Alex's Blog

Lennox Is A Brainy Dog

Mon, 21 May 2012 23:53:00 GMT

Jenna's dog Lennox the Red Nose Pitbull has found his niche in the world by being a SPCA/ST Johns therapy pet.

Lennox is attending a brain therapy unit in West Auckland where he help with client’s rehabilitation by interacting, playing and spending one on one time with clients. Lennox’s activities include running around the house and jumping on peoples knees, getting taken for walks around the neighbourhood and getting to do tricks for treats!

Being a therapy pet is about bringing joy and happiness to people who are in need and also helping them to utilise their skills and getting some time out from their usual daily activities. It is great to see how much impact Lennox has on the lives of others and it is great to have him out in the public showing that Pitbull’s are great companions and they love to the fullest without judging and are loyal compassionate dogs.

Lennox has his own Facebook page where you can keep up to date with Lennox’s antics and see how he is going with his therapy work.

VetCare Comedy Dog Show 2012 huge success

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 07:02:00 GMT

With over 30 dogs entered, hundreds of spectators and a perfect Autumn afternoon, our inaugural VetCare International Comedy Festival Dog Show 2012 was a huge success!

We extend our thanks to The International Comedy Festival, George FM and Masterpet, along with the wonderful people and pets of Auckland for making this such a great event. Check out some of the photos we took and maybe Like us on Facebook and send us some photos of your favourite dog's performance.

Comedy Dog Show This Weekend

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 21:06:00 GMT

This Saturday 14th April at Silo Park we will be hosting a Dog Show and we would love you and your doggy pal to enter! Not only that there will be stand-up comedians AND a screening of your favourite mockumentary 'Best In Show'!

The 2012 NZ International Comedy Festival and VetCare would like to invite you to this extra special pre-festival FREE event!

These are the 3 categories;
- Best Costume
- Special Talent
- Hot Dog or Best in Show

If you want to register your dog all we want from you is the following;

- Name of Dog
- Breed/s of Dog
- Name of Owner
- Your contact details, unless your doggie has a mobile? (phone & email)
- 25 words about your dog
- The list of categories you would like to enter
- Photo of your dog

Send the above details through to jeane@comedyfestival.co.nz and we will register you and your dog!

Masterpet will be providig the prizes, and George FM the music. Come down from 2pm for a fun afternoon!

Saturday 14th April
2pm - Markets & music
4pm - Best In Show Dog Show
6pm - Stand-Up Comedy
6.30pm - 'Best In Show' screening

Could your pet have diabetes?

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:08:00 GMT

Diabetes mellitus occurs when the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin. Insulin is required for the body to efficiently use sugars, fats and proteins.

Diabetes most commonly occurs in middle age to older dogs and cats, but occasionally occurs in young animals. When diabetes occurs in young animals, it is often genetic and may occur in related animals. Diabetes mellitus occurs more commonly in female dogs and in male cats.

Certain conditions predispose a dog or cat to developing diabetes. Animals that are overweight or those with inflammation of the pancreas are predisposed to developing diabetes. Some drugs can interfere with insulin, leading to diabetes. Glucocorticoids, which are cortisone-type drugs, and hormones used for heat control are drugs that are most likely to cause diabetes. These are commonly used drugs and only a small percentage of animals receiving these drugs develop diabetes after long term use.

The body needs insulin to use sugar, fat and protein from the diet for energy. Without insulin, sugar accumulates in the blood and spills into the urine. Sugar in the urine causes the pet to pass large amounts of urine and to drink lots of water. Levels of sugar in the brain control appetite. Without insulin, the brain becomes sugar deprived and the animal is constantly hungry, yet they may lose weight due to improper use of nutrients from the diet.

Untreated diabetic pets are more likely to develop infections and commonly get bladder, kidney, or skin infections. Diabetic dogs, and rarely cats, can develop cataracts in the eyes. Cataracts are caused by the accumulation of water in the lens and can lead to blindness. Fat accumulates in the liver of animals with diabetes. Less common signs of diabetes are weakness or abnormal gait due to nerve or muscle dysfunction.

