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Auckland Veterinary Services Ltd Welcome to the silly season. Kids Fun Fact Sheet This newsletter we have a few tips on trimming your pet’s nails, a story about a diabetic cat, the staff member of the issue Andrea Martin and we have some information on repeat medications. Take a look at our new Children’s fact sheets, they are designed to show children how they should act around their pets and how to help mum and dad look after them. Don’t forget to visit our website at www.aucklandvetservices.co.nz for even more information about caring for your pets. We have them available on our website or you can ask at reception for a copy next time you are in. We hope you enjoy this issue of our newsletter. Remember if you would like to see a topic covered in the newsletter –just let us know! Have a safe and happy Christmas and New Year. The Team From Auckland Veterinary Services AVS Bake Off After taking part in the SPCA Cupcake day, the staff here at AVS decided to have our own baking competition. It made Thursday morning tea-time a little more interesting not to mention competitive. Now we will all have to get exercising to burn off the extra calories we consumed taste testing. The Winner of the 2010 AVS Bake Off is Caroline. Caroline’s winning dish was a Passion fruit Roulade, doesn’t it look delish…. it was. Have a look on our website to see what other staff members baked. To Redeem This Voucher Please Present To Auckland Veterinary Services. Limit one bag per voucher Auckland Veterinary Services Ltd. 4143 Great North Road Glen Eden. Phone 818 5697 Fax: 818 4030 Email: [email protected] Website: www.aucklandvetservices.co.nz The Diabetic Cat Fergus came to visit us because he wasn’t feeling very well, his owners noticed that he was drinking a lot of water and was very depressed, which was very unlike him. He was also losing weight and vomiting frequently. The veterinarian examined Fergus and it was decided that laboratory tests would be the best way to find out what was going on. A sample of blood was taken from his neck and a urine sample was also collected. The samples were sent off to the laboratory for testing and the results came back consistent with Fergus having diabetes. While there is no cure for diabetes there is medication available to control the symptoms. Fergus was started on the medication to help manage his diabetes and thus return him to as healthy a state as possible. He was also put onto Hills M/D, a food specially formulated for diabetic cats. The medication he gets is called insulin and he has to have it injected twice daily. He is very good at receiving his medication and his owner says he even stands and waits for it to be given to him; the needle is so small that he hardly feels a thing. Now Fergus is doing much better, he is no longer vomiting, he has a lot more energy and he has started to drink normal amounts of water. Because Fergus has only just been diagnosed with diabetes he has to have blood tests at AVS once a month until his diabetes is stabilised and the vet finds the correct dose of insulin that works for him. Every cat is different so the same dose of insulin won’t work for all cats. We will see Fergus every six months, once he is stabilised, to make sure he is doing ok. All going to plan he will live a relatively normal life so long as he continues on his treatment. Predisposing factors for diabetes are: Obesity Hormonal Abnormalities Some medications Genetic Make-Up Infection or Illness If you have any concerns that your cat may be diabetic please feel free to phone one of our experienced staff to discuss your concerns and/or make an appointment to see one of our vets on 8185697. You could also look at our diabetic fact sheet on our website www.aucklandvetservices.co.nz Slip Slop Slap We cover up in summer ourselves, what about your pets? Here are some summer tips. Always have fresh clean water available Provide shelter away from the heat of the sun. Never leave a pet unattended in a car even with the windows down. Sunscreen! On the tips of the ears and nose for lighter coloured pets and don’t forget the tummy for the dogs and cats who like to sunbathe on their backs. Also: Cooling bandanas are available for your dog to wear around their necks. You could also try freezing an ice-cream container of water for your dogs to lick over the day as it melts, also try adding bits of meat or treats for them to find as it melts. Sunglasses—Yes doggy sunglasses called “Doggles” are for dogs that are out and about a lot or those who just want to look cool, they are especially good to protect the eyes of dogs who love to hang their heads out of car windows. Auckland Veterinary Services Ltd. 4143 Great North Road Glen Eden. Phone 818 5697 Fax: 818 4030 Email: [email protected] Website: www.aucklandvetservices.co.nz Repeat Prescriptions Veterinarians must comply with a code of ethics in respect to the use of the licensed medications we use. If these are not followed we may face disciplinary action or even legal prosecution. Under certain conditions we are able to repeat medications for a patient without them having another consultation. These conditions are often met by animals with chronic conditions requiring ongoing medication. We have a system in place that means every time that patient is examined by one of our veterinarians, their ongoing prescriptions will be updated for a maximum of another six months. After that date they will need to be examined again. This ongoing monitoring of your pets health is required as all medications