Kill the Pests, Not Your Pet!

Slug Bait At this time of the year Nelson home gardeners are in full swing. One of the frustrations for gardeners is having garden pests destroy our good work. A few slugs can demolish a bed of lettuce seedlings overnight. Slug baits containing metaldehyde are...

Prostate Disease in Dogs

Prostate problems in dogs are common but are rarely as dramatic as Choco’s (see separate story). The most common signs are straining as if to pass stools (tenesmus), blood dripping from the penis, urinary tract infections, urinary leakage or sometimes difficulty...

Spring Pollens Can Cause Skin Allergies in Pets

Spring Pollens can Cause Skin Allergies in Pets In the past weeks clouds of yellow pollen have been seen blowing out over Tasman Bay from the pine forests of Rabbit Islands. The rain leaves slicks of yellow goo in our gutters. Skin irritation is the most common reason...

Tapeworms in Surprising Places

Tapeworms hit the headlines last week! The image of a slithering tapeworm segment reportedly found in a burger went viral (wrong metaphor!) last week. It looked to me like a freshly cast segment (proglottid) of the common tapeworm associated with flea infestations in...