Animal Wellness

12/06/2025

The Loneliest Dogs Are the Best-Behaved

Not all quiet dogs are calm.
Not all stillness is peace.
Sometimes, the loneliest dogs are the best-behaved.

We meet them all the time.
The ones who never bark. Never jump. Never resist.

They walk perfectly on leash.
They lie down exactly where you put them.
They wait patiently at the back of the kennel.

People say,
“What an angel.”
“What a good boy.”
“She’s so well-trained.”

But sometimes, not always, but sometimes, that “good” behaviour is actually shutdown.
Not obedience. Just absence.
A nervous system that’s folded in on itself and gone quiet.

We see this a lot in rescue dogs, especially those who’ve learned that speaking up doesn’t get them anywhere.
So they stop speaking.

Because when animals are punished for expressing themselves, or ignored when they try, they don’t keep trying forever.
They give up.

And then we call it good.

Have you ever had a pet who was ‘perfect’ but something in your gut told you they weren’t okay? What did you notice first?

Want to explore what’s really going on with your pet? Book a consult — we’re here to help.

📍 1016 Stanley Street East, East Brisbane QLD
🕗 Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 9am–1pm (Closed Sundays & most public holidays)
📞 (07) 3393 1359
🌐 animalwellness.com.au

12/06/2025

Your dog is not your child. And that’s a good thing.

Because dogs don’t want to be babied.
They don’t want to be pushed in strollers, dressed in jumpers year-round, or kept inside for “safety” when their body is screaming to run.

They want to sniff. Chase things. Dig holes. Communicate like a dog, not a toddler.

Don’t get me wrong, we love that people adore their animals like family.
But sometimes, in all that love, we forget what dogs actually are.

They’re not furry humans.
They’re not emotional support plushies.
They’re sentient, intelligent animals with instincts, needs, boundaries, and preferences of their own.

And the most respectful, loving thing we can do?
Is let them be that.

You don’t honor a dog by turning them into a child.
You honor them by seeing them fully. As a dog.

What do you reckon — has the pendulum swung a little too far?

📍 1016 Stanley Street East, East Brisbane QLD
🕗 Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 9am–1pm (Closed Sundays & most public holidays)
📞 (07) 3393 1359
🌐 animalwellness.com.au
Want to explore what’s right for your pet? Book a consult — we’re here to help.

❤️ 🐾 🐶 ❤️🐶 🐱 😻

11/06/2025

Would you heal faster if you slept on a cold floor?

Let’s be honest. Recovery in vet clinics isn’t always glamorous.
Cages. Concrete. Stainless steel.
It’s not because we don’t care.
It’s because space is tight, time is short, and there’s only so much you can do in a busy day with 6 patients in post-op.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t try to make it better.

Soft bedding. Quiet music. Heated blankets.
A calm hand on the body while they wake up.
These aren’t luxuries. They’re nervous system medicine.

Because yes, the meds matter.
But so does comfort. So does kindness.
And we’ve seen first-hand how much faster animals settle, and heal, when their whole body feels safe.

We’re not perfect.
But every blanket, every moment of quiet, every choice to soothe instead of rush. It matters.

Would you heal faster if you slept on a cold floor?

📍 1016 Stanley Street East, East Brisbane QLD
🕗 Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 9am–1pm (Closed Sundays & most public holidays)
📞 (07) 3393 1359
🌐 animalwellness.com.au

Want to explore what’s right for your pet? Book a consult — we’re here to help.

11/06/2025

When did we stop letting dogs say no?

No to being hugged by strangers.
No to having their feet touched.
No to being dragged into a clinic room they’re clearly terrified of.

Somewhere along the line, “good dog” became code for “compliant at all costs.”

But here’s the thing. Growling isn’t bad behaviour.
Growling is communication.
It’s the warning before the bite. It’s the whisper before the scream.

When we punish dogs for saying “no,”
we’re not teaching them to feel safe.
We’re teaching them to go quiet.

And when they go quiet, we miss the signs.
Until one day, they don’t growl, they just snap.
And then we call them unpredictable.

But they weren’t.
We just weren’t listening.

Have you ever realised a behaviour you thought was “bad” was actually your dog trying to set a boundary? Let’s talk about it.

Want to explore what’s really going on with your pet? Book a consult — we’re here to help.

