Clinical Director of Small Animals

We are very excited to announce the appointment of Abby Robertson as our new Clinical Director of Small Animals for the Veterinary Centre. Abby has nearly 20 years experience in small animal veterinary work and over this time has developed a strong interest in advanced medical cases. Many of the these are loved pets which have chronic or life threatening diseases that need on-going treatment and care. Abby has completed years of post-graduate study in a range of small animal disciplines including cardiology, neurology, endocrinology, gastroenterology and emergency medicine, and has advanced skills in ultrasonography – these skills are used daily in her work ups of your pets. Abby’s natural leadership, management skills and empathy leave her well-equipped to oversee the small animal team at the Veterinary Centre – so we can continue to provide the best care possible for your feline and canine companions.

Osteoarthritis in Pets

The weather is starting to turn colder and like us, animals will start to feel the ‘cold in their bones’ after the reprieve of the warmer summer months.

What is Osteoarthritis? It is a progressive disease of the joints.

Although most people think of osteoarthritis as a disease of bone, it’sreally a disease of cartilage. Normal cartilage is in a constant state of deterioration and repair. In the case of arthritis, factors such as breed, obesity, dysplasia, or trauma, worsens the deterioration leading to cartilage loss and inflammation, which gives rise to the clinical signs of pain. Although normally associated with old age, arthritis can even be found relatively commonly in young animals.

What are your dog’s signs? Canine arthritis can often be misinterpreted as the normal signs of getting old, with …

• Lameness

• Difficulty standing

• Reduced ability to play or walk

• Reluctance to jump

• Increased irritability

• Not wanting to be stroked/patted

What are your cat’s signs? Unlike dogs, cats often have disease in multiple joints, meaning that they don’t favour one side or the other because everything hurts! Although diagnosis is challenging, there are clinical signs owners can look for, almost all the signs are tied to behaviour changes …

• Not wanting to/having difficulty jumping.

• Reluctance to go up or down stairs

• Decreased interactions with owners or other animals

• Increased irritability

• Not wanting to be stroked/brushed

• Elimination accidents – difficulty getting in or out of the litterbox

• Sudden vocalisation and running away for no apparent reason

Also, cats tend to mask the signs of pain as a defensive tactic, so it is important for owners to regard any behaviour changes as a potential sign of disease and get it checked out.

How can we treat Osteoarthritis? While there is no cure for osteoarthritis, there are numerous treatment options available that help to reduce pain and support joint health and longevity. Treatment involves considering all the factors of weight management, pain relief, joint support, environmental modification, and physical therapy holistically. Also, the best outcomes are achieved, when support is started as early in the course of the disease as possible.

Arthritis in Cats and Dogs

This issue has a focus on aches and pains in our companion animals. It is important to know that signs of arthritis and pain can be subtle, especially in cats who mask pain as a defensive tactic. Owners often notice changes in their pets such as a new limp, not wanting to jump into the car or in cats, not jumping up to old favourite spots, and they put it down to old age. In most cases these are the first signs of degenerative change and indicate PAIN.

The management of pain in both human and veterinary medicine has changed significantly over the past 10 years. Focus has gone from using a single ‘silver bullet’ to multimodal therapy. What this means is that different medicines that work via different mechanisms are used together to maximise pain relief. In addition, there are natural supplements, diets and environmental modifications that can support the aging pet to try and slow or ease the effects of arthritis. Therefore, relieving pain for our older pets requires an evolving plan that will support changes in the mobility and pain as they age. The team at The Veterinary Centre are here to partner with you to achieve the most comfort for your pet as they age, so come in to see us if you have any concerns.

Unsung Heroes

Rather than an interesting case, this month I would like to do a bit of a shoutout to some unsung heroes. As a pet owner, your interactions with our clinic are usually with our lovely reception staff and our veterinarians. However, in the background at all our clinics, is an amazing, dedicated team of veterinary nurses. This group of people is both skilled in the work they perform and incredibly compassionate towards all our patients (even the ones that don’t love us back all that much). Behind the scenes they are placing catheters, doing x-rays, managing medications, and ensuring that anxious pets have some reassurance and our hospital patients a soft bed and an extra bit of love. We, as veterinarians, absolutely could not do the work that we do without the powerhouse team that is our veterinary nurse colleagues and their work makes a huge difference to the care of all the pets we see at the Veterinary Centre by the Big Blue Cross.

Inspirational Case of Oral Cancer

Alkatraz came in for a vet check-up after her owners noticed she had bad breath and something going on in her mouth.

After examination, she was diagnosed with a large tumor on the underside of her tongue. The tumor was found early enough that it could still be removed, but in order to do this Alkatraz required amputation of most of her tongue. This is a life changing surgery, and it was unknown how well Alkatraz would adjust to living without a tongue.

The surgery was complex but successful. Analysis revealed the tumor was a squamous cell carcinoma, a highly invasive tumor and the second most common oral cancer in dogs. Fortunately the entire tumor had been removed and there was no sign of spread meaning Alkatraz was deemed cancer free.

Alkatraz surprised everyone with how quickly she recovered from surgery. She adapted to new ways of eating and drinking such as ‘chomping’ at her water instead of lapping it.

