Animal Talk – July 2019

Caring for

senior rabbits

Do rabbits show specific signs of ageing and do

older rabbits need specific care?

A

geing pets require different care. The average lifespan of

a healthy rabbit is 10 to 12 years. We consider them to be

‘seniors’ from seven or eight years old. Older rabbits commonly suffer

from arthritis of the joints, kidney problems and tooth problems. They

also tend to be less active and often have less glossy coats.

Your older bunny friend does need some special attention. We

recommend yearly health checks with an experienced rabbit vet to

pick up any problems before they become severe. This will include

a full physical and dental examination and possibly some routine

blood tests as needed. It is critical that your older rabbit eats a

healthy diet consisting of good quality grass hay with a limited

amount of high quality (not supermarket) rabbit pellets and some

greens and vegetables.

Dr Dorianne Elliott, veterinarian

V

omiting is one of the most common symptoms veterinarians see in dogs and cats. It

can be as innocuous as expelling a hairball, eating too fast or eating an insect. If your

pet returns to his normal self after vomiting and there does not appear anything unusual

about his behaviour or wellbeing, then your dog or cat is probably okay. On the other hand,

if vomiting continues and you notice signs such as the following, you need to visit your vet:

• Persistent salivation and swallowing


• Not keeping meals down


• Blood
  In addition, if your pet is very young, old or has existing medical problems such as chronic
  kidney disease or cancer, then seek veterinary attention.
  Points to consider when visiting the vet are:


• What does the vomitus look like? (Digested or undigested food, colour?)


• How soon after eating and how frequently does your pet vomit?


• Was your pet introduced to a new food that he is not accustomed to?


• Was there any unusual objects or contaminated food found in the garden?


• Does he like to chew toys, search the garbage and the like?


• Do you feed your pet bones?


• His vaccination status.
  Dr Roger Palmer, veterinarian

Cause

for concern

When does vomiting in cats and dogs become a concern?

What do I need to look out for?

• Bloated abdomen


• Drinking more or less than usual


• Lethargy or dullness

Hamsters

and fleas

F

irstly, a hamster is highly unlikely to get fleas. Hamsters

spend much time grooming. Sometimes the grooming

may look excessive and be interpreted as itching or scratching.

If there is no physical evidence of skin disease, for example

hair loss, rashes, flaky skin, swollen extremities and ulceration

or bleeding, there may in fact be nothing wrong. If hamsters

do have fleas, they are incidental hosts just like people can be.

Hamsters can suffer from various skin disorders that can cause

scratching, the symptoms of which are noted above.

These disorders are most notably allergies, dermatophytosis

(fungal infection of the skin), mites, skin cancer and even

stress. It is important that these conditions leading to clinical

signs are not self-diagnosed. They are best treated by a

veterinarian as some of the treatments may be dangerous to

the hamster.

Dr Jurie Grobler, veterinarian

Can I use a dog or

cat product to

prevent fleas on

my hamster?