Western News: November 14, 2017

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4 Tuesday November 14 2017 Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi WESTERN NEWS Your Local Views Having a say in Halswell McMaster & Heap Veterinary practice A DAY IN THE LIFE OF VET MICHELE Last month, our super vet nurse Megan wrote about what a nurses day is like at our clinic so I thought I’d give you a little insight into one of my marathon 12 hour Tuesdays, that must start with a flat white! I typically arrive in after 9am due to organizing our teenage lads for school in the morning and walking Lola before our big 12 hour Tuesday. I will then assess, liase with the hospital nurse and devise a plan for any of my sick hospital patients from the previous day. Sometimes I will pass an intensive care patient of mine onto Catherine if my day is full surgically. If there is time before consulting I will phone clients with patient updates or call them in the early afternoon when I’ve finished consulting. Typically I consult seeing patients for 3-4 hours in the morning and then again another 3 hours during the evening. By the time Tuesdays rock around my consulting schedule is almost full so when distressed clients phone with a very sick pet, obviously we will see them but they have to be squeezed into an already full block of consulting. If on arrival they are in urgent need of attention, either I will see them or one of our expert nurses will triage the patient, often take bloods, place a catheter and advise me of their findings. Every patient that rings is seen that day and often we see patients from other clinics because they cant be seen that day at their own Practice. It is common place that during my morning consults I have admitted sick patients for either blood testing, intravenous fluids, xrays or ultrasounds, dentistry, exploratory surgeries, or just observation. I will check on these patients progress, review any blood test results or findings, ring their owners if necessary and work out a treatment plan with the hospital nurse for that day. Once the sickies are dealt with, I turn my attention to the surgical board in which all my surgeries are highlighted in green pen! This past Tuesday was a little insane... Heres my list for that day- 1. Right Stifle surgery in a sweet 1 year old Golden Retriever called “Bonnie” to repair ruptured ACL ligaments. Bonnie blew her ACL ligaments in both stifles while out exercising with other dogs, so the left is yet to be repaired in 2 weeks depending on how she’s coping after this surgery. 2. A right femoral pinning and wiring in a young cat “Simba” to repair a fractured femur probably caused by a collision with a car. 3. Full shoulder and elbow, spinal, lumbar and hip xrays in Murphy, a 12 year old chocolate Labrador with an annoying persistent right foreleg lameness. 4. A sick, lethargic Chinchilla called Pickles who needed syringe feeding through the day. 5. A Caesarian in a 2 year old Pug called “Geraldine”, who gave birth to 1 live puppy, with 2 unfortunately dying. All in all I have absolutely no time to eat, drink or get into any trouble!! All the above need to be finished with and owners rung by 4pm when I start all over again with consults. Oh I forgot to mention that somewhere in the day I have a board full of messages to call clients regarding their pets blood or pathology results, medications requirements, booking in surgeries, queries from other vets or just general advice inquiries. We also look after sick animals for the SPCA and Cats Protection league. We will get a call alerting us to how far away they are and what sort of patient we are seeing, whether a medical or surgical case. That can happen anytime in our day so we fit these consultations around everything else. I feel very good being able to help these less fortunate animals and hopefully give them a chance at recovery and a great life. A day in MY LIFE is a hugely busy, fast paced one where I need to make so many important decisions in a day on the health and well being of the patients in my care. There is no time to second guess yourself, communication between my staff and my clients is key and I need to be very organized and able to prioritise all the patients in my care needing my help. We are so fortunate at McMaster & Heap to have such a highly skilled, clever and practical group of vets and nurses to be able to bounce ideas off when a difficult case needs a plan. Honestly I LOVE my job – actually it’s a priviledge to be able to help animals in the way we can and do. As you can see, every day is extremely different, very challenging at times with difficult medical cases or surgeries but the buck stops with me so to speak. I leave after my 12 hour shift very tired and hungry! But with a big smile on my face knowing that I’ve made a difference in many animals lives that day and so have my fabulous team. Geraldine and her one little puppy. Halswell Residents’ Association member Faye Parfitt talks about the benefits of the group and how you too can make a difference in your neighbourhood Have you ever wondered what relevance your local residents group has for you? Have you ever wondered how to get an issue in your community heard by the decision makers? The people who make up your local resident group are there to ensure that key people are informed about things that matter to residents in the community. The Halswell Residents’ Association is a group of people from the community who seek to ensure that the Halswell community has a voice where it matters – community board, city council, Environment