Cooroy Veterinary Surgery

01/08/2025

We are pleased to present a recent contribution to the Cooroy Rag Community Newspaper from 22nd July 2025.

Ostrich Wrangling- from the archives

As the junior associate at my first job in rural South Australia I was invariably railroaded with the jobs that the senior partners deemed fit to delegate. At the time, the ostrich industry was a big deal and the outrageously valued birds were owned by syndicates. Regular health checks of individual birds were demanded by the insurers and so with my avian skills limited to chickens, budgies and the odd duck, I turned up at the farm for a crash course in ostrich wrangling.
The property manager, an enthusiastic AFL player and centre forward for the Mundulla Tigers started my first visit by demonstrating the attributes of ostriches as training aids. I had several birds to give health checks to so after encouraging them into a small fenced pen he proceeded to tackle and wrestle the birds to a standstill, eventually immobilizing the victim by getting a grip on it’s beak. This was when I moved in and did my bit with the examination procedure while trying to avoid the bird’s main defensive ploy; the random forward kick from a leg tipped with a talon the size of my thumb. On one occasion I found myself as close to the wrong place and time as I would be comfortable with as an unexpected kick tore the fly out of my jeans. Such were the fun and games with the less robust hens.
The ante was raised when I was called out to do an insurance check on the largest c**k bird on the property; 8 feet of rampant ratite. Not really an AFL training option, the approach to restraining this Jurassic chook was a little more nuanced. Taking a cut-off jumper sleeve from under the seat of the farm ute, our intrepid farm manager walked out into the paddock and stood quietly as the birds, overcome with curiosity, started to move in and peck at his clothes. When the target bird pecked his shirt he quickly grabbed him by the beak and flipped the cut off sleeve that was rolled up his arm over the bird’s head. This sudden bewildering plunge into darkness normally renders an ostrich stationary and tractable. Just as I moved in, stethoscope in hand, the bird reared up to full height before running off at speed still blindfolded and eventually rebounding off the high tensile wire fence, dislodging the hood. He picked himself up, looked around and sped off in a cloud of dust at which point I decided to call it a day.

Craig H Marshall BVSc

Send a message to learn more

01/08/2025

We are pleased to present a recent contribution to the Cooroy Rag Community Newspaper from 1st July 2025.

Furry Fogies Part 2

In geriatric cats, kidney function, thyroid problems and mobility issues are frequently encountered. Cats, having been domesticated from predecessors adapted to arid conditions, tend to produce concentrated urine through life and will invariably have some degree of reduced kidney function with age. The most obvious change is an increase in water consumption. Because waste can no longer be concentrated into a small volume, the urine volume increases over time and to keep things in balance, more water is consumed. This process of compensation can continue for years before kidney failure occurs.
Another predominately feline issue is overactive thyroid gland or hyperthyroidism. The thyroid hormone is a major regulator of metabolism so when levels are excessive, heart rate and appetite increase often accompanied by a change in personality from friendly to stroppy. Over time weight loss occurs in spite of the ravenous appetite and left untreated, heart failure eventually ensues. Diagnosis is relatively straight forward and most patients respond well to treatment.
Your older cat can also experience a reduction in mobility due to arthritis particularly in the spine. Being inherently less active than dogs the overt signs of limping and lameness are less apparent in cats. A reluctance to jump, spending long periods in a crouched, head down position or vocalising/hissing when held or patted can be an indication of underlying pain. There are treatments available to help alleviate discomfort and a blood test is frequently recommended prior to treating elderly pets to ensure they are able to metabolise the medication properly and to check for any underlying disease.
As always your veterinarian is the best source of advice, information and care for your little friends.
Craig H Marshall B.V.Sc

Send a message to learn more

20/06/2025

We are pleased to present a recent contribution to the Cooroy Rag Community Newspaper from 10th June 2025.

