Almost a year after the first incident of poisoning from toxic sea slugs, Aucklanders are being warned they pose a risk again.

The Auckland Regional Council and Cawthron Institute have been surveying sub-tidal areas of Auckland beaches, where the grey side-gilled sea slugs caused sickness and death in dogs last winter.

Divers have found Narrow Neck Beach is again a ‘hot spot’, with 48 toxic slugs found, the highest number of all nine sites surveyed.

Sea slugs were also found underwater at Browns Bay (1), Long Bay (6), Mission Bay (5), Cheltenham (16), Illiomama Rock near Rangitoto Island (14) and the Bayswater mooring (4). Omana and Eastern Beach were also surveyed, but no sea slugs were observed.

Public Health officials say children and pets still need to be supervised on Hauraki Gulf beaches.

The Auckland Regional Public Health Service continues to caution beach-goers and recommends the following:

• Children and pets still need to be supervised on Hauraki Gulf beaches.
• Adults, children and pets should not eat anything found washed up on any Hauraki Gulf beach.
• Parents need to be aware of where their children are swimming or playing, and what they are handling.
• Sea slugs on any beach must be avoided. If you find one, mark the spot, leave well alone, phone the city or district council and ask for an Environmental Health Officer who will collect the slug safely.

Stem Cell therapy for dogs - now available in NZ

AdiCell for your dog’s joint pain - Treating arthritis with your dog’s own healing cells

Pet Doctors is excited to announce that in partnership with Regeneus Australia, we are now performing the exciting new AdiCell™ treatment. AdiCell™ can offer hope for an improved quality of life to the thousands of New Zealand dogs affected by degenerative joint disease.

AdiCell™ is an advanced yet simple treatment for your dog’s osteoarthritis. It uses your dog’s own fat cells to heal an arthritic joint, such as a hip or knee. It is a safe procedure that puts to work your pet’s natural regeneration system. Think of these cells as your dog’s own emergency repair kit.

To date results have been excellent and the improvement in mobility is significant. AdiCell-treated dogs are healthier and lead more active lives without drugs.

TO FIND OUT MORE:

To find out more about the treatment, visit the Adicell website.

You can also watch a real life example of Adicell treatment on YouTube, or view this Australian TV news item.

To get to the place that does these in NZ now - pet doctors in Henderson (Auckland) http://henderson.nzpetdoctors.co.nz/index.cfm/PageID/318/ViewPage/Adicell+therapy

Here is their address, numbers etc for contacting them:

Physical Address

192-198 Universal Drive
Henderson
Auckland 0610
New Zealand

Hours
Monday - Friday : 8:00am - 7:00pm
Saturday : 9:00am - 5:00pm
Sunday: 10:00am - 5:00pm

Contact Phone Numbers

Phone: +64 9 838 0735
Fax: +64 9 836 0692

That’s SO COOL!!! - So glad it’s available over here now as well - Not sure if my doggie will be able to get it or not though as it involves a general anesthetic to get the fat cells out of their tummy - and as she has addisons having an anesthetic/operation would be very risky

BOO BOO NEEDS $500 - $700 SURGERY

 …but Linda’s vet bill is already over $3,000.00…

On the 15^th February, I received a distressed e-mail from a kind landlord. Like so many other e-mails, it began, “Hello Linda… I urgently need your help”. 

Samuel’s tenants had fled the country, leaving him out of pocket. They had also left their beautiful pets (pictured) abandoned in the Auckland inner city apartment. The dog and the teenage kittens had been locked in the building two days before - and the complex manager wanted them out. Short-term, Samuel compassionately housed, fed them and cleaned up their messes in one of his empty rental properties. 

When I had arranged temporary board for these little ones, I met Samuel at the vet clinic. He purchased a collar for Boo Boo and made a donation towards the vet fee. I immediately carried the frightened 13-month-old sister kittens into the vet where they were examined, spayed, micro-chipped, treated for fleas and worms, nails clipped, etc, before I took them to a cattery to recover and await their adoption. I have named this friendly pair Topsy and Turvy to reflect the upheaval in their young lives…and I will not allow them to be separated.

