Acana and Orijen grain free natural food

Acana and Orijen grain free natural food
Message from Dr Craig Mostert
Hello Everyone
Once again we near the end of another year and pretty soon
things are going to get heated in car parks, as people vie for
that parking spot they had their eye on whilst out doing their
Christmas shopping.
We will be asking pleadingly of loved ones, “What do you
want for Christmas? Please, just a tiny clue!” because we
know trawling through malls and websites for those elusive
gifts is hard work.
We will listen to songs like “Let it snow, let it snow” whilst
trying to keep our cool in sauna like weather, (got to love
Durban in winter!), and banting diets will be suspended as
everyone tucks into their favourite Christmas food.
This is what the people will be up to but our pets? Well, they
just wonder what all the fuss is about.
If you want a gift for your dog or cat,
come in and see our wide selection of
toys and treats. Or, you could get them
a potentially lifesaving gift of medical
insurance. We are delighted that more
and more clients are taking out cover
for their pets. When your pet is
admitted
for
some
unexpected
emergency, you don’t have to feel torn
between worrying about mounting costs and concern for
your pet. Please consider it, it may end up being one of your
best gift choices ever.
That’s it from me in our second to last newsletter of the year.
Thank you to all our long-time customers for your
tremendous support this year, and a special welcome and
thank you to all the new folks that have joined “the Village
family”.
We look forward to seeing you over the festive season.
Take care and warm regards
Dr Craig Mostert
ACANA and ORIJEN represent a
new class of food that mirrors the
high and various inclusions of
fresh whole meats that dogs and
cats are naturally evolved to eat,
while
excluding
inappropriate
ingredients. Our foods are free of
maize, wheat, rice, soya and other
common grains found in pet food and are thus very low
in carbohydrates.
With three unique product lines formulated to our
Biologically Appropriate™ standards, these foods are
guaranteed to meet the diverse nutritional needs of
today’s dogs and cats. Made from Canada’s best and
freshest ingredients in our own award-winning kitchens,
these authentic foods keep your pet healthy, happy and
and strong.
Our fresh ingredients are:

NEVER FROZEN – refrigeration is the only means of
preservation

PRESERVATIVE FREE – no chemicals or synthetics
added whatsoever

AUTHENTIC – our fresh ingredients arrive at our
kitchen within a day or two of harvest
We think pet lovers want to know where the ingredients
in their pet’s food originate. That’s why we focus on
ingredients that are sustainably raised within our region
by people we know and trust. They are passed fit for
human consumption and then delivered to our kitchens,
FRESH EACH DAY, so that you can be confident that
you know where your pet’s food really comes from.
Please enquire at reception for further information and
advice on the correct food in each range to feed your dog
or cat.
The first 20 clients to purchase a 2.27kg, 6.8kg
or 13kg bag of Acana or Orijen will receive a
FREE can of our new Weruva food.
AFTER HOURS EMERGENCY:
Highway After hours 084 520 1417
Sherwood Emergency 031 207 1300
Breed Specific—The Beagle
On a 25°C day, the inside of a car will heat up
to 50° C in minutes even with the
windows open.
Even when parked in the shade on a warm day,
animals can succumb to heat stroke or death if left
in the car unattended. Sadly, it happens every
year.
Dogs are particularly at risk as they cool
themselves by panting. If the air around them is
too hot - particularly if they don’t have access to
water - dogs are physically unable to regulate their
body temperature. In the time it takes to pick up a
few things for dinner at the supermarket and get
through the check-out, a dog left in a hot car could
have already died an agonising death.
PLEASE PROTECT YOUR PETS THIS
SUMMER, DON’T LEAVE THEM IN THE
CAR, EVEN FOR A MINUTE!
Cats and arthritis
Even though cats are much lighter than dogs and the wear
and tear on their joints is significantly lower as a result,
studies have shown that 65% of cats over 12 years have
feline osteoarthritis. Cats tend to be more active at night
(nocturnal behaviour) so lameness and limping therefore
often goes unnoticed by the owner.
Arthritis in cats is exactly the same as in dogs, but vets do
not diagnose it as frequently as in dogs. The main reason
for this is that cats are exceptionally good at masking pain
and even if they suffer great pain it will often go unnoticed
until much later. Cats are also often so stressed during
veterinary consultations that normal movement cannot be
differentiated from abnormal movement. Take a video clip
at home to show your vet. Symptoms which may indicate
arthritis in cats are:

Inappropriate urination in the house, because they
can no longer jump high enough to go outside
through the open window.

Not eating when their feeding bowl is up on a
counter
Staying in one spot for longer periods of time.

