Lifelong care for pets providing clinical excellence, knowledge and experience
NEWS ASK THE VET by Graham Lewis Going abroad on holiday? If you’re taking your pet with you, here’s a checklist of essentials:
The owner of a white cat emailed us to ask whether he should use suncream on his pet. We do recommend this as light coloured cats can easily get sunburned on their ears and even their noses. As is the case with humans, sunburn can lead to skin cancer and at the very least can be itchy and uncomfrtable. It would be a good idea to apply a waterproof high-factor child’s suncream to the cat’s ears on sunny days in a bid to prevent this problem.
*Your pet must be microchipped. *Your pet must be vaccinated against Rabies. *All dogs which travel abroad must have tapeworm treatment given by a Vet 1-5 days before returning to the U.K. *You must travel with an approved transport company on an authorised route. That covers travel within the EU and several other countries. However, you should also talk to your Vet about foreign diseases which could affect your pet. We can advise on the best treatment and/or prevention and help with other passport-related issues. If you have a pet-related question for this column, please email it to:
laura.mckirdy@paragonvet.com
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PARAGON VETERINARY GROUP Visit us at: www.paragonvet.com and please ‘like’ us on our FACEBOOK page www.facebook.com/ParagonVets.Pets
July 2012
Contact us:
CALDEW VETERINARY HOSPITAL Carlisle House, Townhead Road, Dalston, Carlisle CA5 7JF Tel: (01228) 710208 vets@paragonvet.com TOWNHEAD VETERINARY CENTRE Newbiggin, Stainton, Penrith, CA11 0HT Tel: (01768) 483789 townhead@paragonvet.com LONDON ROAD SURGERY 87 London Road Carlisle CA1 2LG Tel: (01228 591005)
STAFF NEWS
SPECIAL OFFER Is your pet microchipped?
Three Peaks Triumph! The weather couldn’t have been much worse for Paragon Vet Chris Dixon when he climbed Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in just 24 hours. Chris did the famous Three Peaks Challenge to raise money for the neonatal intensive care unit at the James Cook University Hospital and the special care baby unit at Cumberland Infirmary. Along with brother Steven and friends Alex Kirby and James Darcey, Chris completed the challenge in 23 hours and 42 minutes raising more than £10,000 - SO FAR!
Throughout July we are running a special promotion offering microchipping for the special price of
£12 including VAT.
This works out at less than half the normal price, so this would be a great time to have it done. The process is quick and easy and most animals don’t even feel it happening.
PET OF THE MONTH This brightly coloured chap is Charlie the Macaw. He came in for a general check-up and because he was having a few food-related issues. Macaws are magnificent birds and seeing a flock of them flying through the jungle is fabulous. They are occasionally kept as pets, particularly blue and gold or scarlet macaws. As with any animal it is important to consider their natural wild environment when thinking about the best way to keep them in captivity. Macaws normally live in flocks so consideration should be given to ensuring they have company and stimulation for most of the day. They normally range over a very large territory that they can explore constantly. They are therefore unlikely to be satisfied with a cage in which they can barely open their wings to the full extent. In the wild they have a varied diet of fruit, nuts, vegetable matter and leaves depending on the season. This should be replicated in captivity and diets with a lot of very fatty seeds or human food should be avoided. Macaws can be rewarding pets if kept in the right environment but it can be a challenge to get the conditions correct to keep them happy and healthy.