Southern View: July 22, 2021

SOUTHERN VIEW Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Thursday July 22 2021 5
Bid to find more homes
for abandoned dogs
A CITY council
partnership to retrain
dogs for adoption with
a Bromley-based animal
shelter has resulted in
almost all dogs being
rehomed last year.
The collaboration is
between the city council’s
animal services team
and Dogwatch Sanctuary
Trust, as well as the
Christchurch Bull Breed
Rescue in Woolston.
“Working with Christchurch
Bull Breed Rescue
and Dogwatch Sanctuary
Trust is a key part of
our focus on rehoming
dogs,” city council animal
services manager Lionel
Bridger said.
“These two organisations,
together with shelter staff,
play a vital role in helping
to re-train dogs so that they
can be adopted out.”
When animal services
find dogs that are not microchipped
and ownership
cannot be confirmed, or
when dogs are not collected
by their owners after
seven days, the city council
looks to what other options
they have to avoid what
would have historically
resulted in euthanasia.
“Shelter staff now assess
the dog’s temperament
over a period of time and
determine with work by
either Dogwatch or Bull
Breed Rescue whether the
dog would be suitable for
rehoming.
“If they are, we would
hold dogs for up to a
month until there is space
available for them.
“The dogs are then
rehomed from the shelter
to one of the organisations,
who put a lot of work in to
ensure they find the right
owner,’’ Bridger said.
The collaborative approach
has dramatically
reduced the number of
PHOTO CREDIT:
KAREn
MOfFATT-MCLEOd
FOREVER HOME: Christchurch Bull Breed
Rescue founder Abbey Vanderplas has partnered
with the city council to retrain abandoned dogs,
allowing more of them to be adopted out. ​
dogs being euthanised by
the city council.
Last year the city council
placed 675 dogs in the
animal shelter.
Of those 563 were
returned to their owners,
47 referred to Dogwatch
and Bull Breed Rescue for
rehoming and 50 rehomed
directly from the Shelter.
Only 15 dogs were
euthanised. By contrast,
Auckland City Council
figures for last year show
that 5492 dogs were impounded,
1388 euthanised
and just 372 adopted.
Dogwatch’s adoption
centre manager Kelly Burt
said the dogs come to them
with a variety of issues including
poor socialisation,
barking, nipping and fence
jumping.
Once specific behaviours
were identified, Dogwatch
develops a training plan
before looking for a suitable
home.
Said Burt: “We don’t
want them to bounce
around, we want these
dogs to go to homes and
stay there so we aim to
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nOw!
make a match between
what the owner can
provide and what the dog
needs. It’s about that willingness
to work together.”
Abbey Vanderplas is one
of two full-time, trained
volunteers at the Bull
Breed Rescue.
She works with more
than 20 other volunteers
and foster carers to provide
support for pitbulls,
staffordshire terriers, bull
terriers and their crosses.
She founded the organisation
10 years ago after
adopting a staffordshire
puppy from the city council
shelter and realising
the difficulties bull breed
dogs faced in finding new
homes.
Vanderplas said there
was an “old school mentality”
that just is not there
today.
“It took time to lift that
stigma but Christchurch
now is really lucky with
our animal management.
For a large city we are
doing phenomenally well
at making sure good dogs
get a chance.”
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No one day is ever the same at McMaster
& Heap Vets. Last Wednesday night we
got an urgent call that a GSP, aptly named
“Maximus Carnage” had ingested 250g
of 50% Chocolate with 250ml cream.
Max cleverly lifted the pot of cream
and chocolate off the stove and licked
ravenously at its contents while his
humans had left the kitchen. Chocolate is
very poisonous to dogs, especially the dark
variety, so we urged Max’s owners to rush
him into us before close.
On arrival Max looked excited to be in our
waiting room, saying hello to the other
waiting patients. Kirsty was the first to
see Maximus and tried to make him sick
up the chocolate with a double dose of
medication popped into the conjunctival
sac, that is supposed to induce vomiting.
Nope! Max wasn’t giving up his chocolate
feast easily. Chocolate is slowly absorbed
from the stomach so you have about 4-6
hours to make them sick.
All that ingested chocolate could have
had dire consequences for Max, so Kirsty
quickly anaesthetised Max, stomach
tubed him to remove the chocolate and
copiously lavaged his stomach to remove
every trace. She retrieved 1/2 a bucket
of chocolate. Then she poured activated
Charcoal down his tube to help soak up
any remains of chocolate. Max was placed
on intravenous fluids to help excretion
of the methyxanthine and provide
cardiovascular support. Caffeine can be
reabsorbed across the bladder wall and
this can prolong the duration of clinical
signs so fluids and frequent urinations are
highly recommended. Max was closely
monitored until he was awake and then
sent to the After Hours clinic for overnight
care.
Chocolate is directly toxic to dogs as it
contains methylxanthines - in particular
Theobromine and Caffeine. Initially dogs
may vomit, drink lots, start tremoring and
become restless and agitated. As toxicosis
progresses their hearts rate quickens,
blood pressure elevates,
they become hot, rigid
and may start to seizure.
Sometimes they can just
die from toxic levels. Other
toxic products with the
methylxanthines are cocoa
and coffee beans, diet
pills, cold medications,
Guarana, stimulant pills,
tea leaves, energy drinks
and coffee.
McMaster & Heap
Veterinary practice
Max’s CHOCOLATE Party
Max waking
up from
anaesthesia
with nurse
Olivia by
his side
Maximus under
anaesthesia
getting the
chocolate out
Open 7 days
Cnr Hoon Hay & Coppell place
phone 338 2534, Fax 339 8624
e. mcmasterandheap@yahoo.co.nz
www.mcmasterheap.co.nz
Dark unsweetened chocolate, cocoa
powder and cacao beans are the
worse in milligrams of methylxanthines
contained. White chocolate has virtually
no methylxanthines but is just high in fat
and could lead to pancreatitis. There is a
chocolate calculator online to work out
whether your dog has ingested a lethal
dose and needs to seek vet attention.
Max was lucky that his owners realised
what he had done and sought our help
immediately. Having 3 vets on that
Wednesday night, meant Steve and I could
cover Kirsty’s consults so she could spent
1.5 hours working on Max. The After-hours
clinic wasn’t open at this stage and he
needed gastric emptying immediately.
Max and
his family
Very pleased to say Maximus Carnage
has made a full recovery but this won’t
Max, the
Chocolate
eating dog
stop him attempting to
steal more chocolate
in the future. Prognosis
depends on type and
quantity of chocolate
ingested, body weight
of the dog and the time
lapse between eating and
being made to vomit. Max
had a lucky escape.
Dr Michele McMaster
McMaster & Heap