News & Stories at Mill Road Vet Hospital

Please be careful when walking your dog in DOC land and forestry. 
There are several baits that are used to control rat, mustelid and possum populations. 

 

Over time, society’s attitudes towards different pet species has, and continues to, evolve.  It wasn’t too long ago that many thought of cats as only good for keeping rats and mice under control.  As pets, in many homes, they were 2^nd class citizens compared with the family dog.

Sadie, a usually sprightly 4-year-old Griffon came in to see us because she was feeling rather poorly. Sadie was having chronic diarrhea, losing weight and had developed a pot belly.

Broken teeth are very common in cats and dogs, with as many as 25% of dogs presenting with a fractured tooth during their life. Road accidents, blunt injuries, stones and bones are all common causes but sometimes owners are unaware of the injury as their pet gives no signs of pain or discomfort.

Have you ever stopped to ask why do chickens lay so many eggs?  Some of the common breeds kept as pets may lay as many as 300 in a season.  And the laying season is very long - stretching out over most of the year.  Certainly, in nature, no other bird does this. 

Leptospirosis is one of the sporadic diseases we see in Northland. It is caused by a bacteria which is spread from the urine of infected animals – usually rats, pigs and cattle but can be spread by other species. 

Your dog may start quaking and shaking as soon as you pull into the carpark. Cats can morph into a “cat-topus” with 8 limbs trying to get them into the carrier and sometimes they may even take off and hide on the day of the appointment as cats are known to have sixth...

There are multitudes of puppy kindies and preschools around. Why come to Mill Road puppy kindy?

Seasoned dog owners will know it is essential to socialise a new puppy so that it will grow into a happy, well-behaved, and confident adult dog. Without this, puppies can develop difficult behaviour problems such as aggression, anxiety, excessive baking, and that’s just to mention a few.

At Mill Road Vets, we see a wide variety of birds as patients.  You may not know that there are dozens of species of parrots, parakeets and other birds kept as pets in NZ.

A family calls up in a panic, their dog is tremoring, uncoordinated, and acting unusual. They don’t know what could have happened! The dog may have gotten into the rubbish/compost recently....but that’s what dogs do, they scavenge...what’s the problem with a bit of old food, right?

As the weather is warming up, we are seeing an increasing number of pets with flea bite hypersensitivity dermatitis. Some  pets can  tolerate a few fleas without showing signs of itchiness  but once they develop allergies to the flea saliva, the itch escalates.  Any cat or dog that has had previous exposure to flea bites can become allergic to them, much like us with bee or wasp stings.

Dental disease in cats is more common than we think! About 80% of cats will develop periodontal disease by the age of 3. 
 

Leah is a 12year old female black Labrador who has been a patient with us for 10 years. Initially trained as a guide dog, she was rejected from the program because of fainting attacks. Even the Veterinary Specialist Group (VSG) in Auckland could not find an answer.

As we head into the cooler seasons, rats and mice can start to head indoors which can be a nuisance. Often rat bait is laid out to solve the problem. If the bait is not in a secured station, an inquisitive dog could ingest the bait. Unfortunately, rat bait is highly toxic to dogs.

You may or may not know that the number one health problem we see in pets is periodontal disease. Estimates of disease occurence state that by 2 years old , 70% cats and 80% dogs have clinical signs. Small and short-nosed (bracycephalic) breeds of dogs are susceptible because of the overcrowding of their teeth in their small jaws.

One of the common concerns of being a pet parent is figuring out how to get the medications that your pet needs into or onto them without it being traumatic for both of you.  Below are some tips and tricks which may help make things easier.

Pannus or canine superficial keratitis is a disease that affects the surface of the eye. It occurs mainly in middle-aged German Shepherd dogs but can sporadically occur in other breeds. The cause is not fully understood but there is likely a strong genetic component with UV light as...

“HALITOSIS”.  A word many people haven’t heard, but something that many of your pets probably experience.  It is the technical term for “bad breath”.  By 2 years of age, a whopping 80% of dogs and 70% of cats will have some form of periodontal...

If you have a puppy (or are considering getting a puppy) one of the diseases that you may or may not be aware of is Parvovirus. We sadly see a number of puppies that become very sick and die with parvovirus every year. What is parvovirus? Parvo or parvovirus is a serious, highly contagious...

I have met many, many people who regretted not getting pet insurance.  But I have never met a single one who has regretted getting pet insurance!  I have pet insurance for my 3-year old Schnauzer, and most of our staff members now have pet insurance for their pets.  More and more...