Waterkloof Glen Animal Hospital

04/11/2025

19/10/2025

Keeping your pet safe...

💜 1. Create a Safe Space
Set up a quiet, cozy area where your pet can hide — like a crate, blanket fort, or a familiar room.

🩵 2. Stay Calm Yourself
Pets pick up on your emotions. Keep your voice gentle and your body relaxed.

💜 3. Use Background Noise
Turn on soft music, TV, or a white-noise machine to help mask the thunder.

🩵 4. Try Calming Aids
Consider anxiety wraps (like Thundershirts), pheromone diffusers, or vet-approved calming supplements.

💜 5. Don’t Punish or Overcomfort
Never scold them for being scared — and while reassurance is fine, try not to reinforce fearful behavior.

🩵 6. Ask Your Vet for Help
If your pet’s anxiety is severe, your vet can recommend safe medications or behavioral support.

✨ Remember: patience, comfort, and consistency make all the difference!

16/10/2025

🐾💙 Why Sterilizing Your Pet is the Kindest Choice 💙🐾

Sterilizing your pet (spaying for females, neutering for males) is one of the most important decisions you can make for their long-term health and for the welfare of the broader pet community. Here’s why it’s so important:

🐾 Health Benefits for Your Pet

Prevents cancers: Spaying females drastically reduces the risk of mammary (breast) cancer and eliminates the risk of uterine and ovarian cancers. Neutering males prevents testicular cancer and lowers the risk of prostate problems.

Longer, healthier life: Sterilized pets often live longer, healthier lives thanks to reduced risks of infections and certain diseases.

Prevents infections: Female pets are prone to a serious and often fatal uterine infection called pyometra—spaying eliminates this risk entirely.

🐾 Behavioral Benefits

Less aggression and roaming: Neutered males are less likely to fight, mark territory, or roam in search of mates, reducing accidents and injuries.

Calmer demeanor: Spayed and neutered pets are often easier to manage, with fewer hormone-driven behaviors.

🐾 Community & Welfare Benefits

Prevents unwanted litters: Millions of dogs and cats end up in shelters each year. Sterilization helps reduce overpopulation and unnecessary euthanasia.

Reduces strays: Fewer unwanted animals means fewer strays on the streets, which also helps prevent the spread of diseases and injuries.

🐾 Myth Busting

“It will make my pet fat.” – Sterilization itself doesn’t cause obesity; overfeeding and lack of exercise do.

“It changes their personality.” – Pets remain just as loving and playful, but without the stress of reproductive urges.

“I want my pet to have one litter first.” – There is no health benefit to this. In fact, early sterilization provides the greatest health advantages.

👉 In short: Sterilizing your pet is an act of love—it protects their health, improves behavior, and helps reduce the suffering of countless animals in shelters.

🐱🐶🐱🐶Thinking about spaying or neutering your furry friend? Here’s why it’s one of the best gifts you can give them:

✨ Longer, Healthier Life – Sterilized pets are less likely to develop certain cancers and infections.
✨ Happier Temperament – No more roaming, spraying, or hormone-driven stress.
✨ Fewer Strays, More Love – Every sterilized pet helps reduce the number of unwanted litters ending up in shelters.
✨ Peace of Mind – No surprise puppies or kittens to worry about.

Your pet stays the same loving companion—just healthier, calmer, and safer. 💕

😹 Funny Facts About Sterilizing Your Pet 🐶

1. The Great Escape Artist – Unsterilized pets can sniff out a mate from kilometers away. Neutering helps keep your Houdini safely at home instead of scaling fences like Spider-Man.

2. Romance-Free Zone – No more late-night love songs (a.k.a. loud yowling cats). Your neighbors will thank you!

3. The Couch Wins – Instead of chasing love, your pet will chase naps and snacks. (Sorry, your spot on the couch is now permanently taken.)

4. Goodbye, Stinky Perfume – Male pets often “mark their territory” everywhere. Neutering keeps your curtains, furniture, and even your shoes a lot fresher.

5. Less Drama, More Cuddles – No accidental litters = no tiny soap opera of surprise puppies or kittens. Just peace, quiet, and snuggles.

6. Forever Puppy/Kitten Love – Sterilized pets stay just as loving, playful, and silly—minus the hormonal mood swings!

📍 At Waterkloof Glen Animal Hospital, we believe sterilization is an act of love and responsibility. Let’s work together to keep tails wagging and purrs going strong!

📞 012 998 4659 / 012 993 2315

07/10/2025

PARVO VIRUS:
The big FEAR when summer is here…

One of the most dangerous infectious diseases dogs are exposed to is the Parvo virus, more commonly known as "katgriep" or “cat flu”. The symptoms include severe vomiting, diarrhoea, lack of appetite, fever, weight-loss, dehydration and can eventually result in death.

Although the majority of pet owners are aware of this virus and fears it, the number of dogs and puppies in our area that succumb to this disease is shockingly high.

There is a significant increase in Parvo cases with the changing of seasons and the start of the rainy season.

There are a variety of risk factors that can increase a dog’s susceptibility to the disease, but mainly, the virus is transmitted either by direct contact with an infected dog, or indirectly, by the faecal-oral route. Heavy concentrations of the virus are found in an infected dog’s stool, so when a healthy dog sniffs an infected dog’s stool, it will contract the disease. The virus can also be brought into a dog's environment by way of shoes that have come into contact with infected faeces. There is evidence that the virus can live in ground soil for up to a year. It is resistant to most cleaning products, or even to weather changes.

