Matt Young's blog | Page 5 | Companion Animal Veterinary Hospital

Matt Young's blog

Socialisation of puppies, what's the point?

Matt Young's picture
ryan cuddling a fluffy puppy

What is socialisation?

Socialisation in puppies is when the puppy learns to get along with other pups, people and other species of animal which they are likely to come in contact with later in life.

They don't neccessarily need to be best friends with these animals. A socialised pup might learn how to avoid getting scratched by a cat by leaving it alone and giving it space for example. 

This video is the ultimate in socialisation between 2 different species:

Putting the guts back in- inguinal hernia repair.

Matt Young's picture
Daisy posing for a photo

Daisy came to visit me last month because she had became extremely unwell overnight. She had been vomiting alot and was in pain and reluctant to move around. When I examined her she was extremely dehydrated and she was very painful in her belly. In her groin we found a large swelling that was painful to touch. I did an ultrasound on it and found that it contained gas. 

Based on these findings she was diagnosed with a strangulated inguinal hernia. 

Cat fights- keeping the claws from coming out

Matt Young's picture
Cats play fighting

Cat fights- we've all heard them:

  • That horrible yowling in the front yard at 3am. 
  • The hissing and screaming as they dig their claws and teeth into each other
  • The dogs barking because they hear it all too!

Cat fights are not just a problem for us, they are a big problem for the cats involved. As far as armory goes cats are pretty well equipped- sharp claws, sharp teeth capable of penetrating flesh and unreal flexibility make them a mean fighting machine. If you're the weaker cat, you're in trouble!

Shark vs Canine, who should win?

Matt Young's picture
sharks chopped up into bits

There is no conclusive scientific evidence to prove that any arthritis supplements work, so why bother?

There are some theoretical beneficial effects to these supplements and they may reduce the need or even enhance the effect of other medications. For example we use synovan injections which are a combination of pentosan and chondroitin. There is good evidence that this combination works better than pentosan alone. 

Disease Modifying Osteoarthritic Drugs (DMOADs)

Matt Young's picture
how DMOADs work

What are they?

There are a number of DMOADs available for use in dogs. The original product available was Cartrophen injections which contain pentosan polysulfate. Since then several generic version have come on the market and there are now several newer generation drugs such as Zydax Gen II and Synovan which have been enhanced to improve their beneficial effects. 

How do they Work?

These drugs work by preventing, reducing and in some cases restoring the damage to cartilage caused by osteoarthritis. 

DMOADs work by:

Treating Arthritic Pain

Matt Young's picture
Limping Means Pain

Arthritis is a painful condition

Sure your dog is not howling in pain but dogs aren’t like that. They might be wagging their tails looking to you for attention but that doesn’t mean they are not in pain. 

Make no mistake about it, If your dog limps or is stiff when they get up they are in pain!

Because dogs walk on 4 limbs not 2 it takes a lot more pain for them to limp than it does for us to limp. By the time they become lame they are at a much advanced level of degeneration than us weak 2-legged animals. 

Social dog walk & coffee

Matt Young's picture
People heading off on the walk

Join us this Saturday the 14th June 2014 at 4pm for a walk out to Kanahooka point and back. 

This is purely a social outing and anyone is welcome to attend. Feel free to bring a friend!! 

Our last walk was a great success and we all had a really great afternoon. It's a fun but relaxing afternoon hanging out with other people that love dogs too!

Pages

Subscribe to RSS - Matt Young's blog

Get helpful hints and tips to help you care for your family pet

CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.