🇿🇦 | St Helena Bay
❤️ | Animal care, training & photography
🎓 | BSc Veterinary Physiotherapy
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Why do old dogs get cloudy eyes?
The center lens normally becomes increasingly dense throughout your dog's lifespan, causing older pets to develop a condition called nuclear sclerosis. While this looks cloudy from the outside, light passes through the lens appropriately, and the condition does not impair vision in the large majority of cases.
Nuclear sclerosis is the most common cause of non-vision threatening cloudiness in older dogs, but there are other causes as well.
Happy everyone!
I've been thinking. Which is dangerous. Maybe it's time for Zoophilist ZA to close their imaginable doors. I don't know. I'm thinking.
It's been a terrific journey petsitting, dog walking, horse riding and photographing so many special animals! I cared for each animal as if they were my own, as I couldn't have my own with me while studying.
I've also sadly had to say goodbye to two of my own furkids, leaving only Rosie, my parents' dog, and Dobby, Tristan's dog. Yes, these are 'my dogs' as well, but it's not the same.
This little business has taught me so incredibly much about not only hard work but also dedication and perseverance. Which in today's life means a lot. I'm incredibly passionate about being a veterinary physiotherapist, and I would love to put all my time and efforts (and money) into SHAP (Soft Hands Animal Physiotherapy).
Zoophilist ZA has mostly become memories and sharing my photography, which I really enjoy. But it takes time and effort to make posts and be interactive. I don't know. I'm thinking.
Boy, do I have a horsey week ahead of me!
Today, I had my only dog patient for the week. However, tomorrow, Wednesday, and Thursday, I only have horse patients. To say I'm excited is an understatement.
Have you checked out my veterinary physiotherapy account?
Can you spot (yes, pun intended) the animal species hiding in one of these photos that are indeed not a cheetah?
A cheetah's spots cover nearly its entire body and may serve as camouflage by offsetting shadows in the gray-hued grasses they inhabit. Camouflage is not only essential for stalking prey but also for protecting cheetah cubs from predators.
It's the memories that keep you alive.
Not a day goes by where I'm not thinking of Kitschi. Either something will remind me of him, or I'll just be wondering how he's doing.
I hope heaven is treating you well, my boy.
Such long whiskers you have.
A cat's whiskers are proportionate to the width of its body, hair included. It uses them to know whether or not it can fit through narrow spaces. In general, the chubbier or fluffier a cat is, the longer its whiskers.
Phoebe and Quinn are excellent examples of how I feel when it's so dang cold!
But life goes on. Today, I have two patients to see in Langebaan, one horse and one dog. The horse is a follow-up patient, and the dog is a new friend.
Can you guess the dog breed I'm seeing today? Hint: it's closely related to the two adorable Frenchies in the photos here.
That moment when you realise it's only Tuesday.
Some weeks fly by, and others stay for quite a while. And this icy cold weather is not helping it go by any faster!
Boys will be boys, and boy, do these two play rough!
Here, Dobby was only 6 months old, and they were already playing like this. Now that he's almost 11 months old, it has uped about 5 levels.
I don't know who I'm more worried about, Tristan or Dobby?
Just look how chonky and well taken care of these cubs are!
All mothers are protective of their children, but no mother is more protective of their child than the lioness. Mothers and their young cubs will spend most of their time away from the pride, with the cub relying entirely on their mother for this period.
When you have a family event and your younger cousin won't leave your side. Isn't this just too cute?
It's always great to see how tolerant some adult dogs are with puppies who are still learning about personal space and boundaries. We all have to start somewhere.
Happy to when I was privileged enough to ride this gorgeous little pony. Truly, my dream pony!
It took some time, and a lot of clicker training, to get to this point with Dream, but boy, it was so worth it. Not only was she a dream to ride, but she was a true eye-catcher as well.
She could float over any Dressage arena!
I don't know what has a stronger grip. Bo's feet or the voting station?
Happy voting day South Africa! I hope everyone has a chance to place their vote.
Happy on this wonderful Tuesday afternoon! Did South Africa not get the memo that it's meant to be winter soon?
I've had quite the busy weekend and day yesterday. I'm now done with all the patient notes and necessary admin from yesterday's busy day. It's safe to say I'm looking forward to a semi-relaxed day tomorrow.
Another another Sardinia Bay photo of Kitschi and I.
Sometimes I forget that he's gone. Especially when I'm in St Helena Bay, where he has never been. But when I go to Wolseley, all those memories and emotions come flowing back.
