Do bunnies make good pets for children?

With Easter fast approaching, we want to make sure that you choose a bunny for all the right reasons for your child. What should you know before getting a bunny for your child...

Before we start off please make sure your child is not allergic to a bunny BEFORE considering one. Rabbits live 10+ years. Adopting a rabbit is a long-term commitment. Rabbits are NOT low-maintenance pets. So adopting a bunny should be a family decision. Most people don't realize that these cuddly creatures sexually mature at 4 months of age, and begin destructive behaviors in adolescence. These behaviors include biting, spraying, not wanting to be held, and squirming. Young children,generally  do not understand the change in behavior as a rabbit matures. Rabbits are independent creatures, and once adults we highly recommend neutering or spaying them. As they get older, they prefer to be held and carried less. Rabbits are most active at dawn and dusk, preferring to sleep during the sunny part of the day, and play in the early morning or evening.

Bunny Proofing: If the bunny will have free reign in the house/apartment/room, you will absolutely need to bunny proof the area. Even if you keep the bunny in a cage, condo, or puppy pen, you still will need to safeguard your home when you let the rabbit out for supervised exercise. Rabbits are very curious and persistent creatures. They will find a way to get into your computer cables, wires, molding, couch piping, slightly frayed rug, etc. They will eat your most important documents!

A rabbit caged too long develops even more resentment and can act aggressively. Bunnies are susceptible to various illnesses, and unless keenly watched by an adult, by the time a bunny stops eating, it may be too late. Bunnies need to be observed for signs of hair blockages (eating less, wanting only treats, droppings that are very small in size) or signs of bacterial infections (runny eyes, sneezing, wheezing) and even more serious problems like urinary bladder stones (straining to urinate, bloody urine, crying in their litter box).

Children who work well with rabbits are those that have proven to be responsible with smaller pocket pets. Ideally rescue groups and most shelters encourage parents to wait until the child is around 10 years of age. . Children who are willing to approach a rabbit on their own terms, letting them sleep and not forcing the bunny to be picked up will have the best chance of developing a positive relationship with their rabbit.

Bottom line: Do your research before adding a bunny to your family! While it’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of getting a pet rabbit, it’s important to first assess whether or not you can truly provide a good forever home to a bunny.

Below is a very good link where you can find very useful information, especially for a first time bunny owner...
https://myhouserabbit.com/new-to-rabbits/preparing-for-your-first-house-rabbit/

The day your pet is scheduled for surgery...

It is likely that every pet at some point will need to be put under anesthesia during their lives. Whether it be for a routine procedure such as a spay or neuter or a more serious issue, surgery can be a source of anxiety for both the pets and the owners. It is our goal to decrease the stress experienced by all members of your family. Below you will find many answers to  the questions "What will happen to my pet on that day?" As always our team members are available to discuss your individual pet's needs.

No fasting required. The old thought was your pet needed to be fasted for 24 hours before general anesthesia. Turns out that with newer information and studies have shown that it can actually cause more problems. Feeding them a light meal the morning they arrive, can actually help prevent complications. Cats are generally not affected at all by this. Water is fine to give in both species. We start with administering  a dose of an anti-nausea that last for 24 hours as soon as the patient is admitted.

Day surgeries mean that your pet will be admitted in the morning (admitting time is between 7:30-830 in the morning). When you bring your pet in you will spend 10-15 minutes with one of our doctors. They will collect some information from you about how your pet is doing at home and do a brief physical exam. They will answer any questions about the surgery you may have and discuss other options such as microchipping/vaccines. This is you opportunity to mention any concerns you may have. After the exam the assistant will bring your pet to the treatment ward where the technicians can begin the prepping period.

There can be many changes in your pets health that can occur between visits. Although many procedures we do each day are routine, they are still major surgeries and we want to be sure that each and every patient is well prepared for general anesthesia. We want the surgery and anesthesia to proceed as smoothly and as safe as possible.

The RVT will administer an injection of an anti-nausa and sedative. This is especially important if a patient seems stressed in any way. We want our patients visits to be as stress free as possible. The injection will not make them fall asleep but will reduce anxiety and make them feel relaxed. Once they are relaxed, any necessary blood will be drawn and ran in our in house laboratory, and an intravenous catheter and intravenous fluids will be placed. This will be utilized at the time when they will undergo their general anesthesia induction.

