When Angus was only 10 weeks old he got too close to a cat who unfortunately scratched his left eye and it went right through the clear protective surface known as the cornea.    Read more

Degenerative joint disease is the number one cause of pain in our pets. 20% of all pets of any age have arthritis. This figure climbs to 90% for the over-tens, afflicting both dogs and cats, particularly large breed dogs. The condition is the result of long-term stresses, from an old injury or from a poorly conformed joint during the growth stages of a puppy or kitten.  A pet doesn’t have to be a senior citizen to benefit greatly from joint care supplements or anti-inflammatories.

When a mother feeds her puppy he receives the perfect mix of antibodies and nutrition to protect and develop his immature protective systems - the digestive system, the skin and coat, immune system, and also his brain. Once weaned, his antibody levels drop, leaving a gap in his immune protection.  Read more

Lulu Belle is a 6 year old female, chocolate point Persian. For years she has had problems with vomiting intermittently but in the last 6 months it had got very bad. She was loosing weight, sometimes collapsing when she vomited and generally feeling very sorry for herself. Read more

Although you may not realise it, our pets can also be susceptible to diseases related to excessive sun exposure. Numerous cancers can affect the skin of animals and most are linked to spending time in the sun. Sunburn is painful to animals too, so keep your pet out of the sun in the middle of the day during our harsh New Zealand summers. In pets, sunburn can appear as red skin or hair loss, and in severe cases can progress to blistering or the formation Read more

How fat is too fat?This can be pretty hard to judge in less extreme cases and that’s where vets and vet nurses come in as professionals who can guide, advise and help you, a responsible pet owner who is trying to do their best for their cherished cat or dog. Although weight itself is of course measured on a continuum, the health implications for a slightly overweight pet are minimal, conversely for an obese animal they are very serious.  Read more

NEUTERING OUR PETS – IT’S A NO BRAINER. “ Yeeaaooowww! It seems a bit mean though, a bit cruel don’t you think”. The number of times I hear that comment, especially relayed from men busily extrapolating their human emotions onto that of their pets.  Read more

I was recently observing the antics of a one eyed cat called ‘Blinky” (honestly) and then later the same afternoon I was discussing the potential hind-limb amputation of another cat suffering from partial paralysis (no ironic name for this little one). It got me thinking about how readily our pets can adapt to setbacks that owners may at first think insurmountable for them. Read more

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

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