Why MUST I sPaY my dog?

What is sPaY?
Technically, means removing the ovaries & uterus of your female dog (bitch) or cat (queen) via surgical methods.

Why must i sPaY my darling doggie/ kittie?
1. Help your community … Reduce the overpopulation problem.
Spaying your pet means that your animal and its potential offspring won't contribute to the population of unwanted pets. We will have less stray dogs, and thus less dogs caught by Bandaraya, and thus less dogs suffering on the streets.

2. Healthier for your pet.
Avoid the risks of pregnancy and birth. Many dogs with difficulties with parturition die of complications. Otherwise, the owner spends hundreds of ringgit to a thousand ringgit to get the Caesarean done and save the dog's life.
Spaying reduces the risks of ovarian and uterine cancer. Early spaying (before the first heat) significantly reduce possibility of mammary tumors (in dogs).

3. Easier for the owner
You can enjoy your spayed pet more. Female pets that have been spayed do not go into heat, thus less problems with male dogs surrounding your house everytime she goes on heat.

What do I do now?
If your female pet is not spayed yet, bring her to the nearest vet, get her checked and spayed as soon as possible. Do not wait.

Should dogs be vegetarian?

Should dogs be vegetarians? I've gotten several emails from readers asking me this question. From everything I know, have read and keep reading about dog nutrition, the answer is no! Not maybe, but no!

Just to be sure, I wanted to discuss this with a dog food expert. I turned to Dr. Jane to get you an answer.

Dr. Jane Bicks, is a veterinarian and author of three national books on pet care and nutrition.

Dr. Jane says: "A dog's diet should not be vegetarian based. While people can thrive on a vegetarian diet, dogs cannot for many reasons, which include:

Dogs have a different gastrointestinal (GI) tract than we do. Digestion of nutrients occur during their journey down the GI tract. Vegetables and other carbohydrates are more difficult to digest than animal protein such as chicken, fish and egg. The longer the GI tract, the more time there is for the nutrients to break up and be digested. Humans have a much longer digestive tract than dogs.

Every animal has a unique chemical pathway that has evolved over time. When one looks at the anatomy and physiology of a dog and a human, there are distinct differences, which reflect the need for different diets.

One such difference is readily seen by comparing a dog's teeth to a human's teeth. Dogs have long sharp canine teeth, which are used to tear meat, while humans do not. Human teeth are made primarily for grinding. When a human's diet consists of animal proteins and fats, cholesterol can rise and become a health threat. When dogs eat this sort of a diet, high cholesterol levels do not become a problem.

There are vegetarian diets available for dogs. Unfortunately for the dog, they may offer 100% nutrition but generally at a minimum level rather than optimum."

The above article is quoted from Dr. Jon (www.petplace.com)

Dog for Adoption

Dear friends, this is Cookie, an adult female American Cocker Spaniel. She needs a new home.

Pls help us to find her a new home, and a new owner as well..

She needs a MATURED, RESPONSIBLE and COMMITTED owner to take care of her. It would hurt everyone to see her abandoned on the streets again.

Y0ur help is greatly appreciated. Kindly leave a comment, or email, or call us if you'd like to help out. Thank you.

* There is no adoption fee.

Memories of FaFa

This was how Fafa rested during one of his night cares.. he had struggled a good fight for 2 weeks.. for a one-month-ol, i'd say he's a strong pup. He's tried his best. Remembered tenderly his cries for food n hugs..

;)

Do Re Mi Fa

JuneJun writes:

It has been sometime I didn't xpress my feeling on the blog. It's kind of heavy to reveal the inner feeling, as it's sad.

Do Re Mi Fa, 4 cute little puppies boarded into our clinic, the owner said there were 2 more which had died earlier. Sound sad and pressured.

Do and Fa had struggled for so many days, their condition were sometimes good and bad, made us all felt very worried all the time. Sometimes I wonder, we didn't spend much time for them when we were busy with the clinic, would they understand that we were busy? or would they feel that we were abandoning them and so they just left us like that?

