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Wellness Care at Halifax Veterinary Centre
“I could throttle him!” The young woman dragged her Border Collie into the clinic. “He just pulled my daughter onto the road. If a car had been coming she would be dead! I want one of those Halti collars that controls your dog when he is on the lead.” One of our...
BESTPRACTICE Hospital Standards accreditation
Yes, we've done it again. We recently passed our 9th BESTPRACTICE Hospital Standards audit, maintaining our cherished accreditation status. Back in March 2000 we were the first veterinary practice in New Zealand to become accredited to the BESTPRACTICE Hospital...
Itchy dogs – allergen hypersensitivity
Dogs scratch, lick or chew because they are itchy; it is very unusual for a dog to do this simply out of habit. A common cause of itchiness in dogs is allergy or atopy, a hereditary hypersensitivity to certain allergens. However, it is important to remember that not...
BESTPRACTICE the key to NZVA award
Thanks for the many kind words I do appreciate the cards, emails and many kind and thoughtful comments following my Outstanding Service Award from the New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA). You can read the article here if you missed it. In considerable measure...
Hunter of the Year 2016
We have a winner! It was truly hard to pick a winner this year. There were many good and deserving entries.Cats across Nelson are proving they are genuine eco-warriors in the work they do in suppressing the rodent population and thus benefitting native birdlife....
Cat predation – Peng You’s story
Cats are fascinating to watch. But not many pet owners take cat-watching as far as Dr John Flux has. John observed his cat Peng You closely and recorded a great deal about her behaviour. In particular he observed and recorded her hunting behaviour - what she caught,...
Cat loses fight to save penis!
Marty is an unusual cat. Rescued from Dubai, he is an Arabian Mau. I love it that the Arabians call their cats Mau. Makes sense. But Marty no longer has a penis. I had to amputate it 10 days ago. Nearly three weeks before Marty had presented off his food, sore and...
Blocked bladder in cats
The Remarkable Story of Mr KnotSmith Flack. Jean Gordon-Kirgan and Joan Flack are great cat lovers. Over the years they have visits from this wonderful character of a black cat who, neighbourhood lore has it, is a stray. He makes himself at home for part of each day...
Great team saved my dying dog
It was good to be a Halifax client! This morning I walked the dogs down to the back beach in Nelson. Stunning clear day with some high wispy cirrus. The sea was mirror flat. My 13 year-old dog Bartok loved it. But just two days before he was at death's door. I sent...
Obesity – more dangerous than you think!
Fat - we think of it as white blobby stuff, an energy store for our bodies, but not much more. It’s hard to get rid of, so it must be a pretty inactive tissue, right? Wrong! Our fat is the biggest endocrine (hormone producing) gland in our bodies and it has a...
Dental Pain in Cats and Dogs
"She is playing like a kitten and she hasn't played in years!" It was just 48 hours after Tinkerbell had had a major dental procedure with several teeth extracted and Alistair Mapperley was so happy. Two days before it had been a different story. Tinkerbell was...
Laryngeal paralysis
Remember that ad on TV about asthma? It told us having asthma was like trying to breathe through a straw. Get a straw yourself and try it. I didn’t last long before I gave up! Asthma is rare in dogs but laryngeal paralysis, which also affects breathing ability, is...