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Dates & News:

ZimDog News, can be accessed from: www.vanerp.net.

Zimbabwe Kennel Club:

The Zimbabwe Kennel Club office will now only be open on a Friday each week, 14.00-16.00 CAT. 

News:

Helen Brown has now been transferred to another hospital where they are better geared for her road to recovery.

My apologies for not putting up a June newsletter.
I was too busy sorting out my bitch Bakharie, which resulted a trip to SA. She was on a special mix for her face itchiness and as I want to mate her she was given a thorough check by a Vet who specializes in fertility. Fascinating what was done, a blood sample a vulva smear all going to a Human lab. All was well, to make sure: she was put on antibiotics and then put onto EFAZOL, a mixture of Omega 3 & 6 as well as special vitamins. You should see her now, coat is full and shining and her bitch has gone.
Perhaps this could be something to remember for other allergy conditions with your dogs? I am very impressed.

Two weeks later I went again to SA to attend a special seminar where Joanne Flemming-Plumb from Canada taught us the way she gets dogs ready for tracking and doing the obedience.

This was fantastic, but my time just flew away. So just a few good articles for you to read and make note of, for the way to look after your dogs.

VOMITING

Hi Jan cashel,

Last week I told you the number one reason pet owners take their dogs... is vomiting. Can you guess what is #2? Well?... It is diarrhoea. I know that this is not a pleasant subject, but it is so common that I believe all that all pet owners should know what to do if your dog has an on-set of diarrhoea. So please take a minute to read this e-mail so you know what to look for and what to do. Let's get started...A quick medical definition for diarrhoea is a sudden onset and short duration (three weeks or less) of watery or watery-mucoid diarrhoea. Occasionally the faecal material is also overtly bloody. Diarrhoea results from excessive water content in the faeces and is an important sign of intestinal diseases in the dog. Diarrhoea can affect your dog by causing extreme fluid loss, which leads to dehydration, electrolyte disturbances, and/or acid-base imbalances. Diarrhoea is a symptom that can be caused by many different diseases or conditions, and specific treatment requires a diagnosis. Common causes of diarrhoea include:

1.       Dietary indiscretion can include the eating of spoiled food, overeating, the ingestion of foreign materials, and/or sudden changes in the diet.

2.       Intestinal parasites (e.g. roundworms, hookworms, whipworms) are a common cause of acute diarrhoea, especially in young dogs.

3.       Bacteria and bacterial toxins (Salmonella, Clostridium, Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, Yersinia, etc.) may cause acute diarrhoea and may be contracted from contaminated food and water, or exposure to the faecal material of other infected animals. Although most cases of acute diarrhoea are short-lived and self-limiting, there are some cases that require diagnostic testing to confirm an underlying cause. This will require that you take your dog into see you vet or to the Emergency Room. How much will going in to see the vet for a dog with diarrhoea cost you? Anywhere from $100 - $300+ depending whether they do faecal studies, complete blood count, radiographs and other diagnostic tests. The good news, is that in many cases the prognosis for cure of self-limiting diarrhoea is very good. When the diarrhoea begins you should feed a bland diet, made from a boiled lean meat (chicken, hamburger or turkey) mixed 50/50 with boiled white rice. Do not use any additives such as butter, salt, garlic, or seasoning. Over a couple days, you can slowly decrease the bland diet and increase is regular food until he is back on his normal food. If the dog that has diarrhoea acts lethargic, weak, the diarrhoea has blood or vomiting begins, the recommendation is to have the dog evaluated by a veterinarian even if you have to pay for it out-of-pocket. Your dog's health is the first priority. Until next time...Dr. Jon

Are bones good or bad for dogs?

Dear Jan cashel

Are bones good or bad for dogs?  

Well, many people believe that since dogs' primitive relatives chewed bones that they must be good for dogs. Others believe that bones also promote healthy teeth and gums.

What do I think?

Well, the answer is ... bones are not good for all dogs.  Some dogs may never develop a problem associated with chewing bones, but some may. And this occurs often enough that most veterinarians you ask will NOT recommend bones.

I'm one of those vets.

I see a lot of bone-related emergencies ... enough to make me believe that bones are not good for dogs. Recently I stopped by a friend's clinic and in walked a chubby and very cute Beagle named Ralphie. He had been given the marrow bone from a steak. Ralphie got the bone caught around his lower jaw and it was stuck there. He was miserable crying and pawing helplessly at his mouth. He was in so much pain that he actually bit his owners when they tried to help him. So they brought him into the emergency clinic where the bone was cut off. Ralphie was fine, but it cost the owner an emergency visit and unplanned medical expenses.

Another dog who had bone-related problems was a 2-year-old Lab named Mocha. She got into the trash and ate over 50 chicken wing bones! Bones do not break down easily, which means the dog may have to pass the bones through the stool. This often leads to a serious impaction and constipation, requiring a trip to the veterinarian. This is what happened to Mocha. She was miserable. She was straining and straining and straining to have a bowel movement and only passing some blood. Her owners decided to take her to the ER clinic. After treatment with enemas and medications, Mocha was fine. But she very well could have needed an exploratory surgery ... 

The lesson learned here is that bones are not good for every dog. The safest thing to do is to only give "bones" that have been designed for dogs to chew on. This can include Nylabones© which tend to be relatively indestructible and are often flavored. So, to be safe, keep all bones away from your dog.  Keep your trashcans covered and keep your dog on a leash to minimize exposure to your neighbors' trash.

Until next time,

Dr. Jon

Avoiding Household Cleaner Toxicity

The ASPCA® announced that they managed more than 116,000 calls to its Animal Poison Control Center (APCC) hotline in 2006, several of which pertained to common household items.

Approximately 7,200 calls pertaining to cleaning agents such as bleaches, detergents and disinfectants were received-up 38 percent from the year before. Says Dr. Hansen, "Depending on the circumstances of exposure, some household cleaners can lead to gastrointestinal irritation or even severe oral burns for pets." Additionally, irritation to the respiratory tract may be possible if a product is inhaled.

"All household cleaners and other chemicals should be stored in a secure location well out of the reach of pets," recommends Dr. Hansen, "and when cleaning your pet's food and water bowls, crate or other habitat, a mild soap such as a hand dishwashing detergent along with hot water is a good choice over products containing potentially harsh chemicals."  

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