Furry Fogies

Although our companion animals bring a tremendous amount of joy and enrichment to our lives, sadly their lifespan relative to our is short. The first year in a cat or dog’s life takes them from infancy to young adulthood in human terms followed by 10 -12 years of generally active and healthy life. From then onwards, there are a number of fairly predictable changes. In dogs lumps and skin tags, arthritis and cloudy looking eyes are common. Lumps and bumps, although often benign, warrant investigation and your vet will determine whether or not removal is necessary. I invariably have a number of what I refer to as ‘textured’ dogs on the books that enjoy life despite an impressive collection of benign growths.
The cloudy lenses which are often thought to be cataracts are actually a result of a gradual degenerative process and although vision may be affected in low light conditions, they still allow for functional vision. Cataracts when they occur generally cause complete blindness and can be associated with more serious conditions such as diabetes so a sudden dramatic change in eye appearance warrants prompt attention.
There are a number of useful medical and nutritional interventions available to manage joint discomfort but at some point it has to be recognised that frisking around after balls, sticks, frisbees etc and long walks or runs need to be wound back. Once warmed up and adrenalized, your old girl or boy may appear to be in fine form but the price is paid the day after. For this reason, I will often recommend “semi retirement” or scaling back activity once symptoms of osteoarthritis are evident. After all, we wouldn’t be taking our octogenarian selves out on long forced marches and the reality is that sooner or later it just gets too hard.
In the next instalment we will touch on some of the common feline age related ailments. As always, your veterinarian is the best source of advice, information and care for your little friends.

Craig H Marshall BVSc

Send a message to learn more

28/05/2025

We are pleased to present a recent contribution to the Cooroy Rag Community Newspaper from 20th May 2025.

Reminder About Your Pet's Dental Health

Crusty brown plaque, bleeding gums, hellitosis; not ideal in any social context and certainly not something I like to see in any patient. Gum disease and teeth coated with varying degrees of tartar are a frequent incidental finding at vaccination time or when an examination is performed for other health reasons. So, why is dental health a common problem and why does it matter? In their wild canine and feline counterparts, dental health is maintained by chewing through the bodies of the prey animals that their dentition has evolved to deal with. Emulating this situation in pets can be difficult for obvious reasons. Infected and inflamed gums provide a good source of bacteria with ready access to the circulation which if severe can lead to the spread of oral bacteria to other sites in the body. We can safely assume that inflamed gums and decayed teeth are as painful for our pets as they are for us.

So, what to do? For dogs, It is my opinion that chewing on meaty bones is the best option for dental hygiene. My rule of thumb is that the best bone is bigger than the dog’s head and preferably has not been cut with a bone saw. Bones cut cross or lengthways provide easy access to the marrow which is very fatty and the instinctive goal of the carnivore. Less time spent chewing means less benefit. In addition, it is possible for teeth to be broken or damaged on the cut surface left by a bone saw and although this is by no means common it is much less likely to occur with a whole bone.
There are many dogs that are unable to handle bones due to fat or dietary intolerance or lack of teeth. These individuals can be managed in a similar way to cats by incorporating teeth cleaning chews and tartar removing dental diets. Diets formulated to clean teeth can be used exclusively or in combination with other pet food to re**rd the rate of tartar buildup and in water additives can also help.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to clean tartar from an animals’ teeth properly and thoroughly without general anaesthesia and a day at the vets so taking proactive steps to avoid a procedure is always my recommendation. If in doubt, contact your animal health care professional for assessment and if that mouth smells bad, it probably is.

Craig H Marshall BVSc

Send a message to learn more

16/05/2025

We are pleased to present a recent contribution to the Cooroy Rag Community Newspaper from 29th April 2025.

From the archives

In my capacity as a veterinarian I had occasion to meet some very colourful characters and in the rural setting strong language was often used to punctuate the more arduous tasks. Of all the farmers in the district, no one was more enthusiastic in their application of the profane than Rod. His dairy on the Comboyne Plateau had it’s fair share of need for veterinary intervention and with each visit I found myself fascinated at what can only be described as a commitment to imparting a deep blue tinge to the air in language best described as “frequent; coarse”. Not content with using expletives as adjectives, he would often find ways to insert these obscenities within other words, in some instances twice or more depending on the number of syllables he had to work with. Any activity undertaken at his farm was carried out with shouted profanities underpinning the lowing, clatter and gate banging of a dairy at milking time.

