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September Newsletter
Welcome Spring! This month, we start with the life story of Hudson, a 15 year old Siamese cat who is a regular VIP at our clinic. Next is an article on young Chester who has eaten his share of socks and stones in a short 3 months.  
With the warmer weather, a lot of people are now thinking about preventing fleas, and what products to use. Bravecto is a beef flavoured tablet that will kill fleas for up to 12 weeks, so you only have to remember to give the treatment at each change of season. 
We are very proud of our nurse Becky for winning a competition to Tonga to help animals in need, she will be off to Tonga at the end of September, so keep an eye out for further news on her exciting experience. 
Good news, Charlie the little Cashmere Lop has been re-homed successfully.  
Pet of the Month Winner is Billiejean! 
Hudson's Story of Becoming a VIP at our Clinic
Hudson is a 15 year old Siamese cat with attitude (and a love of KFC)! He will let you know if he wants something by stamping his paws and meowing loudly. Most mornings at home, you'll find him chasing the sun from room to room and snoozing. 

In his younger days, Hudson used to come into our clinic regularly from getting cat-bite abscesses from fighting! However things got a bit more serious in 2012, when he was diagnosed with renal disease. He responded well to going on a special renal diet and with regular weight and health checkups. However in 2013 he was showing signs of advancing renal disease, being unable to regulate the fluid levels in his body, so we taught his owners how to give him regular subcutaneous fluids. This worked well for a while, and Hudson went back to being happy and active. Then, the following year, Hudson started to struggle with dehydration and constipation, so he needed a bit more intensive care. We have been seeing him once a week at our clinic for a checkup, administering fluids, and giving him any other medications that he needs. As we see 'Huddy' so often, he (and his owners) have become part of our clinic family, and the nurses are now his doting 'Aunties'. 



Sara his owner wrote for us; "We are blessed to have Hudson and he looks and acts like a completely normal and reasonably healthy boy, even though his kidneys aren't functioning as well as they should be. For two and a half years he has been having hydration At the Vets which he responds well to. Hudson loves going to the vets for his "daycare" Hydration. He has formed a bond with them all and he gets his mileage of attention out of them!"

Signs of Chronic Renal (Kidney) Disease: Cats with chronic kidney disease often show no visible signs early on, which is why early diagnosis can be challenging. In later stages, signs may include increased thirst, increased urinationweight loss, decreased appetite, lethargy, and, in some cases, vomiting.



 
What's Chester Eaten Again?! 
Young Chester (a 7 month old black Labrador) has had an eventful couple of months with eating objects that are not food, and hopefully has learned his lesson! 

In June, Chester ate a sock and was taken to the After Hours clinic, they gave him some apo-morphine and luckily he was able to vomit up the sock! 

Then a couple of months later in August, Chester was vomiting and unwell, so he was taken to the After Hours clinic again. In his x-ray, they saw something that looked suspiciously like a stone in his small intestine. In the hope that it would move slowly through his intestine and 'pass out' the other end, they kept him overnight on IV fluids. The next morning, Chester was brought through to our clinic and we decided to go ahead with surgically removing the stone, as a subsequent x-ray showed it had not moved, and there was risk of infection and possible trauma to his intestines given the size of the stone. Chester recovered well from the surgical removal of the stone, and his owners were told to keep a close eye on him!  

However just a few days later at his post op check, he had eaten another sock! We hoped it would be easily vomited up again like the first sock, and administered apo-morphine with good results. 

So far, Chester has managed to keep out of trouble for the last few weeks, good boy! 
Would you like a FLEA FREE summer?!
Our pets are with us, our families, and in our homes all year round. With our homes warm and our pets inside, flea treatment needs to be managed all year round. Preventative management of fleas is recommended for your pet’s and family’s health. Not treating for fleas during winter can allow immature fleas to build up in your home, resulting in an outbreak when temperatures increase and the adult fleas develop.

There are now very effective products such as Bravecto® to control fleas. They have active ingredients which work, killing fleas and breaking the flea cycle.

Bravecto is available as a tasty chewable tablet for dogs that protects them from fleas and ticks for 12 weeks. Exciting news, in Feb 2017 Bravecto will be releasing a new 6 Monthly Spot treatment for Dogs!

In October, a 12 week topical treatment for cats will be released, which we are very much looking forward to! 
Talk to our nurses about being put on a reminder system - they can ring or text you to tell you when your next dose is due! 

 
Nurse Becky is going to Tonga! 
CONGRATULATIONS to our dedicated and compassionate nurse BECKY. Out of 40 other applicants who applied with letters about what relevant experience and skills they can bring to a veterinary team working in Tonga, she was shortlisted and won the trip to Tonga with Zoetis and SPAW (South Pacific Animal Welfare) to help animals in need. Becky will be leaving at the end of September to spend one week in Tonga assisting in veterinary nursing duties and will participate in educating the locals about pet care and welfare. 
Charlie's New Home
Charlie, the gorgeous little Cashmere Lop has been re-homed successfully with a family that is dedicated to his care and grooming. He now spends evenings hopping around inside the house, but he is a clever one and will hide when he sees that brush coming out, or if he thinks it's bedtime and he has to go back to his hutch! Charlie's name has been changed to 'Chewie', he seems happy and settled, and his family are very pleased with their new furry addition. 
Pet Of the Month!
Congratulations to Pet of the Month! Thank you Billiejean for posting the photo of your dog on our facebook page. Please come into our clinic to pick up your prize of a Royal Canin bag of dog food. 
For your chance to win Pet of the Month, send in a photo of your pet and keep an eye on our next newsletter. 

FREE Vaccination and Health Check!

Here's how! Download our At The Vet's app to collect one loyalty point each time you visit and spend over $50 (on anything in our clinic, including medical treatment). When you have 12 Loyalty Points, you will receive a free vaccination* and health check for your pet!
Scan the QR code or go to https://atthevets.appsme.com to get the app.
*core vaccinations only - Dogs - Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvovirus, and/or Kennel Cough. Cats - Feline panleucopaenia (or infectious enteritis), feline herpesvirus and feline calicivirus (both causes of “cat flu”).


 
Visit our website to learn about our staff, take a tour of the clinic, keep up with news, and read about the services we offer.
Use the contact page to email us, request repeat prescriptions, and request appointments.
At the Vets is open 7 days - with no weekend surcharges!

You can always book an appointment with us and don't forget to like us on Facebook.
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03 332 6632

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