Welcome to our Autumn newsletter and your latest edition of Pet Times.
We hope your pets are keeping good health and spending more time about the house now that the days are getting shorter.
In this newsletter

• Updates on your clinic team
• Microchipping
• Sunday Clinics
• Feeding your Rabbit
• Exciting new Drug Therapies
• Feline Marking Behaviour
• Feeding your Rabbit

For a free hard copy of our latest newsletter ( providing copies are available ) please email us here>>>

MICROCHIPPING

The recent Bad Press that many dogs and their owners have had, has prompted the government, in association with other groups such as regional authorities and the New Zealand Veterinary Association, to closely look at ‘tightening up’ the existing dog control policies.

One area being closely considered by the Government is compulsory microchipping of dogs. Did you know however that the NZVA has promoted microchipping for some time , not only to promote responsible dog ownership, but to permanently and discretely identify your precious cat or dog?
Our clinic is an NZVA authorised microchipping centre. Microchips can be safely and painlessly inserted into your pet while you wait. They are the size of a grain of rice and completely harmless.
Contact us for our current Special prices on Microchipping, that include lifetime registration in the Australasian database.

SUNDAY CLINICS

Are now held at our sister clinic
Papatoetoe East Veterinary Centre , 93 East Tamaki Rd Papatoetoe, from 10 am to 4pm, [excluding Stat. Holidays]. Your South Auckland team helps with this roster, and in an emergency , can access all your Pet’s records. Outside these hours, the Manuaku After Hours Veterinary clinic is open and fully staffed.

FEEDING YOUR RABBIT

What do rabbits eat?

High quality rabbit chows, pellets, and good quality hay (such as lucerne, grass, or clover) can be used to make up a pet rabbit's diet. Pellets or chows can be offered at approximately 1/4 cup per 2.5 kg of body weight. Overfeeding pellets to adult rabbits is a common cause of disease. While rabbits can eat any type of hay, lucerne hay is too rich to be the only source of hay; other grass hays are preferred. Coprophagy (eating of faeces) is a common practice with rabbits.

How often should I feed my rabbit?

Rabbits should be fed daily; hay can be available at all times.

Can I offer my rabbit treats?

While obesity is not a common problem with rabbits, they certainly can become overweight if fed a lot of high calorie treats. Significant problems occur if rabbits are offered sweet treats since their digestive system was never designed to cope with such high calorie food. Items such as fruits and vegetables should be offered daily. With fruits and vegetables, they should be thought of as a supplement (think of fruits as a treat) and not as the sole diet. Therefore, limit their amount to no more than 20% of the diet, with vegetables making up most of this 20%. Fresh produce is best; make sure it's thoroughly washed prior to feeding. As with many pets, variety is the key, so offer small amounts of several items (avoid just lettuce, apples, and carrots). Avoid lettuce and celery as they are of little nutritional value. Anything green and leafy is loaded with vitamins and is a good supplement.

What about water?

Fresh water is offered 24 hours a day. If you offer your rabbit water in a bowl, make sure the rabbit does not spill it in his cage.

EXCITING NEW DRUG THERAPIES

The first Veterinary Interferon product is now available from Virbac, a large French pharmaceutical company. Interferons are new products , used in human medicine and are used to help fight many acute and chronic viral infections.[ eg HIV ].
They have been shown to dramatically increase survival rates in diseases such as Canine Parvovirus , and help treat the symptoms of more chronic problems, such as viral oral ulceration. Our clinic has been selected as part of an international trial to give feedback on these products .

CAR PARKING

Please note that parking your car on western side of the Great South rd in the Bus Lane is still ok at all times except between 7 am and 9am weekdays. If you ever need assistance with getting your pets into the clinic, please ask at reception. Remember that we can post your orders or pet food and supplies if that is easier.
Please ring Gaylene or Linda for details.

South Auckland Veterinary Hospital and its team are part of the Manukau Veterinary Group.This means that your clinic team is fully backed up by over 20 Qualified local Veterinarians and Veterinary Nurses to provide the very best care for your pets.We are also one of a small number of New Zealand Veterinary association Accredited practices.This is our recognition and your reassurance that your clinic facilities and team have reached the high standards set by the association.

What is an NZVA accredited practice?
The New Zealand Veterinary Association Companion animal Society has drawn up a vigorous list of criteria relating to Staffing,Experience, Ongoing training, Facilities, Equipment and Protocols. Clinics applying for accreditation are inspected and regularly audited to make sure they reach the sent standards.

You can be confident that when leaving your Pet in the care of an Accredited practice, he or she is receiving a consistently high level of care in a high standard of facilities from a highly trained and concerned team of Professionals.

FELINE MARKING BEHAVIOURS

What is spraying?

Spraying is the deposition of small amounts of urine on vertical surfaces. The spraying cat may be seen to back into the area, the tail may quiver, and with little or no crouching the urine is released. Some cats will also mark their territory by leaving small amounts of urine or occasionally stool on horizontal surfaces.

Why do cats "mark" with urine?

Cats mark the locations where they live or which they frequent in many ways. Cats will mark with scent glands on their feet, cheeks, face and tail as well as with urine. Deposition of an odour communicates that the animal was in a location long after that animal has gone. Cats will mark their territory to signal ?ownership? and to advertise sexual receptivity and availability. Marking can occur due to other cats in the vicinity either outdoors, or among cats that live in the same household. Cats will also mark their territory when they feel threatened or stressed. This can occur with a change in household routine, compositions, living arrangements, new living locations and other environmental and social changes. Because marking is a method of delineating territory, urine is often found in prominent locations and near windows, doors and heavily traffic areas in the home.

