WELCOME TO THE PENRITH VETERINARY HOSPITAL WEBSITE
At Penrith Veterinary Hospital we aim to give you as professional and personal service as possible. You will see Sally, Matthew,James,Megan, Jessica or Ingrid who will aim to restore and maintain your pet's health as quickly and non-invasively as possible. We have many facilities, as well as an excellent nursing staff to care for your pets. We offer most surgery, hospitalisation facilities, dentistry, in-house diagnostic testing, ultrasound, ECG and X-ray facilities. If there is anything that we can not provide, we are able to refer you to one of the many specialist services available, who can give you the best possible treatment.
Penrith Veterinary Hospital was established at its current site over 30 years ago. Over this time we have seen Penrith change, and have changed ourselves, from caring for primarily farm animals, to orientating all our resources towards companion animals. We are now an exclusively companion animal practice- we considered this necessary to provide you with the best possible service.
Our vets and nurses work very hard to bring you the best possible pet care. Our nurses have a combined experience of over 80 years to provide you with help from extensive knowledge. Our vets have completed advanced caourses in surgery (twice), medicine (twice), radiology, chemotherapy, ultrasonography, emergency medicine, ophthalmology, and cardiology. Coupled with over 50 years collective experience, this allows us to provide your pet with quality veterinary care.
Would you like us to E-mail you with our latest offers and services? E-mail us at vets@penrithvet.com.au and leave your E-mail address. Don't miss out on specials when they come around!!!
If you would like a new newsletter E-mailed to you monthly, E-mail us at vets@penrithvet.com.au
We desperately need volunteers to go on to our dog and cat blood donor register. There are currently no blood banks available to us to
draw from, so we rely on the kindness of pet owners and their pets. Pets on the register are called on only as required, would be called on no
more than twice yearly. Blood donation involves the pet being lightly sedated, and blood being taken over approximately five minutes. The
procedure is very safe and of minimal discomfort to the pet. Cats need to be healthy and tested for the Feline AIDS and leukaemia virus (at
our cost). Dogs need to be over or around 30kg, healthy, and on heartworm prevention. Please call us or E-mail if you wish to find out more.
Recently a vaccination has developed for cats against the deadly Feline AIDS (FIV) virus. This virus is very common,
with reports ranging from 10% to 1 in 4 cats actually having the virus. The incidence is reported to be higher in the feral
cat population. It is spread by cat fight wounds, so outdoor cats are at risk of being infected. Considering the prevalence
in feral cats, if your cat is attacked by a feral or tom cat, it has a 1 in four chance of developing AIDS. Please feel free to
discuss this with us, either alone or when your cat come in for routine injections. We can send further information if
required.
Many people think that urinary incontinence (bed wetting, urine dribbling) is normal for dogs
as they get older. It can not only be messy, but also makes them more prone to infections, as well
as cause embarrassment for the dog. Most causes of incontinence are very treatable with some
very safe medications. Please feel free to discuss this with us.
This time of year tends to make life harder for dogs and cats with arthritis. Arthritis is very common in older pets,
and is made worse with conditions such as hip dysplasia (see right) or elbow dysplasia. Most pets with arthritis can
benefit greatly from anti-inflammatory medications, glycosaminoglycan injections, or neutroceuticals such as
glucosamine and Sharks Cartilage.
Signs of arthritis are difficulties standing, especially after resting, reluctance to exercise or go for walks, limping, stiffness and generalised "slowing down". Please feel free to discuss arthritis with us if your dog or cat is "slowing down".
There are currently 3 different vaccinations with the option of 8 different components within them. So which vaccine does your dog
need? This should help to make your decision easier.
C3 (parvovirus, distemper, hepatitis)- this part should always be given yearly. These 3 viruses are all deadly viruses, and parvovirus especially is still seen very commonly. We consider this to be the "core" or essential vaccination for all dogs.
C5 (C3 + the 2 components of kennel cough)- kennel cough is not a fatal disease in its own right, but can lead to pneumonia if untreated and is quite debilitating. It is a very common disease and is picked up through close contact with other dogs. Our recommendation for your dog to have a C5 if your dog comes in contact with other dogs eg. on walks, at training, shows, or if your dog goes to kennels. If your dog is kept in your yard only, with no change of "meeting" other dogs through the fence etc., then a C3 is recommended.
C7 (C5 + Coronavirus and Leptospirosis)- coronavirus is a very common virus that causes very mild disease, sometimes causing short lived
diarrhoea. It can be likened to a 24 or 48 hour bug. The vaccine against coronavirus is partially effective in reducing disease from this
virus. Leptospirosis is a disease generally seen in northern farm regions where cattle graze. There is a variant that can be carried by rats.
We have never seen this disease in the Penrith area and we generally do not recommend a C7 vaccination.
Allergies are very common, and cause problems such as itching, biting, rubbing against objects, "hot spots"
(severe infections caused by intense scratching), ear problems (head shaking, scratching at ears and chewing feet.
