Summer 2003

Wow! This has been a scorching summer so far. Long may it continue, but please remember that pets are often very stressed by heat, particularly black or elderly dogs, and rabbits and guinea pigs. It is sensible to walk dogs in the cooler hours of morning and evening. Provide plenty of water and a cool area to retreat to. A fan at night may be appreciated. Rabbit hitches can resemble slow ovens in the sunshine. Allow rabbits out as much as possible. Situate their hutches in the shade. Try covering the hutch with a blanket which has been soaked in water – the evaporation works well to cool the hutch.

One of our longest serving members of staff has left the practice after over 13 years. Jackie Lebret will be well known to many of you – in fact she has supplied rescue dogs to so many of our clients that it is unusual for a day to go by without one of ‘Jackie’s dogs’ coming in to see us. Jackie and Tony (not to mention 18 dogs – at the last count – and sundry other creatures) are heading for the open spaces of Scotland. We wish them all the best.

Rabbits

Warm weather is enjoyable, but it brings its problems (see above). For rabbits, that means the danger of fly strike. Bluebottles will lay eggs on soiled skin around rabbits’ hindquarters. Within 24 hours these hatch out, and the maggots rapidly grow, burrowing under the victim’s skin. If not found in time, the damage and shock can prove fatal.

To avoid fly strike:

• Check your rabbit’s hindquarters daily. Look under the tail and round the anus for soiling, fly eggs or maggots.
• Causes of soiling are overgrown teeth (preventing grooming), obesity, digestive upsets, poor diet and urinary infections. If your rabbit is affected, bring it to us for a check up.
• Clean the hutch regularly and avoid a build up of soiled bedding which attracts flies.
• Use REAR GUARD to prevent fly strike. Apply this product every 8-10 weeks to prevent any fly eggs from hatching out. Ask at reception.
  

Coniston Challenge

This year’s charity event for the clinic will be the Coniston Challenge in aid of the Guide Dogs for the Blind

Peter Carr, Carl Gorman, Jodie Fielding, Imogen Morris and Alex Garrett will be undertaking the challenge on the 6th of September. The team will hike the fells up to the Old Man of Coniston, cycle 15 miles on tracks through the Grizedale Forest, then canoe for 5 miles on Coniston water. The day will be a test of endurance and stamina.

If you haven’t already supported us, please fill in the sponsorship forms on reception, or buy a ticket or two for the raffles on reception. Charity events that we have been involved I over the last two years have raised nearly ten thousand pounds for good causes. Please help us towards the £2,500 we are aiming to raise this year.

The Guide Dogs for the Blind association does sterling work in training dogs and supporting the visually impaired. We are proud to be doing our bit towards helping them this year.

Warts

We are often asked about warts on dogs. They are a very common finding, especially in older dogs. There are three types of growths commonly called warts in dogs.

1) Viral warts. Young dogs in particular may be affected by a papilloma virus, which causes warts. These are usually not significant and will resolve on their own, just as in people.
2) Sebaceous adenomas. These are the commonest warts seen in dogs. They are not really warts, but are actually small benign tumours of the sebaceous glands in the skin. They appear as small pink warts often around the head and neck, though they can grow anywhere. They become very common as dogs grow older. Yorkies, Cocker spaniels and poodles are examples of breeds especially susceptible to these. If they are small, we will often leave them alone. Unlike viral warts they will not go of their own accord, and surgery is the only way to remove them. Because they involve the sebaceous glands, some can become swollen with secretion and get quite prominent and messy, in which case we would surgically excise them. If warts are affecting a dog cosmetically (e.g. one on a face) or they are irritating a dog, we will also remove them. A word of warning: it isn’t uncommon for a dog owner to mistake a wart for a tick. Subsequent attempts to remove the ‘tick’ can be unpleasant for the dog.
3) Meibomium gland adenomas. These small growths are commonly called ‘eyelid warts’. They are very common on the eyelid margins of older dogs. They are small tumours growing from glands which open on the edges of the eyelids. When tiny they may not irritate a dog, but as they grow they rub on the cornea, causing irritation, discharge and then ulceration. They need to be removed surgically. It is not sufficient to cut off the visible wart. The root of the tumour in the eyelid needs to be excised as well, so we will cut a triangular piece of tissue out of the eyelid. Cosmetically this looks very good, even for quite large tumours. However, as with all growths, the earlier they are dealt with the quicker the surgery and the less disruption to the patient, so if you see one on your dog, seek advice sooner rather than later.

Ticks

One parasite we have seen more than our fair share of this year is the tick. Most of the ticks we see are the castor been, or sheep tick (Ixodes ricinus). They are widespread, and easily spread by all manner of mammalian hosts, including deer and hedgehogs. Ticks can carry diseases – Lyme disease may be the best known in the UK. Those unfamiliar with these parasites will often mistake a wart for a tick. – please don’t attempt removal of a tick unless you are sure of its identity!

The following pictures, which also describe the use of our O’Tom hook tick removers will help.

	Ticks often attach to the head, neck or forelimbs

	Slide the O’Tom hook between the skin and tick. Rotate gently – don’t pull

	Remove the tick with mouth parts intact

	Ticks don’t often attach to people – once they have fed on the pet they have a year’s food inside them

	A close up of a tick’s mouthparts