📍 1016 Stanley Street East, East Brisbane QLD
🕗 Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 9am–1pm (Closed Sundays & most public holidays)
📞 (07) 3393 1359
🌐 animalwellness.com.au

11/06/2025

10/06/2025

What If It’s Not a Training Issue?

We hear it all the time.
“She just needs more training.”
“He’s being dominant.”
“They’re testing boundaries.”

But what if it’s not a training issue?

What if it’s pain? Or gut inflammation? Or trauma from an experience they couldn’t make sense of?

What if that “stubborn” behaviour is a nervous system stuck in survival mode?
What if that “aggression” is fear layered over confusion layered over exhaustion?

We’re not saying training isn’t helpful.
But when it becomes the only lens we look through, we can miss the root cause.

The most obedient dogs we’ve met?
Some of them were completely shut down.

Because compliance isn't always connection.
And "fixing the behaviour" doesn't always mean the animal is okay.

Have you ever discovered a deeper reason behind your pet’s behaviour? Share it. It might help someone else look at theirs with new eyes.

Want to explore what’s really going on with your pet? Book a consult — we’re here to help.

📍 1016 Stanley Street East, East Brisbane QLD
🕗 Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 9am–1pm (Closed Sundays & most public holidays)
📞 (07) 3393 1359
🌐 animalwellness.com.au

10/06/2025

Not all heroes wear scrubs.
But the ones who do? They’re usually vet nurses.
And they are holding this whole industry together by the seams.

They’re the ones lifting, monitoring, prepping, cleaning, comforting.
The ones remembering your pet’s name and the dosage schedule.
The ones crying in the back room between consults because that little dog they’ve been fighting for didn’t make it.

They deal with blood, p*e, vomit, grief, trauma, burnout, abuse…
Then smile and hand you your invoice.

And here’s the kicker — they’re doing it all for less pay than a dental receptionist, and often with zero public recognition.

We talk a lot about supporting our vets (as we should).
But if you’ve ever left a clinic saying “they were so kind,”
chances are… you were talking about a nurse.

If you’ve got a great one in your life, tag them below.
Let them know they’re seen.

📍 1016 Stanley Street East, East Brisbane QLD
🕗 Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 9am–1pm (Closed Sundays & most public holidays)
📞 (07) 3393 1359
🌐 animalwellness.com.au

Want to explore what’s right for your pet? Book a consult — we’re here to help.

🐱

09/06/2025

Why is pain still being missed in animals?

Pain looks different in animals.
They don’t always cry. They don’t always wince. They never point.
They adapt. They cope. They carry on.

And because of that, it’s easy to miss.

We’ve had dogs come in walking on three legs who still wag their tails.
Cats who purr through a fractured tooth.
Older dogs who stop chasing the ball... not because they’re “slowing down,” but because their hips ache more than they let on.

They’re not being stoic.
They’re being survivors.

That’s the tricky part. Animals are wired to mask pain as long as they possibly can. Which means by the time we notice, it’s often been there for a while.

So if your pet is moving differently…
Resting more…
Jumping less…
Getting snappy when touched…

Please don’t wait for a yelp.
Pain doesn’t always scream. Sometimes, it just whispers.

Have you ever realised too late that your pet was hurting? What tipped you off? Let us know in the comments — it might help someone else notice it sooner.

📍 1016 Stanley Street East, East Brisbane QLD
🕗 Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 9am–1pm (Closed Sundays & most public holidays)
📞 (07) 3393 1359
🌐 animalwellness.com.au

09/06/2025

Is It Behaviour… or Brain Fog?

Have you ever looked at your dog and thought,
“You’re not quite yourself lately”?

Maybe they’re snappy when they used to be sweet.
Or anxious in situations they used to handle fine.
Or they’re just… off.

We get told it’s “just their age” or “bad behaviour.”
But I want to float something else.

What if it’s brain fog?

I’m not kidding — neurological inflammation is real in pets.
And it can show up as pacing, confusion, barking at nothing, fearfulness, even detachment.
I’ve seen it triggered by all kinds of things — ultra-processed food, chemical flea treatments, poor gut health, even over-vaccination in sensitive animals.

They’re not being difficult.
They’re not being dramatic.
They’re trying to cope with something their body can’t shake off.

Sometimes the clearest sign something’s wrong… is when they stop acting like themselves.

What do you think — have you seen this in your pet?

