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“There will never be an effective vaccine against feline herpesvirus (FHV) and feline calicivirus (FCV)” our virology lecturer asserted to my 4th year vet class. That was 1974. By 1976 as a fresh-faced new graduate in Waitara I was using the newly launched cat...

This is a very common problem. In a survey of over 25000 owners 41% said their dogs showed mild to moderate fear when going to the vet and 14% showed extreme fear. In other studies up to 80% of dogs were reported to be fearful at the vets. This runs counter to our...

Scout's Story Scout was semi-comatose in the back of the SUV when I went out to check on him. Murray had rung earlier to say Scout was ill after eating compost some hours before. “I’ve seen many dogs ill from eating compost but never comatose”, I commented. “But...

As a resident of Queen's Gardens I am sure Rabbit has gone by many names. But when I saw him “Rabbit” for unknown reasons popped into my head – and stuck. I am unsure how long he had lived at the Gardens for, but if you are a frequent visitor you may remember seeing...

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...

How can I recognise anxiety in my pet? More pets run away, get lost and/or injured during fireworks season than any other time in the year, and let's not forget it’s not only Guy Fawkes night we have to be concerned about. These types of festivities usually start...

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 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 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...

In this past week we have seen several dogs with canine cough and received a flurry of phone calls from concerned owners whose dogs had typical symptoms. For many, the initial description is “I think there might be something stuck in my dog’s throat”. Dogs don’t have...

Because pets get cancer too, and it is not just the old ones. I remember my 10 year old son Thomas coming to me one morning saying “Dad, Bartok has got a big lump on his neck”. Bartok was our 9 month old Viszla puppy. Viszlas have very short coats and I was handling...

Betty is an amazing girl with a very sweet temperament approaching her fourteenth year.   She has always led an active lifestyle but over the last few years her doting family noticed she was starting to slow down a little. Her movements were becoming stiffer. She...