Kora the Miracle Dog

Kora was rescued from near death as a pup by the loving Henderson family.

While visiting a farm in Palmerston with her family she was accidentally run over. Her grandparents rushed her to the Veterinary Centre Palmerston. She was given pain medication and promptly sen up to Oamaru for further treatment. On arrival at the veterinary hospital she was started on emergency support including intravenous fluids and oxygen. X-rays revealed that her stomach and liver had moved into her chest preventing her from being able to breathe. She was taken into surgery straight away to have her ruptured diaphragm repaired and her liver and stomach returned to their position in the abdomen. Kora was a real fighter and recovered remarkably quickly from surgery.

We look forward to Kora coming for a visit soon for a catch up with our miracle dog.

Cat and Dog Poisons

We all know our furry friends often like to get their noses stuck into a variety of things - but there is a list of common household substances that can be very dangerous to dogs and cats and should be avoided!

• Chocolate: the darker the chocolate the more harmful substances it contains. Coffee and caffeine contain similar harmful chemicals.
• Grapes and raisins: can cause kidney failure
• Macadamia nuts
• Avocado
• Xylitol: is an artificial sweetener found in many products, including sugar- free chewing gum
• Plants: tulips, daffodils, azaleas just to name a few
• Anti-freeze: animals love the sweet taste of anti-freeze
• Rodenticides: either direct ingestion or through eating a poisoned rodent
• Paracetamol: there is alternative veterinary pain relief available
• Onions (and garlic): can cause a life threatening anaemia 
• Alcohol

Common signs you may see in your dogs and cats following ingestion of these poisons are vomiting, diarrhoea, collapsing and seizures. Typically the more they eat the more severe the signs are. if you have seen your pets tuck into any of these toxins then contact us immediately. The sooner we can help your animal the better the result will be.

Peculiar Prostatic Problem

Benson, an eight year old entire male Border Collie, recently came into our Waimate Veterinary Centre because he was unwell, arching his back and not eating.

A large mass could be felt in his abdomen so an ultrasound was performed. This revealed that Benson's prostate was dramatically enlarged, containing a number of small cysts, and was attached to a very large cyst.

Delicate surgery to remove the large cyst was required. The smaller cysts were drained and Benson was castrated.

Prostatic enlargement is very common in older entire male dogs and can lead to constipation, difficulty urinating and occasionally more sever problems. Castration allows the prostate to shrink and is often the only treatment required. This is a simple day procedure with huge health benefits to your male dog so contact you Veterinary Centre today to book your dog in.

Benson recovered well from surgery however he will need to be on medication for some time to come.

Slug Bait Toxicity Alert

Pet poisonings are always very distressing for the pet, the owner and even the vets! Slug bait is a common household item toxic to pets and autumn is one of the recommended periods for its use.

Slug bait acts as a nerve agent and has very sudden onset of action, typically within about an hour of being eaten.

If your dog does eat slug and snail bait it is important to contact your vet ASAP because death can occur very rapidly. At the Veterinary Centre we have successfully treated dogs for slug bait poisoning with quick diagnosis and treatment (usually by inducing vomiting) being key to full recovery.

To avoid poisoning make sure you keep slug bait out of reach of your pets or buy a pet friendly version of this product.