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Monday 8am - 6pm Tuesday 8am - 6pm Wednesday 8am - 6pm Thursday 8am - 6pm Friday 8am - 6pm Saturday 8am - 5pm Sunday 9am - 1pm

4 Paws Veterinarians

Home
Townsville, QLD
4 Paws Veterinarians

For all your Pets healthcare needs including Medical 🏥, Radiology 🩻, Pathology 🧬 and Surgery 🩺 . ❤️‍🩹The Vet your Pet Loves to Vist! ❤️‍🩹
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16/08/2024

🎉🎉 Exciting News 🎉🎉

We are very excited to announce that Nurse Tilly has achieved her certificate IV nursing qualification! Congratulations on your amazing achievement! We are so proud of you. 💗

15/08/2024

Unfortunately we are having some phone difficulties! We are trying to get it fixed as soon as possible 📞

08/08/2024

Happy birthday to our beloved veterinary nurse Rebecca!! ✨🎉
Thanks for everything you do and your massive contribution to the team! 💕

30/07/2024

Did you know that we do 'Dental Wednesdays'? 😬✨

On Wednesdays we offer a 10% discount on dental procedures! Dentals are important routine procedures we offer to maintain your pets' oral health. Dental procedures involve; an anaesthetic, scale and polish of all teeth and in some cases extractions may be required.

What are the signs that your pet may require a dental? 🐶😸
- Smelly breath
- Pain when eating/refusal to eat hard food
- Excessive drooling or bloody drool
- Discolouration of teeth

If you are concerned that your pet may require a dental or has dental disease give us a call to book in for a free dental check today! 😬

25/07/2024

Congratulations to Dr Samantha who recently passed her ANZCVS membership examination in Small Animal Medicine 🥳🤩🎉

Membership of the College is an official recognition of an advanced practitioner, representing veterinarian's knowledge & experience in a specific area; in this case Small Animal Medicine. Becoming a member of the Australian & New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists (ANZCVS) requires 3.5 years post-graduate veterinary experience. As well as this Sam also had to pass difficult oral and written examinations.

This is a huge achievement and we are so proud to have her as part of our staff 😍🥰💕

12/07/2024

Meet Baxter ☀️

This handsome man came in to see Dr Katie at our Upper Ross Clinic, after his mum noticed his eye had become swollen over-night. 🥺

Eyes can quickly become an emergency, so his mum brought him straight in.
After a close examination and performing a couple of diagnostic tests- Dr Katie determined that he was a very lucky boy. Baxter had a laceration to both the inside and outside of his eyelid, somehow managing to miss the eye entirely.

After some antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and some eye ointment Baxter has made a full recovery 🥰 Baxter has been a beautiful patient and has loved coming in for all of his vet visits.

If you notice your dog or cat is showing the following symptoms:
🐶 Swelling around the eye
🐱Pain/blinking/keeping one eye or both eyes closed
🐶Weeping or discharge
🐱Cloudiness
🐶Blood in the eye
🐱Change in size/shape of the pupil

If you are worried that your pet is showing any of the above signs please call 4 Paws to book in for an appointment as soon as possible!

05/07/2024

Friday Funday! 🥰💞

Here are some fancy pics of the staff member’s pets all dressed up and ready to enjoy their weekend! 🥸 Please post any cute snaps of your pets dressed up!

02/07/2024

Lola's Cheeky Antics! 😆

Meet the beautiful golden; Lola! 😍 Lola was a very cheeky girl over the weekend and decided to try and eat some lead deep sea sinkers! Her very worried parents rushed her into the vets as soon as they realised for xrays. Luckily Lola was able to pass the small pieces that she ingested just fine! Lola was the model patient and hopefully has learned not to eat anymore metal 😜💕

28/06/2024

💕Diesel Bayly 💕

Meet Diesel. This handsome man went from perfectly happy and healthy one day to developing vomiting and severe diarrhoea and lethargy later that same night. 😵‍ When Diesel was still very unwell the following morning his owners promptly rushed him in to the clinic for help 🚑

On presentation Dr Sam noted that he was very flat, dehydrated and had a low body temperature. She performed a blood test which showed extremely high ALT (an enzyme related to the gall bladder). Dr Lisa then performed an ultrasound which showed a very unhappy gall bladder. As you can see from the images the gall bladder (GB) wall was very thickened with a dilated neck. This along with his acute sudden onset of symptoms are indicative a gall bladder infection 🤕.

