We were sad to say farewell to Dr Trepheena Hunter. Trepheena had been working with us at Manningham Veterinary Clinic for three and a half years and had been a very important part of our team.

It's that time of the year again! With Christmas and New Year just round the corner, it is important to remember to keep your pet safe and healthy this summer with our Top 3 Festive Season articles.

We would like to invite all dogs and their owners to join us for our first Barks in the Park evening. Bring along your two-legged and four-legged family and friends and join us for some drinks, nibbles and laughs. Meet our team and make some new friends.

When: Thursday, 19 November 2009

Where: Ruffey Lake Park, Doncaster East (Melway ref 33 H10, 33 F10)

Time: 6:00 - 7:00pm

RSVP: 9850 1600 or manningham@ahavets [dot] com [dot] au

Recently, Manningham Vet Clinic had a client first aid seminar. There were talks on snake bite, bleeding, poisons and other emergency topics, as well as ensuring first aid readiness. There were many questions raised, in particular about snake bite - a concern now that the weather has warmed up.

It has recently come to our attention that there has been a mutated strain of parvovirus detected in dogs in the Bellarine Peninsula, which is causing very severe illness in dogs. All the affected dogs had either not been vaccinated or were overdue for vaccination. This is a warning to everyone to ensure that our precious dogs are up to date with their vaccinations for protection against this highly infectious strain of parvovirus.

There has been a lot of activity at the Manningham Vet Clinic over the last few weeks which those visiting us may have noticed. The exciting news is that we are undergoing renovations which will dramatically improve our facilities and help us continue to offer the best standard of care for our patients. Construction is underway in our hospital and ward area at the moment and we now have new cat and dog wards, a hydrobath, a new sterile surgery and work has started in the treatment area.

Your rabbit has a very active mind and can get bored very easily. The best way to keep them entertained and stop them from being destructive is to supply them not only with a companion but with toys as well. Here are some ideas:

Dr Jacqueline Ley is a researcher for Monash University and is studying human-companion animal interactions. If you have owned your dog for 12 months or more, you can participate in this research by completing an online survey.  Select this link to go to the survey start page

The Australian Veterinary Assocation has been monitoring the international outbreak of swine flu and has issued a media release to inform the public about the important veterinary aspects of the outbreak. At this stage it is a human health issue.