I was lucky to find a caring family to foster the 14-month-old Bichon Fris X Maltese Terrier who they named Boo Boo.  Samuel had mentioned that Boo Boo had suffered trauma to his back legs last year and I noticed he had a limp that needed investigation. While this little dog was gaining confidence, I was tracking down vet clinics who may have had contact with him and the kittens.

I discovered that in mid-2009, Boo Boo had both of his hind legs broken when he was about 5-6 months old.  I located the clinic where the surgery was carried out. After dropping him off there, Boo Boo’s “caregivers” disappeared for 2 months. Finally the clinic tracked them down and they came in to collect him. They paid a fraction of the bill and instructed that there was no need for further X-rays. The vet told me he was very concerned that Boo Boo had not been back to the clinic for a post operative check up, because his bones were still growing and the pins may be causing him pain.

I also tracked down a cattery which had cared for Topsy and Turvy during the same two month period that Boo Boo was abandoned at the vet clinic. The staff said they would never forget the cats being brought in to their facility in a basket with cling wrap around it and with head holes poked through it to keep the cats enclosed.

I have now had Boo Boo vet checked, X-rayed, neutered, nails clipped, vaccinated, micro-chipped, registered, flea and worm treated and had his teeth de-scaled and polished, etc. The vet found a very painful area on his right leg where he could feel one of the cross pins protruding at a strange angle. The left leg, which Boo Boo lifts in discomfort, will also need to be opened up and will probably also have the pins removed.

So far, my combined vet bill for Boo Boo, Topsy and Turvy is over $800, even with my discounts. In addition, the daily tariff for the cats is $24.00 - they have been boarding there since 18^th February. Boo Boo’s essential surgery will be between $500 - $700.

I currently owe the vet clinic $3,436.87. I cannot have Boo Boo’s surgery done until my outstanding bill is paid, so I am hoping you will help me with these animals in strife. Due to your generosity, we have raised the funds for Coco and Spike and so many others in the past…I am confident that, between us, we will also manage it for Boo Boo. Thank you in anticipation of your much appreciated support.

Love Linda (Animal Re-homing)

If you are able to make a donation towards the vet bill, the boarding cattery or Boo Boo’s surgery, please post a cheque to:

Linda Nunn  (Animal Re-homing), PO BOX 35-298, Browns Bay, North Shore City, Auckland 0753

Or a direct payment can be made to Linda Nunn (Animal Re-homing) 12 3042 0208233 01

Please also note some of the animals who are looking for special homes. Tika, the rabbit, has been waiting a very long time for her special people with a nice, big, cosy enclosure. And Simba the cat deserves a heavenly future. Thank you again…

http://www.animalrehoming.co.nz/animalrehoming_news.htm

If your dog can’t walk so good due to old age, amputated legs, scoliosis, stroke, weak muscles, or any other illness or problem that prevents them from being able to get around by themselves it’s heart breaking. Dogs love to walk around sniffing and visiting other dogs - or run and chase their ball, or just get out and see the sites. Unless your dog is small carrying them everywhere becomes extremely hard.

One option to help with hanicapped pets that can’t walk properly is to get them a cart to help them walk.

Eddies wheels in America make all kinds of carts. Front wheel carts for dogs that have prolems walking on or using their front legs - back wheel carts for dogs that have prolems walking on or using their back legs - and quad carts for dogs that are paralyzed or have trouble using or walking on all their legs (also dogs that have trouble with just a few legs but would be to week to use a front cart or rear cart)

There are some great videos of eddies wheels carts on youtube. Have a box of tissues handy!

The carts are such a great idea - if you can’t fix your dogs legs to help them walk at least you can help them walk with the aid of a cart.

Carts are individually made so if your pet wants one you would need to get all their measurements for the cart to be made.

