Mate versus Mate Physical confrontations between familiar dogs can be distressing for owners, particularly if both dogs live in the same house. It is normal to feel sorry for the victim and angry with the aggressor but any owner intervention can unwittingly complicate an already volatile situation. Dogs and Humans Dogs, like people [but unlike […]
The Cat Conundrum Unlike dogs or people our feline friends are not socially obligate. This doesn’t mean that they cannot form significant relationships with other cats, people or dogs, rather that they don’t necessarily need them to survive and that they readily adapt to a solitary lifestyle. Choose the right kitten The main socialisation period […]
When Anxiety Attacks! Most of the owners of the behavioural cases we see want both the problem behaviour to stop happening and their pet to be “happier”. They realise that their pet is rarely relaxed or comfortable and that this is affecting their pets’ behaviour. Anxiety disorders are the most common cause of behavioural problems […]
Happy and Healthy Pets Milton Village Vet warmly welcomes Becky Emans as the newest member of our behavioural management team. Becky has a Bachelor of Science in animal behaviour and Cert III in captive animal management and is Delta Society trained. She is currently enrolled in the Delta Institute’s certificate IV in Companion Animal Services. […]
Communicating With Your Pet Whilst I am no Dr Doolittle my training in behavioural medicine has taught me how to better “read” my patients’ emotional states. Humans use mainly vocal communication but our pets use a combination of visual, vocal, olfactory and tactile communication. Behavioural Specialists are now placing more emphasis on a pet being […]
New Tricks Carrie and I spent last week in our old stomping grounds at Sydney University. Over five full days of lectures we learnt how behavioural medicine is now an accepted and integrated part of veterinary medicine. Australian specialist veterinary behaviourists, Kersti Seksel and Jacqui Ley were joined by the UK’s Sarah Heath. The Take […]
Stop The Boats! Tony Abbott was right but as usual he was talking about the wrong boats. Australia is the largest exporter of live animals in the world. Long haul voyages to the Middle East take >21 days with ships carrying 60 ,000 sheep or 15,000 cattle on each 10,000km journey. A Senate Enquiry into the […]
Spring Has Sprung Kennel Cough Since the last school holidays the most recent kennel cough outbreak has been unfortunately rumbling along. Kennel Cough or infectious tracheitis causes a hoarse goose honk like cough often followed by a retch with white or yellowish foam produced. Owners of affected dogs can help control the outbreak by seeing […]
Fear is a Powerful Motivator Mediated by a small almond shaped structure deep within the brain called the amygdala, threatened animals have an almost instantaneous surge in heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate and metabolism. This so called “fight or flight reflex” is the subjective state of fear and dysregulation of this “fear pathway” […]
Hey Stinky Breath! Bad breath or halitosis can be embarrassing for both people and pets. 80-90% of halitosis comes from structures within the mouth, primarily teeth and tongue, where bacteria produce over 80 different volatile or “stinky” organic compounds. These same bacteria cause plaque which is the trigger for tartar and calculus formation which leads […]
