Holistic Vets Newcastle

30/10/2026

🐾 PATIENT HIGHLIGHT 🐾

It's that time again, where we show you the animals who stole our hearts this week. It's hard to resist a cuddle with Little Darcie girl, weighing in at just 2.6kg. How cute!!

Darcie is three years old, but of course being so small and cute everyone thinks she is a pup. Dr Kathy has the pleasure of being her GP since she was a pup. Darcy was in to see us recently for a check up. # favourite arm weight

28/10/2026

Prime100 Single Protein Cooked Rolls 🐾🥩🐶
Prime100 SPD cooked rolls for dogs make a handy training treat and are also useful for those dogs needing cooked foods. You can check out the range in the fridge at Holistic Animal Hub at your next appointment or send us a text asking about opening hours if you'd like to drop in to grab some. You can also order for pick up from our online shop.
We are currently stocking six flavours - turkey & flaxseed, salmon & tapioca, duck & sweet potato, wild boar & pumpkin, kangaroo & pumpkin, venison & sweet potato. Open to ordering other flavours and Prime products by request - including Crocodile, and Pea & Algae.
Prime100 is balanced and can be used as a complete diet, toppers, or treats.
We are selling the 2kg rolls for $23.05.
And if you attended our Dr Judy Morgan Live event, be sure to check your goody bags for a special price until the end of October.
And don't forget that we also stock Frontier Pets, Eureka, Ziwi Peak, and a big range of treats. You can also get 50% off your first box of Lyka, 30% off your second box, plus free treats with our code "holisticvn".

27/10/2026

Pet Loss Support Day🐾
Our next Pet Loss Support Day event is coming up on Sunday 8th November, and we'd love to welcome anyone who feels they could benefit from a gentle, understanding space to honour the animals they have loved and lost.
Grief after losing a beloved animal can be incredibly isolating. Whether your loss was recent, happened months or even years ago, or you're anticipating saying goodbye to a cherished companion, this support day offers a safe, compassionate environment where you can share your story, or simply listen among people who truly understand. Together we'll acknowledge the unique bond we share with our animals, honour their lives, and remind each other that no one has to walk through grief alone.
The morning tea will be held from 9:30am–12:30pm at The Base Health, Newcastle West. There is a $10 door charge to help cover venue hire, and we ask that you bring a plate of food to share with the group. Drinks are provided.
For more information or to reserve your place, please visit our events page or contact us by text or email.

23/10/2026

Dr Judy Live In Newcastle - A Great Success

Last Friday we hosted a live seminar with Dr Judy Morgan from the US right here in Newcastle. 80 people attended the event where they were greeted by some rescue dogs and volunteers from

Each attendee received a goody bag with offers and samples from local businesses, and we had a lucky door prize draw with over 20 prizes!

We were lucky to have Dr Judy for 2 hours giving her seminar "6 Ways To Care For Your Pet Naturally" as well as Q&A. Dr Judy was impressed and commented on how lucky we are to have such a community of people interested and already committed to caring for their animals naturally.

The feedback received on the night was very positive, and we hope everyone feels enlightened and empowered!

We hope you're enjoying the goody bags and prizes, and want to give a massive shout out and a thank you to the very generous local businesses .and.co, Northmax Plumbing , , Holistic Vets Newcastle, , ,

We're truly honoured to continue to help care for your animals and be a part of your journey!

19/10/2026

Nail trims - my animal hates them!

Spring is here so it's a great time to start those maintenance tasks your pooch needs so they can get out and about safely and enjoy the spring weather.

Why are nail trims important?
Long nails make feet sore. If the toenails contact hard ground, this pushes the nail back up into the nail bed. This either puts pressure on all the toe joints or forces the toe to twist to the side. Toenails touching the ground can also cause bad posture.

Anatomy of the nail: As you can see in the image above, there is the hard outer shell of nail, and inside is the quick (where the nerves and blood supply sit). Cutting through the quick is painful, and results in bleeding. When trimming an animals nail, we want to cut the hard outer shell shorter, without cutting the quick.

If your animal has white/clear nails, you can generally see the red/pink quick inside the nail, making it easy to see where not to cut. If the nails are dark or black, you may be able to see the quick by holding a small light (such as a phone light) against the nail. If they are too dark to see even with a light, you should be able to feel a small notch underneath before the nail divides with a channel in the middle. The quick is after the notch, so don’t go any shorter.

Handling: Many animals don’t like having their feet touched so don’t suddenly try to clip nails if you’ve never touched their feet before. Ease into it slowly by getting them used to you touching and handling his feet.

How to trim nails?
Make sure the clippers are sharp. Holding the foot firmly but gently, and separating the toes with your fingers, trim the nail in stages, taking off a little bit at a time. If you’re nervous, it’ll affect your dog so stay calm and confident. You can always trim the other paws later if they decide they've had enough. Start with one nail, praise and reward, play a game or something they find fun. We want to build positive associations! Your first step may just be holding their paw in one hand and the clippers in the other - feed treats, talk to them, give verbal praise.

14/10/2026

E-scripts🐾💌
We get asked all time if we can do an E script for medication. The answer is at this stage unfortunately NO. A pharmacist needs a physical veterinary script in order to fill it. However, in August in Victorian parliament a motion calling for the introduction of electronic prescribing for veterinarians was moved by Georgie Purcell - Animal Justice Party MP . The motion was carried unanimously, demonstrating multi-party support for this important reform for the veterinary industry and animal owners.

