All Vaccinations

An annual healthcheck including vaccinations are the single best preventive health measure for your pet.

When pets come to Wooloowin they receive a broad and effective vaccination coverage.

Wooloowin uses triennial canine vaccines which mean fewer shots for dogs and less expense for owners. Wooloowin vaccinates dogs with the newest and best vaccines available. This ensures all patients are strongly protected against Distemper, Hepatitis and Parvovirus, as well as Parainfluenza and Bordetella (the most common causes of Canine/Kennel Cough).

There is a similar philosophy with cat vaccinations. Routinely cats get an F3 which covers cats against Feline Panleukopenia (similar to canine Parvovirus), Calicivirus, and Herpes Virus. Testing for and vaccination against Feline Aids is offered in special circumstances.

Worming

Worms are in the environment all year round

With our pets being indiscriminate eaters as well as self-groomers the best plan is to provide continual circuit breakers to the worm life-cycle. Regular de-worming will create and maintain a virtually worm-free home where we can safely co-habit.

Dogs and cats benefit from regular dewormings throughout life. From 6 weeks of age puppies and Kittens can be wormed every fortnight until 12 weeks of age. Seasonal worming can then be continued.

Many flea products automatically worm pets also. A Wooloowin veterinaian can providethe simplest worming regimens for indivifual pets.

Tick Paralysis

Ticks can kill very quickly and treatment for tick paralysis is expensive, so prevention remains the best defence.

Ticks are much more active July through to Easter and especially after heavy rain. Tick preventives and keeping animals out of wildlife corridors during these times is essential.

Australian native animals such as wallabies and bandicoots are natural hosts of the paralysis tick and are immune to their paralysing toxin, but to all other animals (including our pets) they are very deadly. Symptoms of tick paralysis include weakness in the back legs, change to or loss of voice, vomiting, excessive salivation, and change in breathing rate or efforts.

If you notice any of these your pet needs a veterinarian and tick anti-serum. Paralysed pets can deteriorate rapidly so it is vital that your pet is checked if you suspect or have found a tick on your pet. Preventive chewable or spot on or injection products alongside vigilant daily checking are the current best defences against these nasty little critters.

Tip: Peaks and creeks are the major hot spots. In Wooloowin, Kalinga, Toombul, Gordon Park and Stafford, Kedron Brook is a wildlife corridor joining Moreton Bay to Mount Cootha and the Taylor Range. Hinterland ranges such as Springbrook, Tamborine and Maleny/ Montville are very dangerous in tick season times.

Heartworm Prevention

Heartworm is mosquito borne and prevention is the mainstay of treatment.

Heartworm infections can be fatal and the treatments for an active infection are tricky to administer.

Adult heartworms can grow to up to 20cm in length and live in the large blood cavities of the heart and lungs. They eventually lead to congestive heart failure. Their baby larval stages are transmitted from infected dogs via mosquitoes so coastal regions of Australia are particularly at risk. Fortunately heartworm infective stages are exquisitely sensitive to many medicines.T

There are options for monthly or longer spot-on products, and palatable chews. Very efficient and effective preventives against heartworm are once a year injections that can be given at the same time as vaccinations. One choice is more logical in paralysis tick areas as it covers these as well

Nutrition Advice

Nutrition is the backbone, underscoring and outlining health and well being. Nothing is more crucial than a solid nutritional grounding to set a pet up for a healthy life.

Just like people dogs and cats are what they eat but it is often hard to tell what’s a good food just by reading labels as these can be misleading and confusing. Wooloowin can freely provide unbiased advice on a diet strategy that will best suit your pet’s needs.

Health begins at the food bowl. Poor nutrition can lead to your pet being more susceptible to a myriad of medical conditions. Feeding your pet a good quality balanced diet can improve overall health and often save money on vet bills, proving once again that prevention is better than treatment.

Veterinarians at Wooloowin can formulate a diet plan to suit an individual pet’s needs whether that be simply for health and weight maintenance or to manage and prevent more chronic medical conditions such as allergic skin diseases, arthritis or impending kidney failure. They can also assist in weight management or an overweight pet.

Behaviour Management

Not all unusual or unwanted behaviours are psychological.

Some behaviours are normal responses by a pet to the social environment it finds itself in. Some are manifestations of nutritional deficiencies, pain or other medical condition.

Wooloowin vets do advise on behavioural concerns. Often this requires collecting an extensive history in order to assess each case. Sometimes this is easy but other times it can become more involved detective work collecting information regarding changes to the pet or human social structure in the household, changes in the neighbourhood, daily routine or visitors. There are some behavioural issues that require more specific characterization and more accurate description of the behaviour in question. Sometimes the vets refer.

Anal Glands

Anal glands are scent glands on either side of the anus that can become itchy and painful, inflamed and abscessed.

Can be as painful as mastitis and needs veterinary attention to assess the cause of pain and implement an appropriate management strategy.

Anal glands are scent glands on either side of the anus that can become itchy and painful, inflamed and abscessed.