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From the Editor’s deskFirst Aid CoursesDr Drew AitkenCongress NewsUnderstanding Flea ControlAllerderm Spot-onRabiesCongratulationsTail Piece

Editor: Dr Alan Isdale

Design and layout: Debra Müller

In this issue

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

www.medipetsa.co.za

www.petsure.co.za

PHONE: 031 2678000 :: VET@WESTVET.CO.ZA :: FAX: 031 2678020

Sept 2012: Issue 113The first of September is the first day of spring and is a good time tostart a new partnership at the Westville Veterinary Hospital. The newpartnership consisting of Drs Wimberley, Smith and Vergeer is wishedGod-speed as it sets sail into the future with a different team at thehelm.As was announced in the last newsletter, Dr Isdale is going into semiretirement but will be working most Saturday mornings and other days,from time to time when needed. He will be taking time off at the endof the month to go to the UK. An Isdale grandchild is due in Londonabout the middle of this month and the first time grandparents willneed an introduction!

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The first aid courses that we havebeen running during the year havebeen very successful. Feed backfrom attendees has been verypositive, so much so that some ofthe people have been asking if itwould be possible to run an

‘advanced’ course.The course is intended to giveowners the confidence to dealwith an emergency which mayoccur with their pet. They willknow what they can doimmediately before they can gettheir animal to a vet.The final course of the year willbe held in October and includes afirst aid kit. Interested inattending one of these courses?Contact Debbie either through(031)2678000 or emaildebbie@westvet.co.za

FIRST AID COURSE

Dr Aitken will be away on leave forthe first three weeks in September,a trip that he and his wife Lisa hadbooked before he arranged to cometo work for us. We wish them ahappy holiday and are sure that hewill come back refreshed and readyto set to work in earnest at thebeginning of the summer season.

Dr DREW AITKEN

NEXT COURSE startsIN OCTOBER

Remember to treatall your pets,every monthof the year

Contact debbie@westvet.co.za for views and comments

It is a known fact that in South Africa the KZN coast andDurban in particular, is a paradise for fleas andconsequently controlling them a monthly issue. All petsshould be treated on an ongoing monthly basis with one ofthe various products available.Yes, this may be costly if you have several pets, but it issomething that should be part of your monthly budget.Remember that the best time to control the flea problem iswhen you have none. If you have none and are not treatingyour pets, it will be only a matter of time before you havean infestation, usually in time for your upcountry familyarriving for Christmas! All pets should be treated once amonth every month of the year.

There seems to be an ever increasing amount of fleacontrol products on the market, all with their ownparticular actions and precautions. All products have to beused on an ongoing basis to have total flea control. to havea flea free environment –or nearly!- owners have to workhard and budget for their flea control on an ongoing basisright throughout the year.

All the products we sell definitely work and if you feel theyare not working it is because of something that you have orhave not done correctly! If you have a problem with fleasthat you are not coping with, ask for assistance. Thevarious products that we sell are listed on page three foryour perusal....

UNDERSTANDING FLEA CONTROL

Moreinformation

Here >>

MORE INFORMATIONABOUT >>

CAPSTAR

Capstar is a tablet that can be used forthe control of fleas in dogs and cats.Capstar is available in two sizes, foranimals 11-57kgs in weight and thoseunder 11kgs in weight. This product killsadult fleas within about 30 minutes ofbeing administered, but only lasts for 12hours in dogs and 24 hours in cats. It hasno activity on ticks and should only beused for a knockdown effect when fleasare plentiful. It may be used on aweekly basis. It can be used in puppiesand kittens as young as four weeks ofage. It may be used with other fleacontrol products.

