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We understand that sometimes caring for your pet can be stressful, especially when they are sick or hurt, which is why we offer a full range of general veterinary services as well as specialised and surgical procedures to ensure that we can offer you all the support you need to keep you and your pet happy and healthy.
When it comes to your pets health we believe that prevention is always better than a cure. Our pets can’t tell us whats wrong, and they often go to great lengths to hide an illness or injury because in the wild, an injury might mean being left behind. This means that without an assessment from a trained Vet or Vet Nurse, we won’t know there’s a problem until it becomes a more serious issue.
| GENERAL VETERINARY SERVICES | THE PET CARE BENEFITS TO YOU AND YOUR PET |
| Routine consultations | With any consultation listening to your concerns is an important step to ensuring that your pet gets the best pet care possible because you are the one who knows your pet the best. We recommend annual pet health services. |
| Vaccinations | Vaccinations are one of the most important ways to keep your dog or cat healthy and happy. It reduces the risk of your pet contracting serious and costly diseases. For more information see cat vaccinations or dog vaccinations. |
| Microchipping | Increase the chance your pet is returned to you if it becomes lost and loses its collar or tags. |
| Heartworm, Tick, flea and worm prevention |
Parasite control in your dog or cat is very important. We can tailor a program that meets your pet’s unique lifestyle. See more about Preventative Health Care Plans. |
| Nutrition advice | Keeping fit is vital to your pet’s health. Pets have different needs when it comes to exercise so let us help you determine the right diet. See more about pet nutrition. |
| Dog and cat boarding | Our hospital provides pet boarding accommodation for your pets with dog runs and special cat condos. Drop in for a tour. |
| Pet grooming | Dog and cat clipping and dog wash facilities are available as part of our pet grooming services at each of our hospitals. |
| Full in-house laboratory | Being able to diagnose what’s wrong at the time of consultation reduces stress for you and your pet and gets the answers you need to make the right decision. |
| Digital radiography and ultrasound |
Diagnosing what’s wrong sometimes involves radiography or an ultrasound. A faster diagnosis reduces the stress on your pet and gives you greater peace of mind. |
| Dental treatment and surgery | Bad breath is one of the first signs of dental disease in pets. Our pet dental care treatment plans can include dental cleaning under anaesthesia, antibiotics and removal of severely damaged teeth. |
| Surgery | Our surgical team uses the same safety measures as in human hospitals, this includes pre-anesthetic exams and diagnostics to ensure your pet is healthy enough for routine, soft tissue and orthopaedic surgery. |
The Rapid Recovery Pack is a surgical care package designed by Sydney Animal Hospitals to ensure that your pet remains as safe possible during any surgical procedure, and has a rapid and comfortable recovery.
The Rapid Recovery Pack is the highest standard of care we can offer your pets and is recommended for all procedures involving a general anaesthetic.
The Rapid Recovery Pack incorporates 3 different elements to ensure that your pet is as safe as possible during a surgical procedure:
Our pet care philosophy is to offer the highest standards of care to our patients and ensure that we are providing the best health care options possible. We offer the Rapid Recovery Pack because it is the best way to ensure the safety of our patients and the success of any procedure we undertake.
The Rapid Recovery Pack is the best possible care we can provide for your pet, and we strongly recommend it for any surgical procedure.
The Rapid Recovery Pack = $202.00
Pre Anaesthetic Blood Test
Intravenous fluid support during the procedure
Post operative medication to maintain comfort and safety
Part of our pet care philosophy is to provide the highest standards of health care for your pet, and that means doing everything we can to minimise the risk to your pet when undertaking any procedure in one of our clinics.
We use the pre anaesthetic blood test as an internal health check for your pet to allow us to look for any underlying conditions or diseases that may affect the surgical procedure.
If we detect an underlying condition, we will change the way that we administer the anaesthetics and supporting medication during and after the procedure.
Intravenous fluids are specially designed solutions that are administered to your pet via a catheter in their leg during a surgical procedure.
IV fluid support provides a number of immediate safety benefits to your pet:
While your pet is undergoing a surgical procedure they cannot eat or drink as they usually would, however their body continues to functions as normal. This means that while your pet is under general anaesthetic they are losing vital fluids that are not being replenished as they usually would, and as a result there can be a build up of toxins in the kidney and liver.
In the event of a problem during a procedure, the vet surgeon may need to administer emergency medication or antibiotics to alleviate the issue and ensure that your pet is as safe and comfortable as possible.
