Such a smoochy boy after his surgery!

Blackie came in to us with severe breathing difficulties after he had gone missing for a few days. Based on the severity of his breathing problem, our vet suspected he may have chest trauma from being hit by a car. We immediately took some emergency chest xrays to diagnose the problem.

A chest xray revealed his stomach, liver and intestines were sitting in his chest instead of in his abdomen where they should be. This means that the abdominal organs are squashing Blackie’s lungs so they can’t inflate properly. This condition is called a diaphragmatic hernia – the muscle sheet separating his chest from his abdomen (diaphragm) had ruptured, meaning all his abdominal organs can move up into his chest. The most common cause of this is blunt force trauma such as a car accident or falling out of a tree.

Blackie’s initial xray where the entire lung field (which should appear black) is grey because of the abdominal organs (liver, intestines, stomach) sitting in the chest cavity.

We took Blackie straight to surgery to repair the diaphragm and improve his breathing. This involved moving the stomach, liver, gallbladder and intestines back into the abdomen where they should be and stitching the diaphragm back together while someone ‘ventilated’ Blackie (breathed for him) throughout the surgery.

Blackie went extremely well after the surgery (we all just loved him he was very smoochy and cuddly) and after several days in hospital, he went home to his loving owner. Patients like Blackie and his lovely owner are why we love our job so much. He is such a beautiful cat and now he can go on to live a full and happy life.

This is the post-op xray which shows the surgically repaired and now intact diaphragm (the white curved structure on the right just next to the lung fields) and a much more normal (black) lung field.

Blackie 48 hours after surgery and feeling great

At Wingham and Valley Vets one of our core values is continuing education, and so we have recently started small and large animal newsletters  for all our valued clients.

We are hoping that you will find the newsletter interesting and informative, and that it will be a valuable resource. Here is the current May 2017 newsletter:

Small Animal May 2017 Newsletter

Every month will have a different focus, with a variety of articles about recent interesting cases and current animal health problems in the district.

You can read our current and past newsletters here.

This year the practice was thrilled to welcome Michael and Alissa Healy to our veterinary team as practice Directors. Michael and Alissa recently moved to Wingham from the Hunter Valley with their two young daughters, Eleanor and Susannah. Both have extensive mixed practice experience and they are looking forward to providing a high quality, thorough, caring and compassionate service to all our valued clients.

Michael and Alissa are excited to be part of the Wingham community and they are looking forward to getting to know you all. Their young family is loving the Manning Valley so far!

For more information about their experience and special interests, click on our staff page.

What is the big deal about Hendra?

There has been a lot of discussion and traffic on facebook lately about the Hendra virus and the Hendra vaccine.

What is this all about and why is it a big deal?

Hendra virus is a fatal disease of horses. It is spread by flying foxes, of which we have a large colony in Wingham.

The clinical signs of hendra virus in the horse can mimic many other diseases. Any sick horse is a potential hendra case. This is where it gets tricky for horse owners and veterinarians. Even a lame or colicy horse could be an early case of Hendra. Hendra virus can be transferred to humans through infected body fluids from their horse. Unfortunately most human cases of Hendra virus have died.

Fortunately there is a vaccine now available for horses to protect them(and therefore people!) from hendra virus. Hundreds of horses in the Manning Valley are now vaccinated against hendra. This means that they can be attended by a Veterinarian for routine things like dentals and diligently treated if they become sick.

Unvaccinated horses, on the other hand, present a problem.

Doing routine procedures on unvaccinated horses carries with it a risk, as the horses may be incubating Hendra and not showing any signs of illness. Veterinarians performing dental work come into contact with saliva and nasal secretions, which could carry virus. Attending sick horses that are unvaccinated pose a potential risk for veterinarian and owner.

Because the clinical signs of hendra can include almost anything, every unvaccinated sick horse now needs to be considered a potential hendra case until proven otherwise.

What this means in real terms is that the attending veterinarian will have to wear full protective covering including disposable overalls, gloves, goggles and mask. Horses will be examined and swabs taken to exclude hendra virus. Some initial treatment will be administered, but extensive treatments may not be done until the all clear is received from the laboratory. This may take several days. Treating these suspect horses in the meantime will require great care and costly protective clothing. They will not be able to be transferred to our Veterinary Hospital or referred elsewhere. Any positive hendra cases will need to be euthanased.

This is the big deal about Hendra. Hendra virus is fatal to horses and it is fatal to humans. Unvaccinated horses are about to become second class equine citizens.

Due to the OH&S concerns for all our staff members, the vets at Wingham and Valley will, in the near future, be unable to carry out ant routine procedure on an unvaccinated horse.

Unvaccinated horses that are sick will still be attended, but due to the cost of protective clothing and equipment required, the fee to see them will be an extra $75.00 on top of the consultation fee.

Wingham and Valley Vets recommend all horses and donkeys be vaccinated against Hendra virus. Hendra is a big deal. It is fatal to horses. It is fatal to humans.

If you have any questions about the vaccine, please call Wingham and Vets on 65570000.

This Autumn we appear to have perfect grass seed weather!

For those who don’t know or who have thankfully not experienced it, grass seeds, though little, are a huge danger to our animals.

Pets both big and small can be affected by the lodgement of grass seeds in their eyes, ears, nose, mouth, between toes and they can even lodge straight through the skin.

The most dangerous and alarming attribute of grass seeds is that they migrate through the body. Because the body identifies the seed as a foreign object, it tries to reject and wall out the seed causing an abscess.  If an abscess forms in the brain, spinal cord or behind eyes, it may result in the death of the animal.

It is very important to act on early signs of grass seed lodgement as the longer they are left the harder and more complicated the process becomes to remove them.

Signs of grass seeds include soreness or lumps on your animals skin, sore ears, shaking or titling of the head, sore eyes with any discharge, squinting or swelling, and redness or swelling between toes.

Be sure to brush and check your pet’s coat to make sure no seeds are attached, avoid grass seed areas until seeds have dropped or been mowed, keep paddocks slashed and the use of enclosed fly veils can protect horse’s eyes from the seeds.