Diesel was immediately put straight on IV fluids, antibiotics, pain relief, anti nausea injections and specific gall bladder medications. After just 24 hours in hospital he was already looking and feeling so much better! 🥰

After 2 days in hospital his gastro signs had resolved, his appetite was back and he was ready to go home! Diesel continued his medications from home along with a strict low fat diet. Diesel came back in 2 weeks later for a recheck ultrasound and blood test. As we were hoping, everything was back to normal! 😍 We are so proud of Mr Diesel and how brave he was. He was such a good boy! 💙

24/06/2024

Welcome Back! 💕😍

Elizabeth has returned to the 4 Paws team after taking time off to look after her new baby girl; Charlotte. We are so excited to have her back and have really missed her jokes and care with the patients. 🥰

21/06/2024

🐱 !FELINE FRIDAY! 🐱

Here at 4 Paws we have been lucky enough to have some beautiful feline patients lately! Please enjoy some super cute pics of our beloved patients getting some well deserved cuddles from the staff 💕💕
Drop a photo in the comments of the last picture you took of your cat! 🥰

17/06/2024

Meet the Team! 💕💕

Jazmine is a training veterinary nurse who started working at 4 Paws earlier this year. Jas previously worked as a nurse in Sarina but moved to Townsville earlier this year. She has since become an important part of the team. 🥰

Jaz has really enjoyed learning about all aspects of her job but is especially loving the medical side of the job. In particular she has enjoyed learning about haematology, cytology, blood pressure and urinalysis. Jaz also really enjoys taking care of hospital patients and nursing them back to health. 🐶🐱

When Jasmine is not working she loves going on walks with her puppy Leia and going out deep sea fishing. 😍

13/06/2024

THE VET YOUR PET LOVES TO VISIT 🥰👩‍🔬
Happy Friday from cheeky Bear 💕

09/06/2024

Rodenticide (Rat Bait) Toxicity 🌡🌡

Poor Joe is a very sad boy after he was made to vomit up half a bucket of rat bait! 😲 Joe was a sneaky boy and got into the rat bait while his owners weren't looking. Luckily they caught him in the act and brought him into the clinic immediately for emergency attention. 🚑

Joe was promptly made to vomit up the rat bait and administered charcoal to slow any absorption. Joe was also sent home with Vitamin K to prevent him from developing bleeding disorders from the large amount of deadly rodenticide that he ingested.

Some more information about Rat Bait 🧐❗️

If you know that your dog has eaten rat bait it is extremely important that they are brought directly into the vet to induce vomiting and give other appropriate treatment.

Rat bait toxicity causes coagulopathies (uncontrolled bleeding) and may also cause kidney failure. 🐶🐱 Alarmingly, it may be weeks until your pet shows signs of rat bait toxicity after ingesting the poison. It is also important to know that your pet can get rat bait toxicity from ingesting rats that have died from rat bait poisoning. 😵Signs that your pet may have rat bait toxicity are:
- Bruising
- Bloody faeces or urine
- Inappropriate or uncontrollable bleeding
- Increased thirst or urination
- Weakness
- Difficulty breathing

If you are concerned that your pet may have ingested rat bait or is showing signs of rat bait toxicity please call 4 Paws Veterinary Clinic ASAP 🆘🆘

07/06/2024

Meet the team!! 😍

Chloe is one of our senior nurses and has been a part of the 4 Paws family since 2021. Chloe is a very talented vet nurse with 10 years experience 😲 We are so lucky to have her! Chloe has always enjoyed all aspects of being in the veterinary industry, especially surgery! Recently, however, she has taken on a more administrative role. You can find Chloe at both Charles Street & Upper Ross clinics. 🥰

Chloe's absolute favourite part of her job is helping nurse sick pets through illnesses so that they return healthy and happy to owners. As well as this, she really enjoys getting to know clients and pets that come through the door at both clinics. 💕

In her spare time Chloe is usually running her own small business making pet collars, leashes, ID tags and more. She also loves to spend time with friends and family, taking her two dogs and rainbow lorikeet on outdoor adventures and loves trips over to Magnetic Island. 🐶🐦💗

02/06/2024

Moomoo - The story of his BOAS airway surgery and how all the staff fell in love with him! 🥰💙

Moo's owners booked him in for consultation with Dr Riley as they were concerned that he was having trouble breathing, struggling during exercise and was regurgitating a lot at home. Moomoo was getting very hot and tired even after small amounts of exercise and was struggling to keep up playing with his big brother. Dr Riley found that Moomoo was suffering from brachycephalic airway syndrome and scheduled him for life changing surgery to open up his airways.

