Autumn Newsletter

Antibody Titre Testing
Antibody Titre Testing is a simple blood test to measure the level of antibodies present in your dog’s system from their previous triennial (3 yearly) vaccination, which protects them against the Distemper, Hepatitis and Parvovirus diseases.
Many dogs we have tested have had strong positive results, meaning they don’t need to be vaccinated with their triennial vaccination again for the current year. We will continue to test yearly until the antibody levels drop, at which point the 3 yearly vaccination will be administered again.
Dogs are still required to have their yearly Kennel Cough +/- Leptospirosis vaccination. We will continue with the triennial vaccination for those clients who do not wish to check the antibody levels, and continue to follow the World Small Animal Veterinary Association guidelines for vaccination protocol.

For more information, please visit our website and talk to your veterinarian at your dog’s next check up and vaccination appointment.

Surgery, Diagnostics & Pathology
The Dog Clinic Taroona is our hospital branch; here we perform surgery for a wide variety of reasons after a consultation with a veterinarian: dentals, desexing, lump removals, broken bone repairs, amputations,
foreign body removals, wound repairs, eye and facial conditions such as nare/soft palate corrections among many, many others. Visit our surgical section on the website to see what other services we offer, and the process before and after surgery.
If you have any questions, please discuss this with your veterinarian at your next visit.
We are a fully equipped hospital capable of taking exploratory and diagnostic digital x-rays and ultrasound scans – most of the time these are conducted under anaesthetic to make the process easier for the patient.
We also have in-house laboratory for blood and urine testing. This is especially important for very ill animals and those requiring immediate or emergency treatment. Some more specialised tests may need to be performed by an external veterinary laboratory.

Pre-Anaesthetic Testing
The Dog Clinic recommends pre-anaesthetic blood and urine testing for dogs coming in for surgery – these quick tests run in-house let us know of your dog’s kidney and liver function, rule out any underlying health issues, and tell us if they are healthy enough to go under anaesthetic as well as cope with pre and post-operative pain relief.
If you would like more information, please email us and we can send you a hand-out for pre-anaesthetic testing.

Specialists and/or Referrals (Travelling Vets)
The Dog Clinic veterinarians have a high level of expertise in a wide variety of areas, but for those especially complex cases, we have a fantastic extended team of veterinary specialists available by referral after your initial consultations and treatment. Visit our website to find out more!
Dr Sean Muir of Ultrasound Diagnostics regularly comes to The Dog Clinic Taroona for cardiac and abdominal ultrasounds among many others.
Dr Chris Alfree the orthopaedic surgeon of Bright Futures Surgery helps out with orthopaedic (bone) cases including spinal surgery and cruciate ligament repairs.
After orthopaedic surgery with The Dog Clinic and Dr Alfree, we refer patients on to see Dr Evelyn Woods for therapeutic rehabilitation. She is also wonderful for pets with injury and arthritis!
Dr Dani Hoolahan is our friendly dermatologist (skin) specialist – for those itchy allergy dogs or pesky nail/coat conditions!
Dr Geoff Nicholson the cardiologist regularly travels from the mainland to help pets with heart conditions.
Dr Andrew Turner the ophthalmologist from All Animal Eye Services also travels from the mainland for complicated eye cases!
And Dr Katrina Ward is the behavioural specialist in Hobart.
With an abundance of resources, The Dog Clinic team prides themselves on doing what’s best for the pet, and sometimes that includes getting a little extra help. We’re so grateful to our extended team of specialists!

Annual Dental Program & Toothy Products
Did you know The Dog Clinic offers an annual Dental Program*? After your FREE dental check, we offer our patients an exclusive program which allows them access to the following:
– Unlimited FREE dental checks with our experienced vets
– Digital dental x-rays
– An annual Dental Grade 1 scale & polish under anaesthetic for a discounted rate *Conditions apply

The Dental Program is only applicable for Dental Grade 1 procedures and does not include extractions. Grade 2-4 dentals will receive an estimate from the veterinarian after your dog’s FREE dental check. Read more about why we recommend dentals and keeping your pup’s teeth squeaky clean on our website!
Check out the dental products we stock in-clinic to assist in keeping your dog’s breath funky fresh after their scale and clean! Have a chat to our nurses to find which product is best suited to you and your pup – from treats, to food, to toothpaste and brushes, and liquids!
Remember, Buy 2 Get 10% Off!*

Behaviour & Training
The Dog Clinic Hobart has a fantastic group of trainers from multiple businesses that we work alongside, to help our clients help their dogs be the happiest, best-behaved dogs they can be! Send us an email to info@thedogclinic.com.au to see who we recommend for your circumstances.
Most dogs just need a bit of training and TLC, but we can also help out with cases of anxiety and aggression among others, and rule out any underlying health conditions that may be presenting as misbehaviour. We recommend coming in for a consultation with your veterinarian to discuss your concerns and find the best options for you.
Some pups may need medical intervention – there are some medications we can use to help for both long-term and short-term treatment. You might find, depending on your dog’s condition, that medication, training, and over-the-counter products hit the sweet spot to help your pooch feel good.
We have a few over-the-counter products to help with circumstantial short stints of anxiety such as thunder, loud noises, travel, vet visits etc (available without seeing the vet – talk to our nurses and we can show you what we think will work best for your individual situation!)

Social Vet Visits
If your dog is nervous about coming to the vet, please drop by any time for a social visit! The thing we love most about our job is feeding treats and giving pats, and helping to build a positive experience for your dog!
It is important to help your dog build a positive association to the vet clinic – it’s not just a place to fear: “Those mean people poke and prod me every time I’m here!” Change the narrative to “Ooh I love coming here! I get porky puffs and liver treats and lots and lots of scratches!” Not only will it ease the stress for your dog, but for you and our team.