What is a coronavirus? Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that infect birds and mammals, including humans. They are often associated with the common cold, bronchitis and pneumonia, and can also affect the gut. The virus that causes COVID-19 is also a coronavirus and likely originated from wildlife being trafficked…
Animal Happiness Vets are determined to continue to provide essential services to all the animals in your care throughout this tragic pandemic. There is a lot we all need to learn and some compromises have to be made. But we are determined to remain open and provide excellence in care…
Introduction Heart disease exists in many forms and affects both dogs and cats. It’s actually one of the more common things to affect our pets. In this post I’m going to explain some of the forms of heart disease and how you can recognise them and what you can do…
Should I sterilise my pet? If so, when? We’ve known for a while now that there are a bunch of benign and some down-right nasty things that can affect our pets if we don’t sterilise them3. There is also a whole bunch of more old-school style wisdom regarding a range…
Healthy rabbits and healthy diets I see some widely varying assumptions regarding appropriate diets for bunnies. The importance of adhering to a sensible diet was brought home dramatically when a young, otherwise healthy, rabbit was presented to our hospital recently and passed away despite prompt and appropriate treatment. Rabbits have…
This week (1 March, 2017) sees the release of an exotic strain of the rabbit calicivirus in Australia – RHDV1 K5 as part of a national rabbit pest control programme. Animal Happiness Vet advises the concerned owners of pet rabbits in Perth, Western Australia that vaccination is a crucial part…
Xylitol, a natural and sweet-tasting crystalline alcohol/sugar derived from xylose, is becoming ever more present as a low-calorie sweetener in human foods. Xylitol is quite good for people as a sweetener because, unlike sugar, it is not converted to acids in the mouth that cause tooth decay. It reduces levels…
There is a whole lot of confusion out there about raising puppies and dealing with the risks of communicable diseases such as canine cough and parvovirus. Understandably, people take very seriously the warnings provided by veterinary professionals about the risks to unvaccinated dogs of contracting deadly infections from animals they…