I cried for Fa, and very very sad for Tiger and Do. They are so wonderful that made Pam and I happy and excited. But they ended with cold bodies. Wish them find their way to a better place.

Wish DrQQ earn more money, so that he won't get headache all the time...

do NOT use kerosene/thinner on your dog!

I do not know where the owners got this idea: when there's a wound at the leg, they apply kerosene at the leg. The first time, nothing happened to the dog (the wound didn't get any better by the way). However, the second time they did it, something interesting happened to the poor doggie Billy (picture).

Billy licked the kerosene, and we believed the kerosene burned the tongue resulting in tongue necrosis (dying of the tongue cells). Dead cells eventually will come off the healthy tissue, meaning they will be "sloughed-off". So what will happen to the tongue?

The picture on the left shows how a normal tongue should look like. Note that the tongue is beautifully curved into an "oval-tip".

The picture on the right is our poor friend Billy. Note that the tongue has lost its tip, and there is a rugged edge.

Moral of the story is, when your dog has a wound, wash it with diluted veterinary-approved antiseptic. Kerosene, thinner, turpentine and all kinds of petrol (you name it) will do more harm than good.

Can you spell "hurting"?

A week ago Boy was admitted to the animal hospital - chronic kidney failure. Prior to all treatments we explained much to the owners of the poor prognosis. Despite the information, the owners decided to go on with the treatment - try for a few days.

For the first 3 days, Boy was bright and alert, barking, active... requesting for walks, he was cute.. - but will not eat. Days later, Boy slowly went downhill - he became quiet, inactive, fatigue. We knew that these were bad signs. Despite this, we tried our best to give him the best care we could - bringing him out for walks without him asking.. bringing him out to sleep by our side instead of the cage.. trimming and cleaning him up.. talking and encouraging him... coaxing him to eat..

All the passion we had for Boy was unseen & unknown by the owner. Despite this, the owner does know tat Boy loves us, for however tired he was, he always tried to get up, wag his tail whenever he sees us. Boy had always been a fierce dog to strangers. Wat could have changed him? The owner didn't know that Boy liked us bcoz we had first poured out our love & care unto him.

Boy passed away yesterday. We were sad though we had expected it. The owners were hurting, so were we. But we had to endure the hurting words bluntly expressed by the owners - we had not cared enough for Boy.

It was not something good, but it was ok with us, coz pets come first. We knew we did the best we could... & the Heavenly Father knows too.

Merry X'mas!!!

JunJun writes,

this is my first year celebrating X'mas w QQ, Pam & Cryst. Though I'm busy with my wedding and new condo preparation, I try not to take off so often as I don't wanna miss the gathering moments w doc and the cute dogs & cats.

One sad news of a rottweiler puppy Max died of food poisoning, the owners of him really annoyed us. Their ignorance, or so called blur blur mind really unexplainable...I pray that Max can find his peace somewhere up in the heaven...

Merry X'mas to all!!

Are pets good gifts?

Nope, unless the recipient is a matured, responsible & commited person who understands the responsibility of having pets.

First, we never recommend giving an unexpected living gift. Pets are not toys, which you can dump after you get bored to it. It's a LIFE. Your intensions may be good but I’ve seen more disasters than I care to tell. People sometimes make the mistake of providing a pet to ease the loneliness of a friend, but all too often these animals end up in a shelter after a few months.

Here are a few reasons pets never make good surprises.

* You can't be sure that the recipient wants to take on the responsibility of a pet, including providing medical care for the next 10 to 20 years.
* A person should be able to choose his or her own pet companion.
* Never give a cat or a dog to replace one that just died. Some people need time to mourn their loss before they can welcome a new animal into their lives.

Also, the holidays are a busy time. Pets need love, care, and a routine. Sometimes after the holidays is a much better time to give or get a pet.

