What's New at KVC

New Opening Hours!

As of the 7th November we will now be opening until 8pm on Wednesday as well as on Monday.

There will also be more appointments available in the middle of the day for your convenience.

Clinic Specials

Iams cat carriers are back by special demand. Purchase a 3kg or larger bag of Iams cat foods and receive a free cat carrier.

Buy a 6 pack of either Frontline or Heartgard and receive a free pet grooming kit.

Buy a 6 pack of Advocate and receive a free scratchy with a chance to either win immediately or win online.

Pet Care Facts

Mosquito Season is coming

This year has been a particularly wet year and we are expecting a bad mosquito and flea season again. So it is time to make sure you are doing everything you can against mosquito borne diseases such as heartworm and myxomatosis; as well as getting your flea control in place now.

Combinations spot ons such as Revolution and Advocate protect your dog against both fleas and heartworm, and must be give monthly to maintain heartworm control. When there are large flea numbers in the environment, these products should be applied 3 weekly to get the fleas under control.

Alternatively you can give a spot on product such as Frontline for the fleas, and a tablet or chew such as Heartgard or Interceptor for heartworm prevention. There are also tablets that can be used monthly for both heartworm, fleas and intestinal worms - Sentinel and Panormis.

Revolution or Advocate can also be used to protect your cat against fleas and heartworm.

Remember for every flea you see on your pet there are 10 in the environment, so it is much easier to prevent them then trying to control them once you have an infestation.

Advantix has an off label claim to protect rabbits against mosquitoes. It is applied as a spot on every 4 weeks- the same way it is used in dogs

Beware Xylitol - an Artificial Sweetener

In this modern age when many of us are trying to reduce our calorie intake, powdered forms of artificial sweeteners are commonly used in cooking as a replacement for sugar. They are also commonly used in chewing gums, some medications, tooth pastes and also rescue remedies.

Xylitol, is one such artificial sweetener that, although perfectly safe for humans can be deadly for our dogs.

Abbie, usually a very active and happy Miniature Schnauzer, presented one morning as an emergency. She had been vomiting for the previous day and getting progressively weaker. The vets noticed she was very yellow or jaundiced, indicating a serious liver problem. When blood tests were run, her blood sugar levels were dangerously low whilst her liver was in acute failure.
Evidently, greedy Abbie had consumed some muffins made with a xylitol containing artifical sweetener 2 days prior to collapsing.

Fortunately, knowing the cause of her problem allowed us to treat her intensively and 11 days later ,she was able to go home after making a miraculous recovery.

We have heard of other dogs that weren't so lucky and died before the cause could be found.

Chewing gum and other products with large amounts of Xylitol present now carry warnings. Even 1 to 2 sticks of gum can be dangerous to a small dog.

So PLEASE keep any product that may contain Xylitol way of your dog's reach and contact your vet immediately if you suspect that your pet may have consumed it.

Early treatment offers the best chance of survival and full recovery.