A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.  Read more

This fantastic weather we’ve all been enjoying has also got our pets outside being super active and having their own set of great adventures. Not surprisingly the incidence of mishaps rises correspondingly. One summer culprit that can be found lurking in some of our fresh and brackish water areas is a lethal threat to our pets, to livestock and to humans.  Read more

IT’S OFFICIAL: Statistics Prove Cats and Dogs Are Taking Over. Sixty-three percent of U.S. households have at least one pet (80% here in NZ), and on their 89 million cats and 75 million dogs (1.5 million cats and 750,000 dogs in NZ), they’re spending a massive $60 Billion for pet products and services. Read more

Rommel the Rottweiler began his life on 1 March 2000, oblivious to his impending rise to fame, but boasting a good strong German name to go with his breed’s German heritage. Rommel’s little black-and-tan body seemed perfectly formed and he quickly started to grow, developing a large muscular frame. His father, a TV-commercial star, would have been proud of his strapping son. Read more

Never underestimating the strength of that human-animal bond is one of the biggest lessons you learn as a young veterinarian (long long ago now). As technology leaps ahead pet lovers are becoming increasingly net savvy. People’s pets are now making their way onto the web. Read more

This has got to be an opportune time to bust open a few myths regarding our little local creeping parasites, FLEAS. Fleas love the heat. With this spectacular summer comes a hoard of the biting, jumping, blood suckers. Please don’t dismiss them as a problem simply because you’ve only noticed one of the little suckers. The key is to wipe them out early. Read more

This month I thought i'd offer a smorgasbord of pet related websites to visit. First cab off the rank is Animals Asia. This conservation organization has rescued over 500 moon bears from barbaric bile milking and is slowly and relentlessly building public support to stop the practice entirely. I’ve met Jill myself while she was in NZ fundraising and can’t overemphasize the respect I have for her. www.animalsasia.org .  Read more

With Guy Fawkes rapidly approaching I thought it timely to discuss options for this most common of animal noise phobia scenarios. For severely afflicted pets this time of year can be very distressing and owners can similarly suffer, observing their pet’s fear, property destruction, soiling or running away. Read more

Jade is a beautiful and exceptionally gentle cream-coloured Staffordshire Bull Terrier cross. At 13 years of age, it’s not unusual that a few of her body systems are starting to wear out. Read more