Axis Animal Services

03/08/2022

I find this fascinating.....Who knew that if you have hypermobile joints you are more prone to be anxious and it carries over to dogs as well.

So all you anxious dog owners check to see if your dog has hypermobile hock or carpel joints... this could be part of the reason why they are anxious.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6565730/

There is a well-established relationship between joint hypermobility and anxiety in humans, that has not previously been investigated in other species. A population of 5575 assistance dogs were scored for both hip hypermobility and 13 behaviour characteristics ...

31/05/2022

17/03/2022

16/03/2022

As there are no new horse wormers on the market with new active ingredients the horse industry needs to keep the ones in use now for as long as possible with out building up resistance to them.
To do this selective worming needs to be implimented on Equine properties. This involves only worming those horses that are shedding high amounts of Strongyle worm eggs and also worming at strategic times of the year for other species of worms.
If this sort of worming regieme is being followed you will probably find that 80% of your horses will only need to be wormed maybe twice a year and it is the other 20% of horses on the property shedding the highest amount of eggs that may need to be wormed more to keep reinfection down.
The easiest way to know which horses are the high shedders of worms is to do Faecal Egg Counts.
If you would like to know more message me.

11/03/2022

How often do you worm your horse?
Do you worm to a regular schedule or a targeted approach where you worm when faecal egg counts show that that particular horse is shedding high numbers of eggs or seasons when specific worms are adults in the horse ?
Do you treat your horses under the age of three on a different schedule to horses over the age of three?
Do you know that ascarids small strongyles and pin worms are all showing resistance to the current wormers?
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The current idea for worming horses is to target worms either at specific times of the year when those worms are found in the horse or for the strongyle worms when FECs show the horse is shedding high numbers of eggs.

06/03/2022

19/01/2022

Please people do not expect your groomer to be able to give your dog a “long” cut at the normal price if this is how the dog turns up.
These mats will need to be groomed out before the hair can be cut “long”.
So you have a choice a shorter cut for the “normal” price or a “long” cut at a more expensive price because you never brushed out the knots between clips… simple really

09/11/2021

About retractable leads - I have had many requests to post my thoughts on retractable leads, so here goes.....

Retractable leads seem to be rising in popularity and I understand that many people are firmly attached to using them, but please read below.

When used properly, a retractable lead can allow a well trained dog to have a little more freedom to move around, sniff and do their business, while the owner is comfortable knowing they can’t run off. They can be handy for things like bathroom breaks at night or if you are sitting in a quiet park and want to give your dog a little more freedom.

Unfortunately, they are usually not used correctly and can be very dangerous.

THEY DO NOT TEACH PUPPIES OR DOGS HOW TO WALK NICELY ON A LEASH - Retractable leashes do the very opposite as they teach your dog that pulling extends the lead. Unless your dog is trained to walk nicely beside you, they will want to make use of the length of the leash and run ahead of you.

RISK OF ROPE INJURIES TO DOGS & PEOPLE - Most retractable leashes are made from thin nylon cord which can cause burns, serious cuts or strangulation. There have been many cases of amputation of fingers, limbs and tails after being entangled – if you need evidence, have a quick Google.

The bottom photo was posted on FB by Columbia Animal Hospital and shows an awful injury caused to a client who grabbed the lead to try to pull their dog away from danger.

These leashes can easily trip a person or tangle a dog with another dog, which is also very dangerous.

RISK OF NECK INJURIES TO A DOG – if the mechanism is unlocked, and a dog runs to the end of the line quickly, it will jerk backwards quickly and can cause serious damage their neck and/or spine.

THEY ALLOW YOUR DOG TO RUN TOWARDS DANGER – some retractable leads extend many metres, which gives too much freedom and may allow a dog to get far enough away from a human to run into danger. For example, they may run onto a road or approach another dog or human. Larger dogs have been known to break the cord to chase something such as a bike..

THEY STRESS OTHER DOG OWNERS AND DOGS - many people do not want another dog suddenly running up to their dog. This can be very stressful for owners of reactive or nervous dogs who are trying to give their dog space from other dogs. Letting your dog ‘say hello’ to an unknown dog without asking the owner, is always risky. No matter how friendly your dog is, please remember the other dog may not be.

Thanks for reading!

** bottom photo credit – Columbia Animal Hospital

04/10/2021

Please note I am no longer mobile for clipping or bathing due to the high number of daycare dogs we have in at Ivory Creek Pet Retreat.
I still continue to do grooming and baths from the kennels but the dogs will either need to be dropped off to me or you can organise to have your dog picked up on our local pick up service days.