Vanesa is well known to many of the clients at Kohimarama Veterinary Clinic where she has worked as a nurse for the past 3 ½ years.
Vanesa is an Argentinian Veterinarian who graduated from the University of Buenos Aires in 2016.
Vanesa's initial job as a Vet was in the shearing season in south Patagonia and her love for sheep was what brought her to New Zealand.

After a year of travelling around, she found a home in this country and got the opportunity to come back to the veterinary profession at Kohimarama Veterinary Clinic, where she worked as a Senior Veterinary Nurse.
In April 2021 Vanesa passed the Preliminary (MCQ) Examination section of the Australasian Veterinary Examination which allowed her to get a Limited Registration with the New Zealand Veterinary Council. This enables Vanesa to work as a veterinarian in training under the supervision of Russell Tucker.
Vanesa is hoping to sit her Final Clinical Examination in June of 2022.

Our three full-time Veterinarians are Dr Russell Tucker, Dr Georgia Child and Vanesa Flagel

There are several ways that you can prepare your pet for Guy Fawkes to help them through this traumatic time.

1. Feliway™ for cats or Adaptil™ for dogs.  We have an in-clinic special on Feliway- get a diffuser and 1 refill, which will last 4 weeks, for $99.00.  Adaptil collars will last 4 weeks and the special price for Guy Fawkes is $79.00.
2. Clomicalm™ is an anti-anxiety medication that needs to be commenced at least 4 weeks before Guy Fawkes to have any effect.
3. Calmex™ liquid for cats or capsules for dogs. This is a natural food supplement that needs to be commenced well before Guy Fawkes.
4. Thunder Jackets. The Thunder Jacket calming wrap applies gentle pressure, similar to swaddling an infant, in order to help your dog, feel safer and calmer. The jacket or shirt helps to calm in over 80% of cases, and can help your anxious dog with panting, scratching, digging, shaking, hiding and many other symptoms of anxiety or fear.
5. Desensitise your dog to loud noise by playing music at meal time and gradually increasing the volume of the music.
6. Which ever method that you use it also helps to keep your pet indoors at night over Guy Fawkes.
7. Diet. Royal Canin have a new diet called Calm® that contains natural supplements which reduce anxiety. This diet is currently only for cats and small dogs, and should be started well be Guy Fawkes.

Calming care is a new probiotic designed to help dogs displaying anxious behaviour such as excessive vocalisation, jumping and pacing.  It helps maintain positive cardiac activity during stressful events and helps maintain a positive emotional state in dogs.
Diet-related changes in gut microbiota influence the brain via the gut-brain axis and in turn influences behaviours such as anxiety.
If anxious dogs are living in a state of chronic psychological stress can cause gastrointestinal distress and contribute to inflammatory bowel disease, suppress the immune system and contribute to skin problems such as pyoderma or skin itch.
It can also have a negative effect on the reproductive system.
Calming Care™ comes in sachets of powder that can be mixed in the usual diet.
Please phone the clinic if you would like to discuss whether Calming Care™ is ideal for your dog.

What is a wellness examination?

A wellness examination is a routine medical examination of a pet who appears healthy, as opposed to an examination of a pet who is ill. A wellness examination may also be called a 'check-up' or a 'physical examination'. The focus of a wellness examination is the maintenance of optimal health.

How often should my pet have a wellness examination?
The answer to this question depends on your pet’s age and current health status. During early life, wellness exams are recommended monthly, while for the average adult pet, annual wellness examinations are the norm, and semi-annual examinations are recommended for middle aged, senior, and geriatric pets.
Pets age at a faster rate than people. In one calendar year a pet may age the equivalent of four to sixteen years in a human's life. The reason for this dramatic difference is that puppies and kittens reach maturity very quickly and are essentially adolescents or young adults by one year of age; therefore, they are considered to be the equivalent of 15 or 16 years old by their first birthday. During the second year, the rate of aging slows down a little so that your pet will be the equivalent of about 24 or 25 years old by their second birthday. After that, the rate of aging stabilizes.
Your veterinarian is in the best position to recommend how often your pet should have a wellness examination based on its age, lifestyle, and health status.

December 2020

24th            8.00am - 5.00pm

25th, 26th, 27th, 28th    CLOSED

29th            8.00am - 5.00pm

30th            8.00am - 5.00pm

31st            CLOSED

January 2021

​1st, 2nd,3rd, 4th    CLOSED

​January 5th onward we are open normal hours

Phone 5211457

Christmas Cattery

Our cattery is closed from 3pm on 24th of December until the 5th of January 2021

Cattery drop off and collection hours are between 10am to 2pm Monday to Friday and 10am-12pm on Saturdays.

• Keep your pet’s vaccinations up to date. Catteries and kennels require that your animal’s vaccinations are current and usually the last inoculation given at least 2 weeks prior to the start date of your pets boarding.
• High temperatures. Elderly and very young animals and brachycephalic (short snout breeds such us Pugs, French Bulldogs, etc.) are really sensitive to heat. Avoid exercising them in the middle of the day and always provide shade and fresh water.
• Never leave your dog inside your car. Even with opened windows, the car temperature can cause your pet to suffer from heat shock, a life compromising situation which needs to be managed as an emergency.
• Chocolate and raisin ingestion. Chocolate, really popular at this time of year, is toxic for animals, same as raisins. Leave them in a secure place and call the clinic on 521-1457 as soon as you find out that they have eaten them. Treatment varies if it was caught within the first hour of ingestion or after, the sooner the safest.
• Don't leave presents containing chocolates under the Christmas tree, dogs have an acute sense of smell.

If you are the new owner of a puppy or kitten please click on the links below to read many of the recommendations from our vets to make sure that you have a happy healthy new pet.

For puppies:

https://kohivet.co.nz/news/posts/2020/information-for-new-puppy-or-kitten-owners/puppies-first-year/

For kittens:

https://kohivet.co.nz/news/posts/2020/information-for-new-puppy-or-kitten-owners/kittens-first-year/

When to desex your dog?
Not only does desexing your animal help in controlling the national population and stop your dog wandering, if done at the right time it also has some health benefits as well. Studies have shown that both male and female dogs who are not desexed or desexed later in life have a higher chance of getting various diseases as they get older, such as cancer. On the other side, if desexed too young a puppy’s growth can be impacted resulting in joint and bone problems later in life. We have created a flow chart that to help us understand the best time to give your pet the best chance in life.

https://kohivet.co.nz/media/1250/desexing-flow-chart.pdf

PUPPIES:  RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NEW OWNERS

We would like to congratulate you on the acquisition of your new puppy. Owning a dog can be an extremely rewarding experience, but it is also a large responsibility. We hope this handout will give you the information needed to make some good decisions regarding your puppy.

First, let us say that we are grateful that you have chosen us to help you with your puppy's health care. If you have questions concerning any subject related to your puppy's health, please feel free to call our clinic. Our entire professional staff is willing and happy to help you.

Kittens first year

Owning a kitten brings its own special rewards and responsibilities, your kitten will be a member of your family for many years so it is worth considering how you will provide for the kittens/cat’s needs.

These needs include

• A suitable environment to live
• A suitable diet
• To exhibit normal behaviour patterns
• To be housed with or apart from other animals if applicable
• To be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease.