Southern Beaches Vet

30/10/2026

🐾 MEET HONEY – LOOKING FOR HER FOREVER HOME 🐾

Meet Honey, a beautiful 16-year-old female short-haired tortoiseshell girl who is looking for a loving new home to spend her golden years. ❤️

Unfortunately, due to her much-loved owner having to move into care, Honey has found herself in the difficult position of needing to be rehomed.

Despite being a senior lady, Honey appears to be in good health and lovely condition for her age. She is up to date with her vaccinations and recent blood work show’s no evidence of thyroid or renal issues.

At 16 years young, Honey deserves a comfortable, quiet, safe and loving home where she can enjoy all the little things in life – a cosy bed, a sunny spot to snooze and plenty of love and attention. 🥰

We do believe however that Honey has been the centre of attention for her house hold so we are uncertain of how she would cope with other furry companions.

🏡 Can you offer Honey a loving retirement home?

If you think you could provide Honey with the home she deserves, please get in touch with the clinic for further information.

Please share to help us find this sweet girl her perfect match! ❤️🐱

22/10/2026

☀️🐾 HOT DAYS CAN BE DANGEROUS FOR OUR PETS! 🐾☀️

Although we haven’t reached summer yet, it’s certainly giving us a taste of what’s to come! As the weather warms up, it’s important to remember that dogs and cats can overheat quickly, and heatstroke can be life-threatening.

🌡️ KNOW THE WARNING SIGNS

🐶 In dogs, look out for:
• Excessive panting or difficulty breathing
• Excessive drooling
• Bright red or unusually coloured gums
• Restlessness or agitation
• Weakness, wobbliness or collapse
• Vomiting or diarrhoea

🐱 In cats, look out for:
• Panting or open-mouth breathing — this is NOT normal in cats
• Drooling
• Lethargy or weakness
• Hiding or seeking unusually cool places
• Vomiting, poor coordination or collapse

🚨 WHAT TO DO IF YOUR PET OVERHEATS

1️⃣ Move them to a cool, shaded or air-conditioned area.
2️⃣ Gently wet their body with cool tap water and or wet towels, particularly around the belly, armpits and paws.
3️⃣ Offer small amounts of cool water if they are alert and able to swallow.
4️⃣ Contact your closest veterinarian immediately. Do not delay veterinary care to try cooling them at home.

💦 TIPS TO KEEP YOUR PET SAFE

✅ Always provide plenty of fresh, cool drinking water.
✅ Keep pets in a cool, well-ventilated area with access to shade.
✅ Walk dogs early in the morning or later in the evening when it’s cooler.
✅ Check the pavement with your hand — if it’s too hot for your hand, it may burn their paws.
✅ Avoid strenuous exercise during hot weather.
✅ Never leave your pet unattended in a parked car, even for a few minutes.
✅ Remember that older pets, overweight pets, flat-faced breeds and animals with underlying health conditions may be at greater risk.

❤️ If you suspect heatstroke, treat it as an emergency. Heatstroke can progress rapidly, and even if your pet seems to recover, serious complications can occur.

Stay cool and keep those precious paws safe! 🐾🩵

21/10/2026

🎡🐾 ROYAL HOBART SHOW PUBLIC HOLIDAY CLOSURE 🐾🎡

Just a friendly reminder to our lovely clients that our clinic will be CLOSED on Thursday 22nd October for the Royal Hobart Show public holiday.

We will be REOPENING as normal on Friday 23rd October.

Please remember to organise any medication refills or appointments ahead of time to avoid disappointment.

For emergencies while we are closed, please contact AES in Moonah 1300 302 912

— Your team at Southern Beaches Vet 🩵

25/09/2026

25/08/2026

🐦 BIRD FLU (H5 AVIAN INFLUENZA) IN TASMANIA

Bird flu is a highly contagious viral disease that primarily affects birds, but some strains can also infect other animals, including mammals.

