Ulverstone Veterinary Clinic

19/03/2025

👀 Peek-a-boo I see you! 👀

What do we have here? Can anyone guess what type of animal came into UVC Penguin for desexing? 😍

12/03/2025

⚠️RECENT RELEASE OF CALICIVIRUS IN TASMANIA⚠️

Rabbit calicivirus, also known as RHDV (rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus) is a virus released into Australia in 1996 as a biological control for rabbits. It can be spread through direct contact between rabbits, or through contact with infected material including flies. Infected rabbits can die suddenly without obvious illness, or show symptoms such as depression, bleeding from the nose and difficulty breathing. The virus only affects rabbits, and poses no risks to humans or other animals including wildlife.

Biosecurity Tasmania released a new batch of calicivirus in Tasmania recently. Good news is that pet rabbits can easily be protected against this virus, as well as the naturally occurring RHDV2 virus, by vaccination. Rabbits should be vaccinated yearly, with full protection just 7 days after a single shot. Vaccination can be given from 10 weeks of age. Give us a call to get your rabbits booked in and protected ASAP

More information, including virus release sites, is available on the NRE website:

https://nre.tas.gov.au/invasive-species/invasive-animals/invasive-mammals/european-rabbits/tasmanian-calicivirus-release-sites

12/03/2025

🌩⚡️With today's storm we may or may not lose our phone lines or power supply. Please call us as normal, but if you cannot get through to either of our clinics and have an emergency, please know that we are all at the clinics and we will be able to help you.

☎️Ulverstone Vet Clinic Ph: 6425 2248
☎️UVC Penguin Ph: 6425 5227

Please also check on your pets and make sure they are secure and safe during this scary time. It is also a reminder to check their microchip details are all correct in the unfortunate event of them becoming lost.

09/02/2025

29/12/2024

FIREWORKS 🎉

New Years Eve is a night where there will be fireworks in celebration. Whilst for us, it may be considered fun, it can be a frightening time for our pets. Most animals will respond to loud noises and flashing lights with anxiety and fear type behaviours.

The safest thing to do is to keep your pet inside if you can and resume normal activities. Another thing to consider is to make sure your pets' microchip details are up to date, in the unfortunate event that they may become lost.

✨️ Happy New Year to all of our wonderful clients and patients!

17/12/2024

It is the season to be Jolly! 🎅
However, there are some things to be careful of during the Christmas season, so that you can avoid one of those unexpected vet visits!

🎄Christmas pudding contains dried fruit such as raisins, sultanas and currants that can be toxic to dogs and cats, causing renal failure. Even though those gorgeous big eyes are looking up at you wanting to share off your plate, resist the temptation of giving in and offering them a piece.

🎄The Christmas Ham or a roast dinner can cause some serious tummy upsets if fed to your pet. Higher fat content foods can cause Pancreatitis and this can cause severe pain, lethargy, vomiting or diarrhoea. Everybody loves a Christmas feast, however your pet wouldn’t when experiencing this.

🎄Chocolate can be a gift placed under the Christmas tree. Be mindful that dogs have excellent noses and also wouldn’t mind opening up a gift early in order to get what they think is a delicious treat.

🎄Cats love to ruffle a few Christmas decorations, because we put the Christmas tree up for them, right? It’s all fun and games until the decorations end up ingested causing a foreign body. Symptoms of this could be vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy and missing Christmas decorations!

Stay Safe this festive season! 🎁

Ulverstone Veterinary Clinic ☎️ 6425 2248
UVC Penguin ☎️ 6425 5227

21/11/2024

🦇Important facts on Tasmanian microbats 🦇

In Tasmania we have 8 species of microbats. Our bats are tiny little flying mammals with a body length ranging from 4-7.5cm. Being so small they are often mistaken for being a juvenile when in fact they are an adult. Tasmanian bats are insectivores becoming active at dusk taking the opportunity to feed off insects like moths. Bats live in hollows within old trees or under the loose bark of a tree trunk where they roost upside down during daylight hours or when in torper (less extreme version of hibernation). Bats will go into torpor regularly to preserve energy levels in order to survive during periods of cold weather or when insects are less available.

Our bats are extremely fragile little mammals that can become injured or unwell very easily. Bats will use up vital energy resources they need in order to survive during times of stress or when they are disturbed from torpor. Their glucose levels will spike and without the ability to replenish this, they wont be able to fly or eat making them more visible being on the ground which could result in being fatal.

🩺Common reasons for bats to come into care for injuries/illness are;
- Cat attacks
- Getting trapped in houses
- Disturbances to torpor or hibernation
- Sticky paper fly traps which can result in tearing wings as they try to break free and ingesting the toxic glue.
- Drowning in buckets or containers of water if stuck in a shed

🏠In the case of finding one in the house
- remove all pets from the area
- open the window or door so that the bat can find access to outside
- leave them to find their way out, do not try and use something like a broom to brush it away as their bones are incredibly fragile and will break easily.

Bats are a protected species, if you find one that is injured please contact Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary on ☎️Ph: 0447 264 625.

Never handle a bat as they carry lyssavirus which is similar to rabies.

