Menlyn Vet Practice

19/02/2025

ARE YOU WORTH COMING BACK TO?

I’m often horrified when I watch people trying to get their dogs to come back to them when they call.

They call and call and get increasingly angry and frustrated as their dog keeps ignoring them.

When their dog eventually comes back, or has been chased and "captured” by the now really angry person, they get screamed at, yanked about, or punished in some way for taking so long and not listening.

Why on earth would a dog want to return to someone who does this to them!

The most common reason dogs don’t come back when we call is because it’s not a positive experience.

A new environment is generally far more rewarding, stimulating and exciting than coming back to us.
An exciting scent or seeing something to chase can all override a response to recall.

Make coming back to you well worth it by always making it a rewarding experience and keep practicing this throughout a dog’s life.

Have a little patience if it takes longer than you would like, let your dog finish what they’re doing before calling them, practice in different locations and environments and never reprimand or punish them for coming back.

There is never a guarantee of a perfect recall each and every time, but making it a rewarding experience will greatly improve the rate of success.

18/02/2025

Unbox the limited edition Valentine's treat tin from Kit Cat South Africa with Truffle and Biscuit! We only have one left, so hurry if you want it!

17/02/2025

🦷🧚‍♀️ The Tooth Fairy has returned! 🧚‍♀️🦷

February and March are our dental special months, and we will be offering dentals at last year's prices! In addition to the lower price, we will also have the following specials ongoing until the end of March:

✨ FREE dental checks - a consultation with a vet in which they evaluate your pet's teeth and provide you with a assessment sheet on their dental health, as well as an estimate on a dental procedure, should your pet require more than a basic cleaning.
✨ FREE goodie bags for all pets who come in for dentals - they will go home with a snack and a couple more surprises to reward them for their bravery.
✨ Lucky draw - if you purchase a bag of Hill’s Pet Nutrition prescription diet on the day of your pet's dental, you stand a chance to win a 6 month supply of that food, and an awesome hamper!
✨ 5+1 deals on Veggiedent - grab a loyalty card and you will receive a FREE packet of Veggiedent for every 5 packs you purchase - no limit on how soon you need to buy all 5!

Call us on 012 460 5252 for more info and to book your pet's appointment!

16/02/2025

Coming to the vet can be stressful for pets and their parents. A vet visit starts at home. Often the trip to the vet, or having to get your pet ready to go, can be just as scary as the unfamiliarity of the vet itself. Here are a couple ways you can make coming to the vet less stressful from home:

🤤 Come hungry! If possible, come on a slightly empty stomach, to make food bribes all the more tempting.

🍗 Bring your pet's favourite treats.While we do have our own hypoallergenic treats that we will offer your baby, picky or nervous pets might only take familiar treats from a familiar person. Having some small, high value snacks with you to tempt and reward them can make coming to the vet much more pleasant.

🥎 Bring their favourite toys and/or brush. Some pets aren't keen on treats, and do better with other rewards, like grooming, toys, or cuddles. We do have toys that we use in hospital and in the consult rooms, but familiarity is key for our nervous patients.

🛏 Bring a cozy item from home, preferably sprayed with a pheromone or other calming spray. We like Beaphar and Pet Remedy. While our consult rooms and hospital wards are equipped with calming diffusers, and calming towels are available in reception, something that also smells of home helps a lot. This is especially helpful for patients who need to stay in hospital for a while.

⏰ Avoid rushing. Rushing not only stresses you out, but your pet as well. Better to be early and spend some time acclimating your pet to the vet or taking a walk outside, than to introduce more stress than necessary (this does not apply in an emergency!)

💊 If your pet needs calming or anti-nausea medication for the trip, be sure to give it as prescribed. Most medications need to be given 1-3 hours before the trip. If your pet does not have medication prescribed to them, but you feel they could use something to calm them down, give us a call! Our reception team will be able to assist with over the counter medication, while our clinical team can assist with prescription medication if necessary.

🚽 Allow your pet to relieve themself before the appointment. Nothing ramps up the stress like a full bladder. The exception is when you know your pet will need some kind of urine test. Prescription checks, senior health checks, diabetes screenings, and suspected urinary tract or bladder infections are some examples of times we will likely need a urine sample.

🚗 Make sure your pet is acclimated to travel. For some pets, especially cats, the car and carrier are more stressful than the vet visit itself. When your pet is not ill, get them used to their carrier and the car, so when they do have to come to the vet, the trip will be less scary.

Need more info? Give us a call on 012 460 5252!

15/02/2025

14/02/2025

Happy Valentine's day from Charlie and the MACsters! Charlie asked everyone to be his valentine this year and spoilt all our awesome clients with some sweets - why should only pets get treats at the vet? 😹 Special shoutout to Dr Roy, who came as Cupid!

12/02/2025

Throughout February and March, every patient who comes in for a dental procedure gets a lucky packet to go home with them. Let's check out what's in the bag!

🦷 Everyone 🦷
* Info on dental health and keeping those pearly whites in top top shape
* Vouchers for parasite prevention - get 20% off every second time you purchase from us!
* Certificate of bravery

🐶 Dogs 🐶
* PetDent Oral gel from Kyron Prescriptions
* A sample of Veggiedent Fresh from Virbac, as well as a loyalty card to get a free packet for every 5 you purchase

🐱 Cats 🐱
* PetDent Oral gel from Kyron Prescriptions
* A sample packet of kitty dental treats from Kit Cat South Africa

🐰 Rabbits 🐰

* Herb and veg treats to spoil them after their day in hospital

For more info and to book your pet's dental appointment, call us on 012 460 5252!

10/02/2025

***OWNER FOUND***

This lovely boy was found close to our clinic. He is a castrated male pekingese cross, he has a microchip, but the number on the website isn't working. His name is Jax please phone our clinic if you recognize him.