Often pets are put down when they can no longer walk - they may well live long happy lives if they can just get some help with their walking.

I am thinking of getting a quad cart for my dog to help her walk. The ideal solution for Sausage would be stem cell therapy but as that is not available in New Zealand I have been looking at other options. I contemplated making her a cart but I’m too scared it won’t be stable and it may topple over and hurt her. She already has a Jeep Pram from America which has helped her be able to come on walks with me instead of leaving her at home - but she would much rather walk herself - plus being in the pram gives her no excercise.  I will put up a couple of pictures of Sausage enjoying outings in her pram soon. When I manage to get a quad cart sent over from America I’ll put up a video of her using the cart. Quad carts are the most expensive at US$800 - US$1200 plus shipping (which will be pricy too). But really how much is your dogs quality of life worth - ALOT!!!

Front wheel cartRear wheel cartRear wheel cart

If you want to check out the eddies wheels carts go to their website http://www.eddieswheels.com/ - they ship them worldwide

They ran a cool ad in England that said no one suggested putting granny to sleep when she couldn’t walk

This is so awesome but how unfortunate for people living in New Zealand it is not available here

If you live in America or Canada and your dog gets arthritis, or joint type problems there is a solution. Animals can get a fat sample taken from their bodies and then Vet Stem will take their fat sample and help it to make it’s own stem cells - then the stem cells are injected into the site(s) of pain in your dog.  The stem cells them heal your dogs injury.  It works for 75% of animals so it’s got a really good rate of working.

Some of the things stem cell therapy can help with are:

> Osteoarthritis (of the leg joints)
> Osteochondritis Dessicans (OCD) (OCD & degenerative diseases with bony fragments should be evaluated by and potentially treated with arthroscopy)
> Orthopedic soft tissue: tendon and ligament partial tears
> Fractures

The procedure costs somewhere around US$2,500

I really want to get this for my dog as she has bad front shoulders and can’t walk very well. She can’t jump or get up stairs or into the car etc so I have to carry her. I’ve seen videos on youtube of dogs just like this that have had stem cell therapy and now they can walk fine, they can also now run and jump. What an awesome thing to be able to do for your dog!!

If your dog is healthy and young-ish you could always take them to America or Canada to get the procedure done. Unfortunately I can’t get me dog Sausage over there to have the procedure as she has addisons (stress disorder) and she is 14 years old - so I would be too scared she wouldn’t make the trip in the plane in the pet hold It’s a shame that New Zealand is so far away

If you want to find out more about vet stem therapy their site is: http://www.vet-stem.com

If you want to add them on facebook here is the link http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#/VetStem

Hopefully one day soon stem cell therapy will be available in New Zealand

Richard had taken his 4 year old Lab called Baci to Churchill reserve in North Shore - his dog is now dead

Here is what he wrote:

This problem is not over - our dog, an otherwise very healthy 4 year old Lab passed away on Boxing Day.

Symptoms started as Loss of Appetite, then vomitting, and then despite being on antiboitocs the infection went to the Bile duct and into the Liver, which became quickly enlarged.

No amount of extra antibiotics or drips could save her, and she passed away within apporx 9 days of the initial loss of appetite.

Had never been walked on beaches until a few weeks ago - Churchill Reserve.

Too much of a concidence?

I suggest you do not take your dog to any beach until there is proof from MAF that it is all clear

Over the past few weeks I have heard of more dogs dying and getting sick due to poisoning at beaches

A 12-year-old female beardy cross named Buddy, died soon after her owners stopped at Tapu Beach (on the Coromandel Peninsula) on September 30.

Buddy was seen checking out something on the beach and her owners thought she had only sniffed it but not long later she died

A poodle died on Browns Bay beach about a week and a half ago

And in the last week 3 more dogs have gotten very sick from being at Narrow Neck Beach near Devonport

My advice: - Do NOT take your dogs to the beach yet - it is NOT SAFE!!