Medication after a surgical procedure ensures your pet as comfortable and pain- free as possible. Undergoing a surgical procedure is hard on the body whether you’re a dog, cat or a human. Postoperative medication ensures that there are no immediate issues after the surgery, and can ease your pets body into a smoother more comfortable recovery.
At Sydney Animal Hospitals, we understand how important it is that our pets have healthy skin and fur. The condition of your pets skin and fur can be a good indication of their overall health, and even help us to find underlying illnesses that are causing your pet ongoing discomfort.
Skin disease is very common amongst pets and around 50% of all the pets that visit our clinic will have some form of skin condition. Part of the reason why skin conditions are so common is because there are so many different types, with so many different causes, however they can usually be divided into 6 specific categories.
These particular pet skin conditions are caused by an immune response in your pet, whether its an over reaction causing hypersensitivity, or an under reaction causing repeated skin infections or mange.
Some pet skin conditions are actually caused by our pets own grooming habits. These types of skin disorders are caused by your pet excessively licking or biting itself.
Infectious skin conditions are usually caused by a contagious infection or parasitic infestations. They can be parasitic (caused by a parasite), bacterial (caused by bacteria), fungal (caused by fungus) or viral (caused by a virus).
Flea allergies are caused by an allergic reaction to the saliva in flea bites. Severe cases of this pet skin disorder can result in hair loss and extreme discomfort.
These skin conditions are caused by underlying abnormalities or functional issues with your pets skin that were probably there since birth.
Some skin conditions are caused by internal problems, but manifest as an irritation on your pets skin.
Our experienced vet staff can diagnose skin conditions in your pet through a number of different ways. The first step is a thorough skin inspection, as well as an evaluation of your pets history, as there are some skin disorders that are more common around a specific age or breed.
The next step can involve either:
This will determine the cause and the best treatment to resolve your pets skin problem.
There are a number of signs that your pet may be suffering from a skin condition.
Some of these include:
For further information on the different types of skin disease that can affect your pet visit:
Ensure you contact your local Sydney Animal Hospital for a consultation if you think your pet may be suffering from a skin disorder.
These services and more are available from one of our six Sydney Animal Hospitals located in Newtown, Inner West, Norwest, Kellyville, Northern Beaches Newport & Avalon.
Please call us if you have an enquiry, question or requirement. One of our fully-trained and experienced Veterinarians or Vet Nurses will be able to assist.
Pets are vulnerable to gum disease and problems with their teeth. About 80% of dogs and 70% of cats that are not on a proper dental care program, will suffer from some form of dental disease by the age of two.
A build-up of bacteria, food particles and saliva on the teeth forms plaque. Plaque, if not removed, will calcify into tartar or calculus and appears as a yellow-brown material on your pet’s teeth. Dental disease in many pets has the potential to shorten your pet’s life span.
Over time the bacterial infection in tartar causes irreversible damage to occur. This includes:
Some signs that your dog may be suffering from dental disease include:
We recommend that your pet have a dental check performed by one of our Sydney Animal Hospitals Veterinarians regularly and if necessary, following up with a professional dental clean. Your pet needs to be anaesthetised (usually a simple procedure) to carry out a thorough dental examination, and to clean all teeth without distressing the pet. Placing your pet under anaesthesia is the safest way to perform a pet dental procedure.
At Sydney Animal Hospitals, a complete dental examination includes:
Once all dental work is completed, your pet may be given an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory injection, the anaesthetic gas is turned off, and your pet is allowed to wake up. Pets are generally able to go home on the same day.
Dental hygiene for your pet
Daily brushing is the best form of dental hygiene for long-term prevention of dental disease.
Regular and frequent attention to your pet’s teeth may avoid the need for a professional dental clean under anaesthetic and will also improve your pet’s overall health.
If you notice your dog has bad breath, discoloured or loose teeth, or a change in their appetite or behaviour – chances are your best friend may be experiencing the pain and discomfort of dental disease.
So what is dental disease? It begins when bacteria in your dog’s mouth accumulate on their teeth forming plaque which sticks to the surface of the teeth. Saliva in the mouth then causes the plaque to harden into tartar which becomes firmly attached to the teeth causing discolouration and disease.
The unsightly tartar build up on your dog’s teeth can often be an obvious indication of dental disease, however it’s what happens to the nearby gum tissue that’s also of concern. Bacteria creep into the gum tissue around the teeth causing inflammation and infection – referred to as gingivitis. This causes pain and discomfort in the mouth, and can damage and erode the teeth.
