I can't believe how early Easter is this year. We normally sent out a message about the dangers of chocolate in April but by then the danger will be all eaten !!! Dogs are designed to seek out any morsel of chocolate - big or small, wrapped or unwrapped. I know my Lab Holly can seek out anything edible !!! The problem is that there is a caffeine like substance in chocolate called theobromine. Dogs have trouble digesting this and ingestion leads to: Hyperactivity Tremors , pan

We recently had a cat Ralf ( name changed to protect his identity ! ) come in because his owner noticed that he was going to the litter tray very frequently and not producing anything. He was getting more agitated. By the time we saw him that night his stomach was bloated, tight and sore to touch. His bladder was full because he had become blocked. This was an emergency because when blocked the pressure in the bladder can reach back into the kidneys and damage them. Toxins ca

Feline Panleukopaenia is a fatal, devastating viral disease infecting predominantly young unvaccinated cats ( under 1 year ). it lives and replicates in the lympoid tissue and bone marrow causing a depletion of white blood cells, destroying the cat's immunity. The virus is transmitted between cats via faeces, saliva and vomit. It can be hardy and can live in the environment for over 1 year so isolation from other cats deos not necessarily mean a cat is safe. It can potentiall

There are many causes of vomiting. These can include pancreatitis, an intestinal obstruction from a bone or a piece of string ( especially in cats ), liver or kidney disease or disease such as diabetes. If your pet has had a good technicolored yaws, what should you do? Assuming your pet is bright and otherwise well after a one-off vomit, keep a close eye on them over the next 24 hours. Its best to withhold food for a few hours and off limitted frequent drinks for dehydration.

Dianne has taken off on her annual holidays. She will be away for 5 weeks this time. Her journey takes Europe this time including skiing in Switzerland, While she is away we have Ronny filling in. Ronny is a New Zealand graduate and move across the ditch late last year doing locums for various clinics. He has several years experience including working in a busy mixed practice where there were many surgeries including orthopaedics. I am sure you will enjoy his caring and throu

For years, veterinarians have been recommending pets chew raw chicken necks to reduce the incidence of dental disease. An article recently released by researchers at Melbourne University Veterinary School suggests that this may not be a good idea. Recent research suggests that feeding chicken necks can lead to a rare but potentially fatal type of canine paralysis. The study found that the consumption of raw chicken meat increased the risk of developing the paralysing conditio