18 months on, and despite being recently diagnosed with a rare hormonal condition, Addisons disease (unrelated to her tongue), Alkatraz is doing great and her story has since helped reassure owners of other dogs facing tongue amputations.

Essential Holiday Advice

5 things to consider this Holiday Season!

• VACCINATIONS

Keep your pets healthy with a current vaccination, a must if leaving your pet in a cattery or kennel over the holidays. Routine flea and worm treatment is also advisable.

• MEDICATIONS

Don’t let your pets prescription medication run out over the holidays, we need at least 24 hours to process requests. Also consider anti-nausea medication for longer trips.

• MICROCHIPPING

Don’t lose your pet these holidays! Legally all domestic dogs should be microchipped, but you can also chip your cat.

• HEATSTROKE

Make sure your pets don’t overheat - especially if traveling in the car. Make frequent stops and NEVER leave your pet unattended in a hot car. Always have access to water and shade.

• JUNK FOOD

Keep all chocolate, wrapping, cakes, ribbons, string etc away from your pet! These should be kept for the humans of the family!

Skin Cancers and Sun Protection for our pets

Animals, like people, can get sunburnt and suffer from UV induced skin cancers.

• The sites commonly affected are those with minimal hair coverage including ears, nose, eyelids and groins of those pets that love to lie on their backs in the sun.

• Animals with white fur on these areas are especially at risk. Squamous cell carcinomas are especially common on the noses and ears of cats. These will initially look like scratches that won’t heal.

• If treated early enough, the team at the Veterinary Centre are able to perform a non-invasive, cryosurgery to remove them before they become advanced and require surgery. Attacking them early is the key!

Pet specific sunblock is available for pets who are at risk. These are made to be safe if your pet happens to lick it. Please make sure that any outdoor pets are provided with shelter and shade. If you have any concerns about any changes in your pet’s skin, especially if small wounds seem to heal and then come back, then don’t hesitate to come and see one of our friendly vets at the Veterinary Centre or pop into the shop for some sunblock today.

Alpha and his displaced bladder

Alpha was brought into the Ranfurly Veterinary Clinic as he had been straining for the past few days and just not himself. An initial inspection showed Alpha had a painful tummy and a swelling beside his rectum.

Alpha had developed a perineal hernia, this is where the muscles next to the rectum created an opening from the abdomen to under the skin. In Alphas case, his bladder had gone through this opening, and had become stuck under the skin beside his rectum. This created quite a complex problem; not only did Alpha’s bladder need to be replaced and the muscles repaired, but also his kidneys were struggling as Alpha was unable to urinate.

The Ranfurly Veterinary team worked to initially stabilise Alpha and he was then transferred to Oamaru for emergency surgery. Against the odds, Alpha did really well during surgery, his bladder was returned to his abdomen, then the muscles beside his rectum were repaired and his abdomen flushed.

Over the next few days, Alpha remained in Oamaru’s hospital receiving antibiotics, pain relief and plenty of fluids to support his kidneys. Alpha was also started on a special diet designed to help protect the kidneys going forward.

Alpha recently came back into the Ranfurly Veterinary Clinic for his 2 week check-up. We are all very happy to report, despite such an ordeal, and with the help of the Veterinary Centre team Alpha is doing very well.

Combatting Hip Dysplasia

Canine Hip Dysplasia is a common cause of crippling lameness and painful arthritis of the joints later in life. It is an extremely common, inherited disease in dogs where there is abnormal formation of the hip socket. Larger dogs such as German Shepherds, Rottweilers, Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers are commonly affected breeds.

The Veterinary Centre Oamaru offers a diagnostic x-ray procedure, called the “PennHIP procedure” that identifies the risk of this disease. Puppies can be screened from as early as four months of age and the procedure can be easily performed at the time of a spey or neuter.

Additionally, in puppies under 5 months of age that have been diagnosed with hip dysplasia or are considered at high risk for the disease, a minimally invasive surgery is available to prevent canine hip dysplasia by influencing the shape of the hip joint as a puppy grows.

Identifying and treating this disease early can have huge benefits later in life. Please call us if you would like more information on each of these procedures.

Lucy and her Lungworms

At 16 weeks old, Lucy was a happy and healthy playful little kitten. At 17 weeks old, Lucy was no longer happy or healthy. Lucy visited the Veterinary Centre after developing a nasty cough and becoming very lethargic. When the vet saw her, Lucy had very loud, rattly lungs and was breathing faster than normal. Lucy was hospitalised for a few days and received intensive treatment for lungworms. Within a few days she was improving and within a week Lucy was back to her energetic mischievous self.

Lungworm is most commonly seen in kittens and can be seen in older or immunocompromised cats as well. Cats become infected when they eat rodents, birds, lizards, slugs, and snails. The worms travel from the intestines to the lungs where they can cause severe disease and can sometimes even be fatal.

Not all worm treatments are effective against lungworm! With lots of Tiny Tigers going out into the world it is very important to stay on top of parasite control and while they are still young, making sure you are treating for lungworm is essential.