There are two major forms of diabetes in the dog and cat: 1) uncomplicated diabetes and 2) diabetes with ketoacidosis. Pets with uncomplicated diabetes may have the signs just described but are not extremely ill. Diabetic pets with ketoacidosis are very ill and may be vomiting and depressed.

The diagnosis of diabetes is made by finding a large increase in blood sugar and a large amount of sugar in the urine. Animals, especially cats, stressed by having a blood sample drawn, can have a temporary increase in blood sugar, but there is no sugar in the urine. A blood screen of other organs is obtained to look for changes in the liver, kidney and pancreas. A urine sample may be cultured to look for infection of the kidneys or bladder. Diabetic patients with ketoacidosis may have an elevation of waste products that are normally removed by the kidneys.

The treatment is different for patients with uncomplicated diabetes and those with ketoacidosis. Ketoacidotic diabetics are treated with intravenous fluids and rapid acting insulin. This treatment is continued until the pet is no longer vomiting and is eating, then the treatment is the same as for uncomplicated diabetes.

Diabetes is managed long term by the injection of insulin by the owner once or twice a day.

Byron - why can't he close his mouth?

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 20:37:00 GMT

Byron was bought in by his worried owner on a Saturday as Friday night he had noticed that Byron couldn't close his jaw and was drooling and having trouble eating and drinking.

It was a very unusual presentation and after thorough clinical examination revealed the only other abnormality was his pupil in the right eye was smaller than the left eye. He didn't seem painful in his mouth and there was nothing stuck that was preventing his jaw from closing.

This is a classical presentation of an unusual condtion called trigeminal neuritis but most people know it as dropped jaw syndrome. It occurs mainly in middle aged or older dogs
(Byron was 10 and a half). It is not painful but the dogs seem confused as can't work out why they cant eat or drink normally.

It is not known what causes this disease but it does cause inflammation of the nerves that control muscles involved in closing the jaw and chewing food. There are a few other
rarer diseases such as tumours, infection or trauma that can cause similar signs but these usually have other signs involved.

The good news is that almost all the dogs recover with time and supportive treatment. It can take up to a month but most dogs improve considerably within 2 weeks

Byrons dad is making sure he is getting enough food and for a while there we were concerned
he hadn't been getting enough water so he was put on i/v fluids for a day. He is still wagging his tail and a happy boy and enjoying his walks so we are hoping in a few weeks he
will be back to normal. Here he is enjoying the beach last year!

Win with VetCare & Petvision

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 04:28:00 GMT

We are very excited about the new products we have for sale from PetVision - Come in to the clinic and check them out or take a look at their website

We have two Petvision Liberator collars up for grabs this month. Just email us with you name and answer to the following question?

Q. What common object is the weight of the Liberator Collar compared with?

Hint: You can find the answer on the PetVision website.

Keep Off The Grass?

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:06:00 GMT

We have had a few unusual cases in the last week involving fur and also grass seeds.

Pippi a 5 year old Pomeranian was brought in by her very concerned owner as she had woken up not being able to weight bear on her left front leg, Closer examination revealed that Pippi had got her dew claw (the little claw on the inside of the front leg like a thumb) caught in her very thick fur and was unable to put her leg down. This was great news as it was super easy to fix and she was running around normally 5 mins later. Mum booked her in to have a groom and we cut her nails for her to prevent this happening again but I must say I haven’t ever seen it in 20 years!

Molly got lots of grass seeds caught in her under arm area about a month ago and her owner took her to another vet to get them removed on holiday. Now she has a weepy wound and small lump- we suspect a grass seed has burrowed into her skin and is sitting there causing a foreign body reaction. We needed to anaethetise Molly to remove this surgically and then send her home on antibiotics.

We have also had 3 cats come in with a weepy eye and holding the eye partially closed and have found little barley grass awns stuck up under their eyelids. This would be very painful and they don’t usually come out by themselves so if you see any animal with a painful weeping or mucky eye please bring it in to be checked.

We recommend at this time of year that all the long haired dogs get their feet clipped short. Between the toes is the most common place we find grass seeds embedded in the skin and they can travel quite a long way up the dogs leg if left and not treated. (West Highland White terriers, Poodles and their crosses, Schnauzers and their crosses and Soft Coated Wheaten terriers seem especially prone to this)Check your dogs feet every time they walk in grass.

