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46-48 Pollen Street, Grey Lynn, Auckland |
 Ponsonby Tails - November 2006Monday, Sep 25, 2006In this issue:-
Welcome to our November Newsletter, I am afraid it is only our third this year! Although it has taken a long time to put this I hope you agree the wait has been worthwhile. Once again the quality of the articles written by our staff never ceases to amaze me and my thanks to them for all their hard work to help put this newsletter. We all hope you enjoy this newsletter and found out something new. This month we have installed a new computer system, this is one of those changes which you probably won't notice! Although if you have ever done this yourself you will know that there are a lot of teething problems (thankfully nearly all ironed out now). The system has a greatly improved speed (as always with computers but I suspect not for long!) but its main benefit is a massively improved data protection both with added security and back ups. Your medical records are incredibly important and this new system reflects this. With the added capacity we can now add photographs of your pet and of any medical problems to the records - as they say a picture is worth a thousand words. As always we have been attending the seminars and lectures in Auckland, but of particular note was a one day seminar on periodontal disease that Michael attended. Melinda travelled to the Gold Coast for a 5 day conference which she has written about later in this newsletter. Melinda and Kelly have also attended conferences on puppy classes and arthritis. These speakers bring the latest ideas from around the world to us and we use these (along with journals) to ensure that our techniques and procedures are up to date with the current knowledge from research. Christmas Cattery VaccinationsAt Ponsonby Veterinary Centre we have had a vaccination policy of Annual Wellness Examinations and 3 yearly vaccinations in place since July '99, and since then we have had no increase in problems in our cattery with the upper respiratory tract viruses of Feline Herpes (FHV) and Feline Calici (FCV) (commonly known as "cat flu" or "snuffles"). However, 2 years ago we did have a small outbreak. A number of cats developed this disease, most of them very mild, but a couple of cats needed treatment to aid in their recovery. There are a number of reasons why this happened and why it occurrs in all catteries:
So how can we prevent this from happening this year - I am afraid there is no sure way, however recent studies have shown that by vaccinating a few weeks prior to an increased risk we provide increased protection. A new respiratory virus only vaccine is now available allowing us to be more specific for these viruses. We recommend if your cat is going into a cattery this Christmas and they have not been vaccinated in the last 6 months that you consider having your cat vaccinated in the next few weeks with this new vaccine and take advantage of the increased protection. The special cost of this respiratory virus vaccine is only $32.50 (providing your cat has had an Annual Wellness Exam within the previous 12 months - $57.50 if not). If you have any questions about any of the above or would like to book your cat in for this vaccination, please give us a ring on 09 360 0961. New Vaccination Card SystemAre you tired of losing your vaccination certificate, and having to get a new one each year? Do you find the current certifcates tatty, messy, confusing or uninformative?
The cards will be issued by Vetgate after your pet's Annual Wellness Examination and vaccination, so will be regularly updated. Each Vetgate Cardholder has a unique ID number and password, these can be used by you to gain access to your pet's details and change them as necessary. Just visit http://petvet.co.nz/ In the future we will be running special promotions and discounts for cardholders, so they will also act as a loyalty card for this practice. We feel that these cards will be immensely more user-friendly, informative and harder to lose than the existing certificates. We hope that you feel they add value to our services. Portosystemic ShuntsThere are many health problems our pets can develop when young, as a result of a faulty gene (heredity), poor nutrition and care in very early life, or other influences (some congenital defects can be due to viruses or toxins). You may be familiar with hip dysplasia in dogs as a common example of this - it has heritable, nutritional and environmental causes that add up and can tip certain dogs over the edge into disease. A congenital condition readers are probably less familiar with is the Portosystemic Shunt. This condition involves an abnormal circulation of blood inside or around the liver. In the ordinary course of events, blood leaves the intestinal tract loaded with the products of digestion (proteins, carbohydrates and fats), but also some things, which the body does not want (bacteria, and their toxins). The blood is directed into the liver, where the food can be assimilated, and the bacteria killed or their toxins eliminated. In some animals (particularly certain breeds - eg. Yorkshire Terriers) the blood from the intestines bypasses the liver and goes directly into the general circulation. This generally happens due to a "shunt" - a blood vessel that diverts the flow of blood. There are many different types of shunt; they can be inside the liver (either big or microscopic) or outside the liver. The shunted blood floods the body with unprocessed food it cannot use, and deprives the liver of the blood flow it needs to work properly. This causes poor growth of the animals, insufficient blood proteins and clotting factors, and chronic digestive signs (eg. Vomiting, diarrhoea and preferences for unusual foods. Cats may drool after meals.) The bacterial toxins and unprocessed food in the shunted blood can affect the animals' state of mind, resulting in a condition called hepatic encephalopathy. This can lead to depression, blindness, trouble walking or seizures. The severity of these symptoms depends on factors such as where the shunt is, how big it is, how long-standing it is before diagnosis, and what diet the animal has been eating. (Generally speaking high protein diets make the symptoms worse.) For this reason it can be very hard to diagnose in some cases. The good news is that treatments for this condition are available. Cases can always have medical treatments like lactulose, which reduces the flow of bacterial toxins into the blood stream. Special prescription diets designed for liver problems are available and help reduce the severity of symptoms.
Intensive Care for PetsSome pets, like people, can become critically ill very quickly and we are occasionally presented with animals which need immediate intensive care in order to keep them alive long enough to find out what is wrong with them, let alone to then make them better. We have many devices and facilities which allow us to provide intensive care to injured or ill animals. Once we are sure that they can breathe, the next priority is to check their circulation. Ill animals are often in shock - a state where their circulation is not working properly, either due to a lack of blood volume (e.g. bleeding) or to an increase in the amount of blood vessel space available (e.g. vessels enlarging in allergic reactions.) If the blood pressure or volume needs to be supported, we have special infusion equipment to provide this to critically ill animals. Our infusion pumps allow fluids to be given at whatever rate is required, even very slow rates for small animals (a standard drip is too inaccurate and will often stop working at slow rates due to blood clotting.) We have a syringe driver which can be used to supplement fluids with drugs to control the heart rate, prevent vomiting, or provide pain relief at whatever dose is necessary, overnight or whenever required. We also have a range of special drugs and fluids which can be used to support and replace circulation fluids.
Throughout the day, and as needed during the night critically ill animals are checked regularly and provided with medications, wound care, bandage changes etc. by our highly trained staff. Oliver Young has spent years studying after work and on weekends to became a member of the highly prestigious Australian College of Veterinary Scientists in Emergency Medicine and Critical Care, and has passed on a great deal of knowledge to Michael Hardcastle and our nurses. All of our nurses are trained and qualified in the operation of our equipment, and what to do in emergency cases. You can rest assured that at Ponsonby Veterinary Centre we take pride in our Critical Care management and aim to provide the very best care for you and your pet. Mel's Trip to OZEarly September this year I was lucky enough to go along to the There were a lot of topics covered in depth including Dentistry, Blood Transfusions & "at risk" Anaesthetic's. An entire day was dedicated to visiting Australia Zoo, Beerwah, Queensland. This was, of course, home to legendary Steve Irwin. Although tinged with sadness visiting after the recent loss of Steve Irwin (that same week), staff were happy we came along as life had to continue - plus there were elephants to hand-feed and we were more than happy to oblige! Seeing just a small amount of his wildlife work highlighted at the zoo was mind blowing. It was here we learnt about, and then were allowed to hold, baby crocodiles, koalas, kangaroos, small non-venomous snakes and those brave enough a 2m python. The highlight of the trip was a behind the scenes look at the Australia Zoo Veterinary Clinic. During our visit we were privileged to see surgery performed on a sea turtle and a pelican was admitted with a broken wing. The veterinary clinic is open 24/7 for treating Australia's wildlife an important animla being the koala and rehabilitating them for release back into the wild. A large number of the koala injuries are caused from road traffic accidents and bush fires. Some amazing survival stories were told making us love the fluffy little critters (even if they are Australian). Currently, construction has just been started on a brand new much larger state-of-the-art two-storey hospital.
