Clinton Street Veterinary Clininc Winter Newsletter 2022

We hope that all our clients and animals are finding some warmth during this chilly winter. This season's newsletter is dedicated to animal emergencies.

Arthritis

With winter off to such a cold start, this is also the time of the year that we see lots of our four legged friends having increased problems with arthritis. Osteoarthritis occurs when there is inflammation in a joint and the cartilage begins to deteriorate. It can present in many different ways including:

Dog: Loss of muscle mass over limbs, stiffness, limping, pain when touched, irritability / change in behaviour and general reluctance to run, jump or play.

Cat: all the same as dogs but you may notice they struggle to jump up or down on furniture and may stop grooming certain areas.

Horse: swollen joints, lameness, stiff gain, uneven / shortened gait.

What do I do if my animal is sick and the vet is closed?

We appreciate that animals of Goulburn don’t always get sick between 8:30 am and 6pm. This is why we have a veterinarian on call, 24/ 7, 365 days a year. This means that if the clinic is closed or if it’s a weekend or public holiday, you will be able to get in contact with a veterinarian based in Goulburn, to address your animal emergency. 

In certain emergencies, like a snake bite, time is critical and being able to have your animal seen in a quick time frame might be the difference between life and death. We also appreciate that this service is much more convenient for clients instead of asking them to drive over 45mins to be seen by a vet.

However being able to staff a vet to be “on call” and available for emergencies in the middle of the night is not without its difficulty. Sometimes our vets may be out of phone reception, dealing with a large animal emergency, and unable to answer the phone. Often the vet who has been on call will have to work the next day and this adds increased pressure to the clinical appointments while we manage fatigue levels in our vets. Although we are available on the other end of the phone, we do ask clients to use common sense and realise that we cannot diagnose problems through a telephone line and that we leave the phone calls for legitimate emergencies. Please be aware that we DO NOT have the capability to book a client in for an appointment through the afterhours number, as often the vet answering the phone is trying to have some down time at home with their family.   

This newsletter lists a range of true emergencies. However, if your pet is sick and the clinic is closed, you can still book an appointment through our website. Additionally, we will always keep emergency slots in our schedule to see a sick animal during opening hours. Please be aware that there is an additional surcharge to see your animal outside of normal hours and this fee must be paid at the time of consultation.

 Lastly, we appreciate that sometimes old pets will deteriorate rapidly out of hours and that this is the final sign an owner requires to know that it is the right time to make the difficult decision to euthanise their animals. We can organise cremation or disposal of the pet’s body once you have had a chance to say goodbye.

What are considered emergencies to a vet

This list is not every emergency that we see for each species, but lists some of the most common.

When do an emergency Ceserian on a bitch

One of the most common emergencies that the team at the Clinton Street Veterinary Clinic see is the bitch in labour having difficulty. We have set protocols in place that mean we can perform ceserians out of hours to the highest of standards. If your bitch is showing any of the below signs, then it is worth speaking to a veterinarian. A bitch experiencing  problems whelping (dystocia) will have a rapid ultrasound done to check the heart rates of the puppies, as this is the quickest way to assess the stress level to the puppies.

1. Active straining between 30mins to 2 hours and no puppy
2. Weak and infrequent contractions for 2-4 hours
3. Signs of systemic illness or severe pain in bitch
4. Green discharge for more than 10 minutes before the first puppy (can be normal after the first one)
5. Greater than 4 hours since the last puppy with no evidence of ongoing labour.

Joke Corner

What do you get from a pampered cow?

Spoilt Milk