This is a good example, "I'm looking for a dog to adopt.. (for who?) for my nephew.. (how old is he?) he's 3 years old.. (how can a 3-year-old take care of a dog?) oh.. the maid can take care of him (you might as well buy him a toy isn't it?)"

DO not get a pet for someone whom you already know that he/she can't take care of the animal. The animal will suffer, ultimately.

Hit&Run

JunJun writes:

Gordony was hit by car on Saturday. Her owner sent her here, hoping that she can be cured somehow.
When we uncovered the blanket over her body, we saw her body was deeply hurt, the bones of her hind legs and wound in the abdomen area.
Gordony was very calm, maybe she knew she shouldn't had run out from home and hit by careless driver.
Later QQ discovered that Gordony's hind legs were broken, and afraid that the bones might get infection, the owner will be needed to clean the wound 3 times/day, or else pts.
The owner's daughters cried and begged their mom not to put Gordony to sleep. All clients in the clinic felt very sorry for them, but the decision was on their hand.
Poor Gordony, she was given GA initially to check and clean her wound. But once the decision has been made, she was to be sleeped forever...;(
To all pet owners, please take good care of your pets...

B&A - catflu - Fidoy

B&A (before & after)

Recently a kind lady came to our clinic and brought us a little kitten - he was scrawny, and he struggled to breathe in his every next breath. He wasn't eating & looked as if he's dying. We named him Fidoy.

This is how Fidoy looked on Day 1.









Both eyes were badly swollen, the nasal severely abraded & as u can see in the picture, both his nasal orifices were FILLED with pus (we call it purulent nasal discharge).

Fidoy was immediately hospitalized & treated.

This is how Fidoy looked on Day 14.
He had become a cheerful chap, eating, playing like a normal healthy kitten. Though he has not recovered totally from his severe flu, he was ready to go home..

but where is his home? He was a stray! We do not know how the owner would manage him.. she was already kind enough to hospitalize Fidoy in the first place...

Will we see Fidoy again?

Panadol is toxic!

It has become a norm: when people are sick, they take panadol/ paracetamol. They feel better after taking panadol, most often, not because panadol heals them, but panadols reduces the pain sensation in them, brings down their high body temperature & thus most people feel relieved.

But do you know that giving a 500mg panadol to a 5kg dog/cat can kill your pet? Unlike human, cats & dogs lack certain enzymes in the liver, & thus are not able to sufficiently metabolize the drug, resulting in poisoning.

Panadol-poisoned dogs/cats may become quiet, breathe faster, face become swollen or the gums swollen & brown-blue in colour. When you see these signs, bring them to the vet immediately, & inform the vet how much of panadol you have given to the pet.

The sooner the pet gets the appropriate treatment, the higher the chances of survival.

dogs in halloween mood

Wanna check out how these dogs are celebrating the halloween?

A few funny videos to share with you..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIaFsNh_JpU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6UoVlfGnv8

Raya Boarding

JunJune writes:

Clinic is full!!!

Muff and Bee are making so much noise when they are in the cage...But they are so adorable when they are running and bouncing like rabbit around the clinic. Can't blame them, they are so much attached to the owners.

MrJer has finally taken his first bite on Cesar and Nutrigel...Well, QQ asked me to buy another brand of the gel for MrJer bcos we thought he misses the previous gel. Too bad, he rejected the newly bought gel and turned back to the Nutrigel!!!! aiyo...this little guy...haha! but it's good to see him start eating after 3 days starving...poor thing

Then we have a little white and brown cat, sent from Ms.L. The cat is like on drug, can't stand still in the cage and swinging the backside everytime it sees me...weirdo....but I like it, it is sweet and soft...meow~~~

Sand might goes back to Farm tmrow...such a worry to me...wish her the best..

