Lifelong care for pets providing clinical excellence, knowledge and experience NEWS PARAGON VETERINARY GROUP Visit us at: www.paragonvet.com and ple ase ‘like’ us on our FACEBOOK page www.facebook.com/ParagonVets.Pets January 2013 Contact us: CALDEW VETERINARY HOSPITAL Carlisle House, Townhead Road, Dalston, Carlisle CA5 7JF Tel: 01228 710208 [email protected] TOWNHEAD VETERINARY CENTRE Newbiggin, Stainton, Penrith, CA11 0HT Tel: 01768 483789 [email protected] LONDON ROAD SURGERY 87 London Road Carlisle CA1 2LG Tel: 01228 591005 24 hour emergency service ASK THE VET by Laura McKirdy A client has emailed to ask if the chemical we spray on our windscreens to defrost them and put in our screen wash is harmful to animals. is is a very good question and the answer is ‘yes’. Antifreeze (which is supposedly very tasty) if drunk or licked from puddles, can cause acute kidney failure which in most cases is fatal. Please only use it sparingly and if absolutely necessarily and keep it stored away somewhere secure that our furry little friends can’t find it. Please email your questions to laura.mckirdy@paragonvet. com or visit us on facebook Moving House with Cats Moving house can be stressful for your pets. When I moved recently with my two cats I thought they wouldn’t notice the packing boxes. Wrong! Our male cat hates anything upsetting his routine; he started scratching the furniture and even had a wee on one of the boxes to let us know he wasn’t happy. I used Feliway (a synthetic pheromone that helps to calm cats and make them feel more secure) and this helped but he still wasn’t entirely relaxed. ey stayed in a nearby cattery the night before the big move and I sprayed Feliway around the new house, before bringing them home. ey spent the first night exploring and settled relatively quickly. I kept them in for the first week or so before letting them out to explore their new garden. It’s a good idea to let your pets get used to their new surroundings, the smell of the place and the lie of the land out of the windows before you let them out. Feliway won’t work for all cats but in my opinion it’s worth a try. It can make things much less stressful - for you and your pets!