Spring is finally here and despite the thick layer of frost I saw on the houses and streets around me this morning, it has turned into a bright, warm and sunny day.
It is also the time of year that traditionally heralds the beginning of breeding season, so if you haven't had your pets desexed and are not planning on breeding from them, please do this important act. It will benefit both your pet as well as you. If you know of someone who hasn't desexed their pet, please encourage them to do so. If breeding is something that you are wanting to do with your pet, there is one golden rule to follow - do your research!
The beginning of spring also means a new round of pet magazines are available! We don't have many pet-related magazines in New Zealand but the ones we do have are pretty good quality and I encourage you to take a look at them. There's Paws for Thought, Pet Magazine, and Two Cats One Dog (only available through your vet clinic).
This season, the magazines feature stories on Police Dogs, Arthritis, Lumps, and Caring for Rabbits and Guinea Pigs (2C1D); Pet Genetics, Pet Health Maintenance, RNZAF Working Dogs, Liver and Kidney Diseases, Sharing Custody when a relationship sours, and oxygen therapy (Paws for Thought); and Understanding Cat Speak, Training Dogs, Enjoying a Good Relationship with your Vet, an Interview with Mike King and a new Animal Sanctuary is profiled in Pet Magazine.
Take advantage of the longer days of spring with your pet - but beware of those critters that might dart across the road at night right in front of your car - this is also the time of year that cats are more active, and hedgehogs begin to come out of hibernation. If you do hit an animal, please stop to see how badly it is hurt (this is a legal requirement!), and if it didn't survive, please move it to the side of the road so no one else can run it over.