09/02/2025

With the tooth fairy officially at MAC for February and March, let's check out what products have the seal of approval!

🦷 High quality dental chews like Veggiedent (look out for the VBHC seal!) and Whimzees
🦷 Select cat treats that help with breath freshening and removing plaque
🦷 Toothbrushes! You get different shapes and materials to suit your pet's preferences.
🦷 Hygeine and freshening products like toothpaste, oral gel, mouth rinse and water additives.
🦷 Prescription dental diets like Hills t/d, which help clean tartar and maintain dental tooth and gum health.

08/02/2025

🦷🧚‍♀️ The Tooth Fairy has returned! 🧚‍♀️🦷
February and March are our dental special months, and we will be offering dentals at last year's prices! In addition to the lower price, we will also have the following specials ongoing until the end of March:
✨ FREE dental checks - a consultation with a vet in which they evaluate your pet's teeth and provide you with a assessment sheet on their dental health, as well as an estimate on a dental procedure, should your pet require more than a basic cleaning.
✨ FREE goodie bags for all pets who come in for dentals - they will go home with a snack and a couple more surprises to reward them for their bravery.
✨ Lucky draw - if you purchase a bag of Hill’s Pet Nutrition prescription diet on the day of your pet's dental, you stand a chance to win a 6 month supply of that food, and an awesome hamper!
✨ 5+1 deals on Veggiedent - grab a loyalty card and you will receive a FREE packet of Veggiedent for every 5 packs you purchase - no limit on how soon you need to buy all 5!
Call us on 012 460 5252 for more info and to book your pet's appointment!

07/02/2025

DON’T FORCE ME TO BE SOCIAL!
It may be really disappointing and frustrating when our dogs are not the social beings we expected them to be.

Many believe dogs should just naturally get along with other dogs, after all they’re the same species.

Some believe the “unsociable” dog has a behaviour problem that needs to be “fixed”.

Early, appropriately timed and correct socialisation is vitally important, but sometimes despite all of this, some dogs are just not that sociable.

Sometimes this can be improved, especially if the cause is from a negative experience, but genetics, breed tendencies, individual personalities, health and age all contribute to tolerance and sociability, which also change throughout life.

If we, as a human species, don’t get along with everyone we meet, how can we expect our dogs to?

Do we label every person that has an argument, doesn’t make friends with everyone they meet, doesn’t like every other person, prefers not to socialise - as having a problem that needs to be fixed?

Why is it so easy to accept that every individual person is different than to accept that every individual dog is different?

When we have done what we can to improve our dogs’ social skills, we need to accept and acknowledge our dogs for the individuals they are, allow and respect their choice of whether to be sociable or not and never force interactions that a dog is not comfortable with.

04/02/2025

It's HOT out there! Keep your kitties cool and hydrated with some cat-safe ice lollies. You can stick any of the Kit Cat South Africa purr puree sachets in your freezer for a couple hours to get an ice cream treat your cat will thank you for! Biscuit and Truffle certainly gave their seal of approval 🐱🍦

03/02/2025

03/02/2025

🦷🧚‍♀️ The Tooth Fairy has returned! 🧚‍♀️🦷

February and March are our dental special months, and we will be offering dentals at last year's prices! In addition to the lower price, we will also have the following specials ongoing until the end of March:

✨ FREE dental checks - a consultation with a vet in which they evaluate your pet's teeth and provide you with a assessment sheet on their dental health, as well as an estimate on a dental procedure, should your pet require more than a basic cleaning.
✨ FREE goodie bags for all pets who come in for dentals - they will go home with a snack and a couple more surprises to reward them for their bravery.
✨ Lucky draw - if you purchase a bag of Hill’s Pet Nutrition prescription diet on the day of your pet's dental, you stand a chance to win a 6 month supply of that food, and an awesome hamper!
✨ 5+1 deals on Veggiedent - grab a loyalty card and you will receive a FREE packet of Veggiedent for every 5 packs you purchase - no limit on how soon you need to buy all 5!

Call us on 012 460 5252 for more info and to book your pet's appointment!

02/02/2025

Take a look at this great offer from Hill’s Pet Nutrition! Get 25% off any Hill’s dog & cat food and SAVE UP TO R500. No minimum spend required. Visit www.SaveOnHills.co.za to get your coupon now! Ts & Cs apply.

31/01/2025

***FLASH SPECIAL***
Many people know how important vaccinations are, but don't realise that the initial vaccinations that their dog receives as a puppy are not enough. After the course of monthly vaccinations when your dog is young, they will need annual boosters to keep their immunity up. This is especially true for dogs that frequently visit kennels, dog parks, or any place that is visited by many other dogs.

For this week ONLY, we are offering 20% off ALL vaccinations to keep your doggie safe! Slots are limited, so be sure to call 012 460 5252 to secure your booking ASAP!

31/01/2025

***MISSING CAT***

Kacchan is a 4-5 year old sterilised male cat who was last seen in his home on Lawley street on Wednesday evening. He is a tuxedo domestic shorthair and he is microchipped, but was not wearing a collar. If you have any information, please contact his family on 082 497 0857.

30/01/2025

***FLASH SPECIAL***
Did you know that vaccinations not only protect your pet, but your family as well? Rabies is 100% fatal, and the number one cause of infection in humans is through contact with rabid dogs. Children are more commonly bitten than adults. You can keep yourself and the children in your community safe from rabies by ensuring your pets are vaccinated and therefore can neither contract nor pass on this fatal virus. For this week only, we are offering 20% off ALL vaccinations! Slots are limited, so secure your pet's appointment ASAP by calling 012 460 5252.