Taranaki Vet Centre Pets

19/06/2024

✨ ONLINE BOOKINGS ✨

Online Bookings are now back up and running 🎉

There are a few ways to book an appointment online:

Click this link
👉 https://a.ezyvvn.com/taranakivet2

Head to our website and click "Book Online"
👉 https://www.taranaki-vets.co.nz/

Download our TVC - Pets app then click "Book an appointment"
👉 https://tvcpets.businessapps.nz/share/

12/06/2024

🪱WORMS 🪱

There are four types of intestinal worms that can affect our pets; roundworm, tapeworm, hookworm and whipworm (dogs only). These worms are a common parasite that can live inside your pet's stomach and intestines and take up all the goodness and nutrients they consume which can lead to several health issues.

Symptoms:

❗️Poor growth or weight loss
❗️Scooting
❗️Vomiting and/or diarrhoea
❗️Pot-bellied appearance
❗️Poor coat condition
❗️Worms visible in your pets faeces

Treatment 💊

A few of the flea treatments we stock (Nexgard Spectra or Revolution Plus) include a worm treatment component as well. This means you can apply one treatment to your pet and know both fleas and worms are covered. The other option is a worm tablet starting at just over $4 for a cat/small dog and $15 for a 35kg dog

How often 📆

Puppies/Kittens (2 weeks old+)

🐾 Every 2 weeks until they are 12 weeks old
🐾 Monthly until 6 months old

Adults (6 months old+)

🐾 Every 3 months
🐾 or Monthly if they are a good hunter

Pop into your local clinic today to see our knowledgeable staff about what worm product is best for your pet!

05/06/2024

PET OF THE MONTH 🐾🐶🩹

✨ JETHRO ✨

🐶 Meet Jethro – a gorgeous 7-year-old Heading Dog Cross.

He came into our Stratford Clinic with a suspicious lump on his thigh on his right back leg. We suspected it was a soft tissue sarcoma (cancer that starts in the muscle, tendons, fat, lymph blood vessels and nerves). We took a small sample of the cells from the lump to send away to the laboratory to be examined and they confirmed our suspicions were correct. The next step – booking in surgery with Brian to do extensive surgery to remove the lump including taking a wide margin around it to ensure we got it all so that it would not grow back. The recovery process for this surgery is very tricky as we had to remove quite a substantial lump and the skin on the leg area that does not have much leeway making the closure site very tight and fragile.

Unfortunately, even though the client had followed all our instructions and kept Jethro quiet - 8 days later part of the sutures split open. Our vet Yoon had a look and decided the best course of action now was to remove the skin that had died (leaving lovely fresh skin with an abundance of blood supply which aids in healing) and leave that area open to heal by itself (“second intention healing” - the skin builds up scar tissue and closes naturally). To avoid contamination of the open wound Yoon applied a ‘tie-over-bandage’. This provides a wet wound healing environment which fastens up the healing process as well as stretching the skin to allow the wound to close faster.

This treatment can be lengthy, complicated process and involves a lot of bandage changes to keep the area clean and a good environment for healing. However, it is a good option when there is too much tension on the skin making it hard for the wound to stay closed. Jethro came in every few days for 3 weeks to have his bandage changed and was a model patient! He would just stand there with no sedation and allow us to remove, clean and replace the bandage without any fuss. He is a tough brave dog as this must have been painful.

Jethro has now made a full recovery and is back to his normal antics. We will miss your visits to see us Jethro but are glad you are feeling better! 💙

30/05/2024

If you have Pigs make sure you check out this post 🐷

29/05/2024

💉VACCINATION PROTOCOL UPDATE

Taranaki Vet Centre (in line with WSAVA's latest update) now recommends the following to help keep your pets protected against common nasty and sometimes fatal diseases 🦠

💻 Please check out our latest Newsletter for more details on what these vaccinations cover - https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?u=3036c033f2460d206fc7d3352&id=3105dc881a

☎️ If you have any questions, please ring the clinic to speak to one of our knowledgeable staff

Hawera - 06 278 5149
Stratford - 06 765 6085
Patea - 06 273 8678

*Please note the kitten/puppy ages are guidelines to help maintain the best protection for your new family member. The main thing to note is that they generally need 3 vaccinations 3-4 weeks apart with the last one being at or older than 16 weeks of age.

