Blog Post

Rabbit Awareness Week 2018

  • by Dundas
  • •
  • 25 May, 2018
  • •
It is Rabbit Awareness week from Monday 4th to Friday 8th June. We will be offering free rabbit health checks during that week.  Please call the practice to book an appointment.   Move Away From Muesli This year’s campaign is all about encouraging owners to move away from muesli towards a high-fibre hay based diet […] The post Rabbit Awareness Week 2018 appeared first on Dundas Veterinary Group.
It is Rabbit Awareness week from Monday 4th to Friday 8th June.
We will be offering free rabbit health checks during that week.  Please call the practice to book an appointment.
 
Move Away From Muesli
This year’s campaign is all about encouraging owners to move away from muesli towards a high-fibre hay based diet for their rabbits.
A popular misconception is feeding rabbits the traditional muesli diet. This should be avoided as it prevents your bunny from getting some valuable nutrients as they will favour the tasty bits and not always eat the others. Instead, a pellet type biscuit is preferred as it will be more balanced. A small egg cup per rabbit can be given daily; this can be provided in bowls or hidden through hay or in treat balls. This part of the diet should only make up 5% of your rabbits daily food intake. Some people feed a ‘complete’ diet, this should be completely avoided, it may have all the appropriate nutrients but it does not allow them to continuously graze or wear down their teeth sufficiently.
HAY! I need HAY!
Rabbits have a complex digestive system, which can cause problems if fed the wrong thing or not enough of the good things. In the wild rabbits will graze on fresh grass throughout their day in order to keep their gut moving and their teeth in tip top condition. Grazing continuously is vital to the digestive system, if the gut stops moving this can cause a serious condition called Gut Stasis. In addition to this, their teeth need a constant work out to keep them at a suitable length as these can grow a few centimetres each month. If they are not fed an appropriate diet which allows them to grind down their teeth, painful spurs can occur which will dig into the cheeks and mouth- which in turn may stop them from eating all together.
All rabbits, whether indoor or outdoor, should have a constant supply of hay or fresh grass (do not give lawn clippings as these ferment). Hay should make up 80% of your rabbits diet , an offering of hay around the size of each rabbit should be available at all times. The hay should have a fibre content of at least 20% (this can be checked on the back of the packet), dry, sweet smelling and free of grit/dust. Ideally the hay should have long strands to encourage chewing. To encourage natural foraging behaviour small pieces of fruit or tasty vegetables can be hidden amongst hay. There are many types of hay available, timothy hay is ideal for every day feeding where as alfalfa hay should be given as a treat (such as a small quantity mixed through your rabbits normal hay).
 
 
Fresh greens should also be on offer for your rabbit. This will only make up 15% of their diet and should be offered in small quantities (a handful per rabbit). Rabbits love broccoli, spring greens, kale and herbs such as parsley although there are many other things that can be given. Contrary to popular belief carrots should not be given regularly as they are extremely high in sugar, and should instead be given as treats. For this reason fruit should also be saved for tasty rewards, such as grapes or a slice of apple.
RABBIT FRIENDLY FOOD
EVERY DAY FEEDING TREATS
Broccoli Spinach Banana
Brussel Sprouts Watercress Blackberries
Cabbage Basil Blueberries
Carrot tops (green leafy part) Coriander Cherries
Cauliflower Parsley Grapes
Celery Oregano Raspberries
Curly Kale Rocket Strawberries
Romaine lettuce is rabbit friendly but all other types of light coloured lettuce should be avoided e.g. Iceberg.
Another popular misconception is feeding rabbits the traditional muesli diet. This should be avoided as it prevents your bunny from getting some valuable nutrients as they will favour the tasty bits and not always eat the others. Instead, a pellet type biscuit is preferred as it will be more balanced. A small egg cup per rabbit can be given daily; this can be provided in bowls or hidden through hay or in treat balls. This part of the diet should only make up 5% of your rabbits daily food intake. Some people feed a ‘complete’ diet, this should be completely avoided, it may have all the appropriate nutrients but it does not allow them to continuously graze or wear down their teeth sufficiently.
Fresh water should also be made readily available to your rabbit. This can either be given in a bottle or a bowl, ideally both should be offered. Heavier ceramic bowls should be used as this can help prevent spillages. During winter, bottles should have a cover to prevent them from freezing over.
The Perfect Poo- A Happy Bum Means a Happy Bun!
If you are feeding your rabbit the correct and balanced diet, you should see dark coloured hard faecal droppings- these almost look like compressed hay. If they do not look like this you may need to alter your rabbit’s diet by increasing hay and decreasing other elements such as dried biscuits or vegetables. Veterinary advice should be sought if droppings are loose o r watery.
You may see softer small droppings with some mucous, these are caecatrophs. Normally your rabbit will eat these directly from the anus (as this allows them to get the maximum nutritional value by re-digesting)- don’t be surprised if you haven’t witnessed your rabbit doing this as it may just look like grooming or they may do it during dusk/dawn. If you are seeing caecatrophs it is very important to seek veterinary advice as it can be a result of digestive issues or teeth problems.
We are happy to help you with nutritional advice for you bunny or any questions you may have over their current diet. Please get in touch to arrange an appointment or to speak to a member of staff.
KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR MORE INFORMATION DURING RABBIT AWARENESS WEEK
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We will be offering free rabbit health checks during this week so please call the practice to make an appointment.
The post Rabbit Awareness Week 2018 appeared first on Dundas Veterinary Group.

