Chester is a 2 year old Chinchilla who first presented to Vetwest after being missing for some time with a large open wound in his right armpit. The wound was caused by getting his foreleg entrapped in his collar. On examination there was a bed of granulation tissue covering the wound, and the wound itself was embedded with hair and superficially infected. Besides the wound, Chester was healthy and very hungry after being missing!

Older pets have special needs that arise as their years advance and age brings its own particular healthcare concerns. Often the signs of change in an older pet's health are slower in onset and harder to notice than in their younger years. Slow but persistent weight loss is a common example of a sign of change in the health of older pets. This is what Pickle's owners first noticed this year when he dropped around a kilogram in 6 months.

Missy the Ragdoll was brought into Vetwest Clarkson to be sterilised after being rehomed. Prior to surgery, a routine examination of Missy was conducted and revealed that Missy had in fact a microchip in placed which her new owners were not aware of. After checking the national database Missy's family was located and contacted.

In November, eight month old Mutu, a domestic short haired cat, was brought in to Vetwest Animal Hospitals Wanneroo with the suspicion that he had been hit by a car. He was feeling very sore with marked bruising around one eye and was unable to put weight on his right back leg. Mutu was admitted to hospital immediately to be given pain relief, antibiotics and for further investigation of his injuries.

Ever been in the situation where you put a load of dishes or linen away and a few hours pass before you notice you haven't seen your cat for awhile? Did he/she sneak in when your back was turned and you have shut the door without realising? Out of sight, out of mind! Cats have a tendency to get themselves into certain places where they do not belong, particularly places that are dark, quiet, warm and soft. The open door of a front-loader washing machine filled with soft clothes was too much of a temptation for one of our patients, 'Ninja' an eight month old Burmese kitten.

Gilmour, an 11 month old Maine Coon cat, has a taste for sparkly things. Gilmour was snuggling on the couch with his owner, Sarah, who took off her diamond ring and placed it next to her. Later, when Sarah went to put her ring back on, she discovered it was missing. Very concerned that Gilmour may have eaten it, Sarah rushed him into Vetwest Whitfords.

Jasper, a 13 year old male sterilised ginger cat was brought into Vetwest Clarkson at the end of July because his mum had noticed that he had been limping for the previous week. He is a cat that loves the outdoors and getting up to mischief.

Mills (grey and white) recently visited us to have his teeth cleaned and an unhealthy tooth removed. With new sparkly teeth, Mills is back at home enjoying the company and support of his best friend Jack.

Samson is a black, male 5 month old stray cat. He was recently hit by a car and suffered a fractured distal femur (thigh) and dislocated hip which could not be replaced. Dr Melanie Collins of Vetwest Clarkson (pictured) amputated the ball of the hip to enable the formation of a "false" joint which will in time give Samson near to full mobility. She also placed two steel pins in Samson's leg to stabilise the fracture.

This very brave yet fortunate feline was recently found outside a Vetwest Animal Hospital. Hungry, alone and with her head stuck in an empty can of Whiskas, she was glad to be in the caring arms of our nursing team.