Learning topic: Provide advice to health and nutrition
General health requirements of
animals
Whether we are working in the animal care industry or we simply have
companion animals as pets, there is one thing for certain: we want to
maintain their health.
To do this, we need to adopt sound husbandry practices, hygiene and apply
preventative medicine programs.
Keeping animals healthy
Prevention!! Prevention!! Prevention!!
This is the key to keeping any animal in captivity alive and healthy. The
most common preventable health problems in captive animals are:

internal and external parasites

poor, incorrect and inadequate nutrition

boredom and/or stress

inadequate or incorrect exercise

incorrect stocking rates: overcrowding or keeping social animals in
solitary confinement

injuries from inadequate or incorrect enclosures

injuries from inadequate or incorrect handling.
Using sound husbandry techniques to keep animals
healthy
The following are some sound husbandry techniques:
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
Feed animals the correct diet for their species, breed, age, workload,
current condition or use, pregnant, lactating, breeding or working.

If hand raising animals, make sure that you provide the correct type
of food, the correct way of feeding and carry out the correct
husbandry techniques that mimic how those animals would live and
behave if raised normally.

Avoid overfeeding and obesity.

Offer the correct types of feed treats, health booster and additives etc
that are recommended by health care professionals.

Make sure all animals, especially those in mob situations, receive
enough food to meet needs and avoid being underweight.

Avoid stress as much as possible, especially to small prey animals or
those who are highly strung and nervous.

Socialisation: Spend time with the animal bonding, sharing, training,
and playing. Provide a living area that allows normal behaviour,
interaction with others, room to move, play and explore.

Provide housing that is appropriate for the species and the
individual.

Provide the correct environmental temperature and ventilation.

Provide the correct type of bedding, nest and shelter.

Keep the animal’s environment clean, free from dirt, urine and
faeces etc.

Provide exercise and stimulation.

Provide environmental enrichment.

Use preventative medicine strategies specific to the species.

Have set protocols for hazard identification to reduce the risk of
disease.
Preventative medicine
Preventative medicine programs should be used to:

keep animals healthy

prevent disease from developing

stop animals from contracting infectious disease

help stop the spread of disease

allow animals to live longer by being healthy and happy

prevent suffering and debilitation

stop zoonosis.
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Learning topic: Provide advice to health and nutrition
Examples of preventative health programs:

strategic worming

external parasite control

insect control

vaccination

quarantine and isolation

routine veterinary care and examination

care and maintenance of teeth, feet and beaks etc

routine faecal exams.
Socialisation
Allowing animals to socialize helps keep them healthy as it allows the
animal to express normal behaviour. Animals should be allowed to:

play with others of the same species

play with other species of animals, within reason—for example,
socialising a predator with a pocket sized prey animal is not a good
idea!

meet and mix with other people

go places and meet other animals and people

go out with the family—for example, when going on a picnic to the
river, take your well restrained pet

visit pet parks and socialise

have opportunities when out to explore and play and express their
normal species and individual behaviour undisturbed.
Vaccinating your pet
Why should you vaccinate your pet?
Vaccination is the only way to protect your pet against certain diseases that
are usually highly contagious and can be fatal. If your pet contracts the
diseases we vaccinate against, treatment can be expensive, distressing for
both you and your pet, and not always successful.
Like they say… prevention is better then cure.
Vaccination is preventing disease before it has a chance to cause problems
in your pet.
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Vaccinating your dog

There are three types of canine vaccine available. These are:
-

C3 which covers distemper, parvovirus and hepatitis.
C5 which covers distemper, parvovirus, hepatitis and two
strains of canine cough
C7 which includes coronavirus and leptospirosis.
Vaccination program for puppies and adult dogs
-

