Picton Veterinary Clinic

15/05/2026

Everything FEELS urgent, but maybe it is not.

Last night I stayed back late going through dozens of message requests, reviewing prescriptions, summarizing patient notes, and writing emails. And that was all before I wrote referrals for cases and looked at lab slides that needed to be done before the next day. At least I get to give the patients a pat and some supper! It seems never ending and I don't see how AI can do all that!

But I had a brain wave. I am going to time block the routine 'prescriptions requests' to align with our ordering on Mondays and Thursdays. I will set aside time on these days to review requests, or an appointment will be need to be made (just like the doctors).

It is too tempting to just give in to requests to make everyone's life easier but all is not as it seems. Often I am so glad I saw the patient, and many times there is something else! Don't be afraid of the vet, plan ahead with savings aside for your pet each week and do more home checks to provide more detail/observations. It all helps and saves time. 💰

If you already have had a consult and been granted a prescription ✍️ for the next 6 months then the nurses can fill this when given 24hrs notice. The best idea is to email us at [email protected] with your pets current medication dose, pets response/wellness and when you need it by. The nurses can quickly reply when it is ready for pick up.

This should take some pressure off, so we can focus on urgent/emergencies cases that occur each day. We may look a small and quiet clinic but ALL staff are involved with serious cases and surgery behind the scenes.

We want to continue to be here for you and your pets. 🐕🐈‍⬛🦆🐾

14/05/2026

MKA's big DOG SHOWS are this weekend. TWO FULL DAYS. Lots of purebred dogs.🧍‍♀️🐩
Great if you are considering a breed or dog or want to form connections. We are all here to love dogs.
🚗 👀
Go check it out. Some of the stalls at our Games day will be there. K9 Deli New Zealand, Healthy Hound Therapy, TESTED BY TOBY jackets By Jes

Whose ready for a dog show!!!

12/05/2026

A Cry for Help - 👀 Who is this???

Maybe he is saying 'Why am I here?'

This cute little fella came in today in a trap cage. The plan was TNR ( Trap Neuter Return) which we offer for stray cats 🐈.

He didn't seem to hiss! In fact he let me poke him to check if was a boy🩵. Then he started to purr.

I carefully put a hand on him and pulled him out to see : he was tame, already desexed but had NO MICROCHIP. ⌚️There is really so much worry and time wasted, by many people, when cats turn up without a microchip. Who is he???

He relaxed in my hands, now massaging him, as he started purring. My heart fluttered. What a sweetie!

Please let us know ☎️ if this is your cat. He seemed 🤎 desperate for love 🥰 and attention so we want him to have a loving home🏡, if he isn't already owned.

Please let Picton Vet Clinic know. He has been released ( temporarily 🙃).

07/05/2026

Made by ME to help YOU!! Here is why...

My clients like when I simplify common pet problems down to THREE things or signs.

Recently, we had an emergency when a dog couldn't p*e. This inspired me to simplify common p*e problems….simple to serious, with an urgent description thrown in for awareness.

Let me know if your pet(s) has ever had 1, 2, 3. Or even Emergency 4. Share to help others.

04/05/2026

Some of our cute patients, recently and over the weekend.

01/05/2026

Not so Feel GOOD Friday!! - Only 4 hours sleep!

🐩We had a whelping on Thursday night which resulted in a caesarian in the 🕰️early hours of Friday. One live pup which the mum was not impressed with! 'Get me away from that' was her expression.

After a busy short week, and to end with little sleep, my days off arn't really that. But with another surgery pending I was relieved to see that the patients improved xray meant I got a reprieve.

After I caught up on another 3.5 hrs sleep early evening, I popped back to check on inpatients. I realized how much I love saying 'Hi' to my patients. I couldn't imagine any other job, or place to be. Sure it would be nice to be near a 24hr Emergency clinic but with that comes city busy-ness, and city prices. Talking to a new rep today we discussed how nice it was to be a family run clinic with a caring community.💞

Today I also realized, my enthusiasm for our patients and friends (clients) pushes through automatically when behind the scenes tells a different story - I was so tired.

AI cant really take my job but maybe it could make some parts easier and provide a bit of fun along the way! If you haven't tried it yet, you can have a few chats with chatGPT or Claude (for free) to help you create ideas or letters. (the more you give it to work with the better). What do others use it for??

I usually hate change but am trying to 'Embrase change but remain human'. 🥰
- And it can make you look younger!

28/04/2026

REAL STORY - POPPY's After-hours Problem

Poppy thought she would help herself to a left-over half of a Bumper bar. On inspection of the packet the owner realized there was chocolate🍫 in it so rung the vet. Ideally we would make them vomit immediately. The owner was reluctant to call me out if it wasnt necessary so on calculating the weight of the dog and the guestimated amount of chocolate the overall amount seems low risk. She was to watch for signs of restlessness, vomiting and diarrhoea, usually within 6–12 hours. Severe cases progress to tremors, seizures, racing heart rate, and potential death.

Midnight came and the phone rung again. Poppy was twitching. I jumped in the car and raced to see her. Her heart rate was racing (a sign of toxicity), but she is usually nervous at the vets her owner mentioned. We all sat and calmed down.

Luckily the owner had brought the Bumper Bar packet. On closer inspection there was an asteriks by the chocolate, signalling to a further description below. There was infact DARK chocolate as well as milk and white chocolate in the bar. This changes things. We calculated the amounts again. Although making it a higher content of the toxic compound theobromine, it was still low risk.

We discussed what she was doing at the time she was twitching, having now resolved at the clinic. She was actually asleep the owner reported. We concluded she was probably dreaming, as there we no true tremors happening now.

By now Poppy had settled, lying on the seat next to her owner, wondering why she was taken for a car ride night. Her heart rate and pulse were now normal at around 100 beats per minute. I would normally have admitted her to be watched for a few more hours but as she gets very anxious in a cage and away from mum, that was likely to cause more harm that good.

Luckily the packet was handy to read the ingredients. Another sweetener product used in human treats, which is toxic to dogs, is Xylotil. Signs include vomiting, and symptoms associated with low blood sugar, such as weakness, staggering, incoordination, collapse and seizures. Luckily that was NOT on the list of the ingredients.

Vet tip - Avoid feeding dogs human food and treats! ; Keep half eaten treats and chocolate bars in a container away from nosey dogs, esp puppies; Read the packets carefully; Bring any packets to the vets in an emergency.

26/04/2026

Dont give up. There might be other people out there, like Steve, making a difference and improving Quality of Life for animals.

24/04/2026

We are CLOSED on Saturday and Monday for ANZAC rememberence. STAY SAFE. For true Emergencies 03 573 8299

18/04/2026

And some more great pictures from Chance Steer Photography