28/05/2024

👑 KINGS BIRTHDAY 👑

All our clinics are closed Monday 3rd of June to observe Kings Birthday

There will be an Emergency Vet on call 24/7 during this time, please call your local clinic number to get in touch with them if needed 📞

23/05/2024

Come join our TVC family! 🩺

For more information and to apply click here: https://taranakivetcentre.recruitmenthub.co.nz/Vacancies/6595624/title/Companion-Animal-Veterinarian

22/05/2024

We have had a dramatic increase in kittens infected with Feline Panleukopenia Virus in the area recently - so here's some information about how to keep your furry friend safe!

🐱What is Feline Panleukopenia Virus?
Feline Panleukopenia is a very contagious and life-threatening disease. It infects and kills the fast-growing cells in the cats’ body e.g., cells within the intestines, skin and bone marrow – where blood cells are produced, especially white blood cells which are vital to the immune system and used for fighting off infection.

🐱Symptoms:
Vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, dehydration, no energy, depression, no appetite, and weight loss. If left untreated, the virus spreads quickly and is fatal.

🐱Treatment:
Treatment is symptomatic so may include; fluid therapy, medications to help with vomiting and diarrhoea and in some cases antibiotics to fight against secondary bacteria infections that develop from the weakened immune system.

🐱The prognosis for this virus varies cat to cat and depends on how quickly treatment is started and other health factors. Because of how hardy and infectious this virus is the only protection for your cat is via vaccination.

Book an appointment today to get your feline friends protection up to date!

💻https://ap-booking.vetstoria.com/booking/63d7546c83bcf/?r=6
☎️ Hawera - 06 278 5149
☎️ Stratford - 06 765 6085
☎️ Patea - 06 273 8678

15/05/2024

Do you have a new puppy or kitten? 🐶 🐱

Enquire in clinic today and get up to $100 off Royal Canin Puppy or Kitten food!

*terms and conditions apply

11/05/2024

Happy Mothers Day to all our amazing TVC Mums!

Hope you have a wonderful day and get to put your feet up 💜

08/05/2024

PET OF THE MONTH 🐾🦷

✨ TANGO ✨

🐶 Tango is a tiny and sweet Fox Terrier that we actually have two stories to share about.

Our first story starts when he is only three months old. He was chasing the cat and fell two metres from a staircase. We took x-rays which revealed Tango had sustained a fracture of his left femur. He stayed in hospital on strong pain relief for the weekend, with a splint stabilising the fracture, then was scheduled for surgery on the Monday with our orthopaedic surgeon - Brian.

It was a very difficult surgery to operate on Tango’s fracture as he was only 2kg at the time, which meant the bone we needed to fix was littler than what he was used to operating on. Using a delicate steady hand Brian used tiny cross pins to repair the fracture. Tango then had to be kept rested in a crate for two months while his leg healed. He was given the all clear when his x-rays showed his bone had healed well, and Tango’s owners thought all of the vet visits were over!

Unfortunately, a little while later Tangos family noticed he still had some of his baby teeth and thought they should have fallen out by now. One nurse consult later and it was confirmed Tangos baby teeth would need to be surgically removed and they had also created a malocclusion where it had forced his adult teeth to grow into an abnormal position.

Our dental vet Adele extracted the four baby teeth and placed temporary crown extensions on the lower canine teeth. The purpose of these dental crowns is to orthodontically move the lower canine teeth into the correct position, acting like “dog braces”. They apply pressure to gradually tilt the tooth when the dog closes its mouth. After a few weeks with his “dog braces” on, the remaining crown material was removed as the teeth were now sitting in the correct position.