Dogs with dental disease are also at risk of developing infections elsewhere in the body because bacteria in the gum tissue can enter the bloodstream, potentially causing problems with your dog’s heart, liver and kidneys. Some breeds of dog can be more at risk of developing dental disease due to the shape of their mouth. Older dogs are also at greater risk, because their immune systems may be less able to withstand the impact of bacteria entering the bloodstream.
The signs of dental disease can sometimes be difficult to see, but the good news is that we’re here to help.
Having an annual dental check and ongoing dental care for your dog can help prevent teeth and gum issues. Once we’ve determined the extent of any dental disease in your dog’s mouth, our friendly team can help to advise you on the best options to treat and prevent dental disease – and the pain and discomfort it causes to your best friend.
Dog dental care includes scale and polish procedures to clean and treat your dog’s teeth, plus considering regular use of dental chews and special dental foods which can help prevent dental disease.
Your veterinarian is your pet’s dentist, and they’re available to examine your dog’s mouth and perform professional teeth cleaning and treatment. A dental scale and polish procedure involves your pet undergoing a short anaesthetic. The procedure involves a thorough mouth examination, and then an ultrasonic scaler is used to clean the plaque and tartar off the teeth. During this process, any infected or loose teeth can be identified and if necessary, removed.
We can also use x-rays to assess the teeth and nearby jaw bone health. If any tooth extractions are required, our vets will ensure your pet is pain free by providing pain relief medication and often use local anaesthetic around the affected tooth. A dog dental scale and polish procedure is usually a day procedure in the veterinary hospital, which means your pet will be ready to return home the same day for lots of hugs and pats!
There are several things you can do to help reduce the build-up of plaque and tartar on your dog’s teeth and prevent the development of dental disease.
Dog dental chews– we all know dogs love to chew, and there are several brands of dental chews available which can help reduce tartar build up. The way these dental chews work is that they become sticky when chewed by your dog, and this draws plaque and tartar off the teeth helping to keep the teeth clean.
Teeth brushing– much like people brushing their teeth to keep them clean, you can also brush your dog’s teeth using a dog tooth brush and special dog toothpaste. This mechanical brushing action against the teeth surface will help slow the build-up of plaque and tartar. When you book in for your free vet nurse dog dental check, ask us to show you how to brush your dog’s teeth.
Feeding a healthy mouth– an easy way to help prevent the development of dental disease in your dog, is to consider feeding them a specially formulated dog dental biscuit diet, such as Hill’s™ Dental Care t/d Biscuits. When your dog chews these special dog biscuits, as they crunch them up the biscuits help to abrade the surface of the teeth reducing the amount of plaque and tartar on the teeth – slowing the development of dental disease. Watch a video of how this works here – come and visit one of our hospitals to purchase this for your dog.
Contact your nearest Sydney Animal Hospital to book your dental check, so we can examine your pet’s mouth and help you with advice to prevent the development of dental disease. Bookings are essential.
Book online or Call your local Sydney Animal Hospital now.
For further information on PET DENTAL CARE visit:
Sydney Animal Hospitals recommends Obstructive Airway corrective surgery in most Brachycephalic breeds. The procedure is preferably done at a young age – we do most corrective surgeries at the time of desexing or within the first 18 months of age. All dogs need assessment, which is generally done during the vaccination consultation, or on admission for desexing.
It is important to improve these patients’ airways at a young age, before chronic changes have occurred and the condition has become more refractory.
When booking in your pet for puppy vaccination or desexing please inform staff that you are considering airway surgery.
Guide to Breathing Problems in Brachycephalic Dogs
Brachycephalic dog breeds – or short-nosed breeds, are those which typically have a relatively broad and shortened face or skull, with the resulting distortion of the soft tissue structures involved in breathing causing the dog to experience breathing problems. Brachycephalic means short-headed.
Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) is a condition that is more common with short-muzzled, flat faced dogs. Commonly affected breeds include;
In these dog breeds, their narrow nostrils and elongated soft palate cause breathing problems that get progressively more severe as the dog gets older. Brachycephalic airway syndrome is made worse by exercise, heat and obesity. Because of their shortened muzzle and relatively flat faced head structure, in these dogs the obstructing tissues of the airway stretch the ligaments in the larynx leading to severely laboured breathing and eventually, collapse of the larynx altogether.
