The Star: April 01, 2021

Thursday April 1 2021 The Star
• By Susan Sandys
BIGGIE THE jack russell is a
little dog with a big appetite.
THis month he has survived
eating a stone and then an acorn,
with the help of expensive trips
to the vet.
His owner Belinda Jeursen
of Prebbleton is warning other
owners about the dangers of
acorns, ubiquitous in parks and
reserves this time of year as they
fall from oak trees.
Jeursen recently noticed her
10-month-old pup all of a sudden
becoming sick – vomiting,
shaking and drinking lots of
water.
This was following surgery
costing $2600 earlier in the
month after he had swallowed a
stone. He had completely recovered
from this, so the new illness
was a mystery.
She took him back to the
vet, who put him on a drip and
X-rayed him. The X-ray did not
show any obstructions, however,
when the vet undertook a rectal
examination, she felt the acorn
inside, Jeursen said.
Laxatives were deemed to be
the best course of treatment.
Soon Biggie was relieved of the
acorn.
“We didn’t even know he had
eaten it, it was only when it came
out the other end we knew what
it was,” Jeursen said.
Jeursen said she would be
putting a muzzle on Biggie when
she took him for walks from now
on. She did not want him to eat
any more acorns, nor any other
strange objects.
The cost of the recent trip to
the vet and associated medications
had cost about $570. She
had since signed up for pet
insurance.
Dr Tracey Rozen at Prebbleton
Veterinary Hospital confirmed
the dangers of acorns. She said
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Oak tree-size problem for Biggie
some dogs found acorns interesting
and may be tempted to eat
them.
“Acorns can be dangerous
to our dogs, predominantly in
two ways,” Rozen said.
Firstly, they could cause physical
obstruction of the bowel,
resulting in severe clinical signs
associated with the blockage.
Surgery may be necessary to
remove the blockage.
Secondly, acorns released toxins
called tannins, which could
cause stomach upsets. This can
ACORN
ALERT:
Biggie
the jack
russell and
his owner
Belinda
Jeursen
are being
extra careful
around
acorns after
a poisoning
incident.
PHOTO:
GEOFF
SLOAN
present as vomiting, abdominal
pain and diarrhoea.
“Kidney failure as a result of
acorn ingestion is rare in the dog
and is more commonly reported
in cattle, sheep and horses,”
Rozen said.
“We recommend that you do
not encourage your dogs to play
with acorns and that pets should
always be monitored when they
are out walking. If your dog
becomes unwell after eating or
playing with acorns please see
your veterinarian immediately.”
NEWS 15
Surfboard
lending library
takes shape
• By Samantha Mythen
MAKING SURFING accessible
for everyone is the aim of a project
starting in Sumner.
The Goat Shed is an initiative
led by Lucas Sampaio and Carlos
Alonso. They are beginning to
build surfboards, with the goal
of creating a surfboard lending
library.
The non-profit project combines
Sampaio and Alonso’s passion for
surf, art, creativity and engineering.
During the Covid-19 lockdown,
Sampaio bought materials to
try and shape a surfboard from
scratch.
“I’ve always wanted to be
involved in the community and
then we came up with the idea for
the library of boards, and lending
them out to the community,”
Sampaio said.
The idea is that people can borrow
a board for a donation.
“People can’t always afford a
board, plus the library would
mean people can try out and
experiment with different styles of
boards,” Sampaio said.
•If you would like to help
this project, you can get
in touch with the team via
email lucas.thegoatshed@
gmail.com