Vet Advice

Glen Kolenc has been a practising vet for just over 10 years. After working in several veterinary hospitals in Sydney along with a four year working holiday in the UK, he now owns the Petersham Veterinary Hospital in Sydney's Inner West, along with its onsite boarding cattery. Glen's love of animals stems back to his childhood, which prompted him to study veterinary science at the University of Sydney. After graduating in 1997 with honours, he has spent over a decade doing "the most rewarding job in the world".

Glen is our resident Internet Vet here at Dogs and Cats and would like to remind visitors asking him questions that some medical problems can be extremely difficult to diagnose. A certain set of symptoms may be caused by several possible ailments. Therefore nothing can replace a veterinarian obtaining a full history, and performing a thorough examination of your pet. This Q + A segment though does allow for more general queries to be addressed.

http://www.petvets.com.au
http://www.petershamboardingcattery.com.au

Please note that due to the volume of questions we receive here at dogsandcats, we cannot promise to answer all of the questions posted here. We will select the questions we feel will be most helpful for a majority and the vet will answer these on a regular basis.
Glen and Kahlua

Glen and Kahlua

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Q:My pet seems allergic to fleas - apart from the monthly spot on treatment, should I be doing more to help with this problem?
A:Monthly spot on flea treatments are actually only a small part of managing the whole flea problem. These producta certainly will kill fleas on your pet, but they do not take into account the fact that most fleas (and flea eggs) live in the environment and not on your pet. The aim of treating the environment is to reduce the number of these as much as possible so there will be fewer fleas waiting to jump on your pet. So, to help get rid of fleas in the environment, the things you can do are: - Regularly vacuum carpets and lounges and wash your pets bedding (as fleas like to live in warm furry places) as well as any spot in your house is your pets favourite area. - Flea bomb the house (moving furniture, etc, first as fleas will hide under the bed making the flea bomb useless). - Ensure ALL in contact animals are treated for fleas. There are also some rinses that will kill fleas (available only for dogs). Finally there is a tablet that can be given to dogs or cats (called Capstar) that will kill fleas for 24h - so will give short term relief but does not provide a solution to the whole flea problem.

Q:I recently brought home a rescue dog - we have four cats and the dog is fine with cats – but she seems particularly interested in one cat only. She is on alert when this cat is around – the other cats ignore her and she ignores them. Do I just leave them to sort it out or should I be worried. We have had the dog for five months. I think she just wants to play?
A:If you've had the dog for five months then I would think things should be all ok. I would think if there was going to be problems, you would have already experienced them by now.

Q:Can I give my pet human pain killers ?
A:The short answer is NO. Cats especially are very susceptible to toxic effects from human pain killers because their liver functions differently to a humans. There are some human drugs which can be used in dogs but you should always check with your vet first. If your pet ever accidentally eats human pain killers call your vet immediately.

Q:I recently saw a news items that pets can have major problems with their ears. As an owner, how should I care for my pets ears. I wouldn’t want to go poking around in them so what is the safest option?.
A:If the ear looks clean and is not smelly (and your pet isn't shaking his/her head or scratching the ear) then it is ok. If you notice a bad smell, any discharge or a lot of wax then there is a problem with the ears. The best way to clean ears (and therefore prevent ear problems) is to use an ear cleaning solution. These are available from vets. You squirt a small amount of the cleaner into the ear, massage the ear and then wipe out the ear with a cotton ball. Do NOT EVER stick small cotton buds into the ear

Q:Should I give my pet milk ?
A:Cats and dogs don't need milk once they have been weaned. They get all the calcium they need from good quality pet foods. A small amount of milk is OK but some dogs and cats can't digest it properly once they are adults and can get diarrhea. If your pet has diarrhea don't give it any milk at all. Fresh water is better for animals and should be available at all times. Lactose free per milk is available from your supermarket, however you should remember that cats and dogs do not have a dietary requirement for milk, so there is really no need for you to give it in the first place!!!

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