Electronic prescribing would remove the paperwork burden that has long weighed on veterinary practices: it would be faster and more efficient. It would also give animal owners greater choice and convenience when filling prescriptions. Advocates say the shift to secure e-script technology would also strengthen public safety.
Let's hope that NSW and the rest of the states/territories follow Victoria's lead. Scripts take up a lot of time and many clients don't realise that, and question why it's not instant or why we can't just send an e-script. Lobby with your local and state government to follow in Victoria's footsteps and introduce electronic prescribing for veterinarians in NSW! Hopefully we will get them in NSW at some point in the near future.
https://www.vetpracticemag.com.au/victoria-backs-e-prescribing-for-vets/

09/10/2026

PATIENT HIGHLIGHT 🐾

This Paw-fect duo are two year old Percy and Vinnie, poodle x Cocker Spaniel's. They have entirely different personalities : Percy is the highly strung one whilst Vinnie is more easy going. Unfortunately an all too common tale where these two rascals got themselves into trouble by nipping a child on the leg who was going past their home. These things can happen so quickly and are distressing for all parties. They have been in therapy last six months to prevent a repeat and to make Percy more comfortable and less reactive to the world. Fortunately all is going well. Keep up the good work fella's!

08/10/2026

Set to be a fun night out supporting a local rescue Tiki Animal Rescue 🐾
Your ticket gets you a night of trivia, a drink on arrival, and pizza 🍕 Plus you'll be supporting a local rescue - what a good deal 😍

GET YOUR TICKETS.
Only 50 available

Introducing our up and coming trivia night.

SAVE THE DATE
24th October

Do you love trivia?
Do you love winning prizes?
We have some amazing prizes up for grabs and we will be releasing the amazing options soon!

Tickets can be purchased via the link below

https://cosmomotel.com.au/event/tiki_oct_2026

07/10/2026

Ideas For Incorporating More Veg!
Bone broth: Boil vegetables in bone broth, or blend cooked vegetables with it to make a tasty topper for their regular food.
Share your food prep: Many dogs love being involved when we're preparing food! Offer small pieces of suitable vegetables as you're chopping. Cucumber, carrot, celery, leafy greens, capsicum, zucchini, green beans and snow peas are just a few options that can be offered raw.
Mushrooms: Leaving mushrooms in the sunlight before preparing can increase their vitamin D content. Cooking also makes them easier to digest.
Make a veggie mash: Steam vegetables such as pumpkin, sweet potato, cauliflower, green peas and carrot, then mash or blend them. Serve alongside their regular food, or use the mash on a lickimat or in a Kong. You can even mix in a little plain Greek yoghurt for something different.
Dehydrate them: Try making your own veggie chips or jerky
Freeze them: Does your dog love ice cubes? Try offering frozen peas as a snack, or blend suitable vegetables and freeze the mixture into little cubes.
Go green: Green leafy vegetables are nutritional powerhouses! Don't just think spinach, broccoli and lettuce — there’s silverbeet, kale, rocket, bok choy and plenty more to explore.
Use your herb garden: A great way to add extra variety and flavour!
Save the scraps: Keep suitable vegetable offcuts from your food preparation in a container or bag in the freezer and use them later.
What about chicken and rice? If your vet has suggested white meat (chicken, turkey, or white fish) and rice or another bland diet for your dog following a tummy upset, why not try swapping rice for plain cooked pumpkin?
Make veggies more accessible: Plant cell walls can be difficult for dogs to break down. Chopping, grating, blending or lightly cooking vegetables can make their nutrients more accessible.
Try fermented vegetables: Small amounts of plain fermented vegetables, such as sauerkraut, can add variety and beneficial microrganisms
Know what to avoid: Avoid onion, leek, chives, raw potato and wild or unidentified mushrooms. When in doubt, check whether a particular food is safe before offering it.

06/10/2026

Lett-uce Celebrate The Wonders Of Veggies!
Spring is here and the plants are growing again. Just when our bodies need extra nutrition to fuel change of season, nature provides them in abundance! Phytonutrients, also known as phytochemicals, are naturally occurring compounds found in plants. They have a range of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and are increasingly being recognised for their potential role in supporting overall health and wellbeing — for humans and our dogs too!

Vegetables can provide a wonderful variety of nutrients, fibre and antioxidants, and may help support healthy digestion, immune function, metabolic health and cognitive wellbeing. They can also be a great way to add volume and variety to your dog’s meals without adding lots of extra calories. Whether you want to increase the variety of nutrients in your dog’s diet, add more fibre, or simply give them more food to enjoy without significantly increasing their energy/calorie intake, vegetables can be a fantastic addition.

Research suggests that many dogs are fed a surprisingly limited variety of vegetables (five on average). With thousands of edible plant varieties available, there’s plenty of room to mix things up! Variety is the spice of life.

A little bit of variety can go a long way!
Vegetables don't need to make up a huge proportion of your dog’s diet to provide variety and extra nutrients. Start with small amounts and introduce new foods gradually — especially if your dog has a sensitive tummy.

For individual advice or a personalised diet plan for your dog, please book a consultation with one of our holistic vets.