Q. What is your payment policy?
Q. Can you make ‘house calls’?
Q. Why should I consider desexing my pet?
Q. My pet requires an anaesthetic for a procedure, what do I need to know?
Q. What is Puppy Playschool for?
Q. Why should I vaccinate my pets?
Q. Should I consider getting my pet insurance?
Q. Do you offer an emergency service?
Q. My dog suffers from noise phobias and separation anxiety, what can I do to help them?
Q. What is your payment policy? (Back to Top)
A. As we are a small business, we cannot offer you credit, and all payment is expected at time of treatment. However, if your pet’s treatment is an emergency and unexpected, we offer credit through Australian-owned and operated Vetpay. They offer various options – please check their website for further information and to apply prior to your visit.
Otherwise, acceptable methods of payment include cash, EFTPOS and Credit Card. We do not accept AMEX, Diners or bank cheque, unless prior arrangement is made with management.
Q. Can you make ‘house calls’? (Back to Top)
A. Yes, we can, but conditions do apply. As we do not have a veterinary-specific vehicle, we are limited in what we can do during house calls. We can attend your house for home-euthanasia and vaccination, but if further diagnostics and testing are required, your pet will have to be brought to the practice. Home visits must be arranged in advance, and do incur a house call fee. If you have further queries regarding this matter, please contact the clinic for more information.
Q. Why should I consider desexing my pet? (Back to Top)
A. Unless you plan to breed from your dog or cat, he/she should be neutered at five to six months of age. In dogs, males tend to be less aggressive and don’t roam the neighbourhood seeking out female dogs in heat. It also prevents many health problems that commonly occur later in life e.g. testicular cancer, perineal hernias and prostate problems. In females, it reduces the number of unwanted puppies and also prevents many health problems which are commonly encountered later in life e.g. mammary cancer (breast cancer), uterine infections (termed ‘pyometra’ – these can be life threatening) and ovarian cysts and tumours. Desexing does give you a discount when registering your dog at your local council.
In cats, males tend to roam and fight a lot and may also start urine spraying in the house. Fighting can lead to injuries and illness and spread of diseases like Feline Aids (FIV). Un-neutered female cats tend to quickly become pregnant and can have one litter after another. This is very hard on them and leads to unwanted kittens. Every year welfare groups like the RSPCA put to sleep tens of thousands of unwanted kittens.
Because desexing operations are performed under general anaesthetic your dog or cat will need to spend the day with us and will need to be fasted (no food after 8.00pm in the evening the night before and no breakfast in the morning). If you have any further questions regarding this, please contact the clinic for more information.
Q. My pet requires an anaesthetic for a procedure, what do I need to know? (Back to Top)
A. Having your pet have a procedure can be nerve racking for many pet owners; and we understand this, being pet owners ourselves. To minimise the risks associated with anaesthetics, we use the safest agents available on the market; these agents are remarkably similar to what is used in human medicine. Surgery is performed to the highest standards of sterility and your pet’s heart, lungs and other vital functions are closely monitored by the Veterinarian, a trained Veterinary Nurse and monitoring equipment. We offer surgical upgrade packages at a highly competitive rate to make the absolute best care affordable for everyone. From routine desexing and dental cleaning, right through to complex orthopaedics, we are able to help your pet through any procedure they might require. To discuss in further detail, please contact the clinic for more information.
Q. What is Puppy Playschool for? (Back to Top)
A. Puppy Playschool is a great way to socialize your puppy in a safe and clean environment until they are fully vaccinated. Puppy brains are most receptive at 6-16 weeks of age so this is also the ideal time to start their journey into the wide world. Your puppy will learn how to behave with other puppies as well as some basic ‘cues’ such as sit, stay, drop, come and basic lead walking. You will learn more about basic puppy care, handling and training, as well as some key pointers to keep your puppy and family having fun together. You will receive information sheets each week which summarize the content of each class as well as training tips to practice at home. We will do our best to help sort out any behaviour problems that you may be experiencing at home. Our puppy playschool course runs for four consecutive weeks on Monday evenings starting at 6.45pm. Each class runs for about 1 hour. To find out more, or to enrol your puppy, please contact the clinic for more information. But hurry, spots are limited!
Q. Why should I vaccinate my pets? (Back to Top)
A. Every year dogs, cats and rabbits of all ages become seriously ill or die from infectious diseases which could have been prevented through vaccination. Many of the micro-organisms’ that cause these diseases are wide spread in the Australian environment, and can be passed to your pet simply from your shoes or clothes! The expression ‘prevention is better than cure’ is very apt since there is no specific treatment for the viral diseases and therapy is often lengthy, expensive and not always successful. In dogs, we routinely vaccinate against four major diseases: Parvovirus, Distemper, Hepatitis and Canine Cough. In cats we routinely vaccinate against two types of cat flu, infectious enteritis and feline AIDS. In rabbits, we routinely vaccinate against Calicivirus.
All puppies, kittens and rabbits require a course of vaccinations. The number of vaccinations required will depend on your pet’s age at the start of the vaccination program. We will be able to advise you on what is required for your puppy, kitten or rabbit depending on the lifestyle you wish for your pet.
All pets require an annual health check and booster vaccination. Without an annual booster vaccination immunity starts to weaken and your dog, cat or rabbit is at risk of disease.
Q. Should I consider getting my pet insurance? (Back to Top)
A. Veterinary care has become very sophisticated in recent years. Our facilities and treatments are similar to what you would expect for yourself at your local hospital. We also have access to a network of registered specialists available for more complicated problems. Unfortunately due to the higher standards of care we offer, it does mean that the cost of veterinary treatment has increased and will continue to increase. For this reason, it is worth thinking about pet insurance. There are several companies that offer pet insurance and as with any insurance, it is worth shopping around and reading the fine print. Often it is the case where a pet’s health is sacrificed due to the high cost of veterinary care, but by having pet insurance, you can be assured that many if not all of the costs incurred with treatment will be covered. While we do not recommend any particular company over another, many of our clients use Medibank Pet Insurance, Petplan and the Australian-based IQ Pet Insurance. If you would like more information regarding these companies, please contact the practice and we will be able to send you a product pamphlet. If pet insurance is not an option for you, an alternative is setting up a savings account for your pet to cover expenses like flea treatment, worming, vaccinations, food and unexpected health problems.
Q. Do you offer an emergency service? (Back to Top)
A. During our standard business hours, should your pet require emergency treatment please do not hesitate to contact the clinic. All genuine emergency cases take preference, and will be seen immediately. If your pet requires an emergency consult outside of our normal business hours, all cases are referred to the Adelaide Animal Emergency Centre on Anzac Highway (Tel 08) 8371 0333), or the Adelaide Veterinary Emergency Centre at Magill (Tel (08) 8362 1722). If you would like to know more regarding our emergency procedures, please contact the clinic for more information.
Q. My pet has an ongoing condition and requires lifelong medication; can I come in and get it over the counter? (Back to Top)
A. If your pet is on a ‘prescription only’ medication, we are bound by many of the same laws as your pharmacy. In certain cases we are able to give you more medication over the counter under approval by your pet’s veterinarian. If we have not seen your pet for a consultation and physical examination in over six months, then we will be unable to give you any prescription only medication without seeing your pet again, regardless of the circumstances. These laws are in place to protect the ongoing health of your pet, as they age approximately seven to ten times faster then us, and their health can change rapidly, even in six months. Prescription medications DO NOT include parasite prevention, medicated shampoos and specialty diets.
Q. My dog suffers from noise phobias and separation anxiety, what can I do to help them?> (Back to Top)
A. Separation anxiety is a problem that is far more common then many people realise, as it often takes place when they are not home. Signs can include constant barking and destructive behaviour. It can happen in any breed of dog, but is more common in active breeds and dogs that are ‘coddled’. Noise phobias develop when a dog is not exposed, socialised and habituated as puppies, and can result in extreme reactions when there is a thunderstorm or fireworks.
There are options available for your pet, including medications to assist in keeping them calm, but all these options must be given in conjunction with behavioural retraining. Our team has a good working knowledge of methods you can try at home, but if your pet is seriously affected, it may be that you will need the assistance of a behavioural modification specialist. If you have a pet that is upsetting the neighbours with their constant barking, or you are tired of coming home to a disaster zone, please contact the clinic for more information.