JANUARY 2012 “RINGO”
Ringo is an adorable 1 year old Guinea Pig and a much-loved member of his family. His favourite foods include carrot, celery, broccoli, apple and straw. Guinea pigs are herbivores, which means they require fresh vegetables and grasses every day.
Guinea Pigs make great pets because they:
· Are affectionate and social
· Can be tamed quickly if handled often and gently
· Don’t require as much space as a cat or dog
· Can even be litter trained
Recently poor Ringo was brought into Karrinyup Small Animal Hospital by his owners because he had a large lump that had formed on the right side of his neck. After a full examination, the veterinarian diagnosed the lump as an abscess. Abscesses occur when opportunistic infection enters through a sore or wound. This creates a large cavity full of bacteria-filled fluid. In this case, the most likely cause of the abscess was a piece of straw that he had been chewing penetrating through the wall of the mouth.
Luckily for Ringo, he promptly had a general aneasthetic the following day and the abscess was surgically drained and removed. After a course of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories (and of course lots of TLC from his family), we are happy to announce that little Ringo has made a full recovery.
DECEMBER 2011 “SCOOTA”
Scoota is a 6 year old Staffy x Labrador. He’s a big dog with a big heart to match. In March of this year he ruptured the cranial cruciate ligament in his knee. This is a relatively common injury in both dogs and people. Poor Scoota was not able to put much weight on his leg and had surgery to re-stabilise the joint. He was in hospital for one week after surgery and received lots of TLC from our vets and nurses.
In August Scoota got an ear infection and a swelling on his ear known as an “aural haematoma”. This required surgery to clear the infection and drain the swelling in his ear.
Scoota gave his owners fright in October when he had an allergic reaction to an insect bite. He vomited several times, was having difficulty breathing and collapsed to the floor. His owners rushed him straight to our hospital for treatment. He was immediately given anti-inflammatory and anti-histamine injections to counteract the insect bite. Then he was put on a drip to get his blood pressure back up and held up to an oxygen mask to help him breathe. Within an hour he was looking much better and after one night in hospital was back to his usual energetic self.
2011 has been a big year for brave Scoota. Our staff loves seeing him when he comes in for his monthly recheck and arthritis injection. He’s a beautiful boy with a lovely nature and really is a gentle giant.
NOVEMBER 2011 "MISSIE"
Missie is a 13 year old Yorkshire Terrier. She will be celebrating her 14th Birthday in March next year, in human years that will make her approximately 70 years old! As you can see by her picture, she is a very cute little dog, with a beautiful personality to match. She has been a patient at Karrinyup Small Animal Hospital for many years now and all our staff enjoy seeing her whenever she comes in for a check up.
Missie was recently lucky enough to get a new little sister "Hina", who is also a Yorkshire Terrier. Hina is still a puppy and has a lot of energy, but Missie is enjoying having a new friend in the house to play with.
Here are a few interesting facts about Yorkshire “Yorkie” Terriers:
- They are classified as a “toy” breed, usually weighing between only 1.4 and 3.2 kg
- The breed was developed in the 19th Century in Yorkshire, England
- Their coats are hypoallergenic and they shed very little hair. This makes them a good choice for people prone to allergies from dog hair.
- Despite their small size, they are an active breed that is eager for adventure and loves attention
