What's the deal with dentals?
Conversations from the Vet Pet Connect at Sharpey's Love Shack
Yesterday brought us beautiful weather and I got to chat to a lot of lovely pet owners who had questions about their pet's health
One topic that comes up regularly at these community events is dental care
Dental care for your pet can involve a wide range of things, including chew toys, treats and even dental food
Hill’s Pet Nutrition have several lines of dental food for dogs and cats and I love using it as a treat to show pet owners how their pet will actually chew on their food before swallowing
Chewing on hard food helps their teeth because it can help rub off the plaque and tartar building up on the teeth
I educate busy pet parents through comprehensive health and wellness consults in the comfort of their own home
Follow Comfy Critters Home Vet if you want to see more veterinarian-recommended tips and tricks to keep your pet healthy 🐾🩺
Treating your dog's skin infection
Which skin product do I use for my dog's itchy skin?
The answer is going to be dependent on what's affecting their skin
Is it yeast? Is it bacterial? Is it a combination of both?
Talk to your vet about the history of the skin:
How many times it's happened before, what times of year it happens, if it's gotten better or worse from something you did, where on the body it's affected, are the ears affected...
These are just some of the topics they'll ask you to talk about in order to understand the cause and treatment options
And when they give you the treatment?
Make sure you follow the instructions and report back on the success - or not quite resolution of issues so we know what steps to try next
Did you find this helpful?
Follow Comfy Critters Home Vet for more pet care health tips and tricks 🐾🩺
Has your vet mentioned the word 'DENTAL'?
Has your vet mentioned the word 'DENTAL'?
They've dropped ideas like "tooth brushing for your pet" and you've looked at them like they're crazy
But like any dedicated pet owner, you buy a toothbrush kit for your pet...You unpack it, dip it in the toothpaste and approach your pet...
Only for your pet to flee to the darkness of the back of the wardrobe or under the kids' bed 🫥
You're devastated and thinking "how will I be able to help my pet keep a healthy mouth if they won't let me brush their teeth?!"
And your pet is like "what you doing with that thing near my face?!"
You're both completely normal in what you're thinking!
What's missing here is the gentle, slow introduction of a new object to your pet - and the pairing of it with something positive (and maybe tasty)
See, it's totally normal for your pet to experience fear and anxiety at something new in their lives - or near their faces!
But if you give your pet time to get used to its presence - just leaving it out for them to sniff and see it's not scary
And then progress to putting something tasty on it for your pet to enjoy at their leisure
Later followed by gently introducing your pet to face touching, cheek touching, lip lifting
You will actually be breaking the tooth brushing process down into tiny little baby steps that build trust and connection between you and your pet
There is no rush to this process - it can take as long as you need to to make them comfortable and OK with this activity (I'm talking weeks to months)
Forcing them to do this won't be good for either of you
But once you have built that trust, established that routine, you can show off to your friends and family - even your vet - that your pet enjoys its teeth being brushed!
And then we do this every day after they eat so that we help reduce the build-up of food, plaque and tartar on their teeth
If you found this interesting or helpful, follow Comfy Critters Home Vet for regular pet health care tips and tricks
Head shaking? Itchy ears? Smelly discharge?
Sounds like it could be an ear infection...
I saw Zion recently for some ongoing skin problems
Part of my skin workup is to check the ears - and the history of ear infections
Zion had been showing some signs of head shaking and really getting in to a good ear rub when his Dad gave him a head scratch
When I swabbed the ears, I found a LOT of brown, smelly discharge on the swab
Stay tuned for the next post about what I found in Zion's ears 😳
Follow @comfycrittersvet to learn more about how to keep your pets healthy and happy 🐾🩺
Do you love pets and local coffee?
I hold regular Vet Pet Connect community sessions at @thefatgoosekillcare where you pop down, grab a coffee and chat to your local mobile vet about general pet health questions 🩺
You can even bring your dog to say hello and get some treats - as long as you can get past our Security Team @sophieduncanswan 🤣
I'm all about making your pet's vet visits positive and fear free - so why not join me on Friday 30 August at @thefatgoosekillcare for the next one!
Follow @comfycrittersvet for pet health care education and to find out when the next Vet Pet Connect is coming to a cafe near you!
Could your pet have allergies?
Itchy skin?
Head shaking?
Red underarms or groin?
Licking paws?
Multiple ear infections over the course of their life?
These can all be signs of underlying allergies
Chances are that when you've taken your pet to the vet about this and described the situation, your pet has either been given an injection or some medication to take home and that's the end of it...
But do you understand what's happening?
Do you know what we're treating and why?
Do you know what the possible triggers are of these allergies?
Do you know when or why they might come back?
At @comfycrittersvet I practice slow medicine, which involves taking the time to understand your pet, understand its history and environment, and understand your situation.
I do all of this so that I can help treat the *whole* pet, not just its symptoms
If this sounds like something you or someone you know would be interested in for their pet, send me a message to see how I might be able to help you 🐾🩺
Are you calling me fat?!?!
Vets might make a big deal about weighing your pet every visit, but we're not actually all that focused on the numbers
Vets definitely look at the trends of your pet's weight over time, and we might compare the number to the breed average
But what we're really paying attention to with your pet is something called the Body Composition Score (BCS)
Assessing your pet's body composition score is an opportunity to pat your pet from head to tail and gauge how well we can feel their spine/ribs/hips, how squishy their dermis is (a place for extra fat storage), and whether they have a defined body silhouette
With this information, your vet will then give your pet a score from 1 - 9 (where 1 is emaciated and 9 is very very overweight)
Using this BCS and the actually weight, your vet will then make a recommendation: try to lose some weight, try to gain some weight, or keep doing exactly what you're doing!
