Like everyone else at Easter time my thoughts go mainly to memories of chocolates devoured over the years as a child.                       To my amazement I have discovered there is not one single recorded medical case of people dying from chocolate. I've come close.     Read more

Hi from all of us here at VetCare. This week, through difficult circumstances, the topic all our clients are discussing is dog attacks. We are very fortunate in this central city community that the vast majority of dog owners are very responsible and have well trained dogs given defined boundaries, both geographically and behaviourally.  Read more

Cancer, has been one of the major topics I’ve recently been immersing myself in at the Australasian Veterinary Conference. Currently more than One Third of all our pets reaching the age of ten will be killed by cancer.  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

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

Shaggy is a gentle white English Bull Terrier that has led a tumultuous life Despite many ups and downs, Shaggy has now reached the grand old age of 12. Her owners first found her as a youngster at Bull Terrier Rescue, where she was recovering from a fractured leg and ribs due to physical abuse. It was love at first sight and she soon settled into her new home in Ponsonby, Auckland. Shaggy responded well to their loving care, but unfortunately was abducted from her home by thieves looking for fighting dogs.   Read more