Sundance Veterinary Services

27/02/2025

Please ensure your dogs are up to date with their Lepto vaccinations. If they are not, give us a call on 4092 1231 to book in.

🚨 Leptospirosis Alert in Cairns – Protect Your Pets! 🚨

Recent reports have confirmed cases of leptospirosis in dogs in Cairns, with some pets sadly not surviving. The recent wet and humid conditions have created the perfect environment for this deadly bacteria to thrive.

What is Leptospirosis?
Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease spread through the urine of infected animals, particularly rodents. Dogs can become infected through contaminated water, soil, or food—especially in areas with stagnant water or flood zones.

Signs & Symptoms to Watch For:
⚠️ Fever and lethargy
⚠️ Vomiting and diarrhoea
⚠️ Loss of appetite
⚠️ Increased thirst and urination
⚠️ Jaundice (yellowing of the gums or skin)
⚠️ Muscle pain and weakness
⚠️ Bleeding (nosebleeds, blood in urine or stool)

How to Protect Your Pet:
✔️ Vaccinate! Lepto vaccination is available—call your general practice to book your dog’s appointment.
✔️ Avoid stagnant water, puddles, and flood-affected areas.
✔️ Prevent rodent exposure by securing food and waste.
✔️ Watch for symptoms and seek urgent vet care if you notice any of the above signs.

Leptospirosis is highly dangerous but preventable with the right precautions. Call your general practice veterinarian today to discuss vaccination and protection for your pet!

14/02/2025

🚨🚨HomeSafeID Microchip Registry🚨🚨

You may have seen reports of issues with one of the pet microchip registry’s called HomeSafeID.

‼️ If your pet has been microchipped through us at Sundance Vets or previously with FNQ Vets - they were NOT registered with HomeSafeID and you do not need to do anything. ‼️

It is possible HomeSafeID has stopped operating or will do so in the near future.

If this happens, any pet with a HomeSafeID registered microchip would no longer have searchable microchip details. If these pets become lost, vets and shelters will have no way of finding or verifying their owner.

Our Recommendations:

☑️ Check if your pets' microchip is registered with HomeSafeID. You can do this by entering their microchip number on www.petaddress.com.au

☑️ If they are not registered with HomeSafeID, you do not need to do anything.

☑️ If they are registered with HomeSafeID, transfer this registration to an alternative registry. Options include: Central Animal Records (CAR), Australasian Animal Registry (AAR) and Gobal Micro Animal Registry.

‼️ If your pet has been microchipped through us at Sundance Vets or previously with FNQ Vets - they were NOT registered with HomeSafeID and you do not need to do anything. ‼️

📄You can find your pet’s microchip number via their: vaccination book or certificate, desexing certificate, council registration paperwork.

If you are still unsure, send us a message or email us.

07/02/2025

Fortunately we have plenty of the Lepto vaccine in stock. If you are unsure if your dog is up to date, give us a call!

The bacteria can live in water, mud, soil, plants and also in the urine and faeces of infected animals (most commonly rats), it thrives in our tropical climate.

Dogs would most commonly contract it via contaminated water.

Leptospirosis is also zoonotic, meaning it can spread directly from animals to humans.

Symptoms to look out for in your dogs can include:

• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• Lethargy
• Increased thirst and urination
• Vomiting and diarrhoea
• Jaundice
• In severe cases, acute renal or liver failure may occur which can be fatal.

03/02/2025

This wet weather is persisting and we feel for the people and their animals on the coast and further south.

Stable-Ised Equine produced some handy hints to help your horses during this time.

🌧️ 𝗪𝗲𝘁 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲: 𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗘𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

🐴 I have been sitting here feeling so saddened for all of my friends, family, and clients who are in the midst of yet another extreme weather event in NQ and wanted to put together a free resource that may or may not help those managing livestock during these conditions.

💧 With unfavourable weather conditions such as prolonged periods of rain, horses can become reluctant to venture outside of their shelters to graze, and this can become a health hazard where gastrointestinal function is concerned. Horses are designed to have food moving through their digestive systems at an almost continuous rate and going as little as 4-5 hours without roughage increases their risk of gastric ulcers and colic.

🌾 Providing your horse with access to substitutional forage such as hay during these times can help to ensure that they are not only maintaining their digestive health and function, but will also assist in keeping them warm through microbial fermentation while there is some serious wind and rain about.

🧂 With an increased dry matter (hay) intake, generally comes with a decreased moisture intake as the horse is not grazing on grass. Please do not make the mistake of assuming because it isn’t hot that your horse doesn’t need salt at the moment. Sodium and chloride are not only vital electrolytes that assist tissues and organs in remaining hydrated, but sodium is necessary in activating a horse’s thirst reflex and making them seek out water. A horse not receiving salt who is intaking increased amounts of hay and reluctant to drink water may be at increased risk of impaction colic and dehydration despite that seeming impossible in these weather conditions.

🪣 To make it more appealing for your horse to stay hydrated, make sure that water sources are clean and fresh, and situated in frequented or easily accessible areas. Temporary water buckets or troughs in sheltered areas may be necessary if the horse’s usual water source is a distance for them to travel or surrounded by ground water.

☔️ Please feel welcome to share with those affected, stay safe, and look after one another and your fur kids.

01/02/2025

QUEENSLAND ITCH - NEWS ALERT ‼️

📣 There is a new topical medication available specifically for Qld Itch!

