Health

With the Easter long weekend coming up, many families are coming together and bringing along their pets.  To help keep your pets safe over this holiday period, Petstock vet Dr Tara Morris and I have compiled some of our top Easter safety tips for pets. Keep the hot cross buns, chocolates and lollies away While you might be serving hot cross buns, chips, dips, other...

With around 40% of Australian dogs and 30% of cats being considered overweight or obese, which negatively impacts on their health and wellbeing, understanding body condition scoring, and how to do it with your pet regularly, is vital. What is Body Condition Scoring? Body condition scoring is a system used by vets and pet owners to assess the weight or ‘body condition’ of a pet....

Ear mites are one of a number of mites that can cause severe irritation to the skin and ears of your dog. Mites are tiny external parasites transferred by close contact with other infested animals. They are closely related to ticks, although mites are much smaller, so much so that many species of mites are only visible with a microscope. What are the common mites...

Identifying and treating  skin allergies in dogs is a common problem many owners face – with some breeds like Maltese, Terriers, Labradors, Retrievers and, often, white dogs suffering ongoing itching, dryness, dermatitis and ‘hot spots’. Common symptoms of skin allergies in dogs: 1. Itching – If your dog is constantly itching, and doesn’t have fleas – they may have dermatitis or a fungal infection. 2....

We know how heartbreaking it is to see your beloved dog slow down due to arthritis, so we have teamed up with Antinol® to provide 500 new users with an Antinol Starter Pack Offer to get your dog moving again. Usually $148.63 for the large dog pack and $81.25 for the small dog pack, you can try an Antinol Starter Pack for just $25 (to...

Microchipping dogs and cats is compulsory across most of Australia, but unfortunately many owners don’t update their pet’s microchip when they move home or change phone numbers. Most recently I have had a few people contact me for advice when they have lost a pet and, alarmingly, I have found their pet’s microchip is not only not updated with their contact details, but it also...

Nutraceuticals for dogs and cats, are supplements that provide some health benefits beyond basic nutrition, and can be beneficial for our pets. However, it’s important to know when and when not to use them. Veterinarian Dr Melissa Meehan shares some of her top tips when it comes to giving nutraceuticals to pets. When they can help Nutraceuticals for dogs and cats can help when your...

A rare and life-threatening tick-borne disease affecting dogs, called Ehrlichiosis, was first identified in Western Australia’s Kimberley region in May 2020. This deadly disease has since been found across Australia, reaching endemic levels in some remote and rural indigenous communities and posing a significant threat to our dogs, particularly those in northern regions of Australia. Ehrlichiosis is transmitted through a brown dog tick bite, and...

Keeping dogs safe in the heat is the responsibility of all pet owners.  I am often dismayed at how many people do not think about how pets suffer in the heat and are not adequately protecting them from the many threats they face. The risk of heatstroke Heatstroke is a major threat to our pets when hot weather hits and can lead to multiple organ...

With many friends and families preparing to get together over the festive season, I wanted share my top tips for keeping pets safe at Christmas during this fun, but often stressful time. With almost 70% of Australian households now being home to over 28 million pets, almost half having at least one dog1 and a third housing at least one cat2, Australian pet ownership is...