Today, he's been gone for two months. It feels like so much longer, yet shorter at the same time.
Does your pet also love water no matter the weather? Luckily, Bradley didn't feel like swimming. That jacket is not waterproof!
In most cases, certain breeds of dogs love water because they were originally bred to be used for water activities, like retrieving waterfowl during hunting. Others just love water!
All I can think about looking at these photos are: "Why in the world are my feet so deep in the stirrups?" Yes, there's a lot more questions to be asked, but I felt that one caught my eye the most.
I had to remind myself that not only was I still getting to know Jack with Show Jumping, but he was still learning how to jump properly. Don't get me wrong, this horse could jump, and he loved it! But he lacked some technique back in 2017.
Now, who could resist a face like this? I'm sure this is how we all feel on a Monday.
I don't know about the rest of South Africa, but here in St Helena Bay, the weather has been somewhat confusing. During the mornings, when it's misty out, it's freezing cold, but then as soon as the mist is gone, it's warm out. And then it's cold during the night again!
It's a new kind of weather, but I'm somewhat enjoying it.
May the flowers remind us why the rain was so necessary. 💧
How perfect does Bella's colours separate on her face?
I was never a fan of cats. However, now I'm secretly hoping one stumbles into my life. Yes, I know I can adopt one, but that's me looking for a cat. The cat and I must just find each other. Like an abandoned kitten in a storm drain, or even hearing one meow in a disgusting dustbin.
I know this is far-fetched, but I believe in signs, and that'll definitely be a sign to have a cat!
The absolute bliss you feel after a good play session.
Play is a fundamental part of development in puppies and adult dogs. Play builds motor skills, promotes healthy social interactions, prepares your pup for the unexpected, and strengthens the human canine bond.
Plus, they love it!
I loved Kitschi old man, gray face! He got this little grey muzzle at the age of four, and it just got even grayer as he aged.
Gray hair on a dog's face and around their muzzle is a natural occurrence as they age, just like turning gray is a natural occurrence for humans. Because dogs age faster than humans, they turn gray sooner than their pet parents. And just like humans, some dogs turn gray much earlier in life than others.
Does your dog have a gray muzzle yet?
It's truly became a when I stumbled upon this memory. The last, attempted, group photo of my girls and boy.
These photos were taken in March 2023. Kitschi lost his limb in June 2023. During December 2023, Roxy passed away. And in March 2024, Kitschi passed away.
Now Rosie is living her best only child life! But I know she misses them. We all miss them.
Looking at the week ahead, like Meera looking at her surroundings.
Not only do I have a busy week ahead, but my patients are growing. I'm so excited to meet some new faces and see more progress from my current patients!
Have a great week everyone!
Happy mother's day to all the moms out there.
Be it blood mothers, step mothers, animal mothers, god mothers, or just a mother figure, you are all so special and so loved!
I'm jumping into this weekend!
I'm off to Wolseley again for the weekend. I must admit, I'm not looking forward to cuddling with Rosie, as she is either on top of you or she's scratching her ear or biting her feet. But, I am looking forward to seeing the little nugget, along with the rest of my family.
What are your plans for mother's day weekend?
to the days I could still have Kitschi in my arms. Oh, how he loved to lay in my arms, and I loved to have him in my arms.
This was last year during his rehabilitation period. He was so strong and brave! He drove all the way from Wolseley to Port Elizabeth with me, even though car rides terrified him. For those who don't know, this was about 680km.
At the end of his month in Port Elizabeth, he was having fun going in the car. He even stood up on the car seat instead of laying on the floor!
I miss him so so much.
Why such a long neck?
To accommodate such impressive speed, Greyhounds have muscular bodies and long heads, necks, and legs. Their physical structure is a testament to perfect nature's engineering focused on speed and agility.
Happy from the most adorable little Stafford Terrier pup!
Terrier breeds are known to be, well, terriers, of should I say tearriers. Staffies have powerful jaws, and they like to chew. Chewable toys are highly recommended. However, they'll chew pretty much anything. And everything!
Find yourself a partner who loves you as much as Dobby loves his ball!
I hope everyone has a great week. Mine has started out pretty well, with two of the sweetest patients!
Animals always make everything better.