After the surgery has been completed ( like a human hospital) they are transported into our recovery ward, where our recovery ward nurse (RVT) will take over their care in recovery. Keeping them warm is essential. Vital signs are monitored, nails are trimmed, ears are cleaned etc, while they are still sleeping. As they slowly recovery from anesthesia in a quite comfortable area, and are able to walk again, they are moved back to their beds, where they can continue relaxing until later in the day. You will be called once your pet has awoken in the recovery area to let you know that the procedure has been completed, and give you an update and establish the best time to pick your pet up.

The intravenous catheter and fluids are removed later in the day before going home. Sometimes it is necessary for a bandage to be placed where the catheter has been placed. IF your pet goes home with a bandage on, please remove the bandage once you arrive home.

Discharging: The technician will go over everything you need to know about your pets instructions. They will show you the management of the incision, discuss pain medications, and any other medications with you. If you have any concerns in the days following your pets surgery we encourage you to call and bring them in.

Tick Talk!

How do ticks find their host?
Ticks find their hosts by detecting an animals breath and body odors or by sensing body heat, moisture and vibrations. Some species can even recognize a shadow. In addition, tick pick a place to wait by identifying well-used paths. Resting on the tips of grasses and shrubs they wait for a host. Ticks can't fly or jump, but many tick species wait in position known as "questing". While questing, tick hold onto leaves and grass by their third and fourth pair of legs. They hold their first pair of legs outstretched, waiting to climb onto their host. When the host brushes the spot where a tick is waiting, it quickly climbs aboard onto the host. Some ticks with attach quickly and others will wander, looking for places like the ear or other areas where the skin in thinner.

Tick removal

If you find a tick attached to your skin or your pets, there is no need to panic. There are tick removal devices on the market, but a plain set of tweezers will also do. Fine tip tweezers work best.

1. Use fin-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skins surface as possible.

2. Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk. Notice by the photo to grab gently at the base where the head is buried, and not the middle of the body. Twisting or jerking can cause mouth parts to break off. If you are unable to remove the mouth easily with clean tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.

3. After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, or soap and water.

4. Dispose of the live tick by submersing it in rubbing alcohol, placing it in a sealed container or zip lock bag, wrapping it tightly in tape,  or flush it down the toilet.  Never crush a tick with your fingers.

If you are suspicious, or unsure you can bring it to your veterinarian, where they can determine the species,

Meet Breanne....

My name is Breanne and I have been working at Allandale Veterinary Hospital for just over two years now. I began as a veterinary assistant while I was still in school for the Veterinary Technician program at Georgian College. When I graduated in April and passed the VTNE, I got hired full time as an RVT.

I recently attended my very first veterinary conference, the VMX in Orlando Florida. The VMX is the world’s leading veterinary conference; thus, I felt very thankful for the opportunity to attend it so soon after graduating and becoming an RVT. Prior to the VMX, I did not really know what to expect, other than what co-workers told me about the conferences they had attended previously. Essentially, this entire conference was spread over five days (Saturday-Wednesday), with lectures running from 6:30am until 7-8 at night. In addition, there were celebrity lecturers and the country band, Little Big Town, put on a concert for all attendees on the Monday night.

            Ultimately, I was amazed by the number of topics that were discussed, as well as the fact that I could choose the lectures that interested me most. Specifically, I attended multiple dentistry lectures, a neonate care lecture, some nutrition lectures, and several more. I even had the opportunity to meet the Instagram famous “Kitten Lady” and listen to her lecture about fostering neonate kittens as well.

It would be difficult to choose a lecture more favorable than the others, as I enjoyed all of the topics equally and was interested in learning about each one. Having graduated so recently, I find it hard to choose an area of study that I prefer more than the others. In addition to the topics being amazing, all of the lecturers were specialists in the topics they were speaking about, so I was always very intrigued when listening because they all displayed the utmost passion and knowledge.

While we were in Orlando, we were lucky enough to be made a finalist for the Pet Plan Practice of the Year award. Because we were finalists, we were able to attend the black tie awards dinner, hosted by Youtube famous, Dr. Andy Roark. In addition, we were able to meet all finalists for pet parent of the year, receptionist of the year, veterinary nurse of the year, veterinarian of the year, as well as the other finalists for practice of the year. It was, without a doubt, a great night and all of us felt so fortunate to have had the opportunity to be present.

A selfie with Dr. Andy Roark!

Overall, I can say my very first veterinary conference was an amazing experience. I learned so much, and got to meet so many people who are experts in a number of different fields of veterinary medicine. Being able to continue my education and see how passionate so many people are in this field, only solidified my career choice more. I feel so lucky to have been a part of VMX 2019 and can’t wait to keep learning throughout my future years as an RVT.

