Unleashed Animal Care

20/01/2025

Stay cool this week everyone. 🥵

With a heatwave forecast in Perth this week - maybe it is time to teach your dog a new game that can be played in the airconditioning? Have fun and let us know how you go!

31/12/2024

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Now enjoy the NYE festivities tonight but please remember to take precautions for your pets.

Wishing you all the very best for the year to come! Say hi to your dog (and cat, rabbit, bird, fish.....) for me ;) Miss you all x

Keep Your Dogs Safe This New Year’s Eve 🎆

Fireworks may be festive for us, but they can be frightening for our furry friends. Sadly, we see a rise in lost and injured dogs during this time as they try to escape the loud noises. Here’s how you can help keep your dog safe and calm:

🐶 Bring them inside – Close all doors and windows to secure your home.

🐶 Add background noise – Turn on the TV or radio to help muffle the sound of fireworks.

🐶 Distract them – Offer a treat, lickimat, or toy to keep their focus off the noise.

🐶 Update their ID – Ensure your dog is wearing a collar with a tag and their microchip details are current.

Keep your pups happy and secure this New Year’s Eve! 🐾

21/12/2024

Some tips for Christmas to keep your guests and your dogs safe and comfortable :)

12/12/2024

I'm not crying.....

14/11/2024

Good reminder to check your pets' microchips at the vet when you next visit!

This is an X-ray of a dog’s bent front leg. See that tiny white spec? That’s a microchip! It has migrated down the leg....far from where it was inserted, between the dog’s shoulders. This is actually quite common.....

When lost pets are scanned, the entire body SHOULD be scanned to catch any that have migrated. But, as an owner, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AT THEIR YEARLY VET EXAM, to ask for a quick scan to make sure that: (1) the chip is still working, (2) the location of the chip is good, and (3) that the chip info is correct.

Remember microchips save lives and reunite families with their pet.... just have it checked regularly!

01/11/2024

Some great ideas here :)

Owners of high-energy dogs often fall into the trap of thinking that endless amounts of physical exercise is the one and only way to tire them out. In reality, mental stimulation and activities that meet their inherent needs are just as important.

02/09/2024

Such a great way to teach our little people boundaries around our pets!

22/08/2024

📣 IMPORTANT SAFETY ANNOUNCEMENT 📣

At Foothills Animal Hospital, we love caring for your pets and we strive to always provide a safe working environment.

We place the safety of our valued clients and their pets alongside with our team as our highest priority.

We sadly had a traumatic incident last week, where two of our team members, a Veterinarian and a Nurse, suffered a severe and unprovoked dog attack, one of them requiring emergency surgery for a broken bone. They were fortunate to receive excellent medical care and are now thankfully recovering, however, this incident has highlighted again the importance of our safety.

At our hospital we help many large, unsociable and aggressive dogs that present a danger to our team. These dogs often do not venture outside their properties, nor do they encounter other dogs or people. It is important for the owners of these dogs to understand the stress a vet visit can cause. Due to the unpredictable nature of our interactions, we need the Owners of these pets to have full control of their animals while visiting our hospital including the carpark and particularly in the small confines of their consult room where a pet is more likely to feel trapped and stressed.

With this in mind we would like to share our hospital guidelines to help minimise the risks associated with working with animals.

• Please understand the risks we take at work and never be dismissive of a team member that is careful around your pet, until we know your pet, we might be cautious and that is ok.

• Never dismiss a Vet or a Nurse that is cautious around your pet, they might have had a traumatic experience in the past.

• When making an appointment, please advise if you have any concerns about your pet’s past behaviour and experience at home or in a public setting. We will tailor your pet’s care to ensure they feel comfortable and at ease.

• A friendly pet can behave very differently at the vets as fear overrides their trust.

• Please warn us if a pet is likely to bite or has snapped in the past.

• We ask that you bring all dogs likely to bite muzzzled, and to call ahead so that we can plan your visit in the safest manner.

• Chat to our team about calming pills for your pets to reduce their fear and make our interactions safer.

• Help us by always having your pet on a leash whilst at our hospital or safely contained in a pet carrier.

• Always present your pet with the most capable handler and never send a pet to the hospital with a minor.

• Our team will always advocate for your pet. If at any time during your visit with us, a team member advises that we need to stop what we are doing, please understand that this is in the best interests of your pet.

• If you fail to disclose the risk, you are putting our team directly in harm’s way and can be held responsible.

Our team are trained to handle pets with compassion, aiming for a fear-free experience that fosters a positive and reassuring atmosphere. We implement various measures to provide a high standard of care whilst keeping our patients’ stress levels to a minimum.

PLEASE HELP KEEP OUR TEAM SAFE SO THAT WE CAN BE AVAILABLE TO KEEP CARING FOR YOUR TREASURED PETS.

Thank you,
Foothills Animal Hospital 🐾

22/08/2024

😂😻

13/08/2024

Learning about this was such an eye-opener! I would encourage all pet owners to look into this. It makes such a difference when you know why your dog behaves the way they do and how you can fulfil their needs.

27/07/2024

Friday! A study done on street dogs in India (Majumder et al., 2014) reveals what dogs do all day without the influence of humans.

A simplified takeaway:

🐕 Over 50% of the day was spent being inactive.

🐕 48% of active time was spent walking. Chasing a potential prey was only seen twice. Researchers did not actually witness any dogs killing another animal so the intent of the chase is unknown.

🐕 Just under 50% of the remaining active time was spent directly interacting with others. 85% of those interactions were with other dogs.

🐕 Being in the presence of others did not always mean they were directly interacting.

It's easy to see how the lives of our captive dogs are much, much different than what might come naturally!

You can read a more in-depth explanation on our blog below!

https://www.mindfulmethodstraining.com/blog/fish-out-of-water