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So what is Veterinary Physiotherapy all about? Veterinary Physiotherapists assist animals with rehabilitation after injury and/or surgery, conditioning the animal athletes and overall comfort for their every day lives. In third year we cover Hydrotherapy as module. Here I'm practicing my hydrotherapy treatment with my best friend, Mejeanne's, beautiful golden boy, Marley. Hydrotherapy can have a huge amount of benefits physically but also mentally. How about contacting your nearest qualified veterinary physiotherapist to give it a try? #ReelSaturday #Hydrotherapy #VeterinaryPhysiotherapy #Student #LoveMyJob #Exercise #Dogs
Getting splashed by a seal is probably one of the most exciting experiences in the world. I absolutely love and adore swimming with the seals in Plettenberg Bay with Offshore Adventures . #ReelSaturday #Seals #Swim #Splash #Ocean #AfricanFurSeal #Sunshine #Warm
A place where it feels like home. #Equestrian #Horses #Love #Kisses #Bond #Home #SaturdayReels #Dream
His face is just too good not to join this trend. Even though he's terrified, he still loved and needed the cool down. Plus he trusts his mom more than anyone so why would he have to fight her. #ReelSaturday #Swim #DogsOfInstagram #Dog #Rescue #Kitschi #MountainPools #CoolDown #HotDays #Funny #Lqugh
Nature is such a work of art. This little froggy was our loadshedding entertainment the other day. He/She was properly showing off by jumping around and giving us different poses. The best part however was when he/she tried hiding from the rain by putting himself/herself against the wall under the plug box. #Frog #Rain #ReelSaturday #Photography #RainyDays #Photographer #Entertainment #Fun #Drops
Twenty-two Golden Retriever puppies! It was definitely puppy heaven. These adorable pups are mothered by two beautiful moms. The twenty-two of them didn't come from just one mom. They are now about five weeks old and as you can see, they're getting their personalities now. It's important for puppies to interact with a lot of new things. Sounds, people, textures and even lights. Allowing them to climb, play and do silly things, help them grow their confidence and strength. This allows the puppy to feel less alone when he/she has to leave their siblings and go off to a new home. All these pups already have their forever homes waiting for them. If you'd like to add your name for the next batch of pups you can DM me for contact details. #Puppies #GoldenRetriever #PuppiesOfInstagram #GoldenPuppies #Cute #BabyDog #GoldenRetrieversOfInstagram #Adorable #Playful #Love #Happiness #Baby
Bunnies are a lot of fun! But they're also a lot of work. I clearly had a favourite, as you can see. Rebel (grey) was a bit of a, well, rebel. He would escape and run all around the cottage and also hide under the cottage. It was a mission to catch him. He would do this at least once a week. Sam (brown) was my little cuddly bunny. He would enjoy sitting on my lap being stroked and also go for his leash walks. He also escaped with Rebel, but he'll always come back. He escaped probably about three times and then stopped. He would just stay and chill on the stoep while his brother was roaming who knows where. They got rehomed to two adorable little girls who loves and adores them tremendously. They also have a much bigger enclosure where they can dig and burrow. I do miss their soft cuddles but I trust that their happier now. #Bunny #Rebel #Sam #Rabbit #BunniesOfInstagram #Brothers #Pets #Cute #FluffyBunny #Love #Bunnies
We do a lot of cuddling! I think it's safe to say I miss my little doggy just a little bit extra today. For these who don't know, Kitschi is a rescued pup. We rescued him when he was between 10 and 12 weeks old. He immediately grew attached to me and we've in inseparable since. He is not only attached to me, but extremely protective. Which is not always a good thing, but because he's afraid of every little things, he has never bitten anyone or any dog for that mattr. He would just growl or hide with me. I would love to have my special baby live in Plettenberg Bay with me. #MyDog #MyLove #RescueDog #Cuddles #NotJustADog #Kitschi #MixedBreed #Beautiful #Reel #NewReel
This was such a fun session with Shané's beautiful boy, Maximus. This Frisian is absolutely gorgeous and has some awesome tricks up hos sleeve. He can do a bunch of tricks, including rearing on command. They recently competed in a Competitive Trail Ride, hosted by the Distance Riding Association of South Africa (DRASA). It was their first time and they got an amazing second place! During this Long Lining Photoshoot, I got some action shots of Max bucking and kicking and just giving his mom a hard time. But overall he worked incredibly well with his new, home-made equi-core.
Who doesn't love a good old beach walk? I absolutely love taking my clients on beach walks. Mainly because I love seeing how much they love it, and secondly I love long walks. This is such a nice and fun way of exercising for our four-legged friends.
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