The sad tale of Bubbles with a happy ending!

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 04:05:00 GMT

We all know how difficult things can get over the Christmas period and many cats and dogs are dumped by uncaring owners but it is nice to hear a story with a happy ending.

Bubbles is a 6 week old female tabby and white kitten. She was brought in by a member of the public who had seen a car go over the top of her when she was out on the road. She managed to escape with her life but unfortunately had sustained a broken left
shoulder. She was also very thin, had cat flu and was riddled with with fleas and worms. She later developed ringworm as well!

She soon became a favourite with the vet nurses here at VetCare and they convinced Alex to let us try and fix her leg and rehome her.

First she was given pain relief and treated for all her illnesses and parasites and next she was given a warm bed and some delicious kitten food. She soon responded to these treaments and within a week was well enough to anaesthetize and take some X-rays of her lame leg. It was broken in the humerus near the shoulder joint and a very abnormal shape.

We decided to try and save her leg even though it would be difficult surgery with a kitten so young and only weighing 600g.

Here is the picture of her x-ray

She was placed on i/v fluids and anaethetised and then her leg was clipped up and prepared surgically. We had to try to get the bones back into line which was difficult and then put 2 very small pins into the top of her humerus to hold the pieces together in the right alignment. The tissues were then sutured and she was woken up and kept warm and comfortable on mini hot waterbottles made out of rubber gloves filled with warm water.

It was only a week before she was fully recovered from the surgery and walking around well and playing with her broken leg. The challenge now was to keep her quiet and rested and let the fracture heal.

It is 4 weeks after the surgery now and she is racing around with another kitten and all her previous problems are behind her. The cat flu and ringworm has cleared and she has put on weight and seems a normal happy kitten. She will probably always have a slight limp as we suspect the left front leg wont grow quite as long as it would of if it had not been broken but we hope she will have a long and happy life!

If you are looking for a cat or kitten please come into VetCare to talk to to our staff about potential adoptions.

Animal Emergency Centre & Veterinary Specialists Group

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:17:00 GMT

Many of our clients will already be familiar with the building at 97 Carrington Road Mt Albert when they have been to the after hours clinic – THE ANIMAL EMERGENCY CENTRE. This clinic is open when our doors are closed at nights and on weekends.

We are very happy to recommend their caring service for all our clients who have an emergency situation after hours. We also send them patients who have to be hospitalised overnight or monitored after surgery and difficult medicine cases. They are open at 6pm
and close at 8am the next morning.

Check out their website here.

VETERINARY SPECIALISTS GROUP also work from these premises during the day. We refer a lot of our patients with difficult medical problems, complicated surgical cases or patients who need further procedures that involve equipment we don’t have at VetCare Grey Lynn. They are the specialists that most vet clinics in Auckland send their difficult cases to be sorted and can do amazing things. We can’t recommend them highly enough!

Check out their website here.

A Week in Tonga with SPAW

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 22:45:00 GMT

Alex was in Tonga the 2nd week of November with the South Pacific Animal Welfare (SPAW) and took some great pictures and wrote a diary of his experiences. Here is his story!

4am. Up and go. Excitement tinged with apprehension provides a great counter to the call of sleep. Avoid the mirror, that’s why they call it a Red-eye flight. It’s a quick trip, less than 3 hours, the temperature’s already hitting 25 when we hit the Tongan tarmac. Customs seem happy with our bulging suitcases. With 2 pairs of shorts and 3 t-shirts the remainder of the 25kg made up of copious donated supplies from Pfizer, Shoof and Kahu Vets. A declaration we are working with their ministry keeps them totally happy and we’re waved through to an enthusiastic, welcoming and overheating Karen.

Buy some water.Into the Terrano and off we head, Dr Cathy and nurses Jo and Leanne complete the team. Lush fields, Taro and palms roll by. Roadside stalls sell fruit, veggies and fish every few hundred metres.

First stop, Kingdom Coffee, Jo and Vinnie Kupu. These guys are legends, a welcome local guiding light, nestled in the midst of their ultra-relaxing and amazing coffee plantation retreat.

Having someone on the ground that cares so deeply for animals and specifically our SPAW clinics… Invaluable.

