Bernie's Vet Visits

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Bernie's Vet Visits Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Bernie's Vet Visits, Veterinarian, Armidale.

19/02/2024

Yet again I have failed to reply to a couple of people who asked me questions on facebook. My apologies, I forgot that I even had a page for about two weeks so didn't see the enquiries. I am more reliable if you ring me on 0412457440

03/02/2024

The tests I did were highly suggestive of leptospirosis but did not confirm it. However it was not ruled out, and is still very likely the cause of the dog's illness

30/01/2024

I am just letting people know I may have seen a dog in Uralla yesterday with leptospirosis. The owner realised last night that she has a lot of rats around and the dog hunts them, and has symptoms highly suggestive of leptospirosis (lepto). It is vomiting, it is off it's food, it's pretty crook, and it is extremely jaundiced. Jaundice makes the skin, tongue, lips and the whites of the eyes turn yellow. There is a vaccine for lepto. I am letting you know because there is a small chance that a dog with lepto could possibly spread the disease to people. It is a serious disease in people and could land you in hospital. So if your dog is mysteriously ill, excercise good hygiene, and consider getting a vet to check it out. I want to be clear that lepto has not been confirmed in this dog as yet.

I will be going to the blue mountains for about 10 days on Friday morning January 19 2024. So if you are thinking you ne...
13/01/2024

I will be going to the blue mountains for about 10 days on Friday morning January 19 2024. So if you are thinking you need to arrange an appointment with me and your pet then don't forget to give me a call and book in now!

There are several thing at the old surgery that I am giving away for free before I sell the building. There is an old so...
08/01/2024

There are several thing at the old surgery that I am giving away for free before I sell the building. There is an old solid steel desk. I have no idea how old it is, Joe O'Brien was using it before I bought the surgery from him in 1986. Very heavy, weighs about 120 Kg at a guess. I can not assist with the movement and transport of this item, so please make sure you have people to help you. There is also a clothes dryer, a small column heater, and some containers of things such as turps, Shellite, various paints, and some painting gear. Call me on 0412 457 440 if you’re interested.

My niece is in fourth year vet science and works as a veterinary nurse. Over Christmas lunch she told me this story:One ...
27/12/2023

My niece is in fourth year vet science and works as a veterinary nurse. Over Christmas lunch she told me this story:

One Saturday morning a client came into the practice with a large dog. They had been hitting a tennis ball for the dog to fetch on a local golf course when the dog swallowed the ball. The veterinarian induced vomiting to try and get the ball back. The vomiting did not produce the ball, which was removed via surgery later.

What it did produce was a bit more startling, especially for a vet nurse with a hangover on a Saturday morning. Apparently the dog had been rummaging in the rough at the golf course. This time the rough had well and truly lived up to its name. What came up was a pair of men’s underpants containing a large lump of human faeces.

Medication was not required to induce vomiting for my niece.

This is our Christmas tree at home. When we bought it we had no idea how well it would double up as a pot belly stove fo...
24/12/2023

This is our Christmas tree at home. When we bought it we had no idea how well it would double up as a pot belly stove for winter. Merry Christmas to all 🎄🎅

I wont be available on Christmas day but back on deck on Boxing day.

Chocolate warning for petsMost people know by now that chocolate is poisonous to dogs. Every Christmas or Easter I get o...
24/12/2023

Chocolate warning for pets

Most people know by now that chocolate is poisonous to dogs. Every Christmas or Easter I get one or two enquiries. Dark chocolates are more toxic than the other varieties. A five Kg dog that eats a couple of squares (like the standard Cadbury block squares) of dark chocolate is not at risk of dying. The poisonous substance in chocolate is theobromine from the cocoa. Dogs are much more sensitive to it than people. The poison affects the dog like an overdose of caffeine, causing the heart to sp*ed up, sometimes dangerously so. There is a very easy-to-use calculator on google, which will help you to decide if you should call the vet.
Symptoms take 6 to 12 hours to show up. They include:
Vomiting
Diarrhoea
Restlessness
Tremors
Fast heart rate
Trembling
Seizures in extreme cases

If it is less than 2 hours since the chocolate was eaten, and you have used the calculator to work out that the amount eaten is dangerous, make the dog vomit if you can. If a veterinarian is not available and you don’t have epicac at home, forcing the dog to drink lots of salty water will work. If the dog is already showing mild symptoms, forget the vomiting. Keep the dog as calm as possible for 2 days. If symptoms are severe, get to a vet ASAP.

Other lesser known foods poisonous to dogs are onions (anaemia), grapes (kidney failure) and macadamias (mild nervous system impairment).

Remember my posts are not to assist people through the diagnostic minefield, only your Vet can diagnose the problem. And please remember to phone the Vet before you head there, they may have to prepare for an emergency or advise you to go elsewhere.

Cat UrolithiasisAs I said in my previous story about bladder stones, the story is different between cats and dogs. Cats ...
13/12/2023

Cat Urolithiasis

As I said in my previous story about bladder stones, the story is different between cats and dogs. Cats can get the same sorts of stones as dogs (except for the urate stones – I am not aware of a cat breed that has the same problem as the dalmation dogs). However, it must be a lot less common as I have never removed large stones from a cat. Much more commonly cats get tiny stones, as big as a small grain of beach sand. They seem to build up until there are thousands of them in the bladder. These tiny grains combine with proteins and other stuff in the urine and from a larger mass, a bit like blue metal pebbles in concrete (a matrix). In female cats they do not tend to cause a blockage. However, in males they are much more likely to fail to pass out of the urethra. Soon more and more lumps of the matrix and grains collect in the urethra, no urine can pass, and the cat is in serious trouble. If a cat squats too often as though it wants to p*e, and only a tiny dribble comes out, it may have a cystitis or some other problem which needs attention. If no urine at all comes out, you are probably dealing with a complete blockage. These are a real emergency and should not even be left overnight. There will often be a hard mass in the lower abdomen, from the size of an egg up to the size of a tennis ball, and touching it will cause a lot of pain.

Most of these can be treated by giving an anaesthetic and placing a catheter in the bladder via the urethra, or p***s. This can be quite difficult, and sometimes impossible. Sometimes surgery has to be performed. This involves amputating the p***s, and cutting the urethra open down at its narrow part. The urethra is then remodelled, and the cat looks a bit like it has had a s*x change from the back.

Both male and female cats which show lots of microscopic crystals or the bigger grains in the urine generally benefit from being placed on a specialised diet. One can mess around with tablets and dietary modifications to try and avoid the expense of the specialised diet, but many cats will then relapse. The occasional cat will relapse even when placed on only special food. These cats require multiple treatment strategies.

Remember my posts are not to assist people through the diagnostic minefield, only your Vet can diagnose the problem. And please remember to phone the Vet before you head there, they need to be able to prepare for an emergency or advise you to go elsewhere.

I've lost this piece of gear. I think it fell out of my car but I'm hoping I left it at someone's place.If you recognise...
12/12/2023

I've lost this piece of gear. I think it fell out of my car but I'm hoping I left it at someone's place.

If you recognise it please give me a call.

Address

Armidale, NSW

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+61412457440

Website

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