Snake bite season is here. While it is has been a cooler start to the summer we still have to be careful as our pets (often seeing one for the first time) like to play with or even intimidate snakes in some cases. We don’t often see snakes in our Bayside area, but occasionally they do occur, and often are brought in on visiting trucks and vehicles from rural areas. Our local 24 hour centre has already seen one patient this season that had been bitten by a snake. Luckily no

You have probably noticed the increased numbers of mosquitoes around at the moment. This is thought to be due to the unusually high rainfall in Melbourne during September to November this year. It is important to remember that mosquitoes bite your pets as well especially those outdoors at dawn and dusk. Mosquito bites can be very irritating to dogs and cats and can also spread the deadly heartworm parasite. In some cases dogs and particularly cats can have a hypersensitivity