Canterbury, New Zealand Transport Agency, central government – ensuring that issues get filtered to the decision makers, and the wonderful things that make our place such a preferred place to live are maintained. It’s not an onerous task – it’s a rewarding one. The residents association has WIGRAM Super Range of Beer, Spirits, International and Local Wines SPEIGHT’S, SuMMIT, lION REd OR WAIkATO 24 x 330ml Bottles MAc’S OR HEINEkEN 18 x 330ml Bottles cORONA 12 x 355ml Bottles $ 24 99 each HOT DEAL! $ 33 99 each VOdkA cRuISER 12 x 275ml Bottles, 5% or 12 x 250ml Cans, 7% $ 21 99 each STEINlAGER clASSIc 24 x 330ml Bottles lION bROWN 18 x 330ml Cans $ 19 99 each had input over the years in the establishment of facilities like our wonderful new library, the quarry park, an enviable domain and sports fields, successful subdivisions, business facilities, pedestrian and cycle safety, and there’s continuing input into making our roads safer for everyone. Some members have participated for 20 years, and others commit for a short time, but any time spent is valued, and valuable to the whole Halswell community. It only takes a couple of hours once a month. Visitors are always welcome, and new members absolutely vital to the future of the association. So, if you like to know ‘first-hand’ what is ‘actually’ happening in your community’, and interested in having input into the way Halswell proceeds into tomorrow, just turn up to a meeting in the St Mary’s Church Hall any last Monday of the month, or phone David Hawke at secretary.hra@gmail. com, you would be very welcome. WIGRAM NEW STORE NOW OPEN Convenient location to Wigram Skies HOT DEAL! $ 37 99 each dANIEl lE bRuN bRuT 750ml $ 24 99 each Open 7 days Cnr Hoon Hay & Coppell place phone 338 2534, Fax 339 8624 e. mcmasterandheap@yahoo.co.nz www.mcmasterheap.co.nz McMaster & Heap Super Liquor Wigram 187 Wigram Rd (next to Culture Fitness) Ph (03) 322 4000 cHIll-AHH HIRE GlASS HIRE Offers valid from Monday 13th Nov to Sunday 19th Nov or while stocks last.
WESTERN NEWS Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi Tuesday November 14 2017 5 Local News Now Fire rages, homes at risk Readers react on Star.Kiwi Rise Up Christchurch’s Facebook page to Wanda Waite’s dilemma with the noisy trucks on Lodestar Ave. The issue made international headlines when prominent Lady Wigram Retirement Village owner and businessman, John Tooby, verbally abused his elderly tenants after they placed a sign on their fence asking truck drivers to stop using their road Krysha Wells – Never mind the fact the trucks are just doing their job. Denise Andersen – Luxury problems some people whine about anything. Rachel Jennings – Sucks. Heather Bevan – When I visited Whitby, north of Wellington, the other day, I noted the new Transmission Gully road was going through that suburb and so close to many beautiful homes. I remarked how it would possibly bring down the value of the homes as it will be very noisy with trucks rumbling through at all hours of the day and night, and these homes have not been built with double glazing. Pamela Neil – Who was there first . . . the road or the facility? There is a thing called double glazing which is very effective against road noise. Valmae Hughan – Isn’t that just normal life? We live near Yaldhurst Rd – hear them night and day. Just get used to it. Neno Pullan – Unfortunately we live in a city that’s being rebuilt. Every day somewhere people are being disturbed due to trucks, hammers, graders, concrete mixers, so on so on. There are some very good ear plugs around might be worth investing in. Betty Campion – Hopefully it won’t go on forever. Try living on a busy road and see what that is like. Carl Dierck – Harden up. Jo Bennetts – It’s a road that was built as part of a quiet subdivision – it was never intended as a thoroughfare for heavy trucks. Lisa Carter - Trucks are part of life, let’s face it everything in your home would have been in a truck at one point before it got to you. Spare a thought for the drivers who listen to that noise for hours in a day and those who work around loading and unloading trucks. Your complaints are minor, I live on a main road and get trucks and milk tankers all night, its 70km/h outside mine and they do more like 100km/h. They are doing a job, you would still be moaning if there was no food on the shelves at the supermarket and you couldn’t go shopping for clothes and shoes. Give me a break. We need trucks and the fact is they come with noise. Lorraine Elder – They just need to buy earmuffs. There are some with built-in radios so they could all enjoy their old time music and, instead of moaning, find something to enjoy your days. Fred Gear – Look at the map. Trucks will be using it as a “ratrun” to get from Haytons Rd to Springs Rd. Steve Wylie – Why should politicians do anything about it? She can move. Garth Hammond – Buying a house in a mixed industrial/ residential area, what did they expect? List your home with Professionals Real Estate Guaranteed Sale Programme and we will GUARANTEE you a sale at an agreed price by an agreed date. We will guarantee you: • A sale • A price • A date Visit IMSOLD.co.nz or call 0800 467 653 during business hours Professionals Christchurch Limited MREINZ - Licensed REAA 2008 *Guaranteed Sale subject to terms and conditions including purchasing criteria and due dilligence investigation by Professionals Christchurch Ltd Supporting the Child Cancer Foundation for over 20 years
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Western News: November 14, 2017

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