Environmental Policy

by EMMA SHARP • 19 February 2025

DUNDAS VETERINARY GROUP ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY-CLIENT INFORMATION

At Dundas Veterinary Group we are committed to trying to reduce our impact on the environment throughout our daily running of all of our branches.

There are many ways in which you, as our valued clients, can help to ensure we can try to achieve this:

1.      APPROPRIATE ANTIBIOTIC AND PRESCRIPTION MEDICINE USAGE-our vets are focused on providing the best healthcare for your pet and prescribe medications appropriately to their specific needs. In doing so our vets will only dispense the amount of medication required to avoid the unnecessary waste of medicinal products, especially with regards to antibiotics.

Our vets follow very careful protocols with respect to antibiotic use to help try and reduce the risk of antibiotic resistance and minimise the potential harmful environmental impact.

We, therefore, do encourage owners to bring back any unused medications to the practice at your appointments so we can safely dispose if these for you.

 

2.      RECYCLING OF MEDICINAL PACKAGING-as part of our daily protocols we are very conscious to try and recycle as much material as possible and are always looking at ways to minimise our waste output.

 

We welcome clients to bring back blister packs and packaging from their dispensed medications at their next appointment.

 

3.      CONTACT & MILEAGE- we have various ways for clients to stay in touch and offer post op checks via pets app and email to reduce client mileage and environmental impact. When first registered we will allocate the branch closest to you and when possible arrange appointments at this branch.

 

Please see our Facebook/petsapp/practice noticeboards for further updates.

 

If you have any further questions or suggestions with regards our environmental policy, we welcome our clients views-please email the practice nurses@dundasvetgroup.co.uk

LITTER PICK AT CRAMOND

by EMMA SHARP • 18 February 2025
The team had a fantastic day at our beach litter pick on 2nd February.  We were joined by clients and some four-legged friends and collected lots of rubbish both on the beach and island. Taking in the fresh sea air as we went.

Thanks goes to The City of Edinburgh Council for helping with the picking supplies and also to Dog Aid Scotland for the support on the day.

Dundas Street Reception Refurb!

by EMMA SHARP • 10 February 2025
Exciting News!

Our Dundas Street Reception area is getting refurbished this coming weekend.

From 5pm on Friday 14th February until 8am on Monday 17th February, our Reception will be closed.

To allow this work to take place, our Saturday morning surgery will take place from 9am to 12noon at our Granton branch, 34 Granton Road, Edinburgh, EH5 3QS, 0131 551 1407.

Please bear with us while we carry out this work and look out for the photos!

Beach Clean Up

by EMMA SHARP • 17 January 2025
Join Dundas Vet Group to help litter pick at Cramond beach!  We welcome you to join us on Sunday 2nd February at 11am.  Litter pickers, gloves and bags provided, as well as biscuits for both humans and dogs!
Meet at the start of the Causeway for a prompt start at 11am.

Christmas and New Year Closures

by EMMA SHARP • 4 December 2024

We will be closed on the following days over the Festive Period:

Wednesday 25th December

Thursday 26th December

Wednesday 1st January

Thursday 2nd January

 

If you have an emergency during these closures, please contact our emergency care provider

E-Vets on 0131 662 1689.


We would like to wish all our clients a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.


Please Welcome Matthew

by EMMA SHARP • 26 September 2024
Veterinary Surgeon, Matthew Saunders has joined Dundas Vet Group as a Clinical Director, working at the Dundas Street and Oxgangs Road Surgeries.

Matthew has been qualified since 2006, with additional qualifications in Endoscopy and keyhole surgery.  He also has a keen interest in Ophthalmology and is working towards further qualifications in this discipline.

We are thrilled to have Matthew join our team and he is looking forward to meeting you all with your pets!

Goodbye to Will

by EMMA SHARP • 14 August 2024
Sadly we have had to wave goodbye to Will Clancy as he heads home to Australia.
Having spent the last 5 years with us at Dundas Vets, he will be sorely missed by clients and colleagues alike.
We would like to wish him all the best in his future career back in Australia.

May is Veterinary Nurse Awareness Month 

by EMMA SHARP • 1 May 2024
The month of May is Veterinary nurse awareness month. We have uploaded a video to our Facebook and Instagram pages, showing the amazing job our nurses do every day to help look after your pets. They are the heart and soul of every veterinary practice!  

Their job entails a huge variety of skills ranging from monitoring anaesthesia, taking blood samples, giving medication, blood pressure checks and taking care of our hospitalised pets. This is only a small part of their essential contribution to our practice.

We can now offer nurse clinics at our Dundas Street branch for nail clipping, dressing changes, weight management checks and some repeat injections.

Please contact Dundas Street reception for more information.

Run 50k in March

by EMMA SHARP • 8 April 2024
We are happy to announce that our 50k in March running team completed their challenge and ran just over 600km in March!  We are so thankful for all of the support from our community and thrilled that we raised £1130 for Edinburgh Cat and Dog Home!  
Thank you to all who took part and donated.

Online Appointment Booking

by EMMA SHARP • 23 February 2024

We are now delighted to offer our clients an online appointment booking service through Petsapp and our webpage.

For clients who have downloaded our Petsapp, this can be done directly from your smart phone or through your online log in. For clients without the app, online booking can be accessed through the web widget on Dundas Vets home page Vets in Edinburgh | Dundas Veterinary Group (dundasvetgroup.co.uk)

If your appointment is for urgent veterinary care then please contact the surgery by phone as we reserve on the day appointments, and our friendly receptionists can arrange a suitable time. We hope that the Petsapp will make it easier for our clients to communicate with us, and us with them, though all branches will continue to be contactable by phone and online through our website.

Best wishes

Dundas Vets

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