Clinton Street Veterinary Clinic Winter Newsletter 2021

After a mild summer and spring we have certainly seen winter come in with the recent harsh frosts. With the changing weather comes some particular animal health issues such as managing arthritis. It is also looking like a tricky season to manage feed for pregnant stock, with the goal being to prevent heavy pregnant animals being overweight. Decisions now will make for an easier calving or lambing season in the spring. The clinic is continuing to take bookings for small animal consultations - please call to book in an appointment. We are also doing surgery 5 days a week which means we have increased availability to better suit our clients.

Two vets on Saturday morning

It is often difficult to get to the veterinary clinic during the week and we have recently extended our consultation hours on a Saturday morning from 9am - 12pm. Each Saturday morning we will have two vets consulting to allow more clients to be seen on the weekend. However, if your animal is sick, we would always recommend that we see the animal sooner than later as often treatment earlier can lead to faster recovery times.

Arthritis in Older Pets

With cooler weather our older pets can struggle with arthritis. Arthritis is a degenerative disease of the joints (hips, elbows, wrists, hocks) which makes movement more painful. Pets are usually slower to rise, stiffer in their gait and pre-existing injuries or sore legs may become more noticeable. Unfortunately we can't reverse the process of arthritis, but we can slow it down. No one treatment is 100% effective on its own, we recommend an approach which incorporates both at home and veterinary care. Weight management is very important, as this reduces stress and pain on the joints, and makes it easier for pets to exercise. Antinol is a product which we sell over the counter at the clinic which has anti-inflammatory effects which can be just as good as prescription medications, without the side effects. It is a green lipped muscle oil based capsule which are given daily. Our nurses are able to run you through how to use it. You can also book in a consult with a vet to talk about prescription medication options; we can also run a blood test in the clinic which can help us make decisions about medication doses when required.

Arthritis in cats can be more subtle, cats may not jump up to their favourite spots and can also have more trouble getting into and out of the litter box, and sometimes holding themselves long enough to toilet properly. A veterinary assessment can help identify the source of pain and we can discuss some changes that might help your cat. The pain relief medication we most commonly use is designed to be palatable so you may find it easier to give than you think!

Worms in small sheep flocks

The mild wet conditions have been perfect for development of very high worm burdens in sheep flocks. Barbers Pole worm (Haemonchus contortus) is common and can kill stock quickly. Small sheep flocks in lush pastures which aren't moved around very much are at risk. If you aren't sure where to start when it comes to parasite management in your flock then our vets can all assist you in making a plan to monitor and treat worms. Drench use needs to be accurate for the animal's weight - there is no benefit in giving an underdose or dramatic over dose. We would recommend that you round up approximately 5kg on weight guess as under dosing will reduce effectiveness. Choice of drench is also crucial, and with such a vast number of products available it is tricky to work out what you need. Worms are part of sheep farming and need to be well managed to prevent them impacting animal health.

We can perform faecal egg counts in house or we can suggest where you can send them. We can also do consultations for small lot farmers to help them to understand the basics of animal husbandry on their farm.

The website paraboss is also excellent https://www.paraboss.com.au/

Pain relief at lamb marking

There are several products available on the market which provide pain relief for lambs at marking. Whilst Trisolfen is widely available, these others are veterinary only. Meloxicam is the same product often prescribed for pain relief in dogs and cats. In sheep it is given as a single injection under the skin which lasts for 3 days. This ensures lambs mother up and continue to gain weight post marking. It can

be ordered through the clinic and we can arrange for a bottle protector and injection gun to also be delivered. The other, Numnuts, is a device developed to deliver an injection of local anaesthetic at the same time as a ring is applied to the testes or tail. This takes only seconds to kick in and lambs should go back to the paddock without feeling any pain from the procedure. This has flow on effects as lambs aren't sitting down due to pain causing contamination of mulesing sites. If you are interested in the operation head to their website https://numnuts.store/.

Our vets are happy to talk with you about what product may be most beneficial on your farm.

Joke corner

How do you count cows?

With a cowculator.

What do I do in an animal emergency?

Animal emergencies occur outside office hours and the Clinton Street Veterinary Clinic has a veterinarian on call, meaning they can come in to the clinic to treat a snake bite or perform an emergency caesarean. Additionally we can attend your property to treat a horse with colic or a stuck calf. To contact the veterinarian on call outside of clinic hours, please call the normal phone line 48211881, listen to the answering machine instructions to phone the afterhours vet.