Creating Good Eating Habits For Your Kitten
How much food does my kitten need? Once you have chosen a suitable food you need to decide how much to feed and how often. The top manufacturers all provide recommendations on the packaging as to how much of their product to feed and these can be used as a guideline....
Nutrition- for your Kitten
Nutrition - for your Kitten Why is nutrition important to my kitten? We have all heard the expression 'you are what you eat' and this is never more true than in the young growing kitten. Proper development of the teeth, bones, internal organs etc relies upon supply of...
Nutrition- for your puppy
Nutrition- for your puppy Why is nutrition important? We have all heard the expression 'you are what you eat' and this is never more true than in the young, growing puppy. Proper development of the teeth, bones, internal organs etc relies upon supply of the correct...
Worming Your Cat
Why do I need to worm my cat? All cats need regular worming to ensure control of roundworm, hookworm and tapeworm. These three worm types live in the stomach or intestines and can cause vomiting and diarrhoea, though more commonly they lead to general poor condition...
Worming Your Dog
Why should I worm my dog? Worms are a common cause of ill-health in dogs and can cause symptoms ranging from loss of appetite, pot belly, vomiting and diarrhoea, coughing, anaemia and even death. Dogs are affected by four worm types in New Zealand—roundworms,...
Whelping bitches – notes for owners
Whelping Bitches - notes for owners Is your Bitch about to Whelp? These notes are designed to allow your bitch to have a trouble free whelping, and to help you understand the process. If things do go wrong you are then better informed as to when to seek help. Contact...
Vaccinating your rabbit
Rabbit Vaccinations Why should I vaccinate my rabbit? Rabbit Calicivirus Disease (RCD) is one of the main causes of death in pet rabbits in Marlborough and all pet rabbits should be vaccinated against this. What is RCD? RCD was introduced illegally into New Zealand in...
Pre-dental for cats and dogs
Pre-Dental Information For Your Cat and Dog Why does my pet need a dental? Your vet has advised that your pet needs their teeth cleaned – or as we call it a ‘dental’. Because cats and dogs don’t brush their teeth twice daily like we do, tartar (plaque) builds up on...
Vaccinations- For Dogs and Puppies
Vaccinations- For Dogs and Puppies Why should I vaccinate? Your puppy should have received its first vaccination together with a physical check up at 6-8 weeks of age. The Breeder has often had this done prior to the puppy being re-homed and you should have received a...
Vaccinations- For Your Cat and Kittens
Why do I need to Vaccinate? Cats are susceptible to a range of viral diseases that can be fatal in severe cases. Viruses are usually spread by close contact between cats. Antibiotics have no effect against viruses so treatment usually consists of attempts to alleviate...
Trocoxil – arthritis in dogs
Trocoxil – the once monthly treatment for arthritis in dogs Trocoxil is a major breakthrough in the treatment of arthritis in dogs. It is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) in the same class of drugs as Rimadyl, Metacam and Previcox but because of its very...
Tail docking
The Vet Centre supports the policy of the New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) on tail docking and will no longer dock puppies tails. The NZVA policy opposes the cosmetic docking of dogs’ tails and supports docking for medical or surgical reasons only. The NZVA...
Rat Bait
Whats the topic for today? Rat bait poisoning – Ive talked about this before but it is such a common problem that I think i need to mention it again. Does that cause a lot of problems around Marlborough? Yes its the number one poisoning that we see in dogs. We see...
Mismating
Whats the topic for today? I’m going to talk about accidental mating of bitches You mean things like the morning after pill? Sort of. There is a course of 2 injections that we give to prevent pregnancy after mating but people don’t need to panic about having this done...
Ultra Sound Scanner
Whats the topic for today? I’m going to talk about the use of ultrasound scanning of cats and dogs Is that the same procedure as when a human has an ultrasound scan? Yes just the same really. In fact the ultrasound scanner we have at the Vet centre is from the Wairau...
Pancreatitis in Dogs
Whats the topic for today? Pancreatitis in dogs and the risk of fatty festive foods What exactly is pancreatitis? Basically its inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas contains lots of enzymes for digesting the food we eat but in pancreatitis these enzymes start to...
Rabbit Abscess
Whats the topic for today? Well we often talk about quite complicated and sometimes rare diseases so today I thought I’d talk about the good old simple abscess. What exactly is an abscess? Basically it’s a collection of pus in a cavity within body tissues. Pus is the...
Old Cats
Whats the topic for today? Old cats and the problems they can have. How old is an old cat? How long do they live for? The average life expectancy is about 13-15 but we see quite a few that reach 20. The oldest cat I ever met was 24. Do you know how old the oldest cat...
Itchy Ears in Dogs
Whats the topic for today? Itchy ears in dogs You must be talking about ear mites, right? Well people often jump to that conclusion but they are usually not the cause. Ear mites do cause itchy ears but they are quite rare nowadays. So what does usually cause itchy...
Mange in Dogs
Whats the topic for today? Mange in dogs Mangey dogs, they are the scabby, itchy, bald ones aren’t they? Well mange does cause hairloss and scabs but contrary to popular opinion not all bald scabby itchy dogs have mange. Mange refers to a specific type of skin disease...
Insulinoma in Dogs
Whats the topic for today? I'm going to talk about insulinomas in dogs. What are those? It’s a type of tumour that grows on the pancreas And what problems does it cause? It’s a bit like the opposite of diabetes. In diabetes (type1) the pancreas stops producing...
Horse Wormer- Not For Dogs
Whats the topic for today? I want to talk about a sad story I was involved with last week to make sure that no-one else makes the same mistakes. Tell us more! Last week we had a small dog that was rushed into us in a coma. It was completely unconscious and had stopped...