MooMoo was the model patient and loved cuddling with the nurses. Moo's owners reported that following surgery he was breathing much easier and had even stopped snoring! 😘😘

29/05/2024

Look who's back from travelling abroad! 🌹🎊🎊

Nurse Danae is finally back from her time in Canada! We missed her very much and are so happy to have her back. If you see her around be sure to welcome her back!

27/05/2024

🚨🚨 ATTENTION - Leptospirosis Outbreak 🚨🚨

Townsville has had an alarming number of leptospirosis cases diagnosed in dogs over the past few months. Lepto is a life threatening bacterial disease carried by rats. Dogs contract the disease when they are in contact with infected urine, contaminated water, bite wounds or ingestion of tissue from infected animals.

What are the signs of leptospirosis in my pet? 🤕
- Lethargy/depression
- Vomiting
- Fever
- Increased thirst and urination
- Diarrhoea
- Weight loss
- Seizures

What is the treatment for lepto virus? 🐶
Leptospirosis treatment involves antibiotic therapy as well as intensive care in hospital. Monitoring with blood and urine tests will be very important during hospitalisation. Leptospirosis is often suspected based on appropriate clinical signs and blood results. Diagnosis can be confirmed with specific blood tests.

What is the prognosis?
Response to treatment depends on the duration and severity of presenting signs. Patients often develop life threatening kidney and liver disease which may or may not respond to treatment.

ZOONOSIS 🥸
Alarmingly, Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease which means that it can be transmitted to humans. People who are exposed to the disease may develop flu like symptoms and should see their doctor immediately. 😷

23/05/2024

JPS surgical procedure (juvenile pelvic symphysiodesis) - Billy Bob

Meet the Beautiful Billy! During his 12 week vaccination Dr Lisa was concerned that Billy had increased laxity in his hips and seemed uncomfortable on hip extension. 🤕 Unfortunately the Border Collie is one of many breeds that are prone to developing hip dysplasia. With this in mind he was promptly booked in with Dr Mike for sedated radiographs to evaluate his hips.

Based on radiographs Billy had an increased chance of developing hip dysplasia. Luckily since he was diagnosed early Billy was a candidate for the JPS procedure. This procedure is a relatively minor early intervention surgery performed by Dr Mike to decrease chances of a hip replacement needed later in life. The JPS procedure must be performed before 20 weeks of age and involves scarring of the growth plate in the pelvis. As a result, the growth of the floor of the pelvis is slowed and encourages better coverage of the hip joint. ✅

Billy Bob is now one week post op and is doing great! His mum reports that he has been quite comfortable following surgery and she is struggling to keep him quiet! We think he is just delicious 😍😘

14/03/2024

🥰 February Recap!! 🥰

Last month was a big month for orthopaedic surgery. Dr Mike performed some TPLO surgeries as well as JPS hip surgery alongside his orthopaedic nurse Indi. Unfortunately this very hot summer resulted in multiple heat stroke cases 🚨 as well as blocked cats. Both of these conditions are complicated medical cases which have kept Dr Lisa and Dr Sam very busy. Nurse Bec has been dedicating time to training our younger nurses. We also sadly said goodbye to our Head Nurse Emma who has left for maternity leave and to look after her growing family! 😘

01/03/2024

Patient of The Week!

💙 Ernie 💙

Ernie presented to our clinic with bloody faeces and very pale gums. Ernie was found playing with rat baits a few days before becoming unwell.
On physical examination Dr Mike found that Ernie was unable to clot his blood and was severely anaemic (decreased red blood cells).
Ernie's levels were so low he required an emergency blood transfusion😳. The blood was collect from our very brave donor Red the kelpie. The blood collection & transfusion performed by Dr Mike with the help from nurse Tilly & nurse Maddi.

Rat bait (or rodenticides) is the most common cause of acquired coagulopathy (inability to clot blood). Rat bait works by inhibiting recycling of vitamin K in the liver, depleting the body's vitamin K stores over several days. Vitamin K is required by four of the most important clotting factors in coagulation. Therefore, once the stores are exhausted these factors do not function leading to spontaneous, often internal bleeding 🚨. Clinical signs of rat bait poisoning may include: bloody faeces, nose bleeds, bloody or red urine & coughing up blood.

Ernie received a vitamin K injection prior to his blood transfusion and will continue on vitamin K supplementation for 30 days (the duration of action of rat bait). Ernie was discharges by Dr Sam the following day as he was back to his normal happy self and is going well at home! 🥰🥰

22/02/2024

🚨 Alert emerging Tick Borne Disease! 🚨

There is an alarming number of E.canis cases being diagnosed in North Queensland 😳

Is your dog on tick prevention?