Much weight change can be achieved through modifying your pet's diet (including breakfast and dinner, treats, scraps, and scavenging)
If you found this helpful, follow Comfy Critters Home Vet for regular pet health care tips and tricks
A gorgeous day and location for another Vet Pet Connect!
Thank you Sharpey's Love Shack for hosting today's event - and to everyone who came down to chat about dogs, cats and even cockatiels!
We talked about heart valve disease, ear infections, and how do you know when it's time to talk to your vet about your pet's quality of life
As always, there was keen interest in what treats are on offer for the doggos. Today was tough competition between the liver treats and Hill's Oral Care pieces!
Follow Comfy Critters Home Vet to find out when the next community event will be!
Whose pet loves treats?
I love being a vet for many reasons...
But being able to build rapport and trust with a pet so that they are willing to accept treats from me is definitely one of my favourite parts
Have you ever taken your pet - dog or cat - to the vet and found that they turn their nose up at the proffered treat?
It's not because the vet's treats aren't good quality...
It's because your pet doesn't feel safe enough to eat the food because they're too nervous/anxious/scared
Until your pet feels comfortable enough that the person on the other side of the veterinary exam table isn't going to hurt them/you, they aren't going to let themselves relax enough to enjoy a nibble on the treat
That's why I just love my in-home vet visits!
I get to come to you and settle in to your pet's familiar environment and put them at ease
I get to work slowly and gently with your pets, without time pressure so we aren't making sudden moves and creating memories of fear
It's the definition of fear free handling ☺️
And I get to be very liberal with my treats so you might say I become your pet's favourite visitor 😉
If you're interested in a home vet visit with a smorgasbord of treats for your pet, DM me 'COMFYCRITTERS'
What's the deal with ear infections anyways?
Ear infections can creep up on you and your dog and cause significant discomfort
If they aren't treated properly, they can continue to cause pain and irritation, and in severe cases, progress into a middle or even inner ear infection
Some of the more common causes of ear infections that I see include:
- Allergies (environmental or food sensitivity)
- Too much moisture from bathing or swimming
- Foreign bodies in the ear (e.g., grass seeds)
- Underlying health issues (e.g., hypothyroidism)
- Ear mites
What might you notice if there's an ear infection?
- Scratching or rubbing ears - or seeking out ear rubs from you more frequently than normal
- Head shaking
- The infected ear(s) is hot to touch
- Smelly ears (or just one side is particularly smelly)
- Smelly discharge (yellow, brown, or bloody) - can be just one ear that is affected
- The inside of the ear is redder than usual
- Balance issues or a head tilt
When should you see a vet?
- Early!!!
- Not all itchy, red ears will be an infection - but if it's not seen early, it can progress to a painful and uncomfortable ear infection
- If you think the symptoms are persisting for more than a day or two
- If you can see visible pain or discomfort with your pet's ears
- If the ears are very smelly or you see an unusual discharge
- If the ears haven't responded to your treatments at home
- If you notice any signs of hearing loss, balance issues or a head tilt
Getting a vet to check your pet's ears early is so important! In addition to providing treatment for your pet, I'll also work with you to understand what the cause might be and if there is a pattern to repeat ear infections that we can solve.
I post regular pet health care tips and tricks - follow me for more @comfycrittersvet
Follow Comfy Critters Home Vet for more pet health care tips and tricks
Have you found a lump on your pet?
Is that something you should be worried about?
How do you know when you should take your pet to the vet to have that lump checked out?
When lumps present in our pets, one of the big factors we take into it is the age of the pet.
Lumps that appear on younger animals might be very different in origin to lumps that appear on older animals.
Regardless of the age of your pet, lumps that have recently appeared should be checked by a vet so we can keep an eye on it if it's starting to look a bit suspicious.
Being comfortable with patting and grooming your entire animal will help you become familiar with where the lumps and bumps appear.
Once you do notice a lump, write it down somewhere (like a calendar) so we can use the "age" of the lump to help us with our fact-finding diagnostic process.
Make sure you let your vet know that you've found a lump (or several) before your appointment so that there's plenty of time to investigate the new lump(s) and talk about what it might mean.
I post regular tips about pet health care - follow Comfy Critters Home Vet for more
What a wonderful morning for a Vet Pet Connect at @thefatgoosekillcare café!
It was the perfect spot for locals to bring their dogs, grab a coffee, and chat with me about their pet's health.
We had some great conversations about how to pair treats with better dental health, motion sickness in the car, and tips for nail clipping.
Our special guest @sophieduncanswan was on treat quality control duty and gave us an A+ for variety and flavour!
Follow @comfycrittersvet to find out when the next Vet Pet Connect will be held!
🎥 @trainwithandy
What happens when a vet, a cozy café, and our wonderful community come together?
A Vet Pet Connect!
This morning, I teamed up with @thefatgoosekillcare to host the first Vet Pet Connect event - and it was awesome!
Our four-legged friends enjoyed an array of delicious treats like beef liver, chicken breast and kangaroo - and there weren't any scraps leftover 🦴
We had the chance to chat bout general health questions like pet dentals, anxiety with vet visits and being too food-focused.
Stay tuned for more videos of today's event!
Thank you @trainwithandy for capturing this event!
Got some magnets for the car and don't they look something? 😍
Bringing slow medicine and fear free handling to the comfort of your home 😻
Check out www.comfycrittersvet.com.au for more info and don't forget to wave if you see me driving in your neighbourhood!
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