The barbeques, the coffee, the smiles, the local contacts, the reception work and meet and greet at the clinic. Really oils the vet team machine.

Onto our digs. The Green Lodge. Great location half way between where we will be working, and Nukualofa township. The place is massive, totally secure with security fencing and really clean and tidy. Way flasher than expected, 3 houses, 9 bedrooms, not fully used by this smaller team but perfect for future visits of vet and nurse teams. It was to be accompanied by its own special nightly concert of roosters, wildlife, dogs and church choirs. Decibels.

We unloaded some medicines, and 2 minute noodles, set our snorkeling gear aside and headed back down the road towards the clinic.

We’d hired the empty doctor’s surgery at Glenys Marfys, again, a perfect setup, front-side parking, waiting room, reception, surgery room with observation window, and a consult room.

The couple of hundred kg’s of supplies start to find their place on the shelves, and storerooms. We’re well stocked with all the basics thanks to our awesome sponsors.

We take a group vote and speed off to the closest beach to cool down , a cliff-top café, coral swimming holes and mini blowholes await. Fan-bloody-tastic.

Back to Kingdom coffee for barbequed whole parrot fish, what a day! A couple of large bats zoom past.

A quick breakfast and we speed over the potholes to kick off the clinic. Hand painted signs and radio ads have done their part and people start rocking up from 8am.

Pico, a little puppy, short on height, but fully believing itself to be the alpha male, he bossed the other arriving patients around to his little heart’s content. Perhaps he thought we said he was to be tutored rather than neutered. We’ll help his owners later on with getting him to Australia upon their return.

A steady stream of locals and ex-pat Kiwis and Aussie’s swing on by. Some gut infections to be treated, fevers to be alleviated, pregnant cats to spey and lots of nervous dogs ready for their ops. We have an audience. Interested and super grateful. Man it’s hot.

The ministry of Ag boss drops in to welcome us and wish us well and their small animal vet tech Nau joins the team. He’s one hell of a nice guy, skilled and a massive assist with communicating with local Tongans.

Cathy was taking the lead expertly, this being her second trip she knew all the routines that work best in this environment. When Dr Andy arrived the next day sharp as a tack it was my turn to pass down the routines.

House calls to places with 15 dogs, were followed by visits to the Prison and School farms to check conditions for their very valuable pigs and chickens.

Throughout the week the antibiotics flowed, the scalpels whirred (in controlled fashion of course) , the suture packets emptied, and groggy pets were safely shipped back home. Somehow we managed to fit in swims, snorkels, a dive or two, great dinners and a huge party at Jo and Vinnie’s.

We left Andy and Jo to carry on the great work and sped from the beach to the airport. What an adventure.

A unique experience. The hospitality on the island. The grateful owners. The daily challenges. The heat. The teamwork. The rescued pups. The community education. The glowing health of animals treated on previous trips. Feels awesome!

Alex

Cat Allergies

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 02:04:00 GMT

Does your cat develop bald or scabby areas every year? Your cat may have an allergy – read more to find out what you can do and what to look out for!

With the weather warming up and the humid conditions we are finding more cats coming in with skin problems and in particular fleas. Often people stop flea treatment over the summer not realizing that the winter temperatures in Auckland mean fleas can breed all winter and so numbers are slowly building up and then explode in the spring.

There are three types of allergy commonly seen in the cat: flea allergy dermatitis (by far the most common allergy), feline atopic dermatitis (an inherited tendency to display allergic symptoms after exposure to airborne allergens) and food allergy (a reaction by the animal's body to a particular food stuff). More rarely cats can be allergic to mosquito bites and we often see swollen and scabby noses as the weather gets warmer.

Flea allergy dermatitis occurs when the flea bites and the flea's saliva comes in contact with your cat's skin.

Common causes of feline atopic dermatitis include molds, dust mites, pollens (from trees, weeds and grasses) and feathers. These microscopic particles set up an allergic skin reaction in the sensitive individual. Depending on the particular allergy, the symptoms may be seasonal (pollens) or year round (house dust mites). With time, mild symptoms become more severe and continue for a longer period.

Food allergic cats develop a reaction to foods such as beef, fish, wheat or eggs or to chemical preservatives and food dye even though they have been eating the food for months or years!

