Meridian News JULY 2010

GRASS SEED ALERT  It's that dreaded time of year again. Fields and pavements are rife with grass seeds. Grass seeds have a very sharp end and a knack of getting everywhere. They seem to attach themselves to dogs and occasionally cats.  Over the past few weeks Stephen, Andrea and Neerja have removed grass seeds from pet's paws, nostrils, ears and eyes! Because of their shape and the movement of the pet, grass seeds can migrate a long distance from their entry point and can cause potentially serious problems. For example, inhaled grass seeds may not remain in the nose or mouth but travel further down into the lungs. This can have serious and sometimes fatal consequences. It is therefore important to investigate and remove them as soon as they are suspected. To try and prevent problems we would advise you to thoroughly check your pets over when they return home from a walk or from the garden. When we see pets for a routine consultation we often find grass seeds stuck in the fur. To remove a grass seed we usually have to sedate the animal to explore an     entry point. Sometimes despite careful searching we do not find the offending grass seed. In these cases, we may apply a poultice dressing to draw the seed out. Sometimes more than one dressing needs to be applied before the grass seed is recovered.

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Continued Professional Development Our vets Andrea and Neerja have been participating in a new way of attending lectures and seminars - Webinars. These are interactive lectures set up over the internet at specified times, usually in the evening once normal consulting hours are over. The topics have ranged from eye diseases in cats to knee surgery in dogs. Stephen, Neerja and Andrea attended an evening lecture together by a specialist cardiologist focusing on heart murmurs in puppies and kittens. Neerja is also booked to attend a lecture on managing chronic kidney disease in cats plus a webinar on medicine in senior dogs. Here at Meridian we believe it is absolutely essential that our vets and nursing staff keep up to date with new developments in the veterinary world so that we are able to offer the best care and treatment options for your pets.

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RABBITS You may have seen in the press that April is being advertised as Rabbit Awareness month. Happily rabbits and their owners are frequent and important visitors here at Meridian Veterinary Practice.  Rabbits are becoming an increasingly popular pet in the UK. They can be a good companion and form a strong bond with their owner.  However it is a common misconception that they do not require much care.  Here are a few things you may wish to know if you are considering owning a rabbit.     VACCINATION Pet rabbits in the UK can be vaccinated against myxomatosis and viral haemorrhagic disease (VHD). ITCHY SCRATCHY When our pets start itching our first thought is to ensure that fleas aren't the cause. Fleas are indeed a menace and the number one cause of skin trouble in dogs and cats. Most of the fleas found on dogs and cats are cat fleas.  Fleas hardly ever jump from one pet to another - they are acquired from the environment.  Fleas infect the environment by producing eggs.  These eggs hatch into larvae, then pupae and then adults in 3 - 8 weeks.  The adult flea jumps on to an animal and starts feeding.  After 24 hours an adult flea can produce 40-50 eggs a day.  These are laid on the pet but then fall off to        re-infect the environment.  Fleas bite our pets and suck their blood.  The place where the flea bites is itchy to the dog or cat.  Our pets then lick, chew or scratch this area.  This self trauma can result in major skin damage and infection which can need extensive treatment. In many cases pets develop flea allergy dermatitis (FAD) which means that just one or two bites will inflame large areas of the skin and cause misery.  We recommend veterinary spot on treatments for flea prevention. These products are available to registered clients.  The products are applied to the skin on the back of your pet's neck once a month.  You will probably need to use 3 or 4 different sites on the neck to make sure you get the liquid on the skin and not on the fur.  The liquid then spreads through the coat and kills the live fleas on your pet within 24 hours [before more eggs are produced]. So much misery is caused to pets by fleas that we strongly feel preventing your pets from getting bitten by fleas is the best approach. We recommend that you also treat the house with a spray to prevent the eggs/larvae/pupae from developing into adult fleas and re-infesting your pet. You may have seen spot on flea treatments in the supermarket or pet shop.  These are not the same as prescription flea products.  Pet shop and supermarket products are generally much less effective.  We do not  recommend flea collars, flea shampoos, flea powders or flea traps as these are less effective options.  However, if you've followed the above advice and your pet is still scratching then it is important that we examine your pet. There are an increasing number of foxes and many will carry mange (Sarcoptes) mites. These mites burrow into the skin layers and cause intense constant irritation. Treatment for mange is different to flea treatment and so it is important to diagnose the condition correctly, often using skin scrapes or a blood test. Another cause of itchiness is allergies which again need to be investigated, controlled and managed in a different way to flea infestations. If you are concerned about your pet, please contact the surgery and we will do all we can to help.

Congratulations Well done to Shirley who completed the Brighton Marathon in 6 hours and twenty-five minutes! In doing so she raised £2000 for Roger's Wildlife Rescue and Lost Cats Brighton. Thank you to all of our clients who supported her!

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FOLLOW THE SIGN! We are pleased to announce that the route to the practice building is now signposted from Greenwich Way down Roderick Avenue to Edith Avenue.  The sign posts were installed 9th February 2010.