You may have noticed our new TV in the reception area. Nurse Dee has created a slide show to entertain you while you and your pets are waiting to see the vets. We think this technology is a great opportunity to show off the many wonderful pets we see every day. If you have a cute, funny or interesting photo of your pet or anything animal-related, you can email it to reservoir [at] ahavets [dot] com [dot] au (please refer to photo conditions below). Your photo may be selected to appear on our big screen for all to see. We are looking forward to seeing what your pets get up to outside of the clinic.

The Christmas and New Year holidays are fast approaching and many pet owners will be traveling away from home without their pets. If you are boarding your pet at a kennel or cattery during the upcoming holiday, it is essential that your pet's vaccination is up to date. If your pet's vaccination is overdue, they will need a vaccination now and then a booster shot 4 weeks later before boarding would be considered.

Pit Bull TerrierYou may have heard in the media lately that changes have been made to the restricted breed dog laws. These laws classed Pitbull Terriers and Pitbull crosses a restricted breed. Until this year, there has been an amnesty for these dogs in order for existing dogs to be registered and declared. The ending of this amnesty means that new registrations cannot be made and unregistered dogs may be seized by the council. As the owner of a restricted breed dog, there are specific rules regarding how they must be housed and regulations about them being walked in public places.

News headlines from across the world have reported on a new study where dogs were able to detect lung cancer in humans by sniffing human breath. The research was conducted in a German hospital and reported in the European Respiratory Journal. The test involved 110 healthy people, 60 patients with lung cancer and 50 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Each person was asked to breathe into a fleece filled tube which absorbed the smell of the person's breath.

Recently, a client told us of a dog who survived a car crash thanks to being securely belted in in the back seat. This story highlighted to us the importance of travelling safely with your pets. In the event of a collision, a loose animal can become a projectile, causing damage and injury to itself, the driver and passengers. Even during normal driving conditions, a loose pet can be unpredictable, distracting and dangerous.

There has been a number of cases of cats and dogs falling ill and vomiting roundworms. Roundworms look like long white worms and are the most common worms passed on to humans. Pets can become infected by eating soil contaminated with roundworm eggs or eating other hosts such as mice or birds.

You may have noticed that Nurse Dee and Nurse Rebecca are both trainees and may have wondered what this means. Nurse Dee and Nurse Rebecca are both studying for their Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing. This training takes place on-the-job at Reservoir Veterinary Clinic, and by correspondence. The trainees attend lectures every few months and complete assignments on various topics such as dentistry, radiography, fluid therapy, first aid, specific diseases, customer service and general animal care. As well as assignments, the trainees also have online exams and periodical workplace assessments.

You may have heard that our clinic cat, Ma, has been unwell lately. She made our veterinary team here very worried over Easter when she went off her food as this is not normal behaviour for Ma. Her breathing was also strange. She seemed to be putting a lot of effort into her breathing.

The Department of Primary Industries in Victoria has published helpful advice on their website on protecting your rabbits from myxomatosis. Read the article here.