What allergic symptoms will my cat have?

The major sign is itching and scratching. Cats also rub their faces and lick themselves (more than just grooming). Other signs are a result of scratching and licking: hair loss, redness, dandruff and small red crusts ("miliary dermatitis"). Ulcerated red raw areas may be seen on the belly, the back of the hind legs or around the head and neck. In cats with food allergy, vomiting and/or diarrhea may be seen in addition to skin changes.

How do we diagnose the allergic cat?

Cats with flea allergy dermatitis respond to a thorough flea control program. This is by far the most common with over 90% of the cats presented with skin problems having an allergy to flea saliva.

The best way to identify atopic dermatitis is to perform a skin test. This involves sedating your cat, placing an intravenous catheter in a foreleg, clipping the side of the chest and pricking the skin with tiny amounts of purified allergen extracts. Reactions to the extract (swelling and redness) are observed over the next thirty minutes. This needs to be done by a skin specialist. In some cases, it may require waiting up to two months after all supportive medications have been stopped before a skin test can be performed. Often we use their response to antinflammatory medications to gauge if an allergy is likely.

Food allergy is diagnosed by feeding a type of food that has never, or rarely, been fed. If your pet is reacting to a food protein, an improvement in itchiness and/or vomiting should be seen in six to eight weeks. This can be difficult as they put a lot of different things you may not even realise in cat foods these days so talk to your vet about the most appropriate diet for your cat if you suspect they could have a food allergy.

Treatment

Flea control to treat flea allergy dermatitis must be maintained for the life of your cat. It may be necessary to treat the patient with supportive medication in addition to the flea control.. In case of a mild seasonal allergy (less than two months), antihistamines and steroids (which relieve the symptoms of the allergy) may be the treatment of choice. Cats reacting to ingredients due to food allergy must be fed a special diet that does not contain the allergic substance.

Case Study - Hank

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 02:31:00 GMT

Wildlife casualties: We often get injured wildlife brought into VetCare, usually birds and rats and mice that have been caught by cats and injured. Often they are too shocked and badly injured to survive so we can at least alleviate their suffering. That’s why it was especially nice to be able to help this little hedgehog we called Hank.

Hank was bought in by a concerned member of the public as he was wandering around during the day and didn’t curl up into a protective ball when approached. On examination we noticed he had a wound on one of his legs but were unable to look at it properly until we had given him a light anaesthetic. Once he relaxed and was pain free we were horrified to see that his left front foot had been completely cut off and he only had 1 toe left, the wound looked a couple of days old and was obviously infected and dirty. Dr Anu Murthy decided that she would have a go at fixing his leg as he seemed a healthy little guy other than this major problem.

We got him completely asleep and then debrided his wound (cleaned out the dirt and damaged tissue) and formed a little stump for him to walk on then sutured the skin over top of the stump.

He also had some antibiotics, some pain relief, and fluid therapy as he was dehydrated from blood loss and being out in the sun all day. We treated his internal and external parasites (many hedgehogs carry fleas, lice, and ticks and live with them) with a special dose of revolution.

He was woken up and put in a box with some shredded paper and a bowl of cat food and a bowl of water. We were delighted to see him eating hungrily about a hour after his surgery. He went home for the weekend with Henna one of our very caring nurses who regularly takes home injured and orphaned animals (despite her boyfriends and flat-mates disgruntlement!) and as we speak seems to be recovering well.

Once he has finished his antibiotics and has had his stitches out he will be released into the park again, so keep an eye out for Hank the 3 legged hedgehog coming into your garden soon!

World Cup Carnage

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 22:47:00 GMT

On the opening night of the Rugby World Cup Vanessa's (our vet nurse) 10 month old cat Russel got scared of the fireworks and disappeared for 2 days. When she found him on Sunday night he seemed very quiet and had gravel embedded in his face but otherwise seemed ok. She thought he might have been clipped by a car. Little did she know how lucky Russel was to make it home that night!

When he was x-rayed at VetCare on Monday we found he had been hit right through the middle of his body and the enormous pressure had ruptured his diaphragm (the muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdomen and helps with breathing) and his stomach and liver were in his chest cavity. (on the left of this picture) This was causing his lungs to collapse and making it difficult for him to breathe. This condition is life threatening enough by itself but to top it off he had also ruptured his abdomen where it attaches to the pelvis and his bladder and small intestine had come out through the hole and were sitting under his skin. Luckily there were no broken bones or major bleeds although his bladder had been leaking into his abdomen.

