Reindeer health check all good!

Santa on his way

The good news is that our 12 point health check of the reindeer this year again show a full bill of health, including Rudolphs nose. There was doubt it would glow enough, but with a minor adjustment of thiamine (B1) in his diet it is again glowing like crazy. Thanks to Dr Jo for helping out with this tricky treatment.

(We also think Santa might need a little diet this year, perhaps only carrots and water to be left out - we didn't mention it to him in case we got put on the naughty list)

New Years Eve Warning

Probably the most important festive advice we can give is to keep your pets safe on New Year's Eve, with loud noises and fireworks, we commonly get lost animal phone calls on New Year's Day, as they have jumped fences or tunnelled out from fear of fireworks noises (and mum and dad may be out partying as well so they are home alone). Providing a secure environment suich as a garage or bathroom is a good option.

Lovely clip from a cats perspective

First ever movie made by cats...... well filmed by cats.
Just a bit of fun really!
Can't wait to see as these cameras become cheaper and more portable more movies, and even ones of our own patients!!

Pet Health Alerts December 2010 Port Macquarie

This post contains pet health alerts current for the Greater Port area current December 2010. We have been raising some stray kittens, now 6 weeks old looking for great homes. The sad story of how they came to be with us is below.

Current Pet Health alert Status -

We are building on our online resource for clients, remember we have our flea/tick comparison spreadsheet, Pet Map of Port Macquarie, main website, blog, twitter stream, you tube channel and now our foursquare check-in.

Our aim is to have foursquare checkins for various walks, and reward our walkers with prizes for those that are out and about. Just trying to make it a bit of fun, we will post more info on our facebook page (to view our facebook page you don't need an account, it is http//:www.facebook.com/animaldoctors and if you are curious about what facebook is, jump on and take a peek!)


We are still getting lots of questions about the new dog vaccine for parvo, many still believe their current vaccine will last the 3 years, but please be aware it is a different vaccine, see this link to learn more and become informed. http://blog.animaldoctors.com.au/2010/08/killing-dogs-by-over-vaccination.html . Sorry cat owners, no changes yet, but perhaps within the next few years, they are trialling a new vaccine in the USA at the moment.

Kittens needing a good home - HELP!
A skinny black heavily pregnant cat was brought to Animal Doctors by the general public approximately 6 weeks ago gravely ill from tick poisoning. She was not microchipped, and we failed to find her owner (however likely she was a stray).

Our choice was to euthanase her, or try and give her a chance. We treated her over a period of a week, and she made a good recovery from the severe poisoning, just in time to give birth to 6 kittens. She has been a great mum, feeding them well. Our nurses have been looking after them all, socialising them each day.

We are now looking for great homes, we are happy for them to go before chirstmas to new homes, vaccinated and microchipped. The cost of the kittens are $120 each, of which the entire amount will be donated to the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children, so we can hopefully have a few positive outcomes from a pretty grim beginning (we don't want to give them away as it sends the wrong message, but clearly we aren't doing it for commercial reasons either). If you are interested or know someone that might be, please let us know. There are 4 females and 2 males.

Pet Health Insurance - why even consider it?
At Animal Doctors our greatest desire is to treat your animal in the best way we can. Pet Insurance allows both you and us to focus on the best treatment options for your pet in an emergency, or illness, without the worry of money.

Did you know that 66% of all veterinary visits each year are due to sudden illness?
As more people are out and about during Summer, many accidents occur in these active months.
A sick or injured pet is stressful enough, but not being able to afford treatment can be heartbreaking.
We have put together 10 points to consider when choosing an approriate pet health insurance policy, see this link.

http://blog.animaldoctors.com.au/2010/12/give-you-pet-gift-of-health-this.html

Give Your Pet the Gift of Health this Christmas

Give Your Pet the Gift of Health this Christmas!

At Animal Doctors our greatest desire is to treat your animal in the best way we can. Pet Insurance allows both you and us to focus on the best treatment options for your pet in an emergency, or illness, without the worry of money.

Did you know that 66% of all veterinary visits each year are due to sudden illness?
As more people are out and about during Summer, many accidents occur in these active months.
A sick or injured pet is stressful enough, but not being able to afford treatment can be heartbreaking.
Pet Insurance gives you peace of mind that you can be there when your pet needs you most.

If, like many people, you like to spoil your pet at Christmas consider putting that money towards Insurance for your loved one. For as little as 50c a day you could rest easy knowing that financial help will be available if your pet suffers an accident.

At Animal Doctors during December and January, PetSecure have offered 10% off all Pet Insurance for the life of the policy.
Additionally, all pets who are start cover by any Insurance during these months will receive a FREE CHRISTMAS GIFT from Animal Doctors. Just email us to let us know which policy you have chosen and we'll wrap your pet's gift ready for pick up.

Like human health insurance, there are many plans offered by many companies for Pet Insurance.
So much information can be daunting and some helpful tips include:

1-Decide what you want from your pet's insurance beforehand.
a) will this be for accident and illness cover only? (the unexpected costs of owning a pet)
b) would you prefer to keep premiums low and plan for known costs (eg. vaccination, worming, flea/tick control)

2 - What is your budget?
The supreme/premium level cover sounds great but can cost a lot more than basic accident cover. While the 'cheaper' policies often have more limitations/less cover.

3- Excess?
This is the amount you pay in the event of a claim. The excess level you choose will also affect the monthly cost of your pet insurance. It is important to find out if the excess is payable PER CLAIM or PER CONDITION.

4- Pre-existing conditions?
These are any disease diagnosed or injury occuring before insurance is taken out. Usually these problems will not be covered by insurance. It is important to be aware of this especially if the condition requires costly treatment.

5- Maximum Annual Benefit
The benefit limit is the maximum amount that is paid each year. Check and compare annual benefit limits between the different policies. Some policies differ between limits for accident or illness, with certain conditions (eg. tick paralysis) sometimes having a lower limit. It is also worth checking if the benefit payable decreases as your pet ages.

6- Waiting Periods and Exclusions
Policies are likely to have a waiting period for illness cover, but accident cover generally will start right away.
After the waiting period is over, are there any conditions that aren’t covered? Some policies may exclude certain “breed specific” conditions.

7- Claims Deadlines
Ensure there is a reasonable amount of time to make a claim after treatment of your pet.

8- Try your personal health insurance company.
Many human health insurance companies also offer pet insurance including Medibank, Allianz, Manchester Unity and more. Ask about multi-policy discounts.

9- More than 1 Pet?
Many companies offer discounts for multiple pets so it is worth considering these. Discounts may also be avaibable for assistance dogs or pensioners.

10- Shop around.
Drop in to pick up some brochures at Animal Doctors or google 'Pet Insurance Australia' for a more complete list of what's available.