Another journey...

The start of a new year. In case many of you were not aware, in late 2018 we were nominated for the Petplan award Practice of the Year. There are many categories within the Petplan awards tier, however we were nominated for the one (hospital of the year). We were notified that out of 5000 nominations ( for the entire award process of all tiers) we became the top 3 finalist in that category. Pretty exciting huh!? 

So in January Dr. Lcchten brought down a group to participate in the awards gala and dance. It just so happens that it co-ordinated with the NAVC Veterinary conference as well. So some of the team stayed down to also do some learning of the latest and greatest in the field of medicine.

We did become a finalist however we did not win the category. We were presented with a  plaque which we will humbly display on our awards wall as you walk into the hospital. Here  is a photo with Dr. Lechten presented last night in Orlando Florida.

2019 PetPlan finalist in the category "Practice of the Year"

One Love...

L-R Natalie, Melissa,Lisa, Dr. Lechten, and Maureen the founder of the Animal House of Jamaica

A group from The Global Alliance for Animals and People recently traveled to The Animal House Shelter in Jamaica.  The Animal House Shelter provides care and housing for stray dogs from across the island.  At the time of our visit, there were 132 dogs in residence with 5 full time caretakers. 

Our plan was to spay 41 females, neuter 5 male puppies, vaccinate some of the dogs for Distemper/Parvovirus, de-worm all of the dogs and test all of the dogs for Heartworm, Ehrlichia, Anaplasma and Lyme Disease. 

Unfortunately, the Jamaican veterinary regulator and Ministry of Health had other ideas.  At the last minute, the regulator declined to issue a temporary license due to inadequate time to make a determination (request was made over 4 months ago) and the Ministry of Health was unable to issue a permit for the drugs/vaccine to be brought into the country since we did not have a veterinary license.  This left us unable to do any surgery and without any antibiotics to treat the few infections of various types that we saw. 

We were able to de-worm the dogs and do the testing.  Sadly, there were 23 heartworm positive dogs, 52 Ehlichia positive dogs, and 6 Anaplasma positive dogs.  These dogs will all require treatment and run the risk of contracting the diseases again as the Shelter has inadequate funds for heartworm and tick prevention. 

 
The dogs at The Animal House Shelter are housed in groups and allowed time to roam in the large yard daily.  The dogs are happy and get along well with each other and any humans they come in contact with.  When arriving at the shelter, you are greeted with excited barks and tail wags.  Only a small percentage of dogs are placed in homes in Jamaica.  The majority of dogs that are adopted are flown to other Caribbean islands, Europe, the United States and Canada.  Many dogs are destined to live out their lives at The Animal House.  While the dogs have food, shelter and human companionship, one cannot help but be saddened by the fact that many will never know the joy of living in a household with a family that loves and cares for them. 

The Animal House does all it can with limited resources.  The majority of its funds are spent on food and emergency care for injured/ill animals.  There is little money left for elective surgeries such as spays and neuters, though every effort is made to neuter all male dogs to prevent unwanted pregnancies.  We are hoping to come to an agreement with the government and regulator so that we can try this trip again within the next year.

Weeding out the facts...

Many people have questions regarding the use of Cannabis and Cannabis oil on their pets. With the new Cannabis Act, there raises a concern within the pet health field. This act creates a new environment for Canadians which will increase their pet’s exposure to marijuana.  

Currently, there are no approved cannabis or cannabidiol (CBD) prescription drugs for animals, which is the safest pathway for veterinarians to prescribe cannabis to animals. There are veterinary health products (VHP) with hemp that are approved for sale in Canada; these are low risk substances used to maintain or promote the health and welfare of animals and do not make health claims. VHPs can contain ingredients such as hemp seed derivatives containing no more than 10 ppm THC, which will be exempt from the Cannabis Act. These products can be identified by a notification number on the label. Pet owners should be aware of unapproved products being marketed to consumers. If a cannabis product does not have a drug identification number (DIN) or a notification number (VHP) then its safety and efficacy cannot be verified. Anyone can visit Health Canada’s VHP web App and search the notification number or brand name.

Marijuana toxicities can occur when pets ingest the substance or if smoke is blown into their nose or face. Signs can include lethargy, disorientation, wobbliness, vomiting, increased salivation, and urinary incontinence. Marijuana toxicosis can be life threatening so please do not be afraid to let your veterinarian know you pet could have been exposed.