Keeping an eye on their eyes
Like most things, we have two of them, but they are especially precious and most of us function every day without a thought about them.
One of the partners of the first practice I worked in had only one and it made his life and that of his partner’s difficult at times.
Derek had to call Dave out at night to stitch up cows he performed caesareans on, because Derek’s lack of binocular vision made it difficult to grab the suture material in the poor light at night. Dave must have cursed every time the phone went if Derek was on call.
Eyes are precious and my patients have all sorts of problems with them. A few of the cases we have seen at the hospital this week are good examples.
Chloe is an almost pure white woolly bichon frise – which is like a miniature poodle – that came to see us.
Marion, her owner, was concerned about the brown staining below her eyes. This is a common occurrence in some of these smaller breeds, but is obvious on the white individuals. The brown marks are stains caused by tears spilling on to the face. Similar brown staining of the paws is also seen on some of the white breeds if they lick them excessively. The staining is caused by saliva.
There are myriad products available that claim to reduce tear staining, but often all that is required is to trim the hair around the eyes and clean daily with warm water and drying afterwards.
‘‘My cat has a film growing over her eyes.’’ This is a common phone call at the hospital.
The film is in fact the cat’s third eyelid. We don’t really have one, but some species, including cats, do. Think of a reptile or shark’s eyelid that comes across their eye from the inside corner when they eat to protect their eyes, or keep them moist in the case of reptiles.
This eyelid is seen in a cat for several reasons, including: They are unwell; they are dehydrated; for unknown reasons in young cats; and if the cat has diarrhoea. So, if you see this eyelid coming across their eye, bring your friend in for a check-up.
Weepy eyes are another reason for a visit. This can be caused by conjunctivitis or because of a more generalised upper respiratory infection.
The most important things to remember:
Get us to check the eye/s if you are concerned
Don’t use any previous drops or human drops because if the surface of the eye is damaged or scratched, some eye drops can make the eye a whole lot worse
Never use disinfectants around the eyes
We are lucky to have a pet eye specialist in Palmerston North.
Have a fun week from all the crew at Anderson’s Vet Hospitals The language of sport will be used to educate New Zealand’s prisoners.
The Kick for the Seagulls programme was launched at UCOL in Palmerston North on Tuesday. It is a programme run by former New Zealand rugby league coach Graham Lowe to educate prisoners.
It uses sports language and coaching techniques to teach numeracy and literacy for people who haven’t had much success in a traditional learning environment, something a large section of the prison population can relate to.
The programme was trialled in Northland and will move into five prisons: Manawatu¯ , Rimutaka, Hawke’s Bay, Spring Hill and Otago, in the next few weeks. It is then expected to be available in all prisons.
Lowe said sport could be a powerful means of communicating with prisoners.
‘‘Not all of us learn the same way,’’ he said. ‘‘I left school at 14 and I know now, looking back, it was because the teachers didn’t know what buttons to push.
‘‘That sits with quite a lot of us in society.
‘‘The language of sport can find the right buttons that traditional ways don’t.’’
It is a 17-week course where prisoners work with tutors to gain the New Zealand Certificate in Foundation Skills level 2, with a focus on sport and exercise.
Department of Corrections chief executive Rachel Leota said 60 per cent of people in prison were functionally illiterate, so she was keen to increase prisoners’ abilities.
‘‘It’s an opportunity to use sport as something they love and enjoy as a carrot to help understand education is valuable for them.’’
Jo Heath, a tutor at Rimutaka Prison, said they would be working from a classroom, then putting it into a sporting context, be it a through a game or in the gym. ‘‘They will be having fun and they won’t realise they will be learning.’’
The first training sessions for tutors was provided by Manukau Institute of Technology and hosted at UCOL to education providers and Corrections staff who would work with the prisoners.
At Manawatu¯ Prison, inmates will be trained by a UCOL tutor with help from the prison’s physical education instructors.