The risk to the general public remains low, but extra precautions are recommended when pets may come into contact with sick or dead birds.

Due to the current avian influenza (bird flu) situation in Tasmania, we are taking additional precautions to protect our patients, staff and the wider community.

During the current outbreak, Southern Beaches Vet will not be seeing wildlife cases, including sick or injured wild birds. This is to minimise the potential introduction or spread of avian influenza within our clinic.
___________________________

🛑 IMPORTANT

Please do not handle sick or dead birds unless you have been specifically instructed to do so.

DO:

• Keep yourself and your pets away from the bird.
• Keep dogs on a lead and prevent cats from approaching.
• Report suspected bird flu through the appropriate Tasmanian biosecurity channels.
• Follow instructions provided by Biosecurity Tasmania.

DON’T:

• Touch the bird with bare hands.
• Take the bird home.
• Allow children or pets to approach it.
• Feed or move sick birds

If you are concerned about a sick or dead bird, contact:

Emergency Animal Disease Hotline
1800 675 888

Biosecurity Tasmania
1300 368 550

For the latest Tasmanian bird flu information, visit:

NRE Tasmania — Bird Flu information

Tasmanian Biosecurity Advisories
___________________________
🐤 What about pet birds?

We will continue to provide veterinary care for domestic/pet birds where appropriate, however, our usual appointment protocol will temporarily change.

If your pet bird requires a health check or veterinary assessment:

• Please contact us before bringing your bird to the clinic.
• We will ask some questions about your bird’s health, housing and any potential contact with wild birds.
• We may arrange a specific appointment time and/or separate entry procedure.
• Additional infection-control measures may be required.
• Please do not bring your bird into the waiting room unless specifically instructed by our team.

These precautions are temporary and may change as the Tasmanian bird flu situation develops.
⸻————————————————-
More information about Bird flu!
🐶🐱 Can my dog or cat catch bird flu?

Yes, infection of mammals is possible, although it is uncommon.

The greatest concern is for pets that:
• Catch or kill wild birds
• Eat sick or dead birds
• Chew on bird carcasses
• Come into contact with bird faeces or bodily fluids
• Spend time in areas where there are large numbers of sick or dead birds

Do not allow your pet to investigate, play with or eat sick or dead birds.
⸻——————————————
⚠️ What signs should I look for in my pet?

If your pet has potentially been exposed to a sick or dead bird, monitor them closely for signs including:

Dogs & cats

• Lethargy or unusual behaviour
• Loss of appetite
• Vomiting or diarrhoea
• Coughing or difficulty breathing
• Sneezing or nasal discharge
• Drooling
• Tremors or unusual movements
• Poor coordination, stumbling or difficulty walking
• Seizures
• Other sudden or unexplained neurological signs

These signs do not necessarily mean your pet has bird flu and can occur with many other illnesses.
⸻———————————
🏠 How can I reduce the risk to my pet?

For dogs

• Keep dogs away from sick or dead birds.
• Keep your dog on a lead where bird activity or mortality is high.
• Discourage scavenging.
• Don’t allow your dog to eat wild birds or carcasses.

For cats

• Consider keeping cats indoors, particularly if they regularly hunt birds.
• Prevent access to areas where sick or dead birds have been reported.
• Do not allow cats to eat wild birds.

For all pets

• Wash your hands after handling pets that may have contacted birds.
• Clean contaminated footwear or equipment where appropriate.
• Avoid bringing potentially contaminated bird material into your home.

⸻—————————
🩺 What if my pet has been exposed?

Don’t panic.
Most pets exposed to birds will not necessarily become infected.

If your pet has:
✔️ Eaten a sick/dead bird
✔️ Caught a sick/dead bird
✔️ Had significant contact with a bird suspected of having bird flu
✔️ Developed concerning signs after bird exposure

Contact your veterinary clinic before bringing your pet into the clinic.
Tell the veterinary team:

• What type of bird your pet contacted
• Whether the bird was alive, sick or dead
• Whether your pet ate any part of the bird
• When the exposure occurred
• Whether your pet is showing any signs of illness

This allows the veterinary team to provide appropriate advice and make arrangements to minimise any potential infection risk.