So it was with some surprise on arriving one morning to attend to a calving that I was not met with his customary “How the …….. are you?” but with a more cordial version of the same. In the ensuing conversation the lack of expletives continued to be conspicuous in their absence. We brought the struggling heifer up to the crush and I got on with assessing her while Rod returned to the milking. It soon became apparent that a ceasarian section was the only way this calf was going to reach the outside world but even this news failed to press the “on” button in the mysteriously deactivated curse centre of his brain. Rod had obviously had his threshold reset and although I was curious as to what had brought about this profound change in his vocabulary there were more pressing matters to attend to. I set about the job at hand and once more Rod went back to the dairy to continue with the morning milking. The surgery was successful and a large calf was eventually hauled out from the cow’s flank, given the customary swing over the rail to get the residual fluid out of the airways and left to recover from it’s ordeal. I proceeded to stitch up the cow and was just finishing when Rod appeared behind me to see how things were getting on “that’s a serious hole you have put in my cow”, he said. I had to agree with him and directed his attention to the large calf sitting up in the grass around of the side of the milking shed “No wonder she was having a bit of trouble with that one! And it’s a heifer too…!!!” I too was surprised at such an unusually large heifer calf and was about to ask him what had brought about such a noticeable revision of his usual swearing skills when he continued his appraisal with “…the *$ #*$$ #!! #@$ #$$!! ”

Craig H Marshall BVSc

Send a message to learn more

01/05/2025

LABOUR DAY

We will be closed Monday 5th May.
We re open at 8am - 5.30pm on Tuesday 6th May.

For after hours emergency veterinary attention please contact the Animal Emergency Centre Noosaville on (07) 5353 7005.

24/04/2025

ANZAC DAY

We will be closed Friday 25th April.
We re open at 9am - 11.30am on Saturday 26th April.

For after hours emergency veterinary attention please contact the Animal Emergency Centre Noosaville on (07) 5353 7005.

17/04/2025

EASTER HOLIDAYS

We will be closed Good Friday 18th April - Easter Monday 21st April.
We re-open at 8am on Tuesday 22nd April.
For emergency after hours veterinary attention please call the Animal Emergency Centre Noosaville on (07) 5353 7005.

We hope you and your pets enjoy the long weekend. Stay safe everyone.

Send a message to learn more

11/04/2025

We are pleased to present a recent contribution to the Cooroy Rag Community Newspaper from 8th April 2025.

A few administrative details…

As the owner of a pet, there are certain unwritten obligations that for the most part are adhered to without a second thought. Providing your little friend with access to fresh, clean water at all times, nutritious food in a routine at regular intervals and adequate shelter from the elements. Cats get into a lot less strife and the local fauna fares much better if they are kept predominantly as indoor pets especially at night time. In public areas, it is reasonable to have your dog on a leash and under control unless you are in an area that permits free running. Although you may know your pet and their ways there are those among us who are fearful and feel uncomfortable in the presence of unrestrained dogs. Not all dogs get on and It is not uncommon to be attending to surgery on the victim of the aggressor that had “never done that before”.
The regulations and recommendations that are part of council policy are mostly common sense and aimed at promoting situations where people and pets can enjoy our public spaces without anxiety. We do after all live in a society and even though some rules may seem irrelevant or high – handed, they have been arrived at with good intention so that we can all get along in a semblance of harmony. So, take the time to refresh your knowledge so that everyone, including children, are familiar with rules regarding animals in the community.
On an administrative note, please ensure that your microchip details are up to date especially if you have pets registered with Homesafe ID . It is very frustrating to hear the happy beep of the scanner over a stray pet only to find that the chip is still registered to the breeder or not at all. This obviously makes it impossible to contact the owner of the dog and can be rectified by a bit of due diligence. Have an enjoyable Easter break and keep the chocolate out of range of your pooch.

