Pegasus Post: February 18, 2020

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4 Tuesday February 18 2020 Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz PEGASUS POST McMaster & Heap Veterinary practice Brain tumour in a cat This is a remarkable story where an 13 year old Norwegian Forest cat “ Sashenka” was diagnosed via CT imaging of having a brain tumour, “Meningioma” and successfully had surgery two weeks ago in a specialist hospital in Auckland to remove the tumour. Never in 30 years of being a vet have I had a client willing to proceed to surgery to remove a brain tumour in their pet, plus she survived and is thriving. She’s one very lucky cat with incredibly caring owners who wanted the best possible outcome for their precious cat. Sashenka first presented just before Christmas being a bit “off” - more clingy, vocalising more, seeming to have trouble going up and down stairs, difficulty navigating obstacles, seeming disorientated, scratching the wooden floor boards, pacing, kneading and off balance sometimes. She was a cat always up a tree and she stopped doing this. She wasn’t chasing her treats and started walking in circles. She was never seen seizuring though and continued eating. We examined Sashenka and ran an extensive array of blood and urine tests, X-rays and ultrasound examinations. We saw her 15 times in about three weeks. All testing was basically normal. We tried different medications and she stayed in the hospital on IV fluids but we couldn’t get a of handle on her diagnosis and there was no improvement at home. Her owner saw a different Sashenka than the cat we saw at the clinic. We consulted the services of Feline consultants and specialists but she was deteriorating quickly, having difficulty eating and appeared dull and not responsive to her owners at times. Steroid injections showed improvement but her bizarre behaviours did wax and wane with her worse clinical symptom being close to comatosed. We decided to CT Sashenka to find out what was really going on. We offer MRI (Forte Health) and CT (Pacific Radiology at Lincoln) at McMaster & Heap. The patients are sedated and the images taken from Open 7 days Cnr Hoon Hay & Coppell place phone 338 2534, Fax 339 8624 e. mcmasterandheap@yahoo.co.nz www.mcmasterheap.co.nz very fancy expensive computors. It’s painless for the pet and can give us many answers that other means of testing can’t deliver. The radiologist diagnosed Sashenka with a large intracranial brain lesion , most probably a meningioma. Other differentials included a glioma or astrocytoma. We consulted an experienced surgical team in Auckland who were keen to take over her case. After lengthy discussions with the owners it was decided to push forward with brain surgery, so Sashenka and her devoted owners headed to Auckland. Brain surgery isn’t a walk in the park and more tests had to be carried out on Sashenka. She was getting very used to needles now and thermometers?? She had an MRI before the surgery and a CT after the surgery to confirm position of the titanium screws used to secure her cranium back in place. She received a blood transfusion on the day of the surgery and had an oesophageal feeding tube placed so that we were able to supply her nutritionally post surgery, in case she didn’t feel like eating. Once the tumour was removed it measured 2.6cm x 3cm x 1.2cm - quite sizeable. She made an excellent recovery from her anaesthetic and stayed in the specialist hospital to be closely monitored for a few days. She had very specific discharge instructions including cage confinement for four weeks (an impossible requirement for Sashenka), physiotherapy on her back muscles and legs and medications including steroids, pain relief and antibiotics. Catherine has seen her recently and she appears to be doing really well - she even escaped her cage and was seen running up a tree - her favourite place to be, a birds eye view of life. Day 1 after the surgery. The tumour may grow back and Catherine is exploring chemotherapy options but for now Sashenka has her full, active life back again which is great news for everybody. She may pave the way in the future for other patients with brain tumours. Thank you to Sashenkas mum and dad for allowing me to write this article on her. Dr Michele McMaster McMaster & Heap News Call for pathway not to go ahead close to estuary •From page 1 “We absolutely welcome the idea of walking and cycling paths, it’s just that this is the wrong area to put it,” he said. Said Redcliffs Residents Association secretary Pat McIntosh: “It would be a very nice facility for people to be able to walk around the estuary edge but unfortunately it’s a nature reserve and it’s incredibly important for the wildlife at the estuary that they actually have some space where they’re understood.” A motion passed at the residents’ association’s February 3 meeting and emailed to the Linwood- Central-Heathcote Community Board said the proposed pathway “is in breach of local, national and international protections. “This area – the oxidation ponds, Linwood paddocks, Sandy Point and the adjacent shoreline – is a crucial refuge for a large variety of birds, including endangered migratory birds and rare New Zealand species. It is the last bastion of estuary edge that does not allow easy access by humans and dogs, and the only remaining mainly undisturbed area for waterfowl roosting in the estuary,” the motion said. Said city council head of parks Andrew Rutledge: An Ecological Impact Assessment is under way to report on how the pathway would impact on the ecological values of the site (primarily birdlife and lizards) and what the overall impacts would be if a range of potential mitigation measures were put in place. “Following further investigations and cost estimates, the council may be asked to consider options for the pathway, including a po- WORTH PROTECTING: The Avon- Heathcote Ihutai Estuary is home to about 100 bird species including the bar-tailed godwit. tential alternative route and whether to put the proposal forward for public consultation. Because the details of the pathway haven’t been decided, the construction costs are not yet known,” he said. Linwood-Central- Heathcote Community Board member Tim Lindley, who is a member of the estuary trust, didn’t speak for the whole board but believes the pathway should not go-ahead close to the estuary. Instead, he said there are grass areas further away, which would be more suitable. He said he hopes the board will discuss the community’s concerns about the proposal this year and decide on the next step. HEAT PUMP SALE NOW ON! Amazin’ Summer Specials!! 67% SubSidy Warmer KiWi HomeS Programme *Eligibility criteria apply • We will offer you the best quality brands and option of heat pump for your home/business • Providing Heat Pump solutions for over 17 years to Cantabrians • We personally guarantee all our products & installs for 5 years (providing annual maintenance has been completed) Phone us today for your free consultation & quote 41A SHAKESPEARE RD, WALTHAM PHONE 03 366 0525 www.enviromaster.co.nz “A local team for local people”
PEGASUS POST Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz Tuesday February 18 2020 5 Board’s plans open for discussion • By Louis Day and Matt Slaughter Kelly Barber THE PUBLIC can have a say on the priorities for the Coastal- Burwood Community Board for the first time. The city council is publicly consulting on the community board’s three-year plan and people have until Monday to give their thoughts on it. The board’s priorities within this plan are: improving Taiora: QEII Recreation and Sport Centre, planning for an additional community facility in Burwood, supporting the transformation and activation of the red zone, improve roading and transportation links and making the area appealing and attractive. Some specifics of these priorities include improving disability access to the changing and toilet facilities at QEII, upgrading the spa pool facilities there, bringing forward funding for the repair of Pages Rd and the entrance to New Brighton and repairing New Brighton Rd. The board’s chairman Kelly Barber said the goals it has set for the next three years are about tidying up the wards, getting big projects finished and bringing more people to Christchurch’s east. “We’ve got the clock tower just about to be finished and unveiled, we’ve got the hot pools very close to being finished, we’ve got the streetscaping work on Marine Pde also just about to be finished. “There’s plenty happening here and we just need a chance to tidy things up and get it looking great,” he said. Coastal-Burwood is the only board to have its plan out for GOALS: The consultation period for people to give feedback on the Coastal- Burwood Community Board’s priorities for the next three years is open until Monday. consultation at this stage. All other community boards across Christchurch will have their plans out for feedback until early March when they come out. These plans will guide the boards’ decisions on local activities, projects, facilities and advocacy on behalf of communities. Feedback sought on Cumnor Tce footpath proposal A PROPOSED plan to make a section of Cumnor Tce in Woolston one way to allow for a footpath is open for community feedback. The section between Chapmans Rd and Maunsell St is part of the Heathcote Expressway Major Cycle Route. Another section, between Maunsell St and Marshall St, is already one-way heading north. The proposed change to the already approved cycleway design will allow for the retention of the footpath on the non-cycleway side of the road, improving pedestrian and road safety. It will also ensure there is no impact on the Heathcote River following concerns over any potential effect on the freshwater habitat, with a narrower road not encroaching on the river environment. People can share their views on the proposal with city council staff at a drop-in session on the corner of Cumnor Tce and Chapmans Rd on February 26 from 10am to 2pm or submit comments online through the city council’s have your say page. ACCOUNTING WITH A DIFFERENCE Three accounting graduates from University of Canterbury, after working in their fields for different companies for last couple of years, recently took over the SBA New Brighton branch with the aim to make accounting services affordable and reliable for locals. New management, backed by experienced chartered accountants, are determined to provide quality services. SBA (Small Business Accounting) provides a great range of accounting services tailor-made for small businesses and has been operating for the last 22 years. It has over 60 branches nationwide helping more than 20,000 businesses with their accounting needs. It has been partnering with leading cloud accounting software Xero from 2014. SBA New Brighton is located at 133 Brighton Mall, New Brighton. Its services include tax returns, GST, payroll, monthly and annual accounting, and specialising in small-to-medium businesses, retail shops, tradespeople and rental property investors.
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Pegasus Post: February 18, 2020

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