It’s hard to comprehend that a tiny Chihuahua and a leggy Great Dane are in fact the same species. There are many common problems that affect all dogs but there are lots of differences too.
Book Appointment Location & ContactYES – your dog does require a general anaesthetic to allow a thorough teeth clean. A dental examination and clean includes a thorough exam of the mouth (including under the gumline) and a full set of dental radiographs. This requires animals to be completely still and can be quite invasive. Even the best-behaved dog will not allow an exam under the gumline whilst conscious. Without it, we can not establish the health of the tooth and give the teeth a complete clean. We scale and polish every single tooth on all surfaces (including the surface closest to the tongue)- this simply can not be achieved without a general anaesthetic.
The signs of snake envenomation in a dog can be varied. They include vomiting, frothing at the mouth, appearing wobbly on their feet, collapsing but then appearing to recover. If you are at all concerned your dog has been bitten, it is always best to contact the clinic and ask our advice. We always prioritise possible snake bites, so will always make the time to see you and your pet. If your dog has been found with a snake and you aren’t sure if they have been bitten, it is always best to contact us and organise a check over. There are special blood tests that can be run in-house to ascertain the likelihood that your dog has been envenomated.
Several years ago, the recommendation was to desex your dog at 6 months of age (no matter the size). Research now shows that, depending on the size of your dog, the age of desexing actually varies and can be as late as 18 months of age. Give us a call and we will be happy to tailor our advice to your dog and figure out what age is best for you and your pets lifestyle.
YES – tick prevention is very important when travelling to certain areas of Australia, including the south coast. Tick prevention is crucial ALL YEAR ROUND and not just in the warmer months. There are several tick preventatives on the market, the most popular ones are an oral product but our customer care team are always here to help you decide which product is right for you. Most tick prevention starts working very quickly (some within 30 minutes) but often it is best to give it the day before travel in case your dog gets car sick!
Our recommendation is to give your dog an intestinal wormer every 3 months. A good way to remember is to worm at every change of season. If you are using an intestinal wormer that is combined with heartworm prevention, this requires monthly treatments. If you dog has access to dead animals (ie. Wildlife or sheep) and/or you feed fresh offal, you should also include a tapeworm tablet in your regime. Generally, we recommend an all wormer tablet every 3 months and a tablet just for tapeworm at 6 weekly intervals between the 3 monthly all wormer. Worming more regularly is also ok, and often is included in other monthly products.
Our recommendation is that puppies are vaccinated at 6 to 8 weeks of age, and that they receive a booster vaccination at 10 to 12 weeks of age. We vaccinate for canine parvovirus, distemper and adenovirus (hepatitis), which are 3 contagious fatal diseases in dogs. Puppies between 10 weeks and adulthood generally only require a single vaccination for protection (unless you live in a high prevalence area for canine parvovirus). Your dog will then receive their first adult vaccination between 12 to 18 months of age. At this stage, you may opt to give a C3 vaccination that lasts 3 years but a vet will discuss this with you at the time. We also offer elective vaccinations for kennel cough (if your dog is social or goes to boarding kennels) and leptospirosis.
Heartworm prevention is equally as important. Heartworm is spread by mosquitos, and not other dogs, and its prevalence varies around Australia. We are a low-risk area, but we still recommend using prevention as infection with heartworm is very serious and a lot of our clients travel with their dogs. Heartworm prevention is often given as an annual injection, but there are other forms of prevention available too. It is best to chat to one of our friendly customer care team or discuss it with the vet at your vaccination appointment to see what is best for you and your dog.
Puppy preschool runs once a week for 6 weeks. It’s a socialisation program NOT an obedience class (although basic skills are covered). Puppies can join from 8 to 16 weeks of age. We also have an older puppy class starting from 16 weeks of age. Contact us for more information.
We know it can be stressful coming to the vet, and we want to do everything we can to make your dogs visit as positive as we can.
All hours and every day,
we’re available on:
(02) 6238 1133
112b Molonglo Street Bungendore