It's a dog's holiday

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 5, Issue 29, 15 December 1987, Page 9

It's a dog's holiday

Don't wait until Christmas to have pets vaccinated. That's the advice for pet owners planning to leave their animals in boarding homes for the holidays, from Dr Tedi Busch - small animal spokesperson for the national Yetmark group. She says reputable cattery and kennel operators require vacination certificates before they'll accept pets. Hydatids certificates are required for dogs whether left at a kennel or accompanying the family to the beach. It's possible to have a pet sedated if it's a bad traveller, but as the pet will need a physical, this shouldn't be left to the last minute either. Pets left in cars are a perennial problem, and Dr Busch says owners often don't realise what they are doing. "They park their vehicle in the shade and think everything is okay - but when the sun moves around, animals run a risk of heat stroke, which can be fatal."

A common summer problem is leaving larger animals without adequate fresh water supplies while cats, too, like lots of water. Dermatitis in dogs is also common, as owners don't think to wash the salt off their pets after a swim in the sea, even though they shower themselves. Christmas barbeques offer special problems for dogs - they're not averse to wolfing down all the leftovers, including ham, pavlova, chop bones, corn cobs or foil wrapped potatoes. "Such a diet brings problems ranging from straight out indigestion through to gut blockages that require an operation to clear," Dr Busch said. "Foil wrapped potatoes are particularly difficult to deal with because they don't show up on X-rays." Cats are more fastidious - but they have holiday fare problems too. "Vets near the coast remove baited fish hooks from cats' mouths at the rate of two a week." Canine Christmas PresentWhat's the best Christmas present for a dog that has everything?.

It could be a toothbrush! More and more dogs are being brought into vet clinics for dentistry. Dr Busch says it's a growing phenomenon in New Zealand and follows overseas trends. "It's common in the United States for dogs to have their teeth capped or have root canal surgery." New Zealand pets come in mainly with loosened teeth or gingivitis - a gum disease. It points to the necessity of providing dogs with regular chewing exercise. "We encourage brushing your dog's teeth on a regular basis." Footnote: It could see a revival of that old yarn about the boy caught brushing the dog's teeth with his father's toothbrush. When Dad went berserk, the kid said: "It's okay, Dad. I've always rinsed it after wards!"