📍 1016 Stanley Street East, East Brisbane QLD
🕗 Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 9am–1pm (Closed Sundays & most public holidays)
📞 (07) 3393 1359
🌐 animalwellness.com.au

Want to explore what’s right for your pet? Book a consult — we’re here to help.

08/06/2025

Dog Parks: Social Enrichment or Stress Factory?

Not sure who needs to hear this…
But dog parks aren’t for every dog.

I know we’re told they need “socialisation” and “off-lead time” and “the chance to run with other dogs.”
But have you ever actually stood in a dog park and watched what goes on?

One dog’s joy is another dog’s total stress.
Unfamiliar smells. Hyper arousal. Pushy greetings. Owners glued to their phones.
It’s like a toddler party with no supervision.

And we wonder why some dogs start showing reactivity after a few park visits.
Or come home with an ear infection. Or diarrhoea. Or a limp.
Their nervous system’s been through the wringer.

I’m not saying all dog parks are bad.
But we need to stop pretending they’re a one-size-fits-all solution for every breed, every temperament, every dog.

Sometimes the kindest thing is skipping the chaos and going for a quiet sniff walk instead.

What's your thought? Love them or loathe them?

📍 1016 Stanley Street East, East Brisbane QLD
🕗 Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 9am–1pm (Closed Sundays & most public holidays)
📞 (07) 3393 1359
🌐 animalwellness.com.au

Want to explore what’s right for your pet? Book a consult — we’re here to help.

07/06/2025

A dog came in last week labelled “aggressive.”
That’s what the paperwork said.
That’s what the last clinic had written.

But what I saw was a dog frozen in fear.
Muscles tense. Eyes wide. Heart racing.
Not a single bark or growl — just total shutdown.

We often forget that animals don’t get to say,
“I’m overwhelmed.”
“I’m not coping.”
“I’m scared of being touched like that.”

So instead, they lunge. Or snap. Or tremble.
And we label them as “bad.”

But here’s the thing — behaviour is communication.
And for many of the animals we see, reactivity is the nervous system’s last-ditch survival attempt.
It’s pain. It’s trauma. It’s something deeper than “naughty.”

What if we stopped punishing symptoms,
and started listening to what they’re trying to say?

What do you reckon — anxious, aggressive, or just misunderstood?

📍 1016 Stanley Street East, East Brisbane QLD
🕗 Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 9am–1pm (Closed Sundays & most public holidays)
📞 (07) 3393 1359
🌐 animalwellness.com.au

Want to explore what’s right for your pet? Book a consult — we’re here to help.

07/06/2025

The Cicada Connoisseur: A Griffith Cattle Dog’s Gourmet Secret

While working in Griffith, NSW, I met a particularly charming blue cattle dog who came in for a check-up. He had the most beautiful, glossy coat you could imagine—radiant and healthy—but he was carrying a few too many kilos.

As I began the conversation about managing his weight, I gently suggested to the owner that we may need to cut back his calorie intake. She looked at me, confused, and said, “But I don’t feed him much!”

Ah, the classic mystery. So, I started exploring.

“Okay,” I asked, “is he helping himself to the cat’s food?”

“No,” she replied. “We don’t have a cat.”

“Alright… does he eat any fallen fruit from the backyard trees?”

She shook her head. “He doesn’t like fruit.”

We kept going. No sneaky human snacks. No scraps from the table. No neighbours spoiling him with treats. I was stumped for a moment.

Then something clicked. It was a warm season, and the area had been practically vibrating with the sounds of cicadas.

I asked, “Is he by any chance eating cicadas?”

Her eyes lit up. “Oh! Yes! He’s obsessed with them! He chases them all day and eats every one he catches. Probably a hundred a day!”

Mystery solved.

Turns out, this clever cattle dog had developed a gourmet palate for cicadas—nature’s crunchy, protein-packed snacks. And while they’re a great seasonal source of protein, when you’re eating them by the hundred, the calories add up fast.

We all had a laugh, and the owner left with some good tips on managing his bug-based buffet. Who knew Griffith’s tastiest delicacy came with wings and a song?

📍 1016 Stanley Street East, East Brisbane QLD
🕗 Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 9am–1pm (Closed Sundays & most public holidays)
📞 (07) 3393 1359
🌐 animalwellness.com.au

Want to explore what’s right for your pet? Book a consult — we’re here to help.