Because of everything Tango went through at the vets during the first few months of his life he became a bit worried about coming into the clinic. This meant we decided to use our “Chill Protocol” for his appointments, using a mild sedative medication that is given at home prior to the clinic visits to mean that he isn’t as stressed coming to see us, which really helped him.

Thankfully, Tango’s clinic visits are done for now, and he is at home living his little life to the fullest!

04/05/2024

SPONSOR SHOUT OUT!!!

Taranaki Vet Centre Pets , our Silver Sponsor for the second year. Thank you for your support once again. We appreciate your support of our junior players. Thank you!!!

28/04/2024

WIN WITH NEXGARD ✨✈️

GET IN QUICK - LAST FEW DAYS!

Purchase any Nexgard Product from one of our Taranaki Veterinary Clinics 1st March-30th April and enter the draw to WIN A TRIP FOR TWO TO PARIS TO WATCH LISA CARRINGTON GO FOR GOLD AT THE OLYMPICS 🥇

Check out their website https://nexgard.co.nz/ or pop in clinic and ask one of our knowledgeable staff if this product is right for you 🐶🐱

Terms and Conditions Apply*

25/04/2024

👩‍⚕️HAPPY VET APPRECIATION DAY 🧑‍⚕️

We would like to send out a HUGE THANK YOU to our incredible team of Small Animal Vets we have here that help look after your beloved pets! 🐶🐱🐰🐦

You are all SO APPRECIATED and we are SO LUCKY to have such talented, caring and hard-working vets as part of our TVC Family 💜

Aathi, Adele, Aimee, Alesha, Alice, Anna, Brendan, Brian, Candice, Imogen, Jo, Mark, Tessa, Will, Yoon and Zoe - you are all amazing! 🩺

24/04/2024

✨MEET THE TEAM ✨

🩺AATHIRAI LINGARAJAH👩‍⚕️

Aathi is one of our new graduate vets that we managed to entice over to the beautiful Taranaki all the way from London! She is pictured here with one of our nurses new puppies – Daisy. As she is a new grad she is enjoying learning a bit of everything at the moment, but does have a special interest in surgery so is excited to keep expanding her skills in this area. She is based full time at our Hawera Clinic and she is a wonderful addition to our smallies team. If you haven’t had the pleasure yet, meet Aathi!

🔥 QUICK FIRE QUESTIONS 🔥

✨ Where did you grow up and complete your schooling/study?

I grew up in London and studied veterinary medicine at University of Surrey 🇬🇧

✨ What is your favourite part about being a Vet?

My favourite part of being a vet is following cases through and seeing the progress as the patient gets better. I find it really rewarding working with the client to achieve these results.

✨What do you like doing in your spare time?

I enjoy travelling (If you have any must dos in Taranaki or New Zealand – let me know!), going to music concerts and festivals, going to the gym and spending time with family & friends. I love watching a good series on weekdays after work to unwind.

✨ If you were an animal, what would you be and why?

If I were an animal, I’d be a shark because I’d love to see parts of the ocean that have yet to be discovered and see coral, clear waters and all the natural wonders for myself 🦈

✨What is the best advice you've ever received?

The best advice I’ve ever received is that everything in life is a blessing or a lesson.

✨Tell us a surprising/fun fact about yourself

A surprising/fun fact about myself is that I was born in France and lived there until I was six years old.

✨One thing on your bucket list

One thing on my bucket list is to visit all the continents in the world (maybe not Antarctica) 🌏

21/04/2024

ANZAC DAY 🇳🇿 🇦🇺

All Taranaki Vet Centre Clinics will be closed Thursday 25th April to observe Anzac Day.

Normal hours will resume Friday 26th April.

An Emergency Vet based at our Hawera Clinic will be available 24/7 during this time. Please call your local clinic number if needed.

☎️ Hawera 06 278 5149
☎️ Stratford 06 765 6085
☎️ Patea 06 273 8678

16/04/2024

SENIOR PET FOOD PROMO 🐾🐶

Book your Elderly Pooch in for a Senior Pet Health Check during April and get a FREE bag of Hills Senior Dog Food*

Why is a Senior Pet Health Check important? Click the link below!

