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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
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