(It is prescription only, so can be discussed at your horses next appointment with the vet 📝)

🦟 Culicoides hypersensitivity, also known as Queensland Itch, is a chronic, recurrent, and seasonal dermatitis of horses.

🦟 Horses affected with this disease are allergic to insect bites, particularly Culicoides spp. biting midges.

23/01/2025

🥰 Beautiful filly helping us set up for her mums dental check.

Looking forward to seeing this one mature and following her future competitive career.

🦄☀️☀️🦄

15/01/2025

🌡️🌡️🌡️ HOT WEATHER ADVICE 🌡️🌡️🌡️

We are seeing a spike in colic cases with this hot weather.

Some good tips here from Stable-Ised Equine

Ensure you are supplementing plenty of salt and electrolytes and access to fresh, clean, cool water 💦

☀️ 𝗛𝗼𝘁 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀

🥵 If you are in Australia, chances are you are feeling the heat at the moment. My weather app indicates that temperatures are expected to get to 38° at home today which is slightly toasty to say the least.

🌡️ It is essential to be aware of the increased risk of dehydration and colic in horses when we are faced with hot, humid, and stormy weather. I have developed a checklist so that you can ensure your horse is kept as comfortable and healthy as possible during these conditions:

✅ Provide an increased serving of salt (sodium chloride) daily. Horses are good at excreting excess salt stores so long as they have access to a good water supply. Electrolyte supplements that contain elements such as potassium should always be fed in addition to plain salt and not instead of.
✅ Consider offering free-choice loose salt in addition to your horse’s usual salt allocation so that they can intake more if they have the urge.
✅ Always provide access to clean and fresh drinking water. Ensure your horse’s water supply is not boiling in the sun which will reduce or eliminate their desire to drink.
✅ If you are concerned that your horse is not drinking an adequate amount of water, consider offering some molasses or a thirst-triggering supplement in a separate bucket of water to their usual water supply.
✅ Always provide access to shade and shelter, and do not over rug your horse.
✅ Regularly rinse off your horse with water if practical. This will not only help to cool them down but will also prevent dried sweat from bleaching their coat.
✅ Limit exercise where possible. If your horse must be ridden or worked, consider doing so in the early mornings or late afternoons.
✅ Regularly monitor your horse’s vitals such as heart rate, respiratory rate, and capillary refill time. Skin pinch tests are a good indicator of hydration status.
✅ If concerned that your horse is experiencing heat stroke, dehydration, or colic, please contact your veterinarian immediately.

🐴 Please feel welcome to share and stay safe, everyone!

13/01/2025

🤔 Do you find it easy to forget your dogs monthly or 3 monthly tick prevention ⁉️

A month, or even 3 months goes by so fast!

💉Take the stress out of tick prevention and call us to book in to give your dog the yearly tick prevention injection instead.

15/12/2024

All repeat prescription medication and food requests need to be placed by lunch time tomorrow - Tuesday 17th

Please ensure you have enough to last into the second week of January

06/12/2024

Antibiotics - Think Twice and Get Advice

Antibiotic resistance in horses -
What every horse owner should know.

Antibiotic resistance is a very serious and a growing concern in both human and animal health, and it has serious implications for horses. Infections that were once easy to treat are becoming harder to manage, leading to longer recovery times and, in some cases, limited treatment options. Some of the resistance patterns seen on bacterial cultures are really scary.

When antibiotics are overused or misused, bacteria can evolve to resist their effects. The knock-on effects extend beyond the individual horse—antibiotic resistance in animals can impact the broader environment and are having significant influence in human health.

How you can help as a horse owner

• Use antibiotics responsibly.
Only administer antibiotics prescribed by your veterinarian, and always complete the course as directed. Do not administer antibiotics to your horse without veterinary advice just because you have some left over from another horse. Understand that not all conditions in the horse require antibiotics.

• Focus on prevention.
Good hygiene, biosecurity, and routine care (like vaccinations and parasite control) help reduce the need for antibiotics.

• Be informed.
Understand the risks of antibiotic resistance and discuss them with your vet when planning treatment.

Here is a great resource for horAgriFutures Australiatures Australia

https://agrifutures.com.au/product/poster-antibiotics-think-twice-get-advice/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR24-AGN2y8NMkFuOytgb0BTu_2MHR4lbdnKa5DwrNcMI6wsXNF9nWltFJU_aem_NKtMWwjvXsLswmw0n8Y4Mw

By working together, horse owners, veterinarians, and the wider community can help safeguard the effectiveness of antibiotics for future generations.

27/11/2024

🌟🌟 FREE Heartworm Prevention 🌟🌟

🦟 We are currently offering FREE Proheart SR12 injections for PUPPIES!

🦟 This injection will provide MONTHS of protection against the potentially fatal heartworm.

🦟 Heartworm is contracted via a bite from an infected mosquito. There will be plenty of mozzies soon with the upcoming wet season!

🦟 It can be given from 12 weeks of age, and will be provided free when given at the same time as the puppy is in for other vaccinations and or health checks.

10/11/2024

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Lest we forget

04/11/2024

📢 Lepto Vaccines 📢

We are starting to receive our new and long awaited Lepto vaccinations 💉

We have many people and dogs waiting for this vaccine, please bear with us as we start to get everyone booked in.