19/11/2024

Cat Containment Community Information Session 🐾

We’re excited to host this informative event all about keeping your cats safe, happy, and healthy while embracing an indoor lifestyle! 🏡

🗓️ Saturday 30 November 2024
🕛 12:30 pm - 2:30 pm
📍 CCA Function Room, 1-3 Spring Street Burnie

We’ve got an incredible lineup of speakers who will share their expertise on everything you need to know about cat containment:

🐱 Kylie Ashley, from CCNRM & TassieCat – learn about the latest legislation, how TassieCat can support you, and tips on transitioning your cat to a safe, enclosed environment.
🐱 Dr. Alexandria Bullen, local vet – discussing the welfare implications of keeping cats indoors and how to address behavioural challenges that might arise.
🐱 James Edwards from Purrfect Catios – discover the best options for outdoor enclosures, from basic setups to custom designs, and the pros/cons of each.

Plus, there will be real-life enclosure examples to check out and an opportunity to ask any questions about our Cradle Coast Enclosure Subsidy Project.

We can’t wait to see you there and chat about all things cats!

Please register by 28 November 2024 to the Regional Cat Management Coordinator, Kylie, by email [email protected] 🐾

16/10/2024

Healthy smiles start young! Little Lacey visited us for a dental check and we couldn't resist a cuddle 🥰🦷

27/09/2024

🏆🐾 Get ready for the AFL Grand Final with UVC Unleashed! 🐾🏆

Join our Grand Final Prize Pack giveaway!

All retail purchases made at Unleashed between 9am Friday, September 27th, and 12pm Saturday, September 28th, will be entered into the draw! 🎉

The prize pack is packed with fun: dog toys, treats, enrichment products, and more!

Keep your furry friends entertained while you cheer for your team!

The lucky winner will be drawn at 12pm on Saturday, September 28th. Don’t miss out—shop with us and get your paws in the game! 🐶💚

16/09/2024

Last week, nurse Maddie had a gorgeous little pocket buddy. Florence the mini fox terrier was so small she could fit snuggly in a pocket. Miss Florence spent the day with us whilst she had a dental procedure, we all loved having her here for the day. 🐾💜

04/09/2024

🐑 Toxoplasmosis in sheep 🐑

Toxoplasmosis has already been diagnosed as a cause of pregnancy loss in sheep in Tasmania this year. It is a disease spread by cats and can cause pregnancy loss in ewes at any stage of pregnancy. Lambs can also be born alive and die within a few days of birth. We encourage anyone experiencing poor lambing rates or pregnancy loss to talk to seek veterinary advice for diagnosis and management advice, including vaccination options.

The Toxoplasma organism is present in the placenta and people assisting at lambing or
handling dead lambs, placentas, or recently lambed ewes may be exposed to infection which can cause serious illness in people. Personal hygiene at lambing time is very important. Wear arm-length gloves if you assist a ewe, and also wear plastic gloves when handling placentas and/or dead lambs. Seal used gloves in a plastic bag for proper disposal. Wash your hands thoroughly before eating, drinking or smoking.

Toxoplasma “eggs” live for a long time in the environment, and it is important to remove sources of contamination (such as placentas from paddocks) to prevent them becoming a source of infection to ewes, wildlife, and cats.

Thanks for this summary to Dr Bruce Jackson and the Tasmanian Livestock Health Report which summarises information on livestock diseases and conditions observed by rural service providers across Tasmania. www.animalhealthaustralia.com.au/tas-health

02/09/2024

❗️UPDATE❗️our phone systems seem to be working currently at all 3 locations. Due to the weather conditions we may end up in the same position as the below post.

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⚠️ Our phone systems are not working fully ⚠️

UVC unleashed 🐩
- If you have an appointment booked today or tomorrow and need to contact us, then please call Ulverstone Vet on Ph: 6425 2248
- For any non urgent matters please contact us on another day via telephone, or come in and see our staff in the shop.
- We are open as normal.

UVC Penguin 🐧
- Our phones are down completely so you will not be able to reach our staff there via phone. If you need to contact us please call Ulverstone Vet Ph: 6425 2248.
- We are still open as normal.

Ulverstone Veterinary Clinic 🐾
- We are working with one phone line for all 3 locations. For non urgent matters please contact us on another day or come into the clinic and chat to our staff.
- We are open as normal.

We appreciate your patience and understanding during this tricky situation. We hope everyone is staying safe during these terrible weather conditions.

27/08/2024

Cows are big and strong; When they are sick how do we safely give them the care they need? Ideally a farm that has cattle should have access to yards and a cattle crush for these instances.

🐮What is a cattle crush?

A cattle crush is a large sturdy stall or cage that is designed to contain heavy and strong animals such as cattle. Despite the name being a crush, it does not actually crush the animal, it is a close fitting stall that prevents the animals from moving making it safe for workers, veterinarians and also the animal in which is being contained.

🐮Why do we need a cattle crush?

When you have animals such as cattle, there are times when you will need to contain them for their health and well being. Tagging, drenching and close examinations for illness can be done easily and safely by farmers when using a crush. A veterinarian will most likely need to visit your farm to assist you with treatment at some point and therefore in order to provide the best quality care a crush will be needed.

🐮Considerations when buying or building a crush;

The more access points and gates within the crush the easier it is to provide treatment to various areas on your cattle. eg. lower gates that can swing open to access hooves. A vet section is also something to consider for the safety of workers and veterinarians for obstetrics monitoring eg. pregnancy testing and emergency calving issues. The vet section has a solid gate that closes behind the cow so that during exams the worker is less likely to suffer the injury of being kicked. A suitable yard and race into the crush is also advisable so that the animal can be herded into the crush with ease.

Here we have pictured a lactating cow who is standing quietly in a crush allowing a day old calf to feed off her. The calf’s mother was unable to feed her calf and being provided medical treatment. In the interim this crush set up was invaluable for the farmers to ensure the calf remained healthy during this period.