👉https://www.taranaki-vets.co.nz/uploads/files/SPHC.pdf

Ring to book now!

☎ Hawera 06 278 5149
☎ Stratford 06 765 6085
☎ Patea 06 273 8678

*while stocks last

10/04/2024

PET OF THE MONTH 🐾🦷

✨ PANTHER ✨

Panther is a lovely young 2 year old Jack Russell Terrier, who was damaging her teeth by chewing on a chain link fence at home. She had caused enamel fractures of her canine teeth and her owner wanted to know if there was any way they could be repaired. Our dental vet Adele discussed the treatment options and made a plan to perform a dental restoration on the damaged teeth, if they were still healthy. If not, our only option would be to remove them. Panther was put under general anaesthetic and dental x-rays were taken of her teeth. Luckily the fractures were uncomplicated, meaning that only the outside layers of the tooth enamel and dentine were damaged with no exposure of the nerve or blood supply to the tooth – this meant we were able to go ahead with the dental restoration.

Using specialist equipment (that looks a bit like a very tiny orbital sander), Adele was able to smooth the areas where the enamel had been fractured off, then a sealant was applied to protect the tooth surface. After that a composite material was applied to reshape the surface of the crown so that the teeth looked like new again! Noone will ever know she has had some work done. Panther will need x-rays of these teeth in a year to ensure they are still healthy. After that as long as Panther doesn’t chew on the metal fence anymore the dental restorations on these teeth will last the rest of her lifetime.

We are very lucky to have vets like Adele who enable us to offer these sort of solutions to our clients and their furry family members.

08/04/2024

HAPPENING TONIGHT 🚨🚨

FREE PARVO VACCINATION EVENING 💉🦠

Tuesday 9th of April 2024
5.45-6.45pm
@ Taranaki Vets Hawera Clinic

*terms and conditions apply

🚨this will be our FINAL round of Free Parvo Vaccination Evenings this year so make sure you head along to get your pup vaccinated if you meet the requirements 🚨

Check out our website to read about what parvo is and why it is so important to protect your puppy against it!

👉 https://www.taranaki-vets.co.nz/small-animals/vaccinations/4/30/

03/04/2024

PRODUCT PROMO 🐶✨

Puppies are used to being with their litter buddies so going to their new forever home can be a bit scary. This sloth soft toy comes with a heart beat device to help soothe your puppy and reduce anxiety and stress when being left alone, it is also useful with crate training. Once they have adjusted you can take out the heart and they can carry their buddy around!

Check it out in action here 👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rV-LJ8HEog&t=6s

27/03/2024

REMINDER ‼️

Call your local clinic if needed;

☎️ Hawera 06 278 5149
☎️ Stratford 06 765 6085
☎️ Patea 06 273 8678

24/03/2024

Buy Bravecto through Taranaki Vet Centre and be in to win a fantastic hamper!

22/03/2024

FREE PARVO VACCINATION EVENING 💉🦠

Tuesday 9th of April 2024
5.45-6.45pm
@ Taranaki Vets Hawera Clinic

*terms and conditions apply

🚨this will be our FINAL round of Free Parvo Vaccination Evenings this year so make sure you head along to get your pup vaccinated if you meet the requirements 🚨

Check out our website to read about what parvo is and why it is so important to protect your puppy against it!

👉 https://www.taranaki-vets.co.nz/small-animals/vaccinations/4/30/

20/03/2024

👵SENIOR PET HEALTH CHECKS 🧓

At what age do we start to consider a pet mature/senior?

For all cats and for dogs under 40kg it is 7 years and for dogs over 40kg – 5 years. “Getting old” itself is not a disease, but there are many diseases that can affect aging pets.

Check out our latest newsletter for what signs you can look out for https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?u=3036c033f2460d206fc7d3352&id=d5e656c982

At TVC we offer Senior Pet Health Checks which allows early intervention. This gives you a greater opportunity to manage disease processes that may arise and ultimately ensure a good quality of life for your pet.