Which cats are more likely to urine mark?

Both male and female cats can mark with urine. Urine marking is most common in intact (non-neutered) male cats. When an intact male sprays urine, it will have the characteristic ?tom cat? odour that is strong and pungent. Neutering will change the odour, and may reduce the cat?s motivation for spraying, but approximately 10% of neutered males and 5% of spayed females will continue to spray. While cats in multiple cat households are often involved in spraying behaviours, cats that are housed singly may spray as well.

Instead of spraying, I am finding multiple locations of small amounts of urine. What does that mean?

Some cats will mark their territory with small amounts of urine (and on rare occasions, stool) in various locations. These locations can be similar to those for spraying, i.e. near doors, windows, new possessions in the home or favoured locations, but may occasionally be found on owner?s clothing or other favoured possessions. However, small amounts of urine deposited outside of the litterbox can also be an indication of numerous other problems including diseases of the lower urinary tract. Similarly stool found outside of the litter box can be due to a multitude of causes including colitis, constipation and any other condition leading to difficult, more frequent or uncomfortable elimination. As with any other elimination problem, a complete physical examination and laboratory tests are necessary to rule out each physical cause.

How do would I treat a spraying or marking problem?

As with all behaviour problems, the history will help determine treatment options. The location of the urine marking, the frequency, duration and number of locations are important. The number of cats both inside and as well as contacts outside of the home should be determined. Changes in environment, social patterns of humans and animals, and additions (people, pets, furniture, renovations) to the home should also be examined.

If the cat is not already neutered, and is not a potential breeder, castration is recommended. A urinalysis should be performed to rule out medical problems. The location of the urine spots should be determined. Is the urine found on walls, 10-15 cms up from the floor, or are there small urine spots found in multiple locations?

Treatment is aimed at decreasing the motivation for spraying. If the problem is cats outside of the home, then the best options are to find a way to deter the cats from coming onto the property or prevent the indoor cat from seeing, smelling or hearing these cats. (See our Handout #51 on Feline Punishment and our Handout #3 on Behaviour Products for remote control devices and booby traps) that can be used to deter outdoor cats and to keep indoor cats away from the areas where they are tempted to mark. It may be helpful to house your cat in a room away from windows and doors to the outdoors, or it may be possible to block visual access to windows. When you are home and supervising you can allow your cat limited access to these areas. It also may be necessary to keep windows closed to prevent the inside cat from smelling the cats outside, and to use odour neutralisers (See our Handout #3) on any areas where the outdoor cats have eliminated or sprayed.

If the problem is due to social interactions inside the home, it may be necessary to determine which cats do not get along. Keep these cats in separate parts of the home with their own litter and sleeping areas. Reintroduction of the cats may be possible when they are properly supervised. Allowing the cats together for positive experiences such as feeding, treats and play sessions, helps them to get used to the presence of each other, at least on a limited basis. However, when numbers of cats in a home reach 7-10 cats you will often have spraying and marking.

I've cleaned up the spot but the cat keeps returning to spray. What else can be done to reduce the problem?

Since the "purpose" of spraying is to mark an area with urine odour, it is not surprising that as the odour is cleaned up, the cat wants to refresh the area with more urine. Cleaning alone does little to reduce spraying. Cats that mark in one or two particular areas may cease if the function of the area is changed. It is unlikely that cats will spray in their feeding, sleeping or scratching areas. Some cats are less likely to spray if a little of their cheek gland scent can be placed in the sprayed area. This may change the area to one of cheek gland marking and since the odour remains the desire to spray may be greatly reduced. A commercial product containing feline cheek gland scent has been recently introduced in Europe, the United States and is now available in Australia. The product is called Feliway® and is a synthetic pheromone designed to mimic cheek gland secretions from a cat. When sprayed on areas where cats have sprayed urine or on those areas where it can be anticipated that the cat is likely to spray, it may decrease the likelihood of additional spraying in those areas. The scent of the pheromone seems to calm the cat and may stimulate marking in the area by bunting (rubbing with their cheeks), rather than urine spraying. Feliway® has also been used to calm cats in new environments. (See our Handout #5 for product information). You can perhaps get the same effect by rubbing a cotton ball or gauze square on your cat?s cheek or chin glands and then rubbing the scent onto the previously sprayed areas.

Where practical, a good compromise for some cats is to allow them one or two areas for marking. This can be done by placing a shower curtain on the vertical surface, tiling the area, or by taking two plastic litter boxes and placing one inside the other to make an L-shape (with the upright surface to catch the marked urine). Another option is to place booby traps in the sprayed areas, but spraying of another area may then develop.

Are there any drugs that are available to treat this problem?

Over the years many pharmacological means have been tried to control spraying behaviours. The choices have focused on the theory that one of the underlying causes for spraying and marking behaviours is anxiety. For that reason, anti-anxiety drugs such as buspirone and the benzodiazepines, antidepressants such as amitriptyline, clomipramine, fluoxetine and paroxetine, and female hormones have all been tried with varying degrees of success. Your veterinarian can discuss with you the potential indications and contraindications of drug therapy for your cat. Of course, if the underlying reason for spraying is not addressed, the problem is quite likely to occur when the drug is withdrawn.

If in doubt about the health of your pet, a visit to the vet for a check over is always the safest option