The number of Parvo patients is increasing at an alarming rate every day. This devastating and sometimes fatal disease mostly affects puppies but can also affect adult dogs. The parvo virus will keep spreading because of the number of dogs missing their full vaccination schedule. When buying a new puppy, some owners assume that the puppy is fully vaccinated which is impossible if the puppy is only a few weeks old.

This is the vaccination schedule that we recommend for dogs:
1st vaccination: 6 weeks
2nd vaccination: 9 weeks
3rd vaccination including Rabies: 12 weeks
4th vaccination including Rabies booster: 16 weeks
We recommend an annual booster to keep your dog’s vaccination status up to date

If you just bought a puppy, it will still need vaccination boosters every 3-4 weeks. When you strictly keep to the vaccination schedule, your puppy will only be fully protected after the completion of the boosters at the age of 4-5 months. Please keep this in mind.

We call on all pet owners to check their pets' vaccination cards and bring them to be vaccinated if they are not up to date. Yes, your puppy’s vaccinations will cost less over 4 months, but the cost of intensive parvo virus treatment can go up to R10 000 or more depending on the dog’s size and amount of days spent in hospital. We want to warn all owners that this disease is spreading and it is spreading really FAST!

If you are unsure whether your pet need another booster, feel free to phone us.

Please help us by spreading the word so we can protect our pets.

30/09/2025

🐱🐶🐾 PET PHOTOSHOOT GIVEAWAY

INSTAGRAM COMPETITION 🐱🐶🐱🐶🐱🐶

Your fur baby deserves the spotlight!

We’re giving away a professional pet photoshoot at Waterkloof Glen Animal Hospital.

25/09/2025

🚨 DOG POISONING ALERT 🚨

We have received reports of suspected dog poisonings in the area.

⚠️ What you should do:

Keep your dogs on a leash when outside.

Do not allow them to eat anything off the ground.

Check your yard and surroundings for suspicious food or substances.

If your dog shows vomiting, drooling, weakness, muscle tremors, seizures, or collapse – seek veterinary care immediately.

📞 Emergency Contact: 012 998 4659

Stay alert. Share this message with other pet owners to help keep our fur babies safe! 🐾

25/09/2025

🐾🐱🐶 What a fun day at the CGSV Market Day.

Thank you to all our sponsors for making this day even more special🎊🎉🐾🐱🐶

Go check out our Instagram Competition......🤭🤭😊

19/09/2025

CANINE DISTEMPER OUTBREAK!! 🔎 What is Canine Distemper?

Canine Distemper is a highly contagious viral disease that affects dogs and some wildlife (foxes, jackals, raccoons, etc.).
It attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous system.

⚠️ Signs & Symptoms

Early signs: Fever, runny nose, watery eyes, coughing, sneezing, lethargy

Digestive symptoms: Vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite

Neurological signs: Seizures, twitching, paralysis, head tilt

Skin sign: Thickening/hardening of nose or paw pads ("hard pad disease")

🧪 How It Spreads

Direct contact with infected dogs’ saliva, urine, or nasal discharge

Airborne droplets from coughing/sneezing

Contaminated bowls, bedding, human hands, etc.

🛑 What To Do During an Outbreak

Vaccinate: Puppies & unvaccinated dogs should be vaccinated immediately.

Isolate: Sick dogs must be quarantined to prevent spread.

Sanitize: Disinfect surfaces, bowls, and bedding.

Avoid dog parks & gatherings until outbreak is under control.

💉 Prevention

✅ Core vaccination is the best protection (DHPP or 5-in-1 vaccine).
✅ Boosters should be given as recommended by your vet.
✅ Keep your dog’s immune system strong with proper nutrition and parasite control.

Warning: Highly contagious distemper virus spreading in parts of Pretoria
Read more here: https://www.citizen.co.za/rekord/news-headlines/2025/09/18/warning-highly-contagious-distemper-virus-spreading-in-parts-of-pretoria/

09/09/2025

🐾 What is whisker fatigue?

🐈Your cat’s whiskers are super-sensitive.🐈

If they’re constantly touching the sides of food or water bowls, it can overstimulate them and cause stress, leading to refusal to eat, drink, or general irritability.

✅ How to avoid it:

🐱Switch to shallow, wide bowls – so your cat’s whiskers don’t touch the sides.

🐱Use ceramic, glass, or stainless steel – plastic can hold odors and bacteria.

🐱Keep food and water bowls separate – cats often prefer distance between them.

🐱Clean bowls daily – to keep things fresh and inviting.

🐾Watch for changes – if your cat seems picky, it might not be the food, but the dish!🐾

04/09/2025

Bladder stones are hard mineral deposits that form in the urinary bladder.

They can vary in size, shape, and composition, and can cause a range of urinary problems such as:

🐶🐾Straining to urinate

🐶🐾Blood in urine

🐶🐾Frequent urination or accidents

🐶🐾Pain or discomfort

🐶🐾Complete urinary blockage (a medical emergency)

Common causes include:

🐶🐾Diets high in certain minerals (magnesium, phosphorus, calcium)

🐶🐾Urinary tract infections

🐶🐾Genetic predisposition (some breeds are more prone)

🐶🐾pH imbalances in the urine

Treatment usually involves:

🐶🐾Surgical removal (like in this case) or non-surgical dissolution (for certain stone types)

🐶🐾Special prescription diets to prevent recurrence

🐶🐾Regular monitoring with urinalysis and imaging

03/09/2025

🐾💦From pool dives to grass rolls, let’s see how your furry friends do summer fun! 🐾💦

Share your pet pics of enjoying summer in the comments..

Warning: these summer pet pics may cause extreme smiles! 🐶🐱🌞