Senior Pet Health Checks include:

🔍Thorough nose to tail examination
🔍Senior Pet blood tests to assess their organ function
🔍Thorough dental exam to check for signs of dental disease
🔍Free nail clip
🔍Blood pressure (if required)
🔍Urine test (if required)
🔍Comprehensive health report specifying “where to from here?”
🔍Any other specific test required for your pet depending on their breed and any issues identified during their examination

Our Senior Pet Health checks are tailored to the age of the animal. We offer two levels of checks, with our PLATINUM package including a more comprehensive exam and lab tests than our GOLD package.

Please phone our clinic to book your elderly pet in today and check what package will be correct for you and your pet ☎️

18/03/2024

EXCITING NEWS 📣📣

We have a new Small Animal Taranaki Vet Centre App 🎉

Download 'TVC - Pets' today to:

✨ Keep up to date with any important info or promos
✨ Book an appointment
✨ Request a repeat medication
✨ Have Useful Information at your finger tips
✨ Check out our latest newsletters
✨ Ask us a question via 'Ask Alex'

👉 https://tvcpets.businessapps.nz/share/

13/03/2024

🚨 BLOCKED BLADDERS IN MALE CATS 🐱

Over the past few weeks, we have seen an unusual, dramatic increase in the amount of “blocked bladder” cats we are seeing. This is a condition which only affects male cats. This happens when urinary tract disease progresses to a complete urinary tract obstruction, resulting in the inability to urinate. These cats will usually strain to urinate persistently without producing any urine. This is an EMERGENCY, and it is important to seek immediate veterinary care because blockage of the flow of urine can be a life-threatening complication if untreated.

Symptoms of a urinary tract issue:

❗️ Increased frequency of urination
❗️ Difficulty or pain when urinating (spending a long time straining in the litter box
and only passing small quantities)
❗️ Blood in the urine
❗️ Urinating in unusual places
❗️ Excessive grooming or licking of the ge***al region

If you notice any of these signs, please give us a call to book an appointment with the vet, so we can get on top of the urinary disease BEFORE it becomes blocked and requires emergency surgery to unblock them. If you have a female cat – they may have these same symptoms but will not block as their tract is bigger than in males. They still need to be seen for treatment, but it is not an emergency.

What can you do at home to try prevent this condition?

💆‍♀️ Stress reduction – Any changes to a cats environment can potentially make them stressed. New animals, furniture, carpet or people in or around the home and other cats in the household are common stressors. Certain prescription foods and Feliway may be able to help calm your cat.

🚽 Access to enough resources – Each cat in the household requires their own food and water bowls. There should be enough litter trays in the house that each cat has their own, plus one extra litter tray.

💧 Increasing water intake – water fountains, fresh water and introducing wet food into the diet can all help to increase the water intake.

🍗 Diet – a well balanced, high quality diet can help with bladder health.

⚖️ Weight - overweight cats are also at increased risk for blocking. So prevent overfeeding at home, and again, a higher quality diet can help prevent this.

13/03/2024

✨MEET THE TEAM ✨

🩺ALESHA MEEHAN👩‍⚕️

Alesha is one of our new vets we have working here at Taranaki Vets. We currently get to have her at both our Stratford and Hawera Clinics. She first started with us in October 2023, coming back home to the Naki after starting her Veterinary Career in Hawkes Bay. She worked there for 2 years before deciding to move back home to be closer to family. Alesha, her husband and toddler (Vaughan) live on their family farm, they don’t have any pets (yet) as their hands are full with their little man “who is wild enough himself.” In the clinic she enjoys doing a bit of everything but has a special interest in pocket pets, medical cases, and animal behaviour. She has wanted to be a vet since she was 10 years old; she got to help with a postmortem on a cow on their farm – from that day she was hooked!