Certain allergies can also cause diarrhoea and weight loss. There are many causes for allergies such as grasses,
plants (such as wandering jew pictured right), dust mites, food, fleas- the list goes on and on. There are just as
many treatments for allergies as there are causes. See our allergy information handout for working through your
pets itchiness.
Why is it hard to get rid of fleas? For every flea on your pet, there are likely to be thousands of fleas
in the form of flea eggs and larvae in the areas that your pet lives (carpet, bedding, beneath the
house etc). This is why flea washes, rinses, powders and may sprays do not control fleas very well.
All of these things kill fleas, but they do so only when you put them on, such that fleas from the
environment jump on, feed, then produce more eggs in between each treatment. This is why we
recommend products such as Advantix, Frontline, Revolution, Advocate and Sentinel- all of these
products have a constant effect to no only get rid of fleas on your dog, but stop the environment
being repopulated- breaking the cycle. Help Me With Fleas
While most food that we eat is safe for dogs and cats, there are several exceptions that are important to know.
Chocolate- It contains theobromine and caffeine. Unfortunately, dogs are sensitive to these substances. Depending on the dose, it can cause hyperactivity, increased heart rate, tremors, and potentially death. Other effects seen with chocolate overdose include vomiting, diarrhea, increased thirst, increased urination, and lethargy.
Onions- pieces of onion, onion powder, or even cooked onion, can cause damage to red blood cells
which could result in anemia in both dogs and cats. Clinical signs associated with onion poisoning
include red urine, vomiting, weakness, and pale gums.
Mouldy Foods- mouldy foods may contain certain mycotoxins which can induce muscle tremors, loss of
coordination, and convulsions that can last for several days. They can also cause severe liver damage and
sometimes death.
Grapes and Sultanas- Some types of grapes and raisins have been shown to cause kidney failure in dogs when eaten in quantity. The amount of grapes or raisins that may cause renal failure is not exactly known, so any amount could potentially be dangerous.
Macadamia Nuts- Macadamia nuts may cause problems if ingested by dogs causing weakness,
depression, vomiting, loss of coordination, tremors, and hyperthermia (high temperature) most cases, dogs develop clinical signs
within the first twelve hours post ingestion.
Bread Dough- Ingestion of bread dough can be life-threatening to dogs. The animal's body heat will cause the dough to rise in the stomach. Ethanol is produced during the rising process and the dough may expand several times its original size. Signs seen with bread dough ingestion may include severe abdominal pain, bloating, vomiting, loss of coordination, and depression.
While there are many plants that can cause toxicities, there are several more common plants to be especially wary of. Lillies can
cause kidney failure in cats, Autumn Crocus can cause mouth and stomach irritation as well as multiple organ failure. Amaryllis
can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain, and Oleander can cause heart failure. While most pets will generally avoid
these plants (sensibly), we have recently seen some cats that have eaten Lillies and that have become sick from them.
Response to Catnip is inherited genetically which means that not all cats will be affected. Kittens under age 6-8 weeks are not able to respond. Catnip is felt to be a safe and non-addictive recreational drug for cats but there is some thinking that overdose can produce seizures. For this reason, it is best not used in cats with a history of seizures. Chronic exposure to catnip may cause an apparent loss of mental faculty and possibly personality change.
Contact allergies can be seen Asparagus fern, Wandering Jew and Buffalo grass.
Recently, there have been several reports of dogs eating a shrub often called morning, noon and night, or
yesterday, today and tomorrow which have caused severe illness and even death. This plant, whose
botanical name is Brunfelsia australis, is a shrub which grows slowly to around 2-4m tall and 2m wide.
The foliage is dense and medium green in colour. When the flowers first open they are a violet colour,
fading to lavender blue and then white, with the three colours present on the bush at the same time. The
brown berries in the plant contain alkaloids that are very toxic to dogs. Once ingested, the berries cause
severe diarrhoea, vomiting, and salivation, then muscle tremors, fever, staggering, seizures then death.
Only small numbers of seeds are required to cause all of these signs. There is no "antidote" for the toxin.
Treatment involves hospitalisation, stomach pump and intravenous drip, and medications to control the
seizures until the poison has been flushed through. This will often take days and complete recovery can take weeks. It is only the brown berries that are toxic,
and it is recommended that these be removed from the plant when they appear each year.
Plants poisonings are uncommon in pets, and we don't suggest removing all toxic plants. As an example, oleander is a very common plant, and oleander poisoning is very rare. However, knowing which plants are potentially poisonous, as well as knowing the signs to look out for, is important for your pets safety.
Penrith Veterinary Hospital are now offering FREE puppy and kitten health checks. This is designed to ensure that
your new family addition is healthy and free of obvious genetic conditions at the time of purchase. You can also
use that time to ask any questions and get sound advice on things such as general care, feeding and diet, worming,
flea prevention, vaccination, grooming etc..
Just call for an appointment.
How Do We Care For Pups And Kittens? Click Here To Get The Run Down.