TIMES L003/10/2012 CARPE DIEM 02 Cancer Counsel 04 Bunny Bonding 06 Gracious Grooming 08 Dental Details 10 No.3 ambervet.com TIMES TIMES 02 03 I’ve found time to look into EDITORIAL TEAM the lives of our smaller furry Editor Emeric Lau friends – rabbits! Check out AMBER FAQ this issue’s spread on bunny Advisors Dr Brian Loon care, which includes tips on Adrian Tan What is your opinion on vaccination/over-vaccination, specifically Dr Jean Dodd’s keeping rabbits cool in our Contributors recommendation of no vaccinations after the booster shot at 1 year old? – NATALIE TEO tropical weather, diet and some Desmond Chan common ailments. Speaking of Certified Pet Groomer, care, we interview my groomer Founder, Bubbly Petz DR BRIAN LOON Desmond and his girlfriend Shi Photography Min, a lovely couple who have Serene Sim and Joanna Lee devoted themselves to caring Circulation and Administration Vaccination protocols have evolved over the last few decades, in pet’s health status, pre-existing conditions, lifestyle and risk of coming Gabriel Wong for animals. Desmond is a response to changes in vaccines available, ability to measure antibody into contact with infectious diseases, can help pet owners decide groomer while Shi Min works in Amber Veterinary Practice Pte Ltd levels in a pet and increased awareness of severe adverse reactions to whether to give a vaccination booster. animal welfare. 50 Burnfoot Terrace HAYDEN SAYS (Behind Siglap Centre) vaccinations which occur on rare occasions. Singapore 459837 Even today, there are various protocols that exist regarding vaccination Lastly, since I spend so much Tel: (65) 6245 5543 Vaccinations are an essential component of preventative health care and antibody titre testing schedules, which vary based on the prevalence time at Amber Vet, I thought it Fax: (65) 6245 2334 CARPE DIEM! for all dogs and cats. Successful vaccination programmes in pet of various infectious diseases in different geographical locations, would be nice to show you what After Hours Emergency: (65) 9660 5543 goes on when a pet checks in populations worldwide have been chiefly responsible for the eradication legislative requirements and professional veterinary judgement. Amber Woof-woof! Paw-paw! We all know time is precious, and time spent or stark reduction in the occurrence of many infectious diseases, some Vet’s current protocol is based on the recommendations by the World with us for a dental procedure – Like us on: with my master even more so. Youth and adolescence aside, the my master, Dr Brian Loon, really of which can spread to humans, such as rabies. It is essential that the Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA), which are generally in line general rule of thumb is that we dogs age 5 to 7 years for every gives the best care possible general pet population continues to be sufficiently immunised against with that of Dr Jean Dodd’s as described on her website. This involves human year. Most pet owners treasure bonding time and want their from admission to discharge. these diseases so that they do not increase in prevalence. ensuring that puppies and kittens are vaccinated once a month till 16 pets to live life to the fullest – and we usually do. Still, sometimes www.facebook.com/amber.vet weeks of age or older, a vaccination booster one year later, then yearly So treasure the time you have health issues get the better of us. Previous vaccination protocols involved a set of puppy/kitten vaccine antibody titre blood tests together with a health assessment. with us pets, and make the Visit our website: vaccinations, followed by vaccination boosters once a year for life. As A vaccination booster is given if deemed necessary based on these most of every moment. Carpe Lately, a number of my furry pals have been diagnosed with cancer, there used to be no reliable and practical way of assessing the level of results and the other factors discussed above. a disease which is becoming more apparent in dogs and cats. diem! immunity in each immunised pet, this was accepted as the safest way to keep diseases at bay. Research shows that many pets which are vaccinated appropriately I’ve convinced the editor to write about the best steps to take to PICK US UP www.ambervet.com prevent cancer, as well as its symptoms, types and also the available Amber times can be picked up at when puppies/kittens retain sufficient protective immunity for many However, advancements in veterinary diagnostics mean that we can treatment options. I hope the information will be useful in boosting Amber Vet and also at the locations AMBER TIMES DISCLAIMER: years thereafter. Yearly vaccinations are thus not required for most of listed on this link: The information and links featured in this now perform in-house blood tests to determine antibody titres against your knowledge of the disease in pets – humans also get