To explain this a little further, in dogs with brachycephalic airway syndrome, they suffer from stenotic nares, which refers to their malformed or restricted nostrils that collapse inwards when the dog breathes in. These dogs also have an elongated soft palate which is the fold of soft tissue sitting behind the bony roof of the mouth or hard palate. The palates play important roles in swallowing, breathing and vocalisation, and if the soft palate is too long, the tip of it protrudes into the airway interfering with the movement of air into the lungs.
Together, nasal stenosis and an elongated soft palate, increase the negative pressure during breathing which results in chronic inflammation and swelling within the upper respiratory tract, leading to eversion of the laryngeal saccules and collapse of the larynx.
The everted laryngeal saccules, refers to the tissue within the airway just in front of the vocal cords, which is pulled into the trachea or windpipe, partially obstructing airflow.
Signs of brachycephalic airway syndrome
The commons signs of brachycephalic airway syndrome in dogs include difficulty breathing and snoring. These symptoms are made worse with exercise, excitement, periods of hot weather, and if the animal is overweight.
Affected dogs may not be keen to exercise, and they can have collapsing episodes or display a blue tongue and gums from lack of oxygen – referred to as cyanosis. Many dogs with brachycephalic airway syndrome will often prefer to sleep on their backs, as this position may help keep their airway more open.
We often see these dogs at the vet hospital when they are in severe respiratory distress or suffering from heatstroke when they may have collapsed.
In terms of diagnosing this condition, in addition to if your pet is one of the at risk breeds, during a physical examination by one of our veterinarians, they can diagnose stenotic nares. A general anaesthetic is required to diagnose an elongated soft palate and everted laryngeal saccules, and x-rays are often useful for assessment of the airway and chest.
The veterinarian will discuss the options available for further assessment, including advising you of the risks associated with anaesthetising brachycephalic dogs.
Management of brachycephalic airway syndrome
In patients with brachycephalic airway syndrome, early correction of the closed nostrils and long soft palate will dramatically reduce the resulting secondary changes that occur over time. Young animals have a good prognosis following surgery and will generally be able to breathe more easily afterwards.
Images below show a before and after of soft palate resection
In dogs predisposed to brachycephalic airway syndrome, surgery to improve the condition involves widening the nostril openings to increase airflow. Surgery can also shorten the long soft palate. This procedure should ideally be performed between six and 12 months of age before any secondary changes have occurred.
Our protocol at Sydney Animal Hospitals is to widen the nostrils and/or shorten the soft palate of these patients at the time of desexing or before two years of age. These procedures will often make a significant difference to these pets’ ability to breathe in the long term and prevent any secondary components from developing.
Image of Abel before and after nostril widening
We often recommend nostril widening at the time of desexing as this single procedure has been shown to make a significant improvement in air flow, and is easily done at the same time as the desexing while your pet is already having a procedure performed under a general anaesthetic.
If the laryngeal saccules are everted as part of the brachycephalic airway syndrome, the saccules can sometimes be surgically removed at the same time as the elongated soft palate is resected, or the saccules may sometimes be left and allowed to return to a more normal position.
In dogs with excessive skin folds around their face, it is also common to have these folds surgically corrected – so a bit like having a canine facelift, which can reduce the occurrence of skin issues such as skin fold dermatitis.
Image of Doug the pug before and after his canine facelift
Due to the breathing difficulties associated with brachycephalic airway syndrome, dogs that undergo surgery must be closely monitored both during the general anaesthesia and afterwards as they recover. One of our veterinarians will explain more about any surgical procedure and the after care that is required, when they discuss your pet’s treatment and care with you.
Please inquire about your options if you are concerned with your dogs breathing problems at your local Sydney Animal Hospitals on;
Newtown (02) 9519 4111 Inner West (02) 9516 1466 Norwest (02) 8883 0411 Kellyville (02) 8883 0533 Newport (02) 9997 4609 Avalon (02) 9918 0833 Baulkham Hills (02) 9157 5557
#BrachycephalicBreeds #Brachycephalic #FlatFacedDogs #BOAS #DogBreathingProblems
Cruciate ligament injuries in dogs are the most common causes of hind limb lameness. Just as football players suffer cruciate ligament injuries, so do dogs – the knee is one of the weakest joints in the body.
Cruciate ligament disease tends to occur in two forms.
The first, chronic form, occurs in dogs with mild ongoing lameness, which may initially resolve with rest and pain relief. Eventually the lameness worsens and does not respond to pain relief.
The second, acute form, occurs in dogs with sudden onset lameness. These injuries are often more obviously painful.