FRONTLINE

Frontline is a product that is notabsorbed through the skin into the bodyof the animal, it stays on the surface ofthe animal, in the fatty layers of theskin. It is available for use in dogs andcats. It additionally kills ticks beforethey are able to attach to the skin ofthe animal. Frontline comes in a sprayform. Dogs and cats should be sprayedall over so that the animal is damp, andthen left to dry. The fleas will be killedinstantly and this product should beused monthly. It can safely be used onpuppies and kittens. Frontline Pluscontains the same ingredient for killingfleas, but also an additional ingredientthe ‘Plus’ which causes the fleas to laysterile eggs. Frontline plus is containedin a pipette that is applied to the skinbehind the dog or cat’s neck on amonthly basis. It should not be used inpuppies or kittens younger than eightweeks of age. This too does notpenetrate the skin and stays purely onthe surface of the coat. This also shouldbe used monthly right throughout theyear. The pipettes come in differentsizes. It should not be used for threedays before or three days after theanimal is bathed.

CERTIFECT

Certifect is the newest product launchedby Merial, it is a DOG only product andit contains the same ingredients asFrontline but also contains Amitraz, afaster acting product against ticks in theface of a severe tick infestation. Dogsover 2kgs in weight and eight weeks oldmay safely be given Certifect. Dogsshould be dry, and remain so, for atleast 24 hours after application which isdone in a similar manner to Frontline.It is also safe to use in pregnant andlactating bitches. Certifect isavailable in four various sizes.

PROGRAM

Program is a product that does not killadult fleas. It is a product that is givento DOGS and CATS by mouth and shouldalso be given with food. The activity ofthis product is that although it does notkill fleas it causes any eggs laid by themto be sterile, so interfering with the lifecycle of the flea. The product should beused monthly. The cat product comes asa suspension that is mixed with the food.The dog program comes as PROGRAMPLUS, also given by mouth and also killsround worms found in the dog. A benefitis that it can be used on a monthly basisto prevent an infestation of SpirocircaLupi – the ‘Silent Killer’ that we havebeen discussing at length in thesenewsletters over the last several months.It does not kill tapeworm.

Program incidentally was the firstproduct released in this country whichheralded the beginnings of the newgenerations of flea control and thenbeginning of the end of dogs and catshaving to be dipped in insecticides.

ADVANTAGE

Advantage is a product for both dogs andcats. This product kills fleas within 24hours and the manufacturers claim thatthere is thus no need for them to add aningredient to sterilise the fleas. Theproduct comes in various weight relatedsizes and is applied to the skin behindthe neck at the base of the skull. Therecommendation is for the product to beused once a month but in cases ofsevere infestation with fleas twotreatments two - three weeks apart canbe given.

ADVANTIX

This product is for use in DOGS ONLY andis NOT FOR USE IN CATS - as one of theingredients are highly toxic for cats.This product is for use on dogs olderthan seven weeks of age and over 1.5kgs in weight. It kills fleas and ticks andrepels biting flies and mosquitoes. If thedog is bathed, it may be applied straightaway, but two weeks should passbefore the dog is bathed again. Theproduct comes also in weight relatedpipettes and should be used monthly.The product may be used in pregnantand lactating bitches.

ADVOCATE

Advocate is the latest in the Bayerstable of flea control products. It too isa dog only product and once again ISNOT FOR USE IN CATS, and NOT to beused in pregnant and lactating bitches.It is for use in dogs over seven weeks ofage and 4kgs in weight and it comes in aseries of weight related pipettes appliedto the surface of the skin behind the

neck. The product is absorbed into thebody through the skin. This product isalso used monthly. The product has NOeffect on ticks, but kills fleas,Demodectic and Sarcoptic Mange,Otodectes (ear mites) as well as thenormal worms (EXCEPT tapeworm) Thisproduct also kills SPIIROCIRCA LUPI ,the

‘Silent killer’ as mentioned above, andso can be used on a monthly preventivebasis for this. This product also kills aparasite Dirofilaria Immitus – known asheartworm- which at this stage does notoccur in this country. It has beenisolated in Mozambique, so watch thisspace…

PROMERIS DUO

This product is also a DOG ONLYPRODUCT and must not be used in cats.The product is used as a single spotapplication and the pipettes come inweight related sizes. It is used for thecontrol of Fleas, Ticks, and Sarcopticand Demodectic Mange. It is usedmonthly and must not be used inpuppies under eight weeks of age. Thisproduct should not be used by humanasthma sufferers and should be appliedto the dog in the evening as it tends tomake the animal drowsy. It is veryuseful for dogs that swim or are bathedregularly. If applied in the evening thedog is able to swim the next day, 12hours later.