Puppies—first vaccine given at 6-8 weeks, than at 12-14
weeks, at 16-18 weeks and than annually for life.
Adult dogs—should be vaccinated every 12 months to
ensure maximum immunity is maintained.
What if I have never vaccinated my adult dog?
Adult dogs that have not been previously vaccinated require TWO
initial vaccinations, given approximately four weeks apart, with a C5 or
C7 vaccine. Immunity develops about ten days after the second
vaccination.
As immunity slowly wears off over time, all dogs should receive a
BOOSTER VACCINATION EVERY 12 MONTHS to ensure
ongoing protection against these serious viral diseases.
Vaccinating your cat

There are two types of feline vaccine available. These are:
-

Vaccination program for kittens and adult cats
-

Fe3 which covers enteritis, calicivirus and
rhinotrachetitis.
Fe5 which covers enteritis, calicivirus, rhinotrachetitis,
chlamydia and feline leukaemia.
Kittens should be vaccinated with a series of three
vaccinations, at 6-8 weeks, 12-14 weeks and 16-18
weeks of age. At 6-8 weeks use an Fe3 vaccine than
continue with a 5-in-1 (Fe5) vaccine that covers feline
upper respiratory disease (combination of Feline
Herpesvirus (FHV) and Feline Calicivirus (FCV)), feline
chlamydia, feline enteritis and feline leukaemia.
Adult cats should be vaccinated annually.
What if I have never vaccinated my adult cat?
Adult cats that have not been previously vaccinated require TWO initial
vaccinations, given approximately four weeks apart, also with a 5-in-1
vaccine. Immunity develops about ten days after the second
vaccination.
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Learning topic: Provide advice to health and nutrition
As immunity slowly wears off over time, all cats should receive a
BOOSTER VACCINATION EVERY 12 MONTHS to ensure ongoing
protection against these serious viral diseases.
Vaccinating your rabbit
You should have your pet rabbit vaccinated against calicivirus by your local
veterinarian.
Vaccination program for kittens and adult rabbits

Kittens: Vaccinate if six weeks or older. If rabbits are less than ten
weeks old when they receive their first vaccination, give a booster
vaccination after four weeks.

Adult rabbits: Only vaccinate when rabbits are in good health. One
initial vaccination should be sufficient even if the rabbit has not been
vaccinated previously. An annual booster vaccination is then
recommended.
Vaccinating your horse
Vaccinations against tetanus and strangles are routinely given to horses.
Vaccinations should be given because:

these diseases can be severe and fatal

they are reasonably common

protection following vaccination is generally excellent, provided
regular boosters are given

the cost of the vaccination is very cheap when compared with the
cost of attempted treatment and the value of the horse.
The vaccination program that is best for your horse can be determined
through discussion with a veterinarian.
Tetanus and strangles
Foals can be started on their vaccination course against both diseases at
about 12 weeks of age.
Protection for the first 12 weeks of life occurs if a previously vaccinated
mare is given another booster at least 2–6 weeks before foaling.
Strangles and tetanus both require two or more primary doses at specific
time intervals to produce effective immunity. See the chart below, and the
information that is supplied with the vaccine.
Tetanus

All horses should be vaccinated against tetanus because of
the widespread occurrence of the organism.
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Strangles

Boosters with tetanus toxoid should be given at the time of
injury, as this gives good immunity after the initial course.
Boosters are required at intervals of no longer than five
years.

Tetanus antitoxin will give immediate but short-term
protection to injured foals or horses not previously
vaccinated with tetanus toxoid. This protection will last at
most only about three weeks. The tetanus toxoid and
antitoxin may be administered at the one time if different
injection sites are used, preferably on different sides of the
body.

Strangles is a disease transmitted from horse to horse,
animals that remain in isolation are not at risk. Horses
attending studs, shows or camps, or those which are away
on agistment, are at risk and epidemics may follow such
events. These horses should be vaccinated throughout their
life.

Boosters should be given annually.

Unfortunately, the strangles vaccine is not as effective as
the tetanus vaccine. Occasionally, the disease occurs in
horses which have been vaccinated; however, vaccination is
still recommended to reduce risks.