De-mat

JunJune writes:

I have more grooming nowadays, and pressure is increasing. Though it's stress to please the owner with my style of grooming, I am still trying hard to have a nice trim, without causing any pain on any pets.

But I found that most owners, especially ShihTzu's owners, it seems that they don't know what a ShihTzu should look like in the first place...fluffy, clean face, free from mat...but I don't see these from most of my clients. In fact, I am asked to trim the hair very short bcos of the terrible mats....ticks some more...yaks~~~ disgusting....and I feel bad for the dogs too...

I will just ask the owner to spend 5 min to comb the dog, just 5...another 5 to clean the ears, perhaps 1 hour to bath and blow dry the dog...that's it!!! Hope I won't get mad when I see another mat mat mat ShihTzu...

Thankz to Cryst, DrQQ and Pam for helping me when groooming dogs...

For Dog's sake

Oh no, Sand is back...for another maggot wound at her hind leg...it's horrible this time, whereby DrQQ requires to amputate her hind leg!!!

Sand should be staying happily and freely at the farm...but due to poor management, she got the maggot again!!! Plus she is so thin. Her eyes look so dull, like no will to live loh~

Dr and I feel so angry and disappointed and sad...what's wrong with the farm? How can the management people let this cute little stray dog being 'attacked' twice by maggot? This is negligence...I think Sand will just think of 'oh, please let me die, pls kill me...I don't want to be 3 legs dog'....:(

New

I have learned a lot from DrPam and DrQQ when dealing with dog patients.

Never heard of milk fever...what!! milk is having fever?

oh no no no, definitely no...according to vets, it's an disorder by abnormally low levels of calcium in blood...it happens commonly in cows, but I have seen it happened in our dog patient Fifi...she has just delivered babies and is feeding her babies at home. Fifi was in very high fever...scared all of us...DrQQ was not there...but we were lucky to have DrPam to help saving her life...

IV fluid dripping and calcium relieve Fifi from high temperature...happy yo!!

A happy day

Today I'm very happy. Ng Ng finally is going home!


I'm truly happy indeed, coz we have struggled 2 frustrating weeks fighting CPV - a deadly doggy virus tat causes pups to lose appetite, vomit and diarrhea and ultimately die acutely. Of 3 pups, Ng Ng is the only one surviving, and on thursday, after 4 days of hospitalization, she was still very fatigue and vomited uncontrollably. I was exasperated. Ng Ng can't die! I won't let her die.. I can't let her.. but what can I do? I gave her all necessary medications and hoped for the best.

That night I prayed real hard, I can't accept another death anymore - it's just too frustrating, and it made me feel helpless against this disease. Watching cute jumpy puppies going downhill until they lay motionless and die one after another simply tears my heart apart. I prayed that God will heal Ng Ng somehow, cure her...

Next morning, I stepped into the clinic - heart pounding fast, wondering how was Ng Ng doing. When she saw me, she quickly sat up, tail wagging happily, eyes brightened. My heart jumped with joy! I quickly checked for any vomitus, and she had not vomited anything tat night! She's getting better! Still tat afternoon Ng Ng vomited a few times, but her appetite is coming back already. I kept my prayers at hand.

Today, Ng Ng was totally bright, good appetite, no vomiting - considered healed. My prayer is answered, thank God. I'm truly glad, very happy... at least one pup survived the ordeal.

The fighting spirit has returned to me, once again.

Little but powerful

Pets Firzt was established a year ago, 2006, and is celebrating its inaugural anniversary this month. Cheers!!

Let's see who're in the clinic. We have our handsome Dr QQ, who is young and energetic, working so hard to keep the clinic growing while maintaining the welfare of the animals. Another new vet Dr Pampam has just joined the clinic a month ago. She is cheerful and intelligent, and very good in handling cats. Her presence delights everyone and every animal in the clinic. The assistant and groomer of the clinic, JunJune, looks blur blur but still she works very hard to assist Dr(s) in any sort of tasks.

Gan ba de!!