He was referred to the Veterinary Specialist Group where he spent 3 hours in surgery being put back together again and drains inserted in his abdomen and chest and a urinary catheter. He tried to rip out his tubes and i/v drip a few times while he was hospitalised and really made looking after him a challenge.

Vanessa was greeted by both specialists as she is very familiar with the vets down at VSG having spent many hours there with Rommel. They were surprised by Russel's visual appearance and behaviour as under the anaesthetic they had found such serious injuries. He was still trying to play with the pen around Richard Jerram's neck before he went under anaesthetic.

He had to stay at VSG for a week before he was well enough to be moved to Vetcare where he was hospitalised for a month with no racing around and wrestling with his brother Bruiser while all his insides healed up.

Vanessa was very glad that she had taken out insurance with Petplan when Russel was young as her total bill for the World Cup Carnage was around $6500 and Vanessa only had to pay the $100 excess.

Russel is now almost back to his normal cheeky self and is expected to make a full recovery. He is one very lucky cat!

Golden Oldies Membership extended

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 01:29:00 GMT

We have been running our senior promotion for the last 2 and a half months and it has been so successful that we have decided to extend the offer for the rest of the year at a massively discounted price of $349.00

Of the 30 animals we have seen so far we have managed to find:

6 with high blood pressure – they were put onto medication and have responded well, one cat was just about to loose his sight from detached retinas so we were very happy to have been able to stop this from happening

7 that were given free trials of metacam for arthritis or if they couldn’t have metacam due to other conditions they have been given natural supplements to aid in their mobility

3 cats with early kidney disease that have responded well to a new diet and fluids given under the skin at home

2 that had chronic urinary infections the owners did not know about and have been treated with antibiotics

3 animals that needed their teeth cleaned and have recovered well from this surgery

2 with hyperthyroidism

1 with diabetes

So as you can see it has been well worth it and we hope that all our older pets we treated are having nicer more comfortable lives.

Case Study - Dino - a very lucky cat!

Thu, 11 Aug 2011 05:02:00 GMT

Dino’s owner had gone overseas for a month and had left Dino and his brother Bam Bam in our cattery. They are both around 2 years old and seemed healthy at their vaccinations in April.

About 2 weeks after being in the cattery one of our nurses went down to give the cats a bit of extra attention before we closed on Saturday morning. She was horrified to find Dino flat out on his side struggling to breathe.

We immediately rushed him upstairs to give him emergency oxygen and check him over to try and find out what had happened. He was very pale and had noisy crackling lungs and his heart was almost impossible to hear. After he had settled down a bit he was taken to the Afterhours Emergency clinic as he would need intensive care all weekend.

Here he was placed into an oxygen tent and given some drugs to help remove fluid from his lungs. After a few hours he had improved a lot and was ok to move to radiology where some chest X-rays were taken. These showed he had a condition called pulmonary oedema which means his lungs were full of fluid and he was unable to get enough oxygen even when taking huge gulping breaths.

At this stage they weren’t sure of the cause of Dino’s sudden deterioration, he had no access to toxins as he was in the cattery, it can be caused by a serious allergic reaction or electrocution but more commonly heart failure.

The symptomatic treatment gradually started to improve his condition and his heart sounded very abnormal once his breathing had settled down, it was going very fast and had a heart murmur.

Dino was stablilsed over the weekend but when he arrived back at Vetcare he was still very depressed, dehydrated and not eating. We did blood tests on him and found out his kidney levels were high due to the dehydration and his medication so he was put on a drip for several days and gradually improved.

Dino was taken to Vet specialists group for a echocardiogram. This is an ultrasound of his heart and it showed he had severe heart failure caused by a condition called Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. (See article in FAQs about Hyper hearts) He probably inherited this from one of his parents as at this young age it is unusual.

As this goes to press Dino is almost back to normal and is back running around the cattery with his brother, he will need to be on lifelong medication but we are hopeful he will have a good quality of life for a lot longer.