Maroochydore Rd Vet Surgery

💙 Vet Nurse Week – Day 4 | Guardians of Compassion 🐾

Compassion goes beyond caring for our patients. It’s about supporting their families and each other, too.

Today we celebrate the kindness, empathy and heart our wonderful nurses bring to MRVS every day. 💙

💛 Vet Nurse Week | Day 3 – The Surgical Super Squad 💛

Steady hands. Sharp minds. One incredible team. 🩺✨
Celebrating our surgical superstars today! 💛🐾

❤️ Vet Nurse Week | Day 2 – The Diagnostic Detectives ❤️

A keen eye, a little detective work and sometimes a nice firm hug are all part of getting that perfect blood sample! 💉🩸🐾

Today we celebrate the skill, patience, care and confidence our nurses bring to every sample, test and procedure. ❤️

💚 Vet Nurse Week | Day 1 – The Power of Healing Hands 💚

There’s something pretty special about the hands that care for our patients. 🐾

Hands that comfort, nurture, reassure and help them heal.

Today we celebrate the healing hands of our incredible MRVS nursing team and all the love and care behind them. 💚

Have a wonderful long weekend! 🌞🏝️🌊

Just a reminder that MRVS will be closed Monday 5th October for the public holiday and will return to our normal opening hours on Tuesday.

Stay safe and enjoy the long weekend.

From all of us at MRVS 🐾💙

PARALYSIS TICKS – WOULD YOU RECOGNISE THE SIGNS?

Paralysis ticks are a serious risk for dogs and cats in South East Queensland. They can be found throughout the year, but we tend to see increased numbers during the warmer, humid months – particularly from late winter through spring and early summer.

A paralysis tick releases a toxin while feeding on your pet. This toxin affects the nerves and muscles and, without treatment, can cause severe paralysis, difficulty swallowing and life-threatening breathing problems.

The early signs can be surprisingly subtle.

Your pet may:

• Seem weak or wobbly on their back legs – almost as though they are "drunk"
• Have difficulty jumping onto the couch or climbing stairs
• Become unusually quiet or reluctant to exercise
• Lose their appetite
• Vomit, gag, retch or cough
• Develop a change in their bark or meow
• Have difficulty swallowing food or water
• Have difficulty blinking normally
• Show increasing weakness or difficulty standing

Cats can sometimes behave differently when they are unwell. An affected cat may disappear or hide in an unusual place around the house or garden.

⚠️ WATCH THEIR BREATHING

As tick paralysis progresses, it can affect the muscles needed for breathing.
Rapid, noisy or laboured breathing, excessive panting, or obvious difficulty breathing is an emergency.

If you suspect tick paralysis, contact a veterinarian immediately.

HOW CAN YOU REDUCE THE RISK?

1. Use effective tick prevention
Make sure your pet's parasite prevention specifically protects against paralysis ticks.
There are many products available, and they don't all provide the same protection or last for the same length of time.
If you're unsure whether your pet is adequately protected, ask our team.

⚠️ Never assume a dog parasite product is safe to use on a cat. Some products intended for dogs can be extremely toxic to cats. Always check the label or ask your veterinarian before using a product.

2. Give prevention ON TIME
Depending on the product, protection may need to be given monthly or may last for several months.
Put reminders in your phone or calendar so doses aren't accidentally missed.

3. Perform a DAILY tick search
Even pets receiving tick prevention should be physically checked for ticks every day.
It only takes a few minutes – and most pets enjoy the extra attention!

Slowly run your fingertips over your pet's entire body, feeling for anything that shouldn't be there.
Pay particular attention around the:
• Head and neck
• Ears and ear canals
• Lips and face
• Under the collar
• Front legs and armpits
• Between the toes

But remember – a paralysis tick can attach anywhere on the body, so check your entire pet.

🔎 FOUND A TICK?
Remove it as soon as possible and contact your veterinarian if your pet is showing any signs of weakness, vomiting, gagging, breathing changes or unusual behaviour.

Importantly, removing the tick does not necessarily mean your pet is immediately safe. The effects of the toxin can continue and some animals can deteriorate after the tick has been removed.

Prevention + daily tick searches provide the best defence against tick paralysis.

Take five minutes today to check your pet – it could save their life.

❄️ Olaf went looking for Elsa… and found her in the wrong place!

Meet Olaf, a French Bulldog who recently came to see us after it was suspected he had eaten something he shouldn't have.

An abdominal ultrasound revealed a foreign object sitting inside his stomach. We immediately moved to endoscopic retrieval.

An endoscope is a flexible camera that can be passed through the mouth, down the oesophagus and into the stomach while the patient is under anaesthesia. It allows us to see directly inside the stomach and use specialised instruments to grasp and retrieve suitable foreign objects.

And what did we find in Olaf's stomach?
Elsa! ❄️👑

Yes, Olaf had swallowed an Elsa Ooshie - apparently these two Frozen characters really couldn't Let It Go!

Fortunately, Elsa was still within Olaf's stomach and we were able to grasp and successfully remove her using the endoscope.

Why is endoscopy so useful?
When a foreign object is still within the stomach and is suitable for retrieval, endoscopy can sometimes avoid the need for abdominal surgery.
For Olaf, this meant:
✅ No abdominal incision
✅ No surgical opening of the stomach or intestines
✅ A minimally invasive procedure
✅ Faster recovery
✅ Home without needing gastrointestinal surgery

Not every foreign body can be removed endoscopically. Objects that have already moved into the intestines, are causing an obstruction, or cannot be safely grasped may still require surgery.

But when the circumstances are right, endoscopy provides a fantastic minimally invasive option for retrieving gastric foreign bodies and potentially avoiding major abdominal surgery.

Olaf recovered beautifully and headed home - thankfully with Elsa now safely on the outside!

❄️ Some things are definitely better left Frozen… and uneaten! ⛄

Endoscopy is just one of the services we provide at Maroochydore Rd Vet Surgery.

We are closed tomorrow 12 June for the Sunshine Coast Agricultural Show.

Back OPEN Saturday!

🌐 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐮𝐬 👉
https://maroochyrdvet.com.au 💙

🐾 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐥.