It’s 🐰‘Rabbit Awareness Week’🐰 and this year’s theme is #HealthyDiet, HappyBunnies.
Like everything in life, vegetables need to be fed in moderation and ideally a variety of them. We would advise at least a variety of 5️⃣ different fruit and vegetables daily.
🥦🥬🫑🥕A rough guide is to feed your rabbit at least a cup full per day. A maximum of 5-10% of a rabbit’s daily diet should be vegetables, from kale to green peppers or even mint. We would advise against feeding carrots (and other sweet foods like apple) more than once a week, as they are high in sugar.🥦🥬🥕🫑
Below is a link of vegetables that your rabbit can eat available from ‘The Rabbit Welfare Association and Fund’.
⌨️https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/recommended-vegetables-and-herbs/
It’s 🐰‘Rabbit Awareness Week’🐰 and this year’s theme is #HealthyDiet, HappyBunnies
🌾🌱Hay is just grass that has been cut and left to dry out. It has the same health and digestive benefits that fresh grass does. There are many different hays available; popular feeding types include meadow, timothy, oat, and orchard grass. Any of these hays will provide a good source of indigestible fibre for your rabbit’s diet, as well as daily access to fresh grass.
(Please note, alfalfa hay as it is high in calcium so this should only be fed as a treat).
Feeding hay is nutritionally rich and high in fibre, its dust extracted, so less likely to affect their breathing, it is lush and green in colour. Whereas, bedding hay is comfortable to sleep on and provides insulation; however, its nutritional value is usually unknown and tends to be less tasty. It is usually dusty and yellow or brown in colour.
🦷Rabbit’s teeth, grow every day and on average 4mm a week. Diet is the main way we help prevent their teeth from over growing. By eating hay rabbits will naturally burr their teeth to a normal length. Unfortunately, pellets and muesli won’t wear your rabbit’s teeth down, which is why it is so important that grass and hay make up a high percentage of your rabbit’s overall diet.🌾🌱
Have you got your Secret Santa some chocolate this year? Be sure to keep it hidden from your pup!
If your dog has tucked into the Celebrations box or stole some tree chocolates over the festive period don't forget the 'Vets Now - Chocolate Calculator' to see whether what they've eaten is a harmful amount and if veterinary treatment is needed.
https://dog-chocolate-calculator.vets-now.com/
🥧Why are mince pies dangerous to dogs?
They contain raisins and currants which are toxic to dogs. They can potentially lead to kidney failure which can be fatal. The cause or substance is not known as to what causes this.
🥧How many mince pies can my dog safely eat?
Unfortunately, there is no specific amount of raisins that a dog can safely eat. Some dogs can become ill after eating just a few, whereas others would need to eat a handful. Just a mouthful can cause ill effects, so we would advise calling your vet if you dog has only eaten a small amount.
🥧What signs should I be looking out for?
- changes in your dogs drinking and toileting habits
- vomiting and diarrhoea
- lethargy and weakness
- going off their food
🥧Can my dog eat the pastry?
Pastry can be high in fat which can cause an upset stomach. Potentially it could cause a flare up of pancreatitis, a condition causing inflammation of the pancreas.
Not forgetting our small furries!
Bring pets that live outside into to the shed or garage, or how inside for a sleepover! If this isn’t an option, use thick blankets or tarpaulin to cover their hutch or enclosure to muffle out the noise, taking care to still allow for ventilation. Provide them with lots of extra bedding to burrow inside and/or additional boxes or containers for them to hide and retreat to.
As with cats and dogs, if your small furries are being brought into the house keep curtains closed and them away from any bright lights or noises coming from outside. Have the television, radio or some music on to drown out loud outdoor sounds.
Calming supplements will not solve or cure your pet’s fear of fireworks, but they can put them at ease to be more relaxed and content around the firework season. There are a number of options out there:
Pheromone sprays and plug-ins for cats and dogs work by emitting pheromone.
