New regulations are in force meaning that if you leave your dog in a parked car and it is showing signs of heat distress you can receive a fine and a broken car window. Dogs quickly suffer and die in hot cars, so please leave your dogs at home. If you leave a dog in…
Retired Working Dogs NZ is a registered charity that works to find homes for working farm dogs if they are unable to work due to age, injury or have no interest in stock. Retired pig dogs and hunting dogs are also included! The charity started in Pahiatua in 2012 and has since grown to a…
Many people know the importance of insuring their items, their house or car, even their own health. Fortunately we are also able to insure pets, for not only medical and surgical care but in some cases routine visits can be covered (including vaccinations and wellness checks/blood tests). Like any insurance, the hope is that you…
To be skinny despite continuously eating, is that not the dream for a lot of people? Unfortunately for our furry friends it can be a sign of something more sinister lurking beneath the surface – hyperthyroidism. Hyperthyroidism is a disease that we mostly see in cats over the age of 10, although it can happen…
Middle aged to older cats can suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension). It occurs when a cat’s arterial blood pressure is continually higher than normal. This can be the result of worsening renal function or hyperthyroidism (elevation in thyroid hormone) but mostly we just don’t know why it happens. High blood pressure can affect many…
Much like the human population, companion animals are becoming increasingly overweight. In New Zealand the statistics are alarmingly high and a significant proportion of the patients we see on a day to day basis are overweight. Why should we care and why not just embrace our fuller-bodied pets? A concept that has in the past…
What is this disease we are talking about, that in some cases, you may not even know is happening in your own dog until she becomes very sick and compromised…. Pyometra (pyo) is effectively a pus filled uterus that can develop in an ovary intact bitch. Why this occurs, without getting too technical, is because…
General stiffness, slowing down, difficulty rising… Is it just old age? Our senior pets may show subtle signs or be quite obvious in their attempts to tell us about their problems. One of these problems that we commonly see is arthritis. Signs may include lameness in one or more legs, difficulty getting up in the…
Duck shooting doesn’t seem to cause many concerns for our canine companions, usually only a few cuts and bruises that are insignificant compared to the enjoyment derived from the exercise. However getting damp in water for long periods can give rise to a flare up of ear disease (otitis externa). Some dogs seem prone to…
Dogs, like us, have two sets of teeth during their lives. The deciduous (baby) teeth appear shortly after birth and are replaced by the permanents at around four to six months of age. Deciduous teeth cause few problems except where they are retained beyond about eight months of age. If this occurs, displacement of the…