Lately there has been multiple confirmed cases of deadly disease E.canis in Townsville and its surrounding regions, inc. cases from the Atherton Tablelands and Palm Island. Luckily, we now offer in house testing for animals we suspect may be suffering from this disease.

Clinical Signs:
E.canis has two main stages of disease.
1. Acute stage: within 4 weeks of infection. These patients often present with non-specific signs such as lethargy, vomiting, fever and a decrease in platelets (blood cells involved in clotting).
2. Chronic stage: which can be months after initial infection. Dogs in this stage often present with bleeding from the nose (due to decreased clotting ability), enlarged lymph nodes and non-specific signs similar to the acute phase.

Prevention:
E.canis is contracted by the dog within hours of a dog getting a brown dog tick bite. The only registered product for prevention is the Seresto collar. The common chewable tick preventative does not reliably prevent this disease, but do help prevent spread to other animals and are recommended in combination with seresto collars.

Nurse Bec's dog Willow is out and looking very trendy with her serestro collar on 🥰😍If you are concerned that your dog may be experiencing any symptoms of Elichiosis or if you have any questions please feel free to phone the clinic. 😀

20/02/2024

Patient of the Week!

💙 Sweet Mr Patch 💙

Patch has recently undergone Heartworm treatment and is now officially heartworm free! He has been the best boy whilst receiving his heartworm injections and now all his hospital stays, enforced rest and medications has paid off! 🥰

Patch presented to the clinic for a health check up. His owner's had been giving him monthly heartworm prevention but had been a bit late a few times with the medication. It was recommended that he get a heartworm test to ensure that he did not contract heartworm during this time. Patch tested positive. 🤕 Luckily for Patch he was only in the early stages of disease and therefore had not yet showed any symptoms of disease.

Patch's owners were keen to start treatment ASAP. As Patch was asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis he had a great prognosis for recovery. Now, 10 months later Patch is doing really great! He is now on the yearly injectable SR12 for heartworm prevention. 🥇🏆

16/02/2024

Meet the Team!

💕Dr Mikaela 💕

Meet our newest vet; Dr Mikaela! We are very excited to announce that Mikaela has joined our team this year! Mikaela graduated last year from JCU university with a bachelor of veterinary science, after also completing a bachelor of science in 2017. 🥳

Mikaela completed veterinary placement with us last year and so is no stranger to the clinic! She is currently enjoying all aspects in the veterinary job but has a particular interest in surgery and is keen to learn more! 😍

In her spare time Mikaela enjoys hanging out with her partner, cuddling with her cats, watching the NRL and exploring the North Queensland outdoors. If you see Mikaela around please help her feel welcome! 🥰

12/02/2024

🎓 Exciting News: Puppy Preschool is Back! 🎓

After a bit of hiatus we're bringing our Puppy Preschool back next month!

Puppy preschool is designed for those puppies who have received their first vaccination, but are < 16 wks age. Puppy preschool is great for ensuring puppies are well socialised. During puppy preschool we also discuss
🐾Preventative health care
🐾 Nutrition
🐾 Behaviour basics & normal play
🐾 Basic training

Classes are held at our Charles St Clinic on a weeknight, with each class being held over 4 weeks.
☎️ Contact our Charles St Clinic on 4723 1988 for more information & to book your puppy in.

09/02/2024

PVPS (Pre-Visit Pharmaceuticals)

Meet the very Handsome Homer 💙

Homer is a very well-loved member of Dr Katie’s family, who sometimes gets a little overwhelmed coming into the vet clinic. Since he was a puppy, he has always been a little bit anxious and scared at the vets and quite often wouldn’t want to walk through the door. 😢

Since starting work as a veterinarian, Dr Katie has started him on some medication to help with his anxiety during scary situations such as vet visits. Homer now loves his trips to the clinic, and no longer sees it as a scary place. 🥰

Does your pet get anxious at the vets?
Just like people, dogs and cats can get anxious or a little overwhelmed in new situations or environments. Some of the signs of situational anxiety can include:
- Panting
- Pacing
- Licking lips
- Shaking
- Urinating (out of fear)
- Showing the whites of their eyes (Whale eye)
- In severe cases: lunging or growling out of fright.

If this sounds like your pet, then they may benefit from some medication prior to coming into the clinic, designed to reduce anxiety and make them more comfortable during scary situations. 😼 The most common medications we use for these cases are: Trazodone and Gabapentin. Both of these medications are designed to only last for 8-12 hours and are often given the night before and then two hours prior to the visit time.

