Articles
Pet Insurance
Kathryn Sigvertsen BSc, BVSc
Veterinarian
Many people know the importance of insuring their items, their house or car, even their own health. Fortunately we are also able to insure pets, for not only medical and surgical care but in some cases routine visits can be covered (including vaccinations and wellness checks/blood tests). Like any insurance, the hope is that you won’t need it, but when you do you’ll be glad you had it! There are several different providers and each has their own policy types, terms and conditions. Most have a range of covers starting at a basic level of care, covering surgery or accidents only, to a comprehensive plan which covers everything including routine preventative health care. Premiums vary depending on the plan type and the species or breed of animal being covered, and whether full cover is required or partial payment (for example insurance can cover 80% or 100% of the fee).
Having the back-up of pet insurance allows your vet to fully investigate and/or treat health problems without having to cut corners due to financial constraints. It can be difficult to not be able to perform some critical tests, or be limited with treatment options when faced with a seriously ill family pet. Just as with human medicine, there are many advanced options available, including CT and MRI, advanced orthopaedics (such as hip replacements), and new innovative medical treatments. Although most conditions can be managed within the clinic there are times when referral to another facility or a specialist is required, for intensive testing or treatment which can become very expensive. If a pet is insured this can reduce the financial burden on the owner so this referral can become a possibility, therefore allowing the beloved furry family member to live a longer life than ever before.
For more information about pet insurance, and for some free puppy or kitten cover, speak to one of the staff at Vet Services.
Retired Working Dogs
Read more >Monday 18th of November 2019: Retired Working Dogs NZ is a registered charity that works to find homes for working farm dogs if they are unable to work due to age, injury or have no interest in stock. Retired pig dogs and hunting dogs are also included!
Dogs in Hot Cars - New regulations
Read more >Monday 18th of November 2019: New regulations are in force meaning that if you leave your dog in a parked car and it is showing signs of heat distress you can receive a fine and a broken car window. Dogs quickly suffer and die in hot cars, so please leave your dogs at home.
Preparing yourself and your pet for euthanasia. Your pet’s final journey
Read more >Monday 18th of November 2019: We always fear losing our pets. Nevertheless, sometimes it is inevitable that we need to make this decision.
We hope this article helps answer any questions you may have and gives you a better understanding of what to expect for you, your family and your precious pet when it comes time to make that decision.
What are the signs of heatstroke?
Read more >Monday 18th of November 2019: Dogs do not perspire the way humans do; in fact, the only sweat glands that they have are on the pads of their feet. Dogs pant to cool themselves. If the surrounding air is not considerably cooler than the animals' body temperature - as in the case of a hot, stuffy automobile - the cooling system will not work and heatstroke can occur.
Hyperthyroidism
Read more >Thursday 5th of September 2019: To be skinny despite continuously eating, is that not the dream for a lot of people? Unfortunately for our furry friends it can be a sign of something more sinister lurking beneath the surface - hyperthyroidism.
Pyometra - The silent sickness in your old entire bitch
Read more >Friday 30th of August 2019: What is this disease we are talking about, that in some cases, you may not even know is happening in your own dog until she becomes very sick and compromisedâ¦.
Pyometra (pyo) is effectively a pus filled uterus that can develop in an ovary intact bitch.
When being cuddly is not cute…
Read more >Friday 30th of August 2019: Much like the human population, companion animals are becoming increasingly overweight. In New Zealand the statistics are alarmingly high and a significant proportion of the patients we see on a day to day basis are overweight.
High blood pressure in cats – the silent danger
Read more >Friday 30th of August 2019: Middle aged to older cats can suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension). It occurs when a cat's arterial blood pressure is continually higher than normal. This can be the result of worsening renal function or hyperthyroidism (elevation in thyroid hormone) but mostly we just don't know why it happens.
RAT BAIT POISONING IN DOGS – WHAT IS THE DANGER?
Read more >Tuesday 27th of August 2019: The most common form of Rat Poison used is one that contains a warfarin type anti-coagulant compound, which causes fatal haemorrhage in the rat, or a dog, about 5-10 days after ingestion.
Understanding those things we don’t always want to understand…
Read more >Tuesday 27th of August 2019: There comes a time, where all good things must come to an end....talk about a grim start to an article, but what I am wanting to talk about, is how we don't want those good things to come to a grim end.
Pyometra - The silent sickness in your old entire bitch
Read more >Tuesday 27th of August 2019: What is this disease we are talking about, that in some cases, you may not even know is happening in your own dog until she becomes very sick and compromised......
Pyometra (pyo) is effectively a pus filled uterus that can develop in an ovary intact bitch.
The Forgotten Pearls
Read more >Tuesday 27th of August 2019: In our working dogs and pet animals it is relatively common for owners to routinely spot the lameness, the wound or the upset guts, but what about those hidden pearly whites??
How often do we really take the time to lift the lips and have a look at our dogs' eating utensils? A fork won't work without its teeth and neither will a knife without its blade. The same applies to our dogs' mouths.
The Squinting Eye
Read more >Tuesday 27th of August 2019: The most common eye condition dogs present with at the clinic is squinting and almost 95% of the time the underlying reason for this is corneal ulceration.
Corneal ulceration is a defect in the thin, outer most layer of the eye called the cornea. To simply put it, it is very similar to a graze on your skin. This wound can be caused by different things for example; a stick poking into the eye, foreign bodies like barley grass, sand, cat claw grazing the eye and several more of which some can be very complicated.
Kowhai Tree. RIP Tree.
Read more >Thursday 18th of July 2019: During April 2019, Louisa visited an interesting case in the Wairarapa.
The ownerâs 5 year old dressage mare had recently had treatment for an orthopaedic problem and was being returned to ridden work. The owner noticed that she was behaving oddly â perhaps a case of too much grass and not enough work?
Wolf teeth in horses
Read more >Thursday 18th of July 2019: Wolf teeth are technically known as the first premolar teeth in horses. They usually erupt into the mouth at between five and twelve months of age, but do not continue to grow or erupt into the mouth as do the rest of the cheek teeth. It has been estimated that approximately seventy percent of horses will develop wolf teeth.
“KISSING SPINES”
Read more >Thursday 18th of July 2019: This is the name given not to "affectionate backs" but to over-riding or impinging of the dorsal spinous processes of the vertebrae commonly in thoracic [chest] or lumbar [lower back] region of the horse.
Often it is in the region of wither or saddle and can be associated with a poor saddle fit or trauma/damage often from as far back as when the horse was being broken in or weaning. Horses that rear up and over backwards and land on their withers is a common "accident" that can cause injury in this area. Sometimes we'll never know the cause.
The Importance of Vaccinations – What’s it all about?!
Read more >Thursday 18th of July 2019: Vaccination provides your horse with important protection against some serious and potentially life-threatening diseases. Vaccines act to stimulate the body's natural response to a disease, allowing a rapid and effective response if that disease is encountered later in life. This could be the difference between severe clinical disease and a healthy horse!
Equine Insurance – should I bother?
Read more >Thursday 18th of July 2019: It's a question that's come up time and time again for me over the last year or two. Often, clients will explain that their horses or ponies are not worth very much money, and so they don't think it's worthwhile. I thought I'd put together some of the aspects to consider, and some of the questions to ask about your potential cover. I'll also summarise some of the costs you might expect for treatment for various conditions - you might be surprised!
Arthritis
Read more >Monday 13th of May 2019: General stiffness, slowing down, difficulty rising... Is it just old age? Our senior pets may show subtle signs or be quite obvious in their attempts to tell us about their problems.