Casper, a beautiful 4 month old golden Labrador cross recently visited Vetwest Clarkson when his owner noticed he had suddenly started holding up one back leg and was completely refusing to walk on it. Dr Ben Trotter examined Casper and could tell he was a brave little boy who had a problem with his stifle joint (knee joint). The stifle was swollen and very painful so Dr Ben recommended Casper be admitted straight into hospital for treatment and to investigate what was causing his discomfort.

Milo is a 3 year old Maltese Shih Tsu Cross who was presented to us at Vetwest Currambine after drowning (literally) at the beach. Milo was playing in the shallow water when she was swept away by a strong undercurrent. Her owner immediately swam out to retrieve her but unfortunately Milo was pulled under a large rock and she could not be reached.

Ruby is a 6 month old Staffordshire bull terrier who presented one evening to Vetwest Wanneroo after being run over by a car and dragged along the road. Ruby was conscious when she arrived but had sustained severe injuries to the left side of her face and along her body. One of the most concerning injuries was to her left eye which was fully exposed as the skin around her eyelids had come away and she could not blink properly. There was also some concern whether she would be able to keep the eye or whether the eye was too badly damaged - only time would tell.

Buddha is a 5 year old Corgi who was taken into Vetwest Canning Vale after his owners had noticed he was unwell. Buddha was lethargic, constipated and had been vomiting. His owners were worried as they had fed him some raw bones a few days earlier and he had been unwell since. Upon examination by his veterinarian, Buddha was found to be moderately dehydrated, probably as a result of the vomiting. The vet could also feel a hard mass in his abdomen and she was concerned that there may be pieces of bones stuck in Buddha's intestines.

Caesar is a 6 and a half year old Labrador who has been coming to Vetwest since his first puppy vaccination at 9 weeks of age. When he was 3 years old, Caesar developed an ear infection, which was then followed by recurring episodes of both pruritis (itchy skin) and more ear infections. These ear infections were treated with ear cleaners and standard medicated drops.

Harley is a 16 week old male American Staffordshire Terrier. Young Harley had a lovely adventure with a chocolate Easter Bunny that stood almost as tall as he. His wonderful time came to an end when his owners found him with a half consumed foil covered rabbit, and they placed a call to our trained team of nurses at Vetwest Yokine for advice. Our nurse, Lindsey, advised that he should be seen immediately and he was whisked down to the clinic to induce vomiting.

Spot is a friendly Jack Russell with a lot of life experience. At 16 years old he is still going strong and enjoying a good quality of life. His only problem has been a long term skin condition causing itching, rashes and patchy areas of hair loss. He has been on a low dose steroid anti-inflammatory for allergic skin disease for some time but recently his skin started getting worse and he was presented to Vetwest Whitfords hoping to find some relief.

Jazmyn is a 2 year old Kelpie who was presented to Vetwest Wanneroo for a post whelping (birth) check one afternoon. The first time mum had started going into labour around 10.30pm the night before, and had delivered 4 healthy pups. She appeared to have finished her labour of love at 1am that morning. Jazmyn seemed quite settled throughout the day but her owner had wisely booked her in for a post whelping check with us that afternoon (which is usually recommend within 24 hours of the birth).

PreciousPrecious is a 17 week old Chihuahua who was brought into Vetwest Canning Vale by her owners with her very sick sister, Teddy Bear. Both puppies had already had their first vaccinations but before their second vaccine could be administered Teddy Bear had become extremely unwell. She had stopped eating and drinking, become very lethargic and developed vomiting and diarrhoea. An in-house pathology test revealed Teddy Bear had parvovirus infection. This is a highly infectious viral disease that attacks the gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular systems of dogs. Even with intensive treatment some puppies or dogs will not survive the infection.

Rusty is a 12 year old diabetic Maltese X who was brought into Vetwest by his owners because he was shaking, vomiting and not interested in food. Rusty was admitted to hospital, placed on intravenous fluids and blood was taken to help find out why Rusty was showing these signs. Naturally it can be very serious for any animal if they are not able to eat and drink, but can be potentially life-threatening in the case of a diabetic patient.