With creating our newsletters I depended hugely on this joy of our society – the computer. Not having a natural affinity with modern technology, it was a steep learning curve for me. Modern technology is well and good when it works but when it doesn’t do what it’s supposed to….. grrrrrrrr ##@**#@!

I often sat working on the computer and occasionally, (OK not occasionally, often!) cursed when it didn’t do what I wanted it to. Ash, my incredible source of much support, would hear my mumblings of displeasure and come over to the computer to make amends. At the push of a button things would be as I wanted them and he’d gently try and explain that it was “operator error” and not the computer’s fault! If it wasn’t for Ash, I might have been content with my reliable pen and paper, never knowing all the incredible things that computers have helped me with over the years.

All of this work started to pay off with turn-over doubling and thankfully I became busier doing the work that I love, looking after the health and well-being of animals. Where I “hit a dead end” with my conventional tools I was amazed to see my patients’ health transform positively when they were treated with chiropractics, herbs, homeopathy, flower essences, behavioural modification and even a nutritional change.

The animals that visited our centre were generally very happy when they came in; they generally bounded up to our resident massage therapist asking the nice lady for a massage. Sasha, a gorgeous old girl who would visit regularly to be treated for her arthritis was very clever. She wasn’t too impressed with these visits interrupting her routine of lying in her nice warm home in front of the fire place and she would head straight to the door as soon as she believed it was time for her visit to be over, carrying her package of medication in her mouth.

Scruffy was a divine old ginger cat with a sore back that would come in for vet checks and chiropractic sessions. He would sits and gaze at us with gratitude as we examined and treated him as if he knew we were doing everything that we could to help him feel better. As our client base grew I met more and more patients that I had the privilege of looking after.

Salvador was a big hunk of a cat, known to rule the roost at home. He was adored but much to his owner’s frustration he would spray in the house unpredictably and his owner was at the end of her tether with what she could do to stop him, since his smelly cat pee sprayed around the house was not appreciated. She had tried a number of approaches unsuccessfully and so sought an answer with complementary therapies. We made Salvador a brew of Bach Flower Essences and I was anxious to see the result with Salvador’s stubborn complaint since I was unfamiliar with their effect. Salvador’s owner reported that after just one dose he chilled out and became a purring and non-spraying kitty cat and this persisted for as long as his owner dosed him regularly with his drops.

There was Xena, a big lug of a bullmastiff, who was coming to our behaviour classes but it seemed that she was suddenly putting on a lot of weight and it was recommended that she have a vet check. I examined Xena, concluded that she was grossly pregnant and ready to pop within the next two weeks predicting that she was likely to have a large litter of pups. But, as we were so well taught as vet students, biological systems are never entirely predictable and one fine morning I had a call from Sandra, Xena’s owner. Xena had given birth to a pup in the middle of the night but had delivered no more; she was concerned and asked if I would please pop by check her out.

Sandra lived amongst green rolling hills just five minutes from town. She had a small herd of cattle, her dogs and a few pigs (Speckles, her family of little pigs and also Harley, the stud) and this, being my first vet farm visit in New Zealand, was a real treat. I felt like a real James Herriot driving through the countryside contemplating what I may find with Xena and my mind was racing with what I might have to do to help her.

Of course, all one needs to do is worry about something and expect the worst (like having to do a caesarian on Xena) and you’ll generally be pleasantly surprised. Sandra led me to Xena and her new born pup “Goliath”, a big boy, (aptly named!) who was voraciously suckling away. I examined them both and found all to be in good order concluding that Xena had produced only one massive pup that had filled her hugely distended abdomen!

Sandra then explained that Xena, a first time mum, didn’t have much clue as to what this whole mothering thing was about. She realized that she had this squeaking thing that had come out of her that she was supposed to do something with but exactly what, that was a bit baffling to the big dope… She licked him a bit, let him suckle then remembered that she was awfully hungry having worked hard delivering her big baby and of course there was now some space in her abdomen for some food now that the pup was out!

She then stood up, forgetting that her little bundle of joy was still attached to her teat, wandered off to her food bowl leaving him behind, began to nibble and then remembered that there was something that she was supposed to be doing and returned to the strange squealing object back where she had just come from. She would then pick him up in her mouth by the scruff of his neck, take him along with her to her food bowl, put him down next to it while she ate and then return back to her bed making herself comfortable and then realize that something was missing as she had left her pup at her bowl! Thank goodness Sandra was around as a foster parent to help poor Xena and Goliath lived up to his name, growing at an incredible rate.