Summer Storms & Fireworks= Stray Pets!

During thes u m m e rmonths thereis always anincrease in thenumber of lostpets reported.This can bedue to stormsand fireworks,which canfrighten someanimals and cause them to act irrationally and then try toescape the situation by jumping the fence and runningaway.

Paws, Clawsand More

Paws, Clawsand More

Mount Hutton Pet Hospital Newsletter

P E T H O S P I T A L

Summer Edition 2007Shop 15, Progress Road

Mt Hutton NSW 2290 Phone: 4947 1311www.mthuttonvet.com.au

Tips for keeping your Pet Safe & Secure:• Make sure your pet wears a collar & tag with up to date contact details on it. If you

only have a home number on the tag, how will people contact you if you aren’t home for a period of time?

• Make sure your pet is microchipped and that the details are current• If your pet is frightened of storms and thunder consider sedation for extreme cases• Don’t fuss over your dog if he is frightened as this will make him more nervous if he

perceives your behaviour to be abnormal• Make all fences and gates secure so they can’t escape• Background noise can sometimes help• Consider boarding or have someone pet sit if your pet is going to be left home alone

while you go on holidays.• If you do find a lost pet that has no pet tag the best thing you can do is take it to the

RSPCA, the owners will call giving the animal the best chance of being found.• Lonely pets that are left at home while their owners are on holidays sometimes

escape out of boredom.

In this issue

Summer Storms &Fireworks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Separation Anxiety . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Kids Korner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

Bio Breed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Pet Expo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Go Native . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Meet the Staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Tick Alert. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Canine Separation AnxietyWhat should I know???

Prevention:When a puppy or new dog is brought home, itis important to avoid situations that mayencourage an excessive attachment to develop.Your dog should slowly become accustomed tostaying alone. And ensure that the dog does notconstantly follow the owner and graduallyadjust to being alone in the house will go along way toward a healthy owner-petrelationship.

Problems behaviors associatedwith separation anxiety:

There are many problem behaviors associatedwith separation anxiety including:

• Defecation and urination• Destructive behaviour• Excessive barking• Whining• Depression• Hyperactivity• Fence jumping/ roaming

These behaviors may also be the symptoms ofother problems, however if undesired behaviorsare clearly related to the absence of the owner,occur shortly after departure and a prolongedgreeting response occurs upon the ownersreturn, separation anxiety is the probable cause.

What is separation anxiety?Separation anxiety in dogs is the fear or dislike of isolationwhich often results in undesirable behaviour.Separation anxiety is one of the most common causes ofcanine behavioural problems.As social animals, it is normal for puppies to formattachments to their mother and littermates. Once a puppyis separated from its family group, it becomes attached toits owner.Attachment implies a trusting relationship and is thefoundation of a good healthy bond between owner and pet.However when a dog becomes overly dependent on itsowner, problem behaviours may result.

Treatment of Separation anxiety:Some methods for treating the problem behaviour include:

• Punishment crate training• Obedience training

These methods are directed at the problem behaviour;however they fail to address the source of the problem.By ignoring the source of the problems, one undesirablebehaviour may simply be replaced with another as the dogsearches for an outlet for its anxiousness.In addition punishment is likely to be counter productiveand will only increase a dog’s anxiety with each departure.Therefore, punishment is not recommended as anacceptable method for treating separation anxiety.Presently, the most accepted method for treating separationanxiety involves planned departures. This method involvesgradually adjusting the dog to being alone by exposure tomany short departures. Because the stress response occursvery shortly after the owners departure (within 30 minutes),the dog should only be left alone for very short intervals atfirst (seconds to minutes) to ensure the owner returnsbefore the onset of anxiety.Before the departure period can be increased, the ownermust be certain that the dog is not stressed.The owner must closely watch the dogs for anxiety andensure that the dog does not engage in an extendedgreeting. After the short departures have reached the 30minute mark, the length of time the dog is left can beincreased by larger increments.Once the dog can be left alone for 1 and a half hours it canusually be left all day.In severe cases the owner may have to seek veterinaryattention and medication be prescribed.

Canine Separation AnxietyWhat should I know???

Breed Bio – Bengal

The Bengal has an elegant and muscular bodystructure like that of the wild Asian Leopard cat, TheBengal cat is a relatively new domestic breed; they arehybrid done so by crossbreeding domestic cats, withthe desirable markings, with the Asian Leopard Cat. They are a medium sized breed with a gentle andfriendly temperament and they are particularly known for their high energy, intelligence and playfulness. Theyare vocal cats, communicating to their owners and will follow them around the house wanting to be included inall activities. They can be particularly fond of water and have been known to join their owner in the shower orthey may even enjoy playing in fish ponds. The Bengal can get jealous if they feel that another feline is gettingmore attention or if they are being ignored.

Pet ExpoMount Hutton Pet Hospital recentlyparticipated and offered a stall at a day at theNewcastle Hunter Pet Expo at Hillsboroughon the 28th of October. The day was a greatsuccess. We met lots of people who visitedour stall. There were a number of eventsincluding a dog show with various categoriesin the main ring and a cat show in the mainpavilion with a few breeds being shownincluding, Persian, Burmese, Bengal, MaineCoon & British Short Hair. There were alsolucky dips and raffle prizes, congratulationsto our three major prize winners who wonthemselves either a cat igloo or a dog bedalong with a bundle of goodies. Hope yourpets enjoy them! We would like to thank allour staff who helped with the day for all theirhard work.

This time of year brings out the long-necked tortoises looking fora mate; the female will lay her eggs on the highest side of thebank of a dam, and incubate them for 90 days.At the practice we have had a couple of adult tortoises broughtin, one with a cracked shell. Being clipped by a passing car cancause a nasty crack in the tortoise’s shell, They have been seen crossing roads and traveling around the

Stockton area and Kooragang Island, if you do pass one on yourtravels some important points to remember are:

• If you pass one crossing the road (and they do so very slowly) you can help by placing it at the other side of the road in the direction in which they are heading, even if they aren’t heading towards water.

• If you find a tortoise with a cracked shell DO NOT PUT IT IN WATER! Water can leak into a newly crackedshell causing the inner membrane to rot from the inside out.

• If you do find an injured turtle or tortoise contact the Native Animal Trust Fund on 0500 502 294.

Breed Bio – Bengal

GoNative ~ Long Neck Tortoise

Mt Hutton Vet Ns01/12/06 Instant Print & Colour Spot (02) 4962 5999

Welcome to our new ‘Pet Ambulance’ we now can offer a service of being able to pick up and deliveryour friend to our clinic in our purpose built Pet Hospital Pet Ambulance.If you find it hard to get down to our Pet Hospital we can help organise an appointment to have a housevisit, pick up service for both clients and pets to visit our hospital. Bookings are essential.

TICK ALERT! – make sure your pets are on some form of tick control.Conduct daily searches on your pet as now tick control is 100% effective.If you find a tick remove it straight away with a pair of tweezers. An adultparalysis tick is pear to oval in shape and its colour can vary from yellow-grey to a light-grey, and it also has black bands on both sides. Its 1st and4th legs are darker in colour and the 2nd & 3rd leg are a light colour.

Meet The Staff ~ Pet Ambulance

We at

Mount Hutton Pet Hospital

would like to wish everyone

a Safe and Happy

Christmas and New Year.