PRAC-TIC

A DOG ONLY PRODUCT used monthly onpuppies over 8 weeks of age and killsboth fleas and ticks. It is NOT to be usedon pregnant or lactating bitches. Dogsshould not be bathed or shampooed for48 hours before or 24 hours afterapplying to the coat. This productcomes in 4 weight related sizes.

FLEGO

This environmental spray is an additionalproduct, useful, in cases of severe fleainfestation.

As can be seen, all these productsadvocate being used monthly. In KZN,and Durban in particular, to keep ontop of your flea control, if you do notuse, whichever product you choose ona monthly basis you will ALWAYS havea flea problem. As has been said, allthese products are manufactured byinternational reputable companiesand all work. If you feel they are notworking, there is a reason for this.Come in and discuss the problem withone of our staff and we will attemptto find out where things are goingwrong for you and if necessary we canobtain the assistance of thedistributors.

FLEA CONTROL PRODUCTS

The dreadful situation in which we find ourselves in KZNcontinues with the death of innocent children. We havebeen covering this issue for years in our newsletters. Playyour part in keeping this disease under control by makingsure that your pets are fully vaccinated annually. Note thatWorld Rabies day is 28th September this year – we are notalone in dealing with this problem.While being reminded that about Rabies vaccinations oneshould also remember how important the othervaccinations are for your animal’s health. Several peoplehave recently lost or have had very ill dogs due to ParvoVirus – a real killer especially for puppies. Puppies shouldbe vaccinated against this disease at six, ten and 14 weeksof age for full protection. In recent weeks we came acrosssomeone who had not had their dog vaccinated againstanything for nine years - an irresponsible record to hold!

Bad breath

Dribbling

Bleedinggums

Soremouth

Difficultyeating

Loose teeth,or tooth loss

Pawing orrubbing the

mouth

Signs ofdental

problems include:

ALLERDERM SPOT ON

Virbac have launched a new product - ALLERDERM SPOT-ON.The product is for use in both dogs and cats. It is applied tothe skin on a monthly basis as a ‘spot-on’ product. TheAllerderm is designed to improve the skin barrier andcontains a skin Lipid complex that is practically identical tothe lipids found naturally in the pet’s skin. This allows thefollowing:

· Assists the skin to repair and defend itself

· Reduce skin sensitivity

· Increase moisture protection

This will help in the treatment of Allergic Skin Conditions,Seborrhoea, dry and sensitive skin and in cases of bacterialand fungal infections. It’s use will, often, allow thereduction of other treatment being used in ongoing allergiccases e.g., Prednisolone needing to be given less often.

Sign on a notice board: PUPPIES FOR SALE- THE ONLY LOVE THAT MONEY CAN BUY

Helping to manage your pet’s

Dental Health

Yellowor browntartar on

teeth

WORLD RABIES DAY -28th September

CONGRESS NEWS

Drs Wimberley, Smith, Liversage and Vergeer attendedthe 6th South African Veterinary and Para VeterinaryCongress in Pretoria from 2nd to 4th August.

CONGRATULATIONS

Congratulations to our financial manager Mariana Donaldsonon her marriage to Angus Herselman The wedding, a familyaffair, was on 5th August. We wish them every happiness inthe future.

Your pet’s smile deservesspecial attention.

To maintain a healthybody your pet needs ahealthy mouth. Schedulea FREE dental assessmentwith our nurse today .

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