🔥 Quick Fire Questions:

1. Where did you grow up and complete your schooling/study?

• I grew up on a dairy farm in Otakeho (Taranaki) and graduated Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc) from Massey in 2020.

2. What is your favourite part about being a Vet?

• I really enjoy the variety of cases and that I'm constantly challenged to learn new things.

3. What do you like doing in your spare time?

• I enjoy getting outside and hiking through nature or unwinding at home by playing piano.

4. If you were an animal, what would you be and why?

• I would be a hawk because I'd love to fly freely through the sky.

5. What is the best advice you've ever received?

• "The best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time". In reference to taking on a task that seems so big you don't know where to start.

6. Tell us a surprising/fun fact about yourself

• I initially went to vet school wanting to be a large animal vet but changed my mind and fell in love with companion animals and pocket pets.

7. One thing on your bucket list

• Complete all the great walks in New Zealand.

06/03/2024

⭐ PROMOTION AND WIN WITH NEXGARD ⭐

Purchase any Nexgard Product from one of our Taranaki Veterinary Clinics 1st March-30th April and enter the draw to WIN A TRIP FOR TWO TO PARIS TO WATCH LISA CARRINGTON GO FOR GOLD AT THE OLYMPICS 🥇

Check out their website https://nexgard.co.nz/ or pop in clinic and ask one of our knowledgeable staff if this product is right for you 🐶🐱

Terms and Conditions Apply*

04/03/2024

🛠 RENOVATION UPDATE 👷‍♀️

Firstly, we would like to say a HUGE thank you to our clients for your patience and understanding so far with the renovations we are undertaking in our Hawera Clinic. We are so excited for the end product and what it will mean for the service we can provide in looking after the health and wellbeing of your pets 🐾

In the next few days, the builders are going to be starting on the next stage of the renovation which overlaps with our normal day to day working areas. This means there may be an impact to how we do things (i.e. offering an earlier appointment at our Stratford or Patea Clinic) but we are still running our full range of services 👨‍⚕️

To help us best accommodate our clients, when you book an appointment, please advise the receptionist of all your pets concerns so they can book them in with adequate time otherwise the vet may need to book a revisit

If you need to cancel your appointment, please ring the clinic ASAP so we can utilise this time for another patient in need 🐶🐱🐰

Thank you again for your ongoing support 🖤

27/02/2024

PET OF THE MONTH: PANCAKES 🥞

Pancakes is a beautifully natured 5yr old English Bull Terrier who we first met as a tiny little puppy for her first vaccination where she signed up to one of our puppy preschools – graduating with flying colours. In September of last year, Pancakes was admitted into our Stratford Clinic for a ‘routine’ spey procedure and to also have a few mammary masses removed as a precautionary measure.

Unfortunately, it wasn't until the surgery had begun that our surgeon realized the spey would be both unsafe and unachievable due to the excessive amounts of internal fat Pancakes had surrounding her organs, preventing our senior surgeon from being able to find her ovaries, let alone safely remove them.

After a second opinion from one of our other fantastic surgeons it was decided to abandon the procedure for the time being and to have some serious discussions with Pancakes about her snacking habits.

So ensued four months of diet and exercise changes and attending free weight clinics with our nursing team. At these clinics the nurse discussed what and how much to feed along with regular weight checks to gauge whether the changes Pancakes was making were having the desired effect.

Pancakes has an incredibly devoted owner who has taken the role of ‘jennycraig’ supervisor very seriously and is now getting to enjoy the benefits of their progress. Pancakes has lost close to a whopping 20% of her initial bodyweight and is looking incredible with her new trim figure, aside from the obvious visual effect this will also be having some incredible positive effects on her overall health especially her joints for her future.

We are now looking forward to rebooking her spey procedure in March which we are sure we’ll have much more success with and continuing our journey with the delightful Pancakes.

Well done Pancakes and her support team!

👉If you think your furry family member could benefit like Pancakes from a ‘weight loss program’ – get in touch with your local clinic today to organise a FREE weight consult with one of our knowledgeable nursing team!