In summary, signs of cruciate ligament rupture in dogs include:
Cruciate ligament injuries can be diagnosed by your Sydney Animal Hospitals Veterinarian. As affected animals are often very sore, sedation or anaesthesia is required to examine the knee thoroughly.
Radiographs are used to confirm the diagnosis, assess the viability of other joints in the leg, and to plan surgery.
Surgery is the mainstay of treatment. Surgery involves inspecting and cleaning the joint, removing any damaged cartilage and placing an artificial ligament.
The type of surgery performed will depend on the nature of the injury and the size of your dog. Pain relief, before and after surgery, is very important as is post operative rest and eventually, physiotherapy.
It is important that cruciate ligament surgery is tailored to your dog after a full Veterinary examination. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to this condition.
Other important components in the treatment plan for a dog with cruciate ligament injury, in conjunction with surgery, include:
Very occasionally, a dog that has a ruptured cruciate ligament will no longer limp – but arthritis will occur and result in lameness reappearing, usually within a few months. This lameness is usually permanent.
Some degree of arthritis will result even where surgery is performed – but as the joint is stabilised this arthritis is much less severe.
Our Veterinarians are highly skilled at diagnosing cruciate ligament injuries and determining the best treatment for your pet.
As joint instability leads to worsening arthritis over time, it is important for lame dogs to be assessed as early as possible.
The knee or stifle joint is relatively unstable because there are no interlocking bones in the joint.
Instead, the two major bones, the thigh bone (femur) and shin bone (tibia) are joined together with several ligaments.
The cranial and caudal cruciate ligaments cross over within the joint, ensuring that the bones can only move within a limited area in relation to one another. This gives the joint stability.
When one or both ligaments are torn (the cranial cruciate ligament is by far the more likely ligament to be injured), the joint becomes unstable. This results in the bones moving in an abnormal fashion in relation to one another – leading to tissue damage, inflammation, pain and of course, difficulty putting weight on the affected limb.
If you have any further questions about cruciate ligament injuries, please speak with one of our friendly veterinary team at your local Sydney Animal Hospitals on;
Newtown (02) 9519 4111 Inner West (02) 9516 1466 Norwest (02) 8883 0411 Kellyville (02) 8883 0533 Newport (02) 9997 4609 Avalon (02) 9918 0833 Baulkham Hills (02) 9157 5557
To read more information:
TIBIAL PLATEAU LEVELING OSTEOTOMY (TPLO)
TIBIAL TUBEROSITY ADVANCEMENT SURGERY (TTA)
MEDIAL PATELLOFEMORAL LIGAMENT (MPL) REPAIRING PATELLA LUXATION
POST OPERATIVE CRUCIATE LIGAMENT CARE FOR DOGS
#TPLO #TTA #MPL #CruciateRepair
Your pet must be strictly rested for the first six weeks following cruciate ligament surgery.
This means:
After surgery, there are a number of good exercises you can perform with your pet once the bandages have been removed. To best help your pet make a speedy recovery you must:
There are a number of follow-up and general strengthening exercises that you can perform with your pet after the six-week rest period has expired. It is also highly recommended that your pet to receives a radiograph of the operated joint to see how the healing process is coming along.
1) Controlled leash walks for periods of no longer than 20 minutes twice a day.
2) Sit and stand exercises. These can be done during leash walks simply by commanding your pet to “sit” and, just before it assumes the sitting position, the “walk- on” command is given. This routine should be repeated 10 or more times every walk as it helps build up the rear leg muscles, which is highly important in your pet’s rehabilitation.
3) Running and jumping should be avoided until at least week 12 of recovery.
Between weeks 8 and 12:
Keep in mind that pets recover at different rates but if your pet is not at near normal activity levels by weeks 12–16 an appointment should be made for reassessment.
If you have any further questions regarding any aspect of post-operative care, please do not hesitate to call one of our friendly veterinary team at your local Sydney Animal Hospitals on;
Newtown (02) 9519 4111 Inner West (02) 9516 1466 Norwest (02) 8883 0411 Kellyville (02) 8883 0533 Newport (02) 9997 4609 Avalon (02) 9918 0833 Baulkham Hills (02) 9157 5557
To read more information:
TIBIAL PLATEAU LEVELING OSTEOTOMY (TPLO)
TIBIAL TUBEROSITY ADVANCEMENT SURGERY (TTA)
MEDIAL PATELLOFEMORAL LIGAMENT (MPL) REPAIRING PATELLA LUXATION
#TPLO #TTA #MPL #CruciateRepair #CruciateLigamentSurgery #PostOperativeCruciateLigamentCare