If you think your pet would benefit from some pre-vet visit medications (PVPs), have a chat about it your vet at your visit or give us a call today. 💕

06/02/2024

‼️ PARVOVIRUS KILLS ‼️

Did you know? Parvovirus is 100% preventable. 😲

Alarmingly, we have diagnosed an alarming number of parvovirus cases so far this year. Parvovirus is a deadly disease causing profuse bloody diarrhoea and vomiting. ☠️ Parvovirus may lay dormant in the soil for up to 8 years.

How do I protect my new puppy from parvovirus? 🥺
- Puppies must be vaccinated every 2 - 4 weeks until they are 16 weeks of age
- Puppies are fully vacinated for parvovirus 7 - 10 days after their final vaccination (which they receive at 16 weeks of age)
- If your puppy is over 16 weeks of age it will require two vaccinations 2- 4 weeks apart
- Until your puppy is FULLY covered for parvovirus do not take them into public areas and do not let them socialise with unvaccinated dogs.
- If you have had positive cases of parvovirus in your yard in the last 8 years then it is also unsafe for unvaccinated dogs or puppies

How do I protect my dog from parvovirus?
- Any unvaccinated dog regardless of age can contract parvovirus
- Dogs are to receive an annual vaccine every year to boost immunity to parvovirus
- If your dog is unvaccinated or if you are unsure then keep your dog out of public areas and contact your vet ASAP

PATIENT OF THE WEEK 💙
💕 Adorable Baby Caine 💕
Meet Caine. Caine presented to 4 paws at 6 weeks of age. Although Caine had received his first puppy vaccine he was not fully vaccinated and unfortuneately contracted parvovirus. He presented to the clinic with vomiting, diarrohea and inappetence. Caine was quickly hospitalised received intensive care in our isolation ward. Luckily Caine is a little fighter and is now back at home and doing great!

01/02/2024

January Recap 🤩🥳

4 paws has been crazy this month! Between a cyclone, new staff and a parovirus outbreak, our staff has been run off our feet! We are very excited for new challenges and to continue to have lots of fun together as a team 🥸🌟

Here are a few snaps from this year so far for you to enjoy! 🥰

31/01/2024

Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD) 🐈

With the recent cyclone and stormy weather there have been a lot of stressed cats lately. Did you know that 98% of lower urinary disease in cats is caused primarily by stress. With the remaining 2% of cases being caused by bacterial disease.

What are the signs of urinary disease in cats? 😳
- Straining to urinate +/- producing urine (may look like constipation)
- Frequent urination
- Small volumes of urine
- Blood in the urine
- Painful urination

What is the treatment for FLUTD? 🏥
Treatment depends of the severity of disease at presentation. If your cat is mild/early in disease it may only require a consultation, blood test and urinalysis. Based on these results your vet may prescribe anti-inflammatory pain relief and anti anxiety medication.

IF your cat presents later in disease or has an urethral obstruction (unable to urinate) it may require intensive care in hospital as this is an emergency. To diagnose this your vet may also need to perform diagnostic imaging (radiograph or ultrasound). This treatment involves urinary catheterisation, IV fluid therapy, pain relief, antibiotics and anti anxiety medication.

What happens if left untreated? 🤕🤒
If left untreated in early stages your cat may develop urethral obstruction (inability to urinate). This untreated will result in bladder rupture and death.

If your cat is displaying any of these clinical signs please book your cat in as soon as possible! 💕

Address

383 Charles Street
Townsville, QLD
4817

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 6pm
Tuesday	8am - 6pm
Wednesday	8am - 6pm
Thursday	8am - 6pm
Friday	8am - 6pm
Saturday	8am - 5pm
Sunday	9am - 1pm

Website

http://4pawsvets.com.au/

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Videos

Happy vet nurse day ❤️❤️ we are so blessed to have this awesome support crew. We love and appreciate our nurses very much! Here is a quick video of some of our nurses’ favourite part of their job.

Our free heartworm test promotion ends Monday! So what if your dog test positive for heartworm? Luckily heartworm can be treated. However the treatment for heartworm is an expensive and lengthy process involving a number of steps over a period of 12 months. Your veterinarian will recommend appropriate treatment depending on your pet’s condition. Treatment is often more successful, and carries less risks, when heartworm disease is detected early. Here at 4 Paws we treat many cases of heartworm successfully each year, so your dog will be in safe hands if they do require treatment. Contact our clinics today to ensure you don't miss out on our free tests!