The next big get together is being organised and fingers crossed for Fiji… Special Offers at Ponsonby Veterinary Centre
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have come in contact with the virus in their lifetime.
Ponsonby Veterinary Centre has joined Vetgate in order to provide an answer to the eternal problem of unhelpful vaccination certificates. In the coming months, we are asking clients to pose their pets for photographs. These photos will be embossed digitally onto a wallet-sized plastic card, which contains all the information you need to know at a glance: due dates for vaccinations, you and your pet's details, pet health alerts (e.g. drug sensitivities), usual diet, usual flea treatment, microchip number, and so on. On the back will be important phone numbers - e.g. Ponsonby Veterinary Centre's, the After Hours Emergency Clinic, the SPCA, the National Poison Centre. 
In some cases the shunting vessel can be identified and closed off surgically. The surgery is challenging and not without risks or complications. Therefore it is usually performed by registered veterinary specialists. However many animals can go on to live normal lives with minimal or no medication after successful surgery on their shunts.
When an animal is first presented and is clearly in a bad way, the first priority is to secure their airway - without oxygen there is no life. Animals which have trouble breathing can be put into an oxygen cage - a special incubator-like unit in which oxygen is enrich the air they breathe. Sicker animals may have nasal oxygen - a catheter can be inserted into their nose to help them more directly. Sometimes, with severe respiratory distress it is necessary to anaesthetise animals, put a tube in their windpipe and take over the entire breathing process. We can use a device known as a pulse oximeter to measure the amount of oxygen in their blood, and keep it to a safe level.
They can be in heart failure (so not pumping blood properly), or anaemic (the blood is too thin to carry oxygen successfully). After a physical examination these scenarios can be teased apart and diagnosed through the use of blood tests, xrays and blood pressure monitoring. We have an IDEXX machine in the clinic which allows us to analyse red and white blood cell levels (checking for anaemia), and assess the chemistry of the blood (critical values include electrolytes, blood minerals and proteins, as well as chemicals to assess liver or kidney function.) For very sick animals, assessment with an iStat
analyser is also recommended. This allows us to measure the acidity of an animals' blood, and determine the cause of changes (e.g. a metabolic problem, a respiratory problem, and some poisonings.) Our Doppler Blood Pressure monitor
allows us to measure the animals pressure and determine if they are needing pressure support, or if the pressure needs to come down.
Once the animal is stabilised and we have established the cause of it's illness, it may need to be hospitalised for a long time while it is treated and recovers. During this time we will keep them in special Intensive Care cages. These have a raised grille floor, which allows any mess to drain from the cage and prevents the animal lying on wet or soiled bedding. The beds we use are specially designed to wick away moisture and soiling, while keeping the animal dry. Since critically ill animals are often hypothermic, we use special heated bed platforms as well as aluminium foil blankets to restore and maintain their body heat. Very sick animals often do not feel like eating, which is a problem since their bodies have a very high demand for energy and nutrients. To support their intestinal systems we can place feeding tubes, which either are placed down the nost, enter the oesophagus (food pipe) through the neck, or can be placed directly into the stomach through the side of the tummy. These tubes do not hurt, are well tolerated by even the most fussy cats, and allow us to provide nutrition when they would not let us put food or water in their mouths.
first combined New Zealand and Australian Veterinary Nurses conference. This was held at Broadbeach, Gold Coast, Australia. Over 30 NZ Vet Nurses attended from Kaitaia right down to Dunedin which was a fantastic turnout (And not all of us were there to see some sun). 
As with most conferences, it was great to meet fellow nurses and make new friends from all over Australasia not to mention great socialising, shopping and yes we did get some sun. We got to sample the Gold Coast night life visiting Jupiter's Casino, yummy beachside restaurants/café's & of course Dracula's Caberet restaurant. 