It’s widely recognised that better outcomes for sick and injured wildlife often hinges on early triage, assessment, and treatment along with reducing stress from long-distance travel for specialised treatment. So the establishment of the Tasmania Wildlife Hospital (TWH), earlier this year has marked a significant step forward in wildlife treatment and care for the region. Seed-funded by the clinic’s owners, Dr. Joh Robertson and Alana Robertson, TWH leverages the clinic's resources, including facilities, land, and staff, to support the treatment and critical care of sick and injured native wil ..read more

The other week, Tib the little penguin was back in the clinic to have some repeat X-rays taken to check on the the progress of healing for his broken leg. We're happy to share that Tib's recovery is going well. All of his injuries are healing nicely, and the broken bone (as you can see in the attached X-ray) is in good shape. The implants we placed in his leg haven't caused any issues, and there are promising signs that the bone is fusing back together which is comforting to see Little Tib will need to have further X-rays in a couple of weeks to see how everything is progressing prior to doing ..read more

The birth of a foal is usually a relatively straightforward event. It most commonly occurs in the early hours of the morning and while the initial, restless preparatory stage can take several and up to twelve hours, the birth itself if usually over within 20-30 minutes. During Stage One of labour, the uterus begins to contract, the cervix dilates and the foal moves to position itself with its front legs and head in the pelvic canal. During this stage the mare may show signs of restlessness, sweating, urination and mild discomfort or colic. Signs of severe pain during Stage One are abnormal and ..read more

Pregnancy testing is critical to any reproductive management program. There are two procedures our vets perform to confirm pregnancy; The Manual Rectal Palpation and Ultrasound. Manual rectal palpation can be used on any stage of pregnancy over 6 weeks. The accuracy of manual preg testing for dating is best in the early stages of pregnancy under 4 months (16 weeks), rather than in the later stages of pregnancy. Accuracy for detecting whether an animal is pregnant or not over the stage of 6 weeks is 100%. Ultrasound pregnancy testing is generally performed to diagnose from 5 to 16 weeks. The ac ..read more

A healthy horse has healthy hooves. For the sake of your horse – and keeping him sound - it’s important to pinpoint problems early so you can seek professional diagnosis and treatment. But how do you know what to look for?  Here’s our top four tips to identifying hoof issues so you can stop lameness issues in their tracks: 1. Observation – Spend a day observing your horse’s daily routine and behaviour so you know what ‘normal’ looks like. Take note of how he stands and moves. Use your phone to take slow-motion video of walking and trotting in a straight line; then walking, trotting and c ..read more

Many of you would have heard about the little penguins injured in Burnie last week. Sadly “Tib” was one of the little penguins who suffered this traumatic experience. He was left in pain with his leg dangling and his toe badly torn up as a result of the alleged abuse. The little penguin arrived at the Forth Valley Vet clinic in need of urgent treatment. Tib came in with a fractured tibia, a broken toe dirty with sand and debris and other mild external wounds. We fondly nicknamed the little penguin - Tib Orthopaedic surgery was performed to help save Tib’s leg. Orthopaedic surgery for Tib mean ..read more

Vibriosis is a venereal disease of cattle caused by a bacterial infection with Campylobacter fetus subspecies venerealis. It is widespread throughout the Australian cattle herd and is regarded as a very common cause of infertility and sporadic abortion in all cattle breeding areas. Vibriosis is spread at joining either from an infected bull to an uninfected cow or vice versa. Infected bulls can act as carriers for many years. Bulls are the main source of infection in a herd and are responsible for transmission of infection.  The initial indication of a vibrio infection in a herd is cows r ..read more

Whilst it is important to ensure your cows are in good condition and have plenty of feed, it is also vital to remember the other key player in your mating success - bulls.  Complete health should be on target and they should not be suffering from any disease or illness. Even a small ailment like a foot abscess can disrupt sperm production for upto 8 weeks. There is one major aspect of a bull’s health that can’t be assessed externally - semen. How do you know if those swimmers are actually going to swim? The annual herd pregnancy scan often comes up an unexpected high dry rate - this could ..read more

Vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate. Just like humans cats require annual immunisations to keep them healthy and protected against infectious disease. Within Australia, it is recommended that cats receive a core vaccine- F3, which protects against three common diseases: Feline Panleukopenia, Feline Calicivirus and Feline Herpesvirus.  Feline panleukopenia is a disease of that intestinal tract that progresses very quickly, and is often fatal. It is contracted through the environment, and can withstand for months at a time. Feline calicivirus and feline herpesvirus are both causes of a respirat ..read more

Feline Immunodeficiency virus is a relatively common disease in outdoor cats in Australia. The virus attacks the immune system, leaving the cat vulnerable to secondary infections and disease. Once a cat is infected, the disease can progress to feline acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, otherwise known as feline AIDS.    Although FIV can have serious consequences, infected cats can live long and healthy lives when they are provided with suitable care and regular health checks. FIV is mainly spread through deep bite wounds that occur during aggressive catfights and territorial disputes ..read more