But in 2012 with ‘superwoman syndrome’ now the new norm for the professional career woman, is choosing a four legged friend as your companion with your already overcrowded day planner really such an ill-fated decision?

Consider the positives-a pet is not going to object to your passion for your work, keep you up all night with their post boys-night-out snore or leave the toilet seat up.

For women who walk the path less trodden the traditional single girl labels such as ‘tragic spinster’ or ‘heavenly sister’ have thankfully evolved into the more delectable ‘sexy singleton’ or ‘sumptuous sparent’ ( those fabulous ‘aunties’ who help out with the kids) .

Embracing self-reliance, emotional security and confidence enables a bypass of Prince Charming and his progeny. Plus it can also offer the more complimentary commitment to a four legged friend, the type that offers relaxing company and the security of never being alone in your own home.

But with work, travel, fitness and social engagements making the logistics of owning a pet increasingly impossible, are we ready to commit to a species that comes with way more responsibility than our struggling indoor plant?

Niggling doubts placed by well-meaning family members and friends can often fuel the self-doubt of a commitment phoebe. However commitment becomes healthiest not when it is without doubt, but in spite of doubt and with the booming pet care industry help is always at hand.

All of us need to share our lives with someone special. Extravagantly stretch out on the couch with your cat after a hard day’s work. Run bare foot on the beach with your dog on weekends to re-energise for the upcoming week. A pet is a wonderful thing to commit to.

Double Diabetic Trouble

I’ve unfortunately inherited a genetic flaw which means that I pathologically love to see all my animals well fed. I blame my father’s side of the family, remembering how my grandfather’s black Labrador, Toby, grew decidedly larger as bits of food frequently fell under the table. One can find great pleasure in sharing with friends.

Knowing this fact I try hard to count calories. Despite being on the doggie version of ‘Jenny Craig’, I have always struggled to keep my Sydney lean. Now our adopted feline despot, Ron the Russian, is beginning to look a tad chunky around the waistline too and I’m faced with the reality that I may be contributing to the world’s current globesity crisis, filling the Western world with well fed pets.

November is Pet Diabetes Month which is designed to raise owner awareness of this increasingly common disease. An early diagnosis and intervention leads to better long term results for affected pets. To promote Pet Diabetes Month at The Strand Veterinarian we are offering a complimentary ‘P’ test for your pet, as an early screen for diabetes.

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a treatable metabolic condition where the body either does not produce enough insulin (Type I) or does not respond to the insulin which is produced causing excessively high blood sugar (Type II). This high blood sugar produces the classical symptoms of polyuria (frequent urination), polydipsia (increased thirst) and polyphagia (increased hunger).

The word diabetes comes from the Greek word meaning “a passer through; a siphon” as water literally runs in one end of the body and out the other. The word mellitus comes from classical Latin meaning “honey-sweet” reflecting how the unlucky early medics used urine tasting as the main diagnostic tool in the diagnosis of this disease.

Obesity is a risk factor, especially in indoor and male cats and between 0.25% and 1% of all dogs and cats may be affected by this disease. Type I DM, most commonly seen in dogs, is caused by the autoimmune destruction or permanent loss of functional pancreatic cells. Type II DM, the most common form seen in cats, is due to insulin resistance, pancreatic beta cell dysfunction and increased liver glucose synthesis.

Check out www.petdiabetesmonth.com for more details about whether or not your pet could be at risk, or give us a call on 377 6667 to find out more about our Pet Diabetes Month promotion.

Spaniel Carter On Form Again

We are a small country renowned for our enormous national pride. For us, the symbol of our strength is represented not by a huge populace and vast economic wealth but by our national rugby team-The All Blacks-our own warriors fighting for the pride and status of our nation.

Even with such strong mana, with little over 4 million people backing our national team the power of positive thought (the collective mental attitude focusing on a favourable result and success) highlights we are up against the odds if the laws of attraction apply.

However…… as New Zealanders we’ve never walked alone. Over 68% of our homes house New Zealand animal companions making up a nation of pets. As pet owners and as a vet we both know nobody has a more unfathomable positive attitude in life than the cat or dog at our feet.

Our collective positive attitude brings strength, energy and initiative and with it the mana, or magic, to support our team across the finish line-as in 1987-to win this rugby tournament.

Behind every All Black there are 4.2 million New Zealanders, 5 million cats and dogs, 4 million dairy cows and 40 million sheep-the other teams just don’t stand a chance!

LOST is a terrible word, the uncertainty of a loved one perhaps meeting a tragic end, alone or frightened much worse than knowing. The grief is the same, hope fading with the weeks and months. Thousands of pets went missing in the Christchurch Quake and thankfully many of those have been reunited with their owners due to websites like petsonthenet and microchip identification.

This week I have started a firm policy on advocating microchips for all my patients, especially cats, as this is the one sure fire way we can quickly and effectively link pet to owner. As part of our clinical exam we check the chips are reading and advise owners to make sure their details are up-to-date on one of the two NZ registries.

IMPORTANT: If your pet is chipped then check your details on either www.animalregister.co.nz or www.aar.org.au and make sure your details are up-to-date. To find out more about microchipping-the costs, the pro’s and the con’s then call us….377 6667 or email me at megan@thestrandvet.co.nz

In the meantime….tell your pets to chill out with the cooler weather and stay at home.