There is no immediate short-term protection for strangles
should an outbreak occur. Seek immediate veterinary
attention.
Worming your pet
Puppies and kittens should be wormed at 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 weeks of age,
then monthly until six months of age. Thereafter every three months. Adult
dogs and cats should be wormed every three months.
It is recommended with all pets that they be wormed every three months, or
with the change of the seasons.
Before you worm your pet, you need to consult your local veterinarian about
which worming product is best and safest for your pet. The veterinarian will
usually weigh your pet and then recommend a product.
Flea control for your pet
Fleas are highly specialised bloodsucking parasites. Fleas will live on all
species of domestic animal as they detect their host using two short antennae
on the head that are sensitive to stimuli including heat, vibration, traces of
carbon dioxide, change in air currents and shadows.
Fleas will attack a range of hosts, and their ability to transfer from one host
to another allows for the possible transfer of pathogens including viral,
bacterial and parasitic diseases.
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Learning topic: Provide advice to health and nutrition
The continual biting activity of fleas will cause a great deal of irritation and
distress to humans and animals, especially during flea plagues.
Fleas can also cause allergic reactions in humans and our pets. It is not so
much the flea, but the flea saliva that causes allergic reactions.
Fleas like warm, humid weather so the summer months provide ideal
conditions for fleas to flourish. However, with the increase in carpeted
homes, central heating and number of household pets, flea control is a
continuing problem for pest controllers and pet owners.
Only 5% of fleas present in the environment present themselves as adults, ie
the fleas you see on your pet. 95% of fleas in the environment are in the
various development stages, just waiting to cause an infestation! Therefore,
we need to use flea control products that not only kill the adult fleas, but
also the fleas in their developing stages.
Flea control products for your pet come in different forms, eg tablets, wash
and rinse flea shampoo and injections. The flea control product used will
depend on the type of pet you have. Some flea prevention products can be
fatal to some species of animal so it is very important to discuss flea control
for your pet with a veterinary professional prior to use.
Heartworm
Heartworm is a parasite that can live in your pet's heart. It can affect dogs
and cats, and is spread by mosquitoes, meaning that your pet being indoors
or away from other pets does not preclude it from contracting heartworm. It
is different from intestinal worms, meaning ‘all wormers’ do not prevent
heartworm.
Heartworm causes a blockage and congestion in the heart, as well as the
blood vessels in the lungs. Therefore, signs such as coughing, reduced
energy and difficulty breathing, heavy panting constantly, general weakness,
weight loss, fainting, and, unfortunately as problems progress, it will often
cause your pet to die.
Heartworm disease is more common in coastal areas of Australia; however,
any dog or cat that lives where there are mosquitoes are at risk.
While heartworm disease has been greatly reduced over the last five years,
there are still many dogs and cats that contract it each year. We find many
dogs and cats not on prevention will contract heartworm.
Heartworm can be treated in dogs but not in cats. Treatment can also be
very expensive. When heartworm is so easy to prevent, isn’t prevention
better then cure?
The table below shows how heartworm can be prevented.
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Daily tablets or syrup
These are reliable if given every day at the same time each
day. Missing one day can mean that your dog is
susceptible to heartworm. Very inexpensive. Not suitable
for cats.
Monthly tablets
Reliable, with grace if you are a day or two late. There are
several brands, all as good as each other for heartworm
prevention. Some are combined with flea, or intestinal
worm products. Very convenient, but more expensive than
daily tablets. Very safe medications. Made for both dogs
and cats.
Monthly spot-on
This is produced as a monthly heartworm and flea
treatment. It’s very safe, very convenient and works well.
It is more expensive than monthly tablets. Made for both
dogs and cats.
Yearly injection
This is a new product that is very convenient, very safe
and less expensive than monthly tablets. It can be given at
the same time as yearly vaccination. It is a similar
medication to the monthly tablets, but in a slow release
formulation.
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