Craig H Marshall BVSc

Send a message to learn more

09/04/2025

We are pleased to present a recent contribution to the Cooroy Rag Community Newspaper from 18th March 2025

The journey begins…
I am often asked by kids ranging from primary school to high school age how to become a vet. For the younger set, my advice is generally read as much as you can and be curious about everything. A little more detail is expected by those approaching the end of their school careers. This got me to thinking about my university experience so what follows is a rough overview ( 30 years later so details may be a bit sketchy ) of the 5 years of full time study undertaken by members of our profession.
The first 3 years involved learning the way things should be. Each subject was explored in depth with a practical component in most cases. Count the ologies. We started with an entrée of zoology, chemistry, animal behaviour, animal husbandry ( basics of animal handling / husbandry procedures such as horseshoeing, cattle wrangling etc ). The function of organisms was explored from the atomic level ( biochemistry – the nexus between life and chemistry ) to the cellular level ( microanaotomy ) which comes together in the field of anatomy ( all species, theory and dissections ). Anatomy of all body systems from the marrow to the skin was trawled through and to add some context physiology ( how body systems function ) was a big part of the start of the course. In addition, nutrition, bacteriology, meat science ( scientific aspects of how to process and store meat ), biometry (biological statistics), parasitology, immunology, endocrinology ( hormones and their functions/interactions/regulation), agronomy, pharmacology and a start on pathology.
The last two years were spent diving into all aspect of medicine and surgery as they relate to dogs, cats, horses, cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry and other birds. This was a major component but buffered by courses on toxicology, reproduction and obstetrics, anaesthesiology, radiology and diagnostic imaging, epidemiology, meat inspection and public health and a final year essay on a subject of one’s choice.
These years of toil culminated in graduation and my first job as a mixed practice veterinarian in rural South Australia. I had just enough knowledge to get by and have been learning more ever since.

Craig H Marshall BVSc

Send a message to learn more

07/03/2025

CYCLONE ALFRED
CHANGE IN HOURS

We will be closed from 12pm on Friday 7th March.
We will also be closed Saturday 8th March.

We will reopen at 8am on Monday 10th March.

For emergency after hours veterinary attention please call the Animal Emergency Service (AEC) Noosa on (07) 5353 7005.
Stay safe everyone.

Send a message to learn more

28/02/2025

We are pleased to present a recent contribution to the Cooroy Rag Community Newspaper from February 25th 2025.

Lumps & Bumps

Most dogs and many cats will at some point in their career cause concern due to the presence of a lump. Swellings and nodules can occur due to infections, cysts, tumours or combinations of the above.
As a general rule, if you are not sure what is growing or under the skin of your pet a trip to the vet is warranted. Penetrating injuries such as cat bites will often cause deep abscesses and generally develop swelling quite rapidly, usually in a matter of days. These are usually accompanied by pain and heat and require lancing, draining and medical care to resolve.
Cysts; fluid or oil filled pockets under the skin tend to be more slow growing and are generally benign. Diagnosis is made using a fine needle to draw material out of the lump and surgical removal, if indicated, is the most effective treatment.
Which brings us to tumours. Strictly speaking, all skin tumours are formed by abnormal and uncontrolled tissue growth and as such come under the broad umbrella of cancer. However, there is a wide range of severity ranging from benign lumps that will never need specific treatment to malignancies that require urgent and sometimes aggressive surgical and medical management.
Your veterinarian will usually start assessment using a needle to biopsy some cells out of the growth and analysing them under the microscope. In some cases a larger proportion of the lump is needed for diagnosis and a surgical biopsy may be necessary to determine the next step – wait and watch or further intervention.
As always resist Dr. Google and consult your veterinarian as the best source of knowledge to ensure the best for your little friend.

Craig H Marshall BVSc
Cooroy Veterinary Surgery

Send a message to learn more