friends will not be quite as accepting! If you spot that your cat’s nails need a trim, it’s important to make all the necessary preparations so that they’re comfortable and happy.

If your cat is particularly wriggly, nervous, has black nails or you notice that they are growing into the skin – do not attempt to clip them yourself. It’s better to seek advice and help from a vet than either you or your cat getting an injury!

How to tell if my cat’s claws need trimming

If your cat’s nails are left to grow too long, this can create mobility problems and even cause them pain if they aren’t trimmed. Here are some warning signs that they need clipping:

They are visible when the cat is resting and not actively extending
You can hear them tapping when the cat is walking on hard
You notice them catching on carpets or blankets.

Which clippers are best for cat claws?

It’s best to use small pet clippers, either with a plier-like design or a sliding “guillotine” blade. However, it is okay to use small human nail clippers, as long as they are sharp. Never use human nail scissors.

Before you start:

Pick a time of day when your cat is most relaxed to trim their
Ensure you have good lighting so you can clearly see what you are
Always have a steady supply of treats available to reward your cat during the process!

How to easily trim your cat’s claws: A step-by-step guide

Firstly, position your cat so that they’re facing away from Ideally this would be on your lap, although a flat surface in front of you is also fine. It can be useful to wrap your cat in a towel with one leg free so that you can keep them still and secure.
If you are concerned that your cat may bite you at this stage, please book a nurse appointment at your local Goddard vet practice and they will be able to clip the nails and teach you to feel safe doing it at home
Take your cat’s paw and gently press the top of each toe to extend the claw outward. Remember to take extra care with your handling if your cat is nervous or elderly, as this could be a sensitive
Examine the claw carefully, and just snip off the transparent tip using your clippers. Don’t clip down near the pinkish area of the nail known as “the quick”, as this contains blood vessels, nerves and other tissues. Cutting near this area can be painful and cause bleeding.
If you do accidentally catch the quick and the nail bleeds, apply firm pressure with a tissue or clean towel. If the bleeding doesn’t stop after approximately five minutes of pressure, contact your vet.
Reward your cat with a treat! It’s best to give your cat a break after you’ve finished with each paw. Rewarding them with a treat is a great way to get them used to the process and to form positive
Slowly work your way through each paw. If your cat becomes too anxious, it’s best to stop and try again another time. But hopefully, if you follow this process, you should have no problems clipping your cat’s nails successfully!

If you need further advice, book an appointment with your local Goddard vet practice, or get in touch with our Central Clinical Team at 020 8506 9944.

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