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Archive for August, 2013
Aug-13 Diabetes Awareness Month
by on August 14th, 2013
Category: Special Offers, Tags:
Pet of the Month – July 2013
by on August 14th, 2013
Category: Pet of the Month, Tags:
Lucky Black Cat….
A concerned member of the public had pushed a note through our practice door in Arundel informing us that a cat had apparently fallen into the River Arun and had managed to scramble out but the note said it didn’t look good. The RSPCA had been contacted but said they would not be able to attend for some time. The note showed where the cat could be found and had the phone number of the person who had spotted her. After speaking to the lady, who didn’t think the cat would last much longer, our vet Ellie went to investigate.
Peering over the wall where the cat had last been seen Ellie could see the little cat, huddled up and shivering. The lady was right, it didn’t look good. Ellie climbed over the wall and down onto the ledge where she was and lifted her out from the bushes. The poor cat was wet through and freezing cold and quite disorientated. She began crying so loudly that the nearby neighbours came out to see what the racket was. One local kindly fetched a towel and Ellie returned to the practice with a very cold and confused little cat. She didn’t have any injuries except for badly damaged nails from trying to scramble up the riverbank but was suffering from hypothermia. Her temperature was so low it wouldn’t even read on the thermometer. A nurse quickly collected the cat and took it back to Littlehampton for hospitalisation.
Once there she was put on warm intravenous fluids and placed in a warming oxygen tent. After a few hours her temperature returned to normal and she began to look much happier. Thankfully Emily was micro-chipped and so we were able to contact her owners who came straight down to see her. The following day she was able to go home. We hope she won’t go exploring too close to the river again.
Diabetes Awareness Month – Is your pet at risk?
by on August 14th, 2013
Category: News, Tags:
Is your dog or cat excessively thirsty or do they need to urinate more than normal? Is your pet increasingly lethargic or losing weight, despite a healthy appetite? If the answer is yes to any of these questions, then it may be suffering from diabetes mellitus or sugar diabetes.
This month we are offering a free in-house urine test to all our patients.
It is estimated that approximately one in 500 dogs and cats in the UK develop diabetes, which is caused by either the pet’s pancreas producing insufficient amounts of the body’s naturally occurring hormone, insulin, or the failure of its body cells to respond to insulin. This in turn means that glucose from food doesn’t provide enough energy to the pet’s body.
Middle aged to older dogs are more prone to developing the condition and un-spayed bitches are most commonly affected, however certain dog breeds such as Labradors, Springer Spaniels, Golden Retrievers and Old English Sheepdogs are at an increased risk.
In cats, all ages and sexes can be affected, however older cats are particularly susceptible and it has been reported that diabetes is particularly prevalent in the Burmese breed.
If your pet does have diabetes then help is at hand. As well as a consistent and carefully controlled diet, regular injections of insulin, should be administered twice daily to help control the condition. In cats up to a third of diabetic cases treated with Caninsulin go into remission and may therefore come off treatment altogether. Although this is unusual in dogs, a good quality of life can be restored for the majority of diabetic pets given insulin treatment and appropriate care.
For further information on diabetes, simply phone the practice on 01903-713806 to book a pet health check. You can also visit the website: www.diabeticpets.co.uk