16/08/2026

🚨 Important Temporary Daytime Closure Notice

Due to a veterinary shortage, Animal Emergency Service Hobart will be temporarily closed during the day from 7:00am to 4:00pm, Monday to Friday, for the remainder of August.

We will continue to provide emergency care:
• Overnight during the week, when regular veterinary clinics are closed
• 24 hours a day on weekends

Like many veterinary teams right now, we're navigating a nationwide shortage of emergency vets, and are committed to staying open when we can do so safely for both your pets and our team. We're actively working to bring more vets on board and truly appreciate your patience while we do.

Thank you for your understanding. Your support means a great deal to our team and helps us continue caring for the pets who need us most 💙

10/08/2026

🐾 IMPORTANT AES (Animal Emergency Services) CARE UPDATE 🐾

Unfortunately AES will be closed to the public from Monday 10th - Wednesday 12th.

It’s great to see that most Veterinary clinics are able to step up and provide a temporary after-hours services for their clients.

Southern Beaches Vet would like to sincerely apologise to our wonderful clients, but due to limited veterinary staff availability, we are currently unable to provide any after-hours veterinary service.

We understand that having access to veterinary care outside of our normal opening hours is incredibly important, and we appreciate how stressful it can be when your pet becomes unwell or needs urgent attention. You can message our page, but we cannot guarantee response.

This is not a decision we have made lightly, and we are working hard to ensure we can continue providing the best possible care to our patients while operating within the staffing resources available to us.

If your pet requires urgent or emergency veterinary attention outside of our opening hours, please contact an alternative veterinary service.

We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause and genuinely appreciate your patience, understanding and continued support of our team. 🐶🐱💙

For poison or toxin ingestions contact the Animal Poison Helpline for advice. 1300 869 738

24/07/2026

Happy 30th Birthday to our most beloved Leader, Hannah the Super Nurse. Hannah is the glue holding our team together, she's our go to, fix it girl and organises and keeps Southern Beaches Vet running like clockwork. She started out her veterinary nursing career with us 7 years ago as a smiley, warm 23 year old and weaved her magic way into everyone's hearts (Furry, feathered and owners). When not being an amazing vet nurse and practice leader, she can be spotted running around in skimpy shorts, covered in mud on the AFL field, running, Hyroxing, or camping. She is simply our Rock and our Star and we are all lucky to have her lead our team. We wish you the best week off exploring Sydney and celebrating this momentous milestone.
Love you Han xx.

07/07/2026

**We’re experiencing some difficulty with phone lines this morning due to the Telstra Outage. We apologise for any inconvenience! We will do our best to get back to you as soon as we can!

Send a message to learn more

19/06/2026

⚠️ Warning for Cat Owners About Potential Microchip Scam ⚠️

Ten Lives has been made aware of a potential scam targeting pet owners, which has also been reported to a number of veterinary clinics.

Some pet owners have received emails from a company called "Track a Pet". The emails appear legitimate and may include personal information such as your name, address, phone number, your cat's name and even their microchip number.

The email typically claims that your cat's microchip registration is about to expire or become inactive and encourages you to click a link and make a payment to "renew" or "update" the registration.

This appears to be part of an ongoing scam and may operate under different company names.

Please remember:
🐾 A microchip does not expire.
🐾 You should not receive requests to renew your cat's microchip by making a payment through an unsolicited email.

If you receive an email like this:
• Do not click on any links
• Do not provide personal or payment information
• Do not make any payments
• Contact your veterinarian or microchip registry if you are unsure

Microchipping plays an important role in helping lost cats find their way home, so it's important that owners remain vigilant and ensure their details are kept up to date through legitimate channels.

Please help us spread the word and keep our community of cat owners informed and protected.