cancer, newsletter are for educational purposes only and these previously vaccinated pets, and the availability of antibody titre http://ambervet.com/ are not intended to replace the advice of your own the key infectious diseases in dogs and cats that are protected by the and we all know that’s never welcome or pleasant. amber-times.html veterinarian or doctor. testing now removes much of the guesswork regarding a pet’s immune vaccinations. These test results, when coupled with an evaluation of the status against these infectious diseases. Title: Amber Vet - Advertisement (Inner) 3rd Issue Date: 27-2-2014 COVER RABBIT WE CHECK IN WITH COVER RABBIT FLUFFY AND HIS OWNER 1 HOW DID YOU COME TO BE A PET OWNER? CAREY ANG. I have always loved animals! I came across Fluffy while accompanying a friend to buy her rabbit and fell in love with him as he is so cute and cuddly. After researching rabbits, I felt ready for the commitment and bought him a week later. 2 WHAT’S THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EVERY DAY CARE LIKE FOR YOU AS FLUFFY’S PARENT? Fluffy gets a healthy portion of fresh greens, hay and clean drinking water daily. I clear his litter every three days to keep the cage clean and take him for monthly grooming to ensure that he is clean and happy. 3 DOES FLUFFY HAVE ANY QUIRKS? He loves to sleep on cold surfaces! 4 ARE YOU BOTH EXCITED THAT FLUFFY IS ON THE COVER OF AMBER TIMES? Yes! It is an honour that Fluffy is on the cover. I brought him to the groomer to ensure he looks his best for the photo-shoot! Size: 26cm x 11cm TIMES TIMES 04 05 TYPES OF CANCER • Complementary therapies (nutritional supplements, This is a listing of only the more common types of cancers: chiropractic, herbs, homeopathics, traditional Chinese veterinary medicine; Acupuncture) – Acupuncture has THE BEST WAY • Skin tumours - these may be benign or malignant, and removal is shown to be beneficial in managing symptoms observed in usually surgical pets with cancer and those undergoing chemotherapy. While some other therapies have generally not been proven beneficial in • Breast tumours (mammary adenomas, adenocarcinomas) – strict clinical trials, laboratory testing and clinical experience FORWARD spaying before the first or second heat has statistically shown to indicates they have some benefit in supportive care, especially greatly reduce the risk of breast cancer in dogs KNOWLEDGE IS KEY TO MANAGING THE BIG “C” when applied in combination with the conventional therapies • Bone cancer or osteosarcoma – most common in larger dog breeds above. Examples of supplements that may be useful in preventing or managing pets with cancer include omega 3 fatty • Bladder cancer – more likely in older pets; watch for blood in the acids, antioxidants such as Vitamin E, Vitamin C, various berries urine or straining to urinate (cranberry, bilberry, blueberry) and Ling Zhi/Reishi mushrooms. • Oral cancer - malignant melanoma is one of the most common forms • Lymphoma - cancer of the immune system, most commonly ROLE OF THE VETERINARIAN affecting the lymph nodes Regular examinations that include a thorough physical examination and diagnostic testing of blood and urine are the best way to TREATMENTS ensure early diagnosis of cancer if it occurs. If you suspect cancer, The forms of treatment available are surgery, chemotherapy and ask your veterinarian about other diagnostic tests that may be radiation therapy. These may be accompanied by nutritional and appropriate, such as X-rays, ultrasonography or CT scans to detect holistic therapies. internal organ structural changes. In order to identify the nature of the lump further, it needs to be aspirated and/or biopsied by your • Surgery (cut out the cancer) – This is the most conventional veterinarian to investigate it further; otherwise, that lump could grow form of treatment, and sometimes cures a pet. Removing the cancer early can prevent it from uncontrollable spread. and spread and prove fatal. As a guide, annual examinations are Chemotherapy and radiation therapy may also be used in recommended for pets up to seven years of age, and six- to twelve- combination with surgery to protect the pet from spread and monthly examinations for those above seven years. By keeping up ancer is a serious disease, and pet owners understandably feel grief, uncertainty, fear and hopelessness recurrence of the cancer, or at least to slow its growth down.` with regular thorough veterinary examinations, pet owners can rest when their beloved pet is diagnosed with this dreaded “C”. Cancer appears to be increasingly prevalent, • Chemotherapy (poisoning the cancer) – Chemotherapy assured that any cancer will be diagnosed early and treated more but no particular reason for this has been agreed upon, though diet, chemicals and environmental is often linked to nasty images of people losing their hair and effectively.