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Pegasus Post: November 22, 2016

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4<br />

Tuesday <strong>November</strong> <strong>22</strong> <strong>2016</strong><br />

PEGASUS POST<br />

Your Local Views<br />

McMaster & Heap<br />

Veterinary practice<br />

RefeRReal eye cases<br />

We said:<br />

Were you evacuated? How do you<br />

think it went?<br />

Tsunami systems will be reviewed<br />

by the city council after Monday<br />

morning’s evacuation processes<br />

were widely criticised by residents.<br />

Some eastern residents queued<br />

in traffic for up to two hours trying<br />

to evacuate the area<br />

last Monday morning.<br />

You said:<br />

Lachlan Marshall – If<br />

everyone started evacuating<br />

right when they felt the<br />

shaking like they are supposed<br />

to, as the sirens most<br />

likely don’t get set off for a<br />

locally generated tsunami,<br />

then everyone would get out<br />

in time. Why has no one read the tsunami<br />

risk management plan on the council<br />

website?<br />

Beth Hickland – I’m not sure why<br />

you’re reporting it as hours? I not only<br />

have friends who made it to my house<br />

up the hill in about 20min from New<br />

Brighton, but I also watched all the cars<br />

exiting New Brighton from up at Mt Pleasant<br />

and the cars were flowing and all was<br />

pretty much completely cleared in under<br />

an hour. Where are you talking about?<br />

Lynley Ward – Seriously?<br />

Be prepared . . . it’s not like<br />

we haven’t been given the information.<br />

Have a plan. Don’t<br />

for one minute think you’ll<br />

have your wits about you when<br />

you’re in the midst of a disaster.<br />

Nathan Fletcher – Civil<br />

Defence needs to get its act<br />

together it’s not good when foreign<br />

news media are announcing<br />

tsunamis and evacuation<br />

noticed on live and our local agencies and<br />

media are saying they we don’t all I can<br />

say thank God it wasn’t a major tsunami.<br />

Recently<br />

Dr Steve Heap examined 20 week old<br />

Beagle puppy called “Penny”, who<br />

presented as a referral with a painful,<br />

partially closed right eye. Penny had<br />

unfortunately been scratched in the eye<br />

by a slightly grumpy older resident cat.<br />

Steve diagnosed a cataract in this eye,<br />

with phacouveitis and serous glaucoma all<br />

in a little puppy. Glaucoma is when there<br />

is increased intraocular pressure causing<br />

pain and discomfort. Steve had discussed<br />

with the owners that this right eye had a<br />

hopeless prognosis for vision. Topical eye<br />

medications were instigated to control<br />

the pain and inflammation and rising<br />

pressure in the eye. Steve also discussed<br />

that if these medications didn’t hold this<br />

condition, Penny’s eye would need to be<br />

enucleated. Pretty quickly it was noticed<br />

that the right eye had deteriorated<br />

beyond medical therapy. Enucleation (<br />

removal) of the eye and placement of an<br />

intrascleral prosthesis ( glass bead eye)<br />

was surgically undertaken to relieve Penny<br />

from a life of medication and pain.<br />

The surgery was a success and 4 weeks<br />

on, Penny is a happy, active, normal wee<br />

puppy with a prosthetic right eye and<br />

normal vision out of the left eye.<br />

Another interesting ophthalmology case<br />

for Dr Steve Heap came from the SPCA.<br />

A 5 month old stray sneezing kitten was<br />

examined by Steve and found to have<br />

no lateral upper eyelids in both the left<br />

and right eyes, a condition called Bilateral<br />

Upper Lateral Eyelid Agenisis. As a result<br />

the eyes were<br />

sore, dry and<br />

constantly irritated<br />

by hair rubbing<br />

on the cornea<br />

(the sensitive clear<br />

window of the<br />

eye).<br />

Steve trialled<br />

lubricants<br />

and antibiotic<br />

ointments in the eyes in the hope<br />

the eyes would be comfortable long<br />

term, but this wasn’t the case. The kitten<br />

was taken to surgery and Steve carefully<br />

and intricately created upper eyelids<br />

by harvesting strips of skin taken from<br />

below the lower lids. All in all a successful<br />

outcome for this wee kitten who will<br />

be rehomed and avoid a lifetime of<br />

medication.<br />

Zara Woolfe – We left nearly an hour<br />

before the sirens, it was common sense to<br />

go, really we had no issues with traffic or<br />

getting out and there were several other<br />

cars leaving out of Bridge St as well at that<br />

time.<br />

Melanie Manning – I haven’t read<br />

the action plan as I don’t live anywhere<br />

near the coast. But I’m thinking even if<br />

everyone jumped in the cars at 12.10am<br />

wouldn’t the traffic issue be the same as<br />

when they waited for the sirens to go off?<br />

And why should they not go off for a local<br />

quake?<br />

Mark Docherty – Why not adopt the<br />

procedure of an aircraft evacuation. Before<br />

you depart you get a card and a demo on<br />

the closest exit. We should have updates<br />

in the advert on radio and TV with clear<br />

instructions on what route you can take<br />

from your zone.<br />

Heidi Meinzer - Aren’t we told if have<br />

trouble standing during an earthquake<br />

to leave? After the shaking had stopped,<br />

checked on neighbours, we were packing<br />

up and getting out. We shouldn’t have to<br />

be told to leave. We left way before the<br />

sirens and what not.<br />

Not all pets with enucleated eyes need to<br />

have prosthetics placed. Steve will often<br />

enucleate an eye and then stitch the lids<br />

together. This ends up cosmetically looking<br />

fine. Due to Penny’s very young age, her<br />

owners felt a prosthetic eye would look<br />

more pleasing on their cute wee pup.<br />

This cute owl was bought into Steve<br />

recently due to opacities noted on its<br />

corneas affecting its’ ability to see clearly.<br />

Steve isn’t sure of the cause but is trialling<br />

antibiotic drops as he suspects an<br />

infective cause.<br />

Open 7 days<br />

Cnr Hoon Hay & Coppell place<br />

phone 338 2534, Fax 339 8624<br />

e. mcmasterandheap@yahoo.co.nz<br />

www.mcmasterheap.co.nz<br />

McMaster & Heap<br />

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ONE DAY ONLY<br />

THURSDAY 24 TH NOVEMBER<br />

Discount not available on already discounted items, existing promotional offers or every day low price items.<br />

Excludes prescriptions, Pharmacy only medicines, phone cards and gift vouchers.<br />

Offer excludes Living Reward Points.<br />

EASTGATE PHARMACY<br />

Eastgate Shopping Centre Phone (03) 389 8408<br />

BUSH INN PHARMACY<br />

Cnr Riccarton Rd / Waimairi Rd Phone (03) 348 4038<br />

TOWER JUNCTION PHARMACY<br />

Unit 7 Tower Junction (next to Raeward Fresh)<br />

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