As the 'silly season' kicks off for another year, we would like to take the opportunity to thank our patients, our clients and our wonderful staff members for a great year, and to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season!

We look forward to seeing your smiling faces and helping as many animals as we can going into 2026!

Our clinic is open all during the holiday period, except for the public holidays.

Of course we will have a vet available for after-hours emergencies!

If you need us, either call the clinic number 9841 5422 and follow the prompts, or call our dedicated mobile number on 0428 936 020.

We graduated the cutest bunch of puppers from our latest Puppy Preschool Class. Look at these little beauties!

Congratulations to Alfie, Billy, Daffodil, Elvar, Kambalda and Mabel.

If you think your puppy would like to join our classes in 2026, please give the clinic a call on 9841 5422.

This Christmas, we’d recommend staying vigilant to ensure your dog doesn’t help themselves to a trio of common Christmas toxins!!

Chocolate, fatty foods and garbage scraps are three of the top problem foods that cause illness in dogs over the festive season. Here’s more about these toxicities and why you should keep them well out of reach of your pet.

Chocolate

• Common culprits:
  
  • Gift boxes of chocolates
  • Chocolate advent calendars
• Symptoms that can occur:
  
  • These depend on the dose consumed, and can include:
    
    • Vomiting and/or diarrhoea
    • Increased thirst and urination
    • Restlessness, panting
    • Heart arrhythmias
    • Muscle tremors
    • Seizures
• Treatment potentially required:
  
  • Phone us or the Animal Poisons Helpline for an assessment of your pet’s likelihood of toxicity
  • Cases deemed to be at risk of significant toxicity may be recommended to undergo treatment with:
    
    • Medically induced vomiting
    • Activated charcoal
    • Intravenous fluids
    • Hospitalisation for monitoring and symptomatic treatment

Fatty foods

• Common culprits:
  
  • Ham or turkey scraps
  • Fatty BBQ meats
  • Exciting new dog treats
• Symptoms that can occur:
  
  • Pets may develop gastrointestinal upset or pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), with both showing similar symptoms, including:
    
    • Vomiting and/or diarrhoea
    • Lethargy
    • Abdominal pain
    • Dehydration
  • Severely affected pets can become very ill and can go into shock
• Treatment required:
  
  • Depending on the severity of the pet’s symptoms, treatment may include:
    
    • Outpatient care: a bland diet, anti-nausea medications, probiotic products, pain relief, or
    • Hospitalisation: the above, plus an intravenous drip and other supportive care and diagnostics (such as blood tests)

Garbage scraps

• Common culprits:
  
  • Full bin bags left out
  • Light bins that can be tipped over
• Symptoms that can occur:
• As well as the above tummy upset or pancreatitis issues, pets who eat spoiled foods can also be at risk of developing “garbage toxicity” from mould or bacterial toxins, which can cause neurological symptoms including:
  
  • Drooling
  • Wobbliness
  • Tremors or seizures
• Treatment required:
  
  • Hospitalisation for intravenous fluids and other supportive care as required (such as the management of seizures)
  • Activated charcoal +/- stomach flushing

For more information on these not-so-festive toxicities and more, consult our experienced veterinary team.

Two bin-raiding friends undergoing medically induced vomiting.

Would you recognise heatstroke in your pet? And more importantly, would you know how to help them if they were to develop this potentially life-threatening condition?

Here’s the lowdown on heat-related illness in pets, including symptoms to watch for and the treatment required.

What is heatstroke?

Heatstroke is the most severe stage in a spectrum of heat-related illnesses that can develop rapidly when your pet’s ability to cool itself becomes overwhelmed, so that their internal body temperature rises beyond tolerable levels.

Body temperatures above 41 degrees Celsius can cause damage to the cells of your pet’s body, potentially affecting their brain, heart, kidneys, gastrointestinal system, and blood clotting.

What are the symptoms of heatstroke?

Pets with mild to moderate heat-related illness (often referred to as heat stress or heat exhaustion) will show symptoms such as tiredness, increased thirst, and heavy panting, but will still be mentally aware. As the pet becomes more seriously affected, they may start to develop additional symptoms, including:

• Weakness or wobbliness
• Confusion or reduced consciousness
• Abnormal gum colour (e.g. dark red or purplish gums, or pale gums)
• Heavy drooling
• Vomiting or diarrhoea, which may contain blood
• Muscle tremors or seizures

What should you do if your pet shows signs of heat-related illness?

Pets showing signs of heat stress or heat exhaustion should be immediately placed in a cool area to rest, such as in front of a fan or in air conditioning. These pets should be kept well-hydrated and monitored closely for any other signs of unwellness.