If you should notice any of the above symptoms, please
bring your cat in to be assessed. We can help alleviate the
pain.
The first Beagles date back to the 1500s. English hunters
would take packs of these dogs out on the hunt tracking
rabbits, hare, pheasant, quail and
other small animals. Beagles
have a total of 220 million scent
receptors compared to man’s 5
million, which makes them
excellent narcotics detection
dogs. All Beagles have a white
tip at the end of their tails, this
was so the hunters could see
them through the tall grass.
The Beagle is affectionate and gentle, always happy to see
everyone, greeting them with a wagging tail. They are
sociable, brave and intelligent, and do very well with agility
work. The Beagle is excellent with children and generally
good with other dogs, but because of their hunting instincts,
they should not be trusted with other small animals, unless
socialized with cats and other household animals when
young. Beagles have minds of their own. They are
determined and watchful and
require patient, firm training. It
is important to establish pack
leadership with this dog from
an early age to help maintain
a healthy happy relationship.
It is essential that you provide
the proper amount of mental
and
physical
exercise,
including daily walks to
prevent destructive behaviours from presenting themselves.
The Beagle does not have a normal sounding bark, but
rather a loud bay cry that almost sounds like a short howl.
Beagles are curious and have a tendency to follow their
noses, making your “come” command one of the hardest
behaviours to teach. If they pick up a scent they may
wander off and not even hear you calling them back, or care
to listen, as they will be too busy trying to find the critter at
the other end. Take care when letting them off leash that
you are in a safe area.
Some lines can be prone to epilepsy, heart disease, mast
cell tumours, eye and back problems. They are also prone
to chondroplasia aka dwarfism (warped front legs, like a
Basset's). Beagles can weigh on average between 9 and
11kgs and have a life span of about 12-15 years.
Hills cattitude evening
Pooh’s survival story
We are hosting an evening all about cats on
Thursday, November 21st - 6 for 6:30.
Pooh du Toit came in to the
practice in March this year.
He was looking really sad
and bedraggled with an
overgrown beak. His owners
were desperately concerned
about him as he was eating
and sitting at his food dish all
the time, but still losing weight.
Hills Pet Nutrition will be sponsoring the
evening and everyone will leave with a goody
bag from Hills.
Drinks and snacks will be available.
Dr Odendaal diagnosed him with a very severe
Megabacteria infection. This is a very serious illness that is
difficult to treat and the prognosis for recovery is often
poor.
Anyone who would like to join us for a fun
evening, please let Mandy know on
031 764 0588 or email her at
accounts@villagevet.co.za
Mr and Mrs du Toit started him on the treatment and went
to great lengths to get shelled sunflower seeds and offered
him lots of different soft vegetables.
World Diabetes Day
Dr Kaldenberg flushed his sinuses and trimmed his beak.
Pooh became a regular
visitor to the practice for
checkups and to collect more
medication.
He is an amazing little bird.
We were all terrified that he
would not make it, but he just
never gave up.
Slowly but surely, the colouring of his feathers improved
and he began putting on some weight. He started whistling
and talking again. His beak still needs to be trimmed on a
regular basis, but he overcame all odds and is now a
happy bird again.
Well done to the du Toit family for nursing him so well.
Unusual visitors to the Clinic
Hedgehogs are nocturnal
creatures and very similar
to hamsters in many ways.
Like hamsters it is the luck
of the draw as to their
personality. With more and
more people moving to
complexes with "no cats
and no dogs" policies, they
are moving towards owning
small creatures that can be
kept indoors, hedgehogs
being one of them.
Diabetes is not only a human medical
condition but often occurs in dogs and
cats as well. The body needs insulin to
use sugar (glucose) from the diet for
energy.
Without
insulin,
sugar
accumulates in the blood and spills into
the urine. Sugar in the urine causes the
pet to pass large amounts of urine and to
drink lots of water. Levels of sugar in the brain control
appetite and without insulin the brain becomes sugar
deprived. This makes the pet constantly hungry yet they
may lose weight due to improper use of nutrients from the
diet. Untreated diabetic pets are more likely to develop
infections and commonly get bladder, kidney or skin
infections.
There are three forms of diabetes, all of which display
very similar symptoms, the most noticeable being:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Increased urination.
Drinking frequently / excessively.
Loss of weight despite a good appetite
Pet is often tired, lethargic or sleeps more often.
Note that these symptoms are not exclusive to diabetes,
but they are often the earliest signs detectable by owners.
Always be concerned about your dog's health and safety
by checking on its condition every so often. Sad dogs are
sick dogs. Whenever you think that your pet is not doing
things that it normally does, take him to the vet for a
check up. Most diseases are controllable if treated in
their early stages.
Lucky is an African penguin from Ushaka who was brought into the clinic to have an
endoscope procedure. These penguins are also known as the jackass and black-footed
penguin - the “jackass” because of its donkey-like bray. It has distinctive pink patches of
skin above the eyes which help it to cope with changing temperatures. When the
temperature gets hotter, the body of the penguin sends more blood to these glands to be
cooled by the air surrounding it. This then causes the gland to turn a darker shade of
pink.
Penguins are flightless and feed primarily on fish and squid. Once extremely numerous,
their numbers are declining due to a combination of threats and they are now classified
as endangered.
KIDDIES CORNER
Sponsored by ACANA and ORIJEN biologically appropriate foods
SUDOKU