Do you have a new puppy ? If you do come join our fantastic puppy school ??
Lovely Daniela who is a qualified instructor runs our puppy class on a Tuesday night at the Yarrambat Vet Hospital from 7pm-8pm.
Classes are for puppies between the ages of 8 – 14 weeks old.
The cost of the class is $120.00 for 5 weeks.
If you would like to book in then call the Yarrambat Vet Clinic on 9436 1699. Be quick as spaces are limited.
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Our 2 beautiful friends have found a loving home!
Kitten 1 – Medium Haired Tabby
Black and white medium haired
Ralph, a four year old thoroughbred gelding, was noticed to have developed a large firm lump along the underside of his jaw. He didn’t like the lump to be squeezed or poked and seemed to be a little slower in finishing off his hard feeds. We gave Ralph a light dose of a tranquilliser to ensure that he remained still for some x-rays of his mandible (jawbone). The x-rays revealed quite a staggering finding! First, a little bit of background about a horse’s teeth. Just like humans, dogs and cats, horses are born with soft gums that do not cause damage to their mother’s teats during suckling. As they wean, horses begin to develop deciduous or “baby” teeth. Over the next few years, these baby teeth progressively become wobbly and fall out, giving way to larger, more robust adult teeth. As the mandible lengthens, additional teeth develop and erupt at the back of the mouth so that, by the time they reach full maturity, horses will have up to 40 teeth! 24 of these teeth are referred to as “cheek teeth” because they are located alongside the horse’s cheeks. These teeth are arranged in rows, like dominoes, six on the top and bottom of each side. The trouble with Ralph was that he had somehow developed one row of seven teeth! There was no room for the seventh tooth to erupt into the mouth. Jammed underneath the other teeth, it had caused the jawbone to distort. Pressure within the jawbone had resulted in a pocket of infection or “abscess” to develop.
Even horses with the correct number of teeth can develop problems of overcrowding and tooth “impaction”… especially when their mouth is too small for the teeth they are destined to develop. The extreme example of this problem is little Koda, our resident miniature horse.
Ralph was given a heavier tranquilliser before a type of anaesthetic called a “nerve block” to numb his jaw. This enables operations to be undertaken whilst the animal is still standing, meaning that some of the risks of giving a general anaesthetic can be avoided. Extracting a tooth from a young horse can be a tremendously challenging task. The cheek teeth have an incredibly long and often curved root encased in solid bone. Extracting them requires a high level of skill and an even higher level of patience! It is a job that cannot be rushed.
After having the extra tooth removed, Ralph was kept in hospital to enable us to ensure that his mouth healed quickly and painlessly. The staff were on a roster to flush his mouth with disinfectant morning and night and to check that he was not experiencing difficulties eating his hay or hard feeds.
“Eruption bumps” are common normal changes that occur along the underside of a young horse’s jaw. As the adult teeth develop underneath their deciduous cousins and prepare to erupt into the mouth, they can distort the underside of the jaw. These small firm lumps are non-painful and the horse will not mind them being poked or squeezed. They invariably appear on both sides of the jaw and are symmetrical. They disappear after several months as the tooth erupts. If you notice your horse to have a firm lump along the jawbone and it doesn’t fit this discription… it is highly advisable to have it examined!
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Our Warrandyte and Yarrambat clinics are priveleged to be nestled in bushland and natural habitats abounding with native fauna. Inevitably, living in close proximity to human’s, their vehcles and their domestic pets, native animals are frequently found sick or injured. We are committed to providing first aid and pain relief to native animals and where possible, to coordinate with carers to rehabilitate them.
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