However, if your pet is showing any of the more severe symptoms of heatstroke, it’s strongly recommended to:

• Wet them from the neck down in cool (but not ice-cold) water
• If they seem sufficiently aware and can hold their head up, offer them some water to drink
• Seek immediate veterinary attention, transporting your pet in a cool air-conditioned vehicle (or at least with the windows open)

For more advice on emergency care for your pet, consult our knowledgeable team.

While marijuana has long been around for “recreational purposes”, cannabis products are increasingly being prescribed for medicinal reasons as well, such as for the relief of chronic pain or anxiety. So, what is the risk for pets who get into their human family member’s cannabis product?

Here’s the lowdown on pets accidentally “getting high”.

How do pets become intoxicated with cannabis products?

The traditional means of accidental cannabis exposure for pets has been when they’ve raided a human marijuana stash or stolen a weed brownie. Rather disgustingly, pets can also become poisoned from eating the poo of a human who has recently used marijuana, as a large proportion of the active drug metabolites are excreted via faeces.

However, pets nowadays may also get access to prescription CBD or hemp products. While these products normally have very restricted THC levels (the psychoactive component), if a pet eats enough of them, they can still develop THC toxicity.

Can pets be tested for cannabis intoxication?

Over-the-counter human urine drug screening tests may give a false negative result for THC in intoxicated pets, as animals metabolise THC differently from humans.

What symptoms do pets with cannabis intoxication show?

Mildly affected pets may only develop diarrhoea. However, higher doses of cannabis products can lead to THC intoxication, which can cause symptoms including:

• Wobbliness or confusion
• Lethargy
• Being hyperresponsive to stimulation
• Urinary incontinence
• Vomiting

Severely affected animals may develop dangerously low blood pressure or heart rate, tremors, seizures, or may even become comatose.

These symptoms usually occur within a few hours and may last up to 72 hours.

Australia’s top pet names for 2025 have been released, with Luna and Teddy taking the lead in this year’s national ranking. Click here to read the full story at TimeOut.

Victoria has introduced new rules allowing pets to be buried alongside their owners in human cemeteries, marking a significant change to existing burial regulations. Click here to learn more at Parliament of Victoria.

Do you know?
Your dog does not see the classic red and green of Christmas the way you do, and instead experiences the festive world mostly in shades of blue and yellow!

(This fictional story has been created for educational purposes only and does not depict a real pet, owner or clinic.)

Benjamin the 8-year-old greyhound presented to his regular vet holding up his right front paw and looking sorry for himself. He had gone for a walk and play at the park with his owner the previous morning (New Year's Day) and then had started limping on the way home.

The vet Dave performed a general examination of Benjamin, then zoned in on his right front leg. Dave was particularly careful to palpate Benjamin’s bones and joints (as elderly greyhounds can have an increased risk of arthritis or bone tumours) and checked his nails (which were prone to overgrowing) and paw pads (as Greyhounds can develop painful, hardened “corn” lesions on their feet).

Benjamin seemed comfortable over most of his leg, but yelped during handling of his paw. Dave couldn’t see any corns, though did spot a little cut on Benjamin’s main paw pad.

At this point, Benjamin’s owner recalled that there had been some broken glass shards around the park after New Year's Eve festivities the night prior, which he had tried to lead Benjamin away from.

Dave discussed that the dog could just have a simple cut, but without x-rays or exploratory surgery, he also couldn’t rule out a piece of embedded glass. Benjamin’s owner elected to try some pain relief and monitor the dog over the next couple of days to see if he improved.

Two days later, a persistently limping Benjamin returned for x-rays, which revealed a shard of glass stuck deep in his paw pad. The dog underwent a minor surgery to remove the glass and was then sent home with a protective paw bandage and pain relief. After a period of rest, he’s now comfortable and back to his usual greyhound zoomies.

Ascertaining the exact cause of a pet’s discomfort can be tricky, because they can’t just tell us where it hurts! For injury diagnosis or a general musculoskeletal health assessment of your pet, book a consultation with our orthopaedically-awesome team.

A tiny parma wallaby species once thought extinct is being given a second chance, as animals from a long-running Blue Mountains sanctuary are moved into larger predator-free reserves across NSW. The original population was rebuilt from just 36 wallabies brought back from New Zealand decades ago and has since grown into the hundreds under dedicated care. With growing pressure from foxes and cats, conservation teams are now carefully relocating the wallabies to feral-free sanctuaries to secure their long-term survival. These new homes are designed to support healthy breeding populations and strengthen this vulnerable native species for the future.

Click here to read the full story at ABC News.

This email contains comments of a general nature only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional veterinary advice. Please always consult your vet for specific advice on your pet's individual needs.

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