We Provide Pet Wellness Services in Medowie​

 on behalf of the whole family, as everyone your pet interacts with will be responsible for encouraging desirable behaviour. For some problems such as barking, escaping, aggression, or separation anxiety, it is beneficial to see the pet in its natural environment—thus a home visit may be appropriate. Some cases may also require medications alongside the new training techniques to get the best outcome. Our veterinarians commonly refer to and work closely with behaviour vets to obtain the best outcome.

• For veterinary behavioural consultation, we recommend Dr Katy at Savvy Pets Behavioural Vets
• For ongoing training of your pet, we recommend Barkers in Balance

Adult fleas will infest the coat and live on your pet while the majority of these life stages live in the environment. These environmental stages will infest your home and can survive for up to a year.

What are the common signs that your pet may have fleas?

• Scratching, biting and hair loss, especially at the base of the tail and rump
• May see adult fleas – small dark brown parasites moving through the coat
• Presence of flea dirt – tiny black particles that can look like dirt that are the flea’s droppings throughout the coat

What do you do if your pet has fleas?

Due to the different stages of the flea’s lifecycle, it is important to treat your animal directly while also decontaminating the environment to prevent reinfection. Initially, it is important to treat all of the pets in the household with an appropriate flea preventative. The next step requires decontamination of the environment. Wash your pet’s bedding using the hottest cycle weekly, vacuum carpet to remove eggs, and spray the house, kennels and yard with an adult flea killer. With severe infestations you may be required to speak to a professional to fog the home to ensure there are no life stages left in the environment.

If your pet is scratching excessively or causing damage to their skin, we advise a consultation with one of our veterinarians. We can also assist in choosing the correct product to help protect your pet from fleas.

Tick Control

Ticks are present in high numbers throughout the Medowie area; due to this we recommend tick control all year round. The main tick of concern for our pets is the Paralysis Tick (Ixodes holocyclus) which can cause paralysis and death within 2-4 days of attachment. Ticks live in the environment and can attach to your pets when they are outside (especially if they are allowed to run through areas of scrub). Ticks can also hitch a ride in cars, rugs, towels and plants into new locations.

Clinical signs of tick paralysis start with weakness of the hind limbs that progresses to paralysis. This weakness travels up the body and in severe cases start to cause severe respiratory signs. If you notice these signs in your pet or find a tick on them, please contact the clinic immediately.

Please contact our friendly staff and we can find the best tick preventative for your pet.

approximately 70% water and will quickly perish without it. Ensure your pet can access fresh, clean water at all times.

• We try to work with you to suggest the most appropriate diet for your pet. In all cases, we are aiming for a balanced diet that provides the correct nutrition for your pet’s needs.

All the dogs at Newcastle Pet Resort will have a dedicated kennel assigned to them where they can sleep and eat. The safety of your pet is their first priority, and they will accommodate any special needs your dog may have.

Whether your pooch is playful or a wallflower, Newcastle Pet Resort will cater to their needs. You can find out more about their day care services here.

Over the next 6 months these larval stages develop and travel throughout the body to mature to adults that are located in the pulmonary artery of your dog’s heart. These adults will breed and produce microfilaria (baby heartworm) into the bloodstream which will be picked up by mosquitos to continue the lifecycle of the parasite.

What are the signs of heartworm disease?

Heartworm disease is a slow onset disease and initially when your pet becomes infected there may be no clinical signs of infection. As the disease progresses and the worm burden increases severe inflammation of the vessels, and the heart valves occur and can cause physical blockage of the blood vessels. This inflammation causes severe strain on the heart and can lead to severe cardiac disease.

The most common early-stage sign is a dry cough and can also include shortness of breath and a loss of exercise tolerate. As more severe damage occurs to the heart the clinical signs will worsen and in severe cases will cause the abdomen to swell with fluid and even death. Treatment for heartworm disease is not without risks and if left untreated is fatal for your pet.

How can you diagnose heartworm disease in your dog?

If your pet’s heartworm prevention has not been consistent or they are overdue we recommend a heartworm test. This is a simple blood test that is performed in the clinic to detect the presence of adult heartworms in the system. If this test is negative, we recommend immediately starting adequate heartworm prevention and repeating the test in 6 months due to the lifecycle of the heartworm.

How do you prevent heartworm disease in your dog?

Prevention of heartworm disease is an extremely important part of your pet healthcare routine. We have very effective preventative treatment options, including monthly heartworm tablets and an injection to be administered by one of our vets. We recommend the heartworm injection for routine prevention of heartworm disease. This can be given from 12 weeks of age and boosted 6 months later. Once dogs are fully grown an annual injection is required.

Intestinal Worms

Intestinal worms are a group of internal parasites, including hookworms, roundworms, whipworms and tapeworms. Infections with intestinal worms cause weight loss or difficulty to maintain body condition, vomiting, diarrhea and, in some causes, lead to anaemia (low red blood cell counts) and with heavy burdens can cause death. Intestinal worms can also be transferred from pets to members of the family and could pose a risk to children and the elderly. If you are immunocompromised, you will have a higher risk of infection.

It is important to maintain a routine worming treatment for your pets, to reduce the incidences of infection and to reduce environmental contamination. There are many worming treatments available for the various worm infections that occur in our pets. These are available as tablets, spot-ons, or pastes. Re-infection is a common problem, particularly in pets that are in contact with a heavily contaminated environment.

Recommended routine intestinal worming:

• 2 weeks to 3 months: every 2 weeks
• 3 months to 6 months: every month
• From 6 months of age: every 3 months

Below are some tips to consider regarding worm prevention:

• Promptly clean up pet faeces
• Practice good hygiene, always encourage children to wash their hands regularly (especially after playing in dirt or sandpits, playing with pets or prior to eating)
• Prevent children from playing where the soil may be contaminated
• Keep your pet’s environment clean
• Always dispose of dog faeces when in public parks and playgrounds

Please call us on (02) 4982 9899 to discuss an intestinal worming program for your pet.