Welcome to our newest team member – Vet Nuse Kendall Wilton
Having recently relocated from Auckland, Kendall studied Vet Nursing at Vet Nurse Plus and
gained her Diploma towards the end of 2019. A passionate animal lover, Kendall enjoys all aspects of the job but especially caring for a pet who makes a full recovery.
Outside of work, Kendall loves to be outdoors whether it’s climbing the summit or heading to the foreshore – she is really enjoying the Taranaki lifestyle and all it has to offer. Back home she has a 10-year-old Westie called ‘Toxie’ and no doubt, she will start to accumulate more pets while working here!
Spraying Cats
Cat spraying is a common behaviour and although you may not notice it at first, you will definitely smell it. This ‘marking their territory’ is usually a
sign of stress and can be caused by a change in your cat’s environment. It can be tricky to pinpoint the cause of stress.
Some examples include;
- Bringing home a new pet or baby
- new furniture
- a new house guest
- or even a new neighbourhood dog
It is always important to bring your cat in for a check up with the vet to rule out a medical problem. For example; bladder or urinary tract infection, diabetes, kidney or liver issues may all cause cats to urinate inside.
Emergency Veterinary Visits
What do I do if I need to contact the after-hours vet?
We have a 24 hour, seven-day-a-week emergency service available so if your pet requires emergency care we are here to help. You simply call our phone number (06) 7584006, Where you can leave a detailed message or speak directly to our after-hours vet. If they are involved with another emergency, it may take them a few minutes to return the call. If you have not heard from them in 5 – 10 minutes, then please call again.
What is a pet emergency?
There are many situations but here are some common conditions which would require urgent emergency veterinary care:
- Traumatic injuries such as being hit by a car
- Acute vomiting and/or diarrhoea
- Ingestion of a toxic substance
- Urinary tract obstructions – if your pet can not pee, it’s an emergency!
- Eye injuries
- Lacerations or bite wounds
- Laboured or difficult breathing
- Ingested foreign object
- Seizuring
- Open fractures
- Sudden change in mental status or activity
Pet emergencies are, by nature, unpredictable and while we try as pet parents to reduce all dangers, some pets can be very curious and can sometimes put themselves in harm’s way. If you need help, call us on (06) 7584006 and we can talk you through your pet situation.
Could my dog have arthritis?
Osteoarthritis doesn’t just happen to older dogs.
Surprisingly, 20% of dogs show signs as early as age 1 and 80% of dogs will show signs by age 8.
Learn your dog’s risk and what you can do to help.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Rat Bait Poisoning
As the weather changes, we all start placing rat bait around to control rodents. Unfortunately, this is also about the time we start to see an increase in dog poisoning.
Things you need to be aware of:
- Rat bait is tasty to encourage rats to eat it and dogs find it tasty too!
- Rat bait kills. It stops the blood from clotting and causes death by bleeding. After ingestion, internal bleeding occurs throughout the body and this will eventually kill the animal.
- It takes several days after eating bait before the bleeding starts.
- Vitamin K is the antidote but you need to start using this BEFORE bleeding starts as it can take up to 24 hours to work. If your dog is bleeding then it is life-threatening and they may require a blood transfusion to provide clotting factors and red blood cells.
- As a treatment, Vitamin K can be expensive and you need to give it every day for at least 2 – 4 weeks. A blood test is recommended after finishing the treatment to ensure your dog’s blood clotting is normal again.
Canine Itch
It’s normal for your dog to itch and scratch itself occasionally, but if the itching is causing your canine distress or disrupting your household, it may be a case of ‘Itchy dog’, also known as ‘Canine itch’. Read more..
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