Information section~

All dogs, regardless of their size, shape, breeding or age, require the same basic care from their owners and families; Good quality food, fresh water, proper shelter, regular cleaning and grooming, exercise, veterinary checks to maintain good health, training so they understand their status in the household, and lots of love and attention!

Diet

These days good quality prepared dog foods provide a completely balanced diet, one suitable for your pet’s lifestyle. You can feed a canned preparation, dry dog food or a mixture of both. It is best to feed once or twice daily, avoid leaving food down all day long as it may predispose your dog to obesity.

Scraps from the table will not provide a balanced diet for your pet – and remember a balanced diet for people is not always a balanced diet for dogs!

Chewing activity using artificial bones (such as “Greenies”) and rawhide chews will help to keep your dog’s teeth clean. Never give cooked bones as dogs cannot digest them and they can cause problems such as constipation and intestinal blockages (so can corn cobs and durian seeds).

Obesity occurs when there is an imbalance between their energy intake (food eaten) and energy consumed by activity and metabolism. Just like people, overweight dogs run greater health risks such as heart disease, sugar diabetes and arthritis and cancer. We have an excellent weight loss program running at our clinic and we would be pleased to help.

Preventative medicine

Vaccinations

Canine distemper, parvovirus and kennel cough are particularly common diseases in Hong Kong.

Vaccination against distemper, parvovirus, hepatitis, leptospirosis and kennel cough (so called 5 in 1 vaccine) is necessary in Hong Kong. Ask us about a program suitable for your pet.
Rabies vaccination together with microchipping and dog registration is a government requirement in Hong Kong. This should be done at 5 months of age.

Heartworm disease – “The silent killer”

Hearworm disease is very common in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Heartworm is spread by mosquito bite, which means that even indoor dogs are susceptible to this disease.

Heartworm has no early warning signs but can be detected with a blood test. The first visible signs of illness occurs when the worms affect the heart and lung function, causing coughing, weight loss and sometimes a large tummy. Fortunately prevention is available in the form of a monthly chewable treat (Heartgard) or yearly injection (Proheart) which must be maintained for life. Adult dogs, not on preventative treatment, need a simple blood test first to check that they are free of the disease. Dogs less than 8 months of age can start preventative treatment without a blood test.

Tick fever

Many people have never heard of Tick fever, but it is a common parasitic disease seen in the New Territories. There are actually two organisms that can cause Tick Fever, Babesia and Ehrlichia. The symptoms vary slightly for each, but weakness, poor appetite, fever and anaemia are commonly seen. The disease is transmitted when an infected tick attaches to your dogs skin and begins to feed on blood.

Prevention involves using tick protection treatments such as the 6-month Killtix collar or Frontline spray.

Desexing

Desexing (Speying) of female dogs involves surgical removal of the ovaries and uterus.

Desexed dogs will no longer come in season and cannot become pregnant. Just as important, desexing will markedly reduce the risk of breast cancer later in life, and totally prevent uterus infection (pyometron) which is very common in older Hong Kong dogs.

Desexing male dogs reduces roaming in outdoor dogs, reduces aggression and sexual behaviour. Even more importantly, desexing reduces the incidence of diseases of the prostate gland, and tumours around the anus and testicles.

Intestinal worming

The common intestinal worms are tapeworm, round worm and hookworm, less common are whipworm. We recommend worming against intestinal worms with Wormout every 3 months. Some flea products (Revolution) and heartworm products (Heartgard plus) also have activity against intestinal worms.

Grooming

Most owners are aware of the daily or weekly grooming needs of their long or curly coated dogs, but all dogs should be regularly brushed and checked over to maintain health and well-being. The best time to establish the pattern of regular grooming is in puppy hood, but older dogs and their owners can still learn that grooming can be a pleasurable time together. Short coated dogs will also enjoy a brush and will be much nicer to live with as well!

Fleas

Fleas are very tough parasites that irritate our pets, invade our homes, and they can be very difficult to eradicate! If you have flea problem please phone or call in at the surgery and let us help you co-ordinate a flea control program to suit your circumstances.

Behaviour

Dogs are pack animals, and the pack has a strict hierarchy, every dog knows exactly where it fits in the pack. Whether your dog is an indoor family pet, a garden dog, or a watchdog, they need to know what the rules are. For most Hong Kong dog’s, the people and other pets in the family are the pack, and they needs to know their position.

Training techniques have actually been developed on the basis of humans putting themselves above the dog in their pack. Basic obedience training should be regarded as necessary for all dogs, this can be done at home but can also be done by attending training classes to the level that suits your situation – both dog and owner will benefit!

Aggression, barking and separation anxiety are common behavioural problems in Hong Kong.