For dogs they use the ‘dog appeasing pheromone’. Mother dogs use comforting pheromones to soothe puppies when suckling.
For cats they use the ‘facial’ pheromone. You will see your cat communicating when they rub their head on your furniture, to mark it as safe or familiar. This transmits a ‘happy message’, reassuring your cat.
Most capsules and tablets contain fairly similar ingredients, although quantities and how they work will differ. They often contain L-thenine and L-tryptophan to help in the reduction of stress and Gamma – Aminobutyric acid a neuro transmitter that helps calm and slow the brain down after a stressful event.
Ideally to maximise the use of calming supplements they should be started prior to an anticipated event and in the build up to firework season.
Whatever behaviours your pet exhibits, whether pacing, panting or vocalising you should never punish them, they are frightened. Encourage them to go into the den you have created, offer reassurance if this is what they are after, be sure to stay calm and relaxed yourself. However, do not follow your dog around, stroking and comforting them if they would prefer to be alone.
Cats in particularly may toilet inappropriately when stressed out or there is change to their routine and usual habits, again do not punish them for this.
Here is some helpful advice from iCatCare on cleaning the soiled area (https://icatcare.org/advice/soiling-indoors/).
Work out what coping strategy works best for your dog, how about trying a scatter feed for their evening meal or playing with some of their favourite toys.
Play music or have the television on to mask the sound of the fireworks. Be sure to have the curtains drawn to muffle any loud bangs and reduce the impact of light flashes.
To prevent your dog being spooked or escaping, it is best to make sure you walk them during daylight hours, allowing them a chance to go to the toilet.
Make sure all windows and doors are shut and the garden is secure.
For those furry felines, make sure the cat flap is closed and provide them with a litter tray indoors, make sure more than one is provided for those multi-cat households.
Remember to ensure your pet’s microchip is updated with your current contact details and address. This is a legal responsibility for dogs, as well as them wearing a collar and tag.
If you haven’t got your cat microchipped, now is the time, as next year it will be compulsory.
🎆Remember, remember the 5th of November!🎆
You should prepare early for the firework season to try and help your dog cope with the season as best you can. Building a pen or using a dog crate, is a useful tool for teaching dogs how to relax. It gives your pet somewhere to retreat to if they are scared, and they are more likely to use it if they have ‘practiced’ using it beforehand!
Here are some top tips for building a den for your dog:
• Choose somewhere that your pet will like
• Use a place in the house which is more likely to limit outside noise
• Make it cosy with a comfortable bed and lots of blankets, if you are using a crate, cover the sides with a thick duvet
• Make it a positive area – feed meals in there, Kongs and chews, randomly hide treats and praise them greatly if they choose to go there of own accord
• Make sure they always have access to the den
• Make sure it is a big enough space for them to lie down, stand and turn around
• Leave clothing of yours in there so there is a familiar, comforting smell
Hedgehog Friendly practice 🦔💓
We often get brought Hedgehogs in and its so great that we have a team so passionate about helping them. Our nurses are trained in how to examine and give essential first aid treatment. 🦔💓🐾✅️
One of our nurses Lindsey has a dedicated space at home to help rehabilitate these little guys. Currently this little chap is boarding with her, aswell as 3 few day old hoglets! (Yes that is what baby hedgehogs are called!!)
#hedgehog #hedgepig #hedgehoguk #wildlife #wildlifeuk #colchester #colchestervets #Essex
Our team are always striving to be as green as possible, we’d love to hear how you guys try to make a difference at home 💚
Oscar is coming on in leaps and bounds!
Here is Oscar during one of his recent confidence clinics with Lindsey. Surprisingly, he isn't overly food motivated, which means only one thing, playtime!
By building on Oscar's trust and bonding him to one of our nurses, the hope is that his stress and anxiety levels are reduced for subsequent visits when he's in to see one of our vets.
