What is a urinary blockage? Urinary blockages in cats are often referred to as ‘blocked bladders’ and ‘urethral obstructions’. This is a common, potentially life-threatening condition, especially amongst neutered male adult cats and overweight cats. A urinary blockage can completely prevent your cat from urinating, causing damage to the urinary tract, a back-up of
Aging is an unavoidable part of life, and when it comes to our pets, some will age without any major issues, and some will need a little extra TLC. It is important to know what age-related changes look like and how to manage them appropriately, so we can ensure our pets are comfortable. When
Dental disease is one of the most common but preventable diseases in pets. It is not only painful and uncomfortable, but the procedure to clean and remove teeth becomes more complicated and often more costly the longer it is left untreated.What is dental disease?Dental disease is caused by a bacterial infection that builds up
Arthritis can affect one or more joints anywhere in your pet's body. The most common joints affected are the hips, knees, shoulders and elbows. Most of these joints depend on a layer of cartilage acting as a cushion between two bones. Arthritis causes this cushion to deteriorate, resulting in the bones rubbing against
Easter can be an exciting time for both adults and children. While we prepare for Easter, it is essential to keep an eye on potential dangers for your furry friend. Chocolate Chocolate contains both caffeine and theobromine (a chemical compound found in the cacao plant) which can be fatal to our pets. It
There comes a time in the lives of most pets when their diet needs to change. Sometimes this is because a different life stage comes with different dietary needs, other times an illness or condition needs added nutritional support, or sometimes you may simply want to change your pet’s food. Whether it’s kittens and
Allergies are a very common cause of skin problems in pets and surprisingly, approximately 10% of all skin allergy cases in dogs are food related. Seeing your dog scratch constantly, rubbing up against furniture to itch and licking their fur more than usual, could be an indication of a number of potential skin issues,
Our dogs can come into contact with all sorts of things in their environment that can potentially cause skin allergies. A dog’s exposure to things like grass, pollens and mites can sometimes lead on to allergies and these can show up as itchy skin or other skin related problems. Atopy is the term used
Bella is almost 16 years old and about a month ago bounced back from the brink! Bella had been boarding at a local Doggie Daycare while her owners were away. The employees found her one morning listless, dull and dehydrated. She had been terribly ill overnight so they brought her straight into our Bethlehem
Ghillie, the West Highland Terrier recently came to our clinic for a check up and dental examination. Because dogs don’t brush their teeth, bacteria and tarter can build up infecting the gums causing pain, redness, bleeding, damaging gums, ligaments or bone and eventually teeth begin to fall out. Here at VetCare Tauranga we want