can have side effects and in some cases these side effects can be life threatening. If you require repeat medication please phone us ahead of time, this allows us to get the medication ready before you arrive and allows us time to get authorisations from the appropriate Veterinarian, if required. Get to know the AVS team. We have a great team of staff who are dedicated to providing exceptional client service and patient care. Most of the team have been with AVS for many years so we thought you may enjoy getting to know more about them. This issue we get to know Andrea a little better. Andrea started working at AVS in 2004. She lives in New Lynn with Keith (the husband) Marshall and Fletcher (the 2 legged children) What is your favourite food? – Chocolate Other than New Zealand – Where would you like to live? – Melbourne, my best friend lives there. What pets do you have at home? – Our dogs are Bruno the big softy and Brooke the little nutter. Our cats are Rusty the quiet one and James Bond the physically challenged, I find it hard to resist those special strays!. What do you do in your spare time? – Bush Walks out in the Waitakeres’ or visiting the friendly animals at Karamatura Farm at Huia. I also try to beat Georgina and Caroline at the Bubble Island game on Facebook (usually without luck). What do you enjoy most about your job? – Helping people care for their pets. Who is your favourite celebrity? – Julia Roberts Auckland Veterinary Services Ltd. 4143 Great North Road Glen Eden. Phone 818 5697 Fax: 818 4030 Email: [email protected] Website: www.aucklandvetservices.co.nz Nail Clipping Most cats and dogs dislike having a pedicure. Welcome Little Bundles of Joy Here are a few tips to help you out. If you take your dog for regular walks on the pavement their nails will naturally wear down and generally won’t need any attention from you. You will know their nails need a trim when your dog is in a standing position, nice and relaxed, and the nails are touching the ground. your cat is getting their nails hooked in the carpet or your clothes. The trick to trimming nails is to do a little bit at a time. If you clip your pet’s nails at home you have the luxury of taking a small amount off each nail and then trying again another day. We had the pleasure of helping Stella (Mummy) and Sumo (Daddy) conceive their little family. Stella had 9 beautiful puppies that were born in September this year. They have all found wonderful loving homes and we wish them all the very best. If the nails are white it is easier to see the quick (the pink part in the middle of the nail where the blood vessels and nerves are) never go closer than a couple of mm from the end of the quick. If the nails are black it is a bit trickier, in this case just take a few mm at a time until you see the cut surface of the nail start to change colour. Another trick is to use a nail file (not so easy in cats though) to take the sharpness away. You could do this while sitting down watching TV, great one on one time with your dog. You may need to ease into this over a period of time until your dog is used to it. Thank You If all else fails give us a call and make an appointment to see one of our nurses on 8185697. Toby’s Talk I hope this year has gone well for you and your families. I am looking forward to seeing those of you coming to stay with me over the holidays in the cattery. This year I have seen the clinic’s reception transformed, I can no longer sleep in the medicines for collection box that used to be behind reception but I think you will all agree that the new look suits us. Other than that I have had a pretty uneventful year. Now that I am a senior citizen I’ve slowed down a lot but I have the luxury of being allowed to sleep pretty much 23 hours a day. They look after me well here; all I have to do is walk over the keyboards the nurses are working on to get a cuddle. Caroline is the biggest softy, she lets me get away with loads. I look forward to seeing you next time you come in, if you don’t see me I’m probably still in bed (or on top of it) XX Toby P.s to my cat friends, if you need a new bed for Christmas I tried one of these out and they are very cosy! The winner of the free dog walk in our last newsletter was was Maddi King. We hear Maddi and Jeanette from Animal Crackers enjoyed a great bush walk together. Thanks again Jeanette for giving your time for our competition. Happy Birthday to Georgina and Toby who have birthdays in January, Danielle for February and Debbie for March. Flea Product Winners... Each month we give away a packet of Advantage to one of our clients who return the AVS client questionnaire. We send client questionnaires to randomly selected existing clients and all new clients. The questionnaires are also available on our website for anyone to complete. Every client who returns a completed survey goes into a draw to win a pack of Advantage for their pet. The winners for the last few months were: Toby Testing the Merchandise We hope you have enjoyed this issue of our newsletter. The next issue is available in April 2011. Look out for it then! Our newsletter is always available on our website first! Visit our website soon: www.aucklandvetservices.co.nz Caroline, Bob, Georgina, Debbie, Nicole, Mark, Andrea, Danielle, Rosie and Toby. July 2010: August 2010: September 2010: October 2010: Gabriela Matoi Mei Hill Jasmine Bailey John Hiett Auckland Veterinary Services Ltd. 4143 Great North Road Glen Eden. Phone 818 5697 Fax: 818 4030 Email: [email protected] Website: www.aucklandvetservices.co.nz CO A GR N TU LA N O TI S!