There’s a worldwide shortage of cat vaccines.

We may need you to postpone your cat’s booster.

Due to a combination in factors (supply chain disruption and increased demand), there’s currently a shortage of feline vaccines. It’s having a huge impact on shelters and adoption centres, with some having to close their doors to new cat and kitten admissions.

Until we have supply (expected Feb 2024), we’re prioritising kittens and delaying adult cat boosters where possible.

Please note that vaccinated adult cats have a much lower risk of vaccine-preventable disease than unvaccinated cats – even if their boosters are postponed.

You’ve found a baby bird on the ground – should you ‘rescue’ it?

The short answer is (almost always) NO.

The longer answer requires determining two things:

• Is it injured?

• Is it a nestling or a fledgling?

Injured?

If a bird is clearly injured (eg you can see blood/wounds or a broken limb) then it should be assessed to see if it requires care or humane euthanasia.

Note that being unable to fly – especially if flapping and trying to hop away from you – is not a clear sign of injury. You’re often dealing with a fledgling (see next).

Nestling or fledgling?

A nestling is a baby bird who should still be living in its nest.

Nestlings aren’t covered in normal feathers. They may be bald or covered in down feathers or have little ‘pin’ feathers coming through. Nestlings can’t perch (grip onto a branch or finger with their feet).

A fledgling is a baby bird that has recently left the nest but can’t fly yet. Fledglings make up the vast majority of birds brought in to us.

Fledglings have feathers all over their body (tails might be short) and can perch. They spend a few days (to even a few weeks) hopping and flapping around getting their muscles and their coordination ready to take off and land. They are doing this under the watchful eyes of their parents, who spread them out (reducing the chances of a predator wiping out the whole family in one go), move them around to different spots at night and bring them food.

What’s the best way to help?

A clearly injured bird should receive veterinary attention. You can bring the bird to a vet or call Wildlife Victoria (03 8400 7300).

A nestling should ideally be returned the nest – its parents will give it the best chance (perhaps the only chance) of surviving. Look in the nearby trees/bushes for a nest – most are pretty well hidden. If you find the nest (and can reach it safely), pop the bird back in. If not, you can place a box/basket (lined with small tissue or ripped up newspaper) in the nearest tree. Pop the bird into that and leave it alone. If you can, monitor from a distance (preferably indoors) over the next 2 hours to see if its parents find it. If you can’t monitor it, you are better leaving it and checking later than bringing it to a vet – most of the nestlings we see cannot be hand-reared and need to be euthanased. We want to give the parents every chance of rearing their baby.

A fledgling should only be moved if it’s in danger of cars, other animals or people. For the vast majority, the parents are watching from a safe distance and feeding the baby when no one is around. If the baby is in danger, try placing it in a nearby tree or bush (remember a fledgling can perch). Again, leave it alone and monitor from a distance (preferably indoors) over the next 2 hours to see if its parents return. If you can’t monitor it, you are better leaving it and checking later than bringing it to a vet.

Note: if you bring in a healthy fledgling that is a non-native species (eg Spotted dove, Indian myna), we’re in a bit of a bind. Legally, we’re shouldn’t release a non-native species into the wild (so we’re not supposed to say ‘take it back to where you found it’) and we can’t pass it onto a carer (wildlife carers care for native species – that can be released into the wild). So we end up being obliged to euthanase it.

But I’ve touched it, won’t the parents reject it now?

No. Birds have amazing eyesight but not a very good sense of smell. The parents are more likely to stay away from the baby because they are able to see people hanging around (even from a distance).

Can I hand-rear the baby?

No. A, it’s illegal in Victoria for a non-registered carer to rear wildlife. And B, it’s really difficult to hand-rear birds – you need special feed, feeding techniques and housing.

You can avoid the phone and book online via our portal

We’ve created a secure client portal that (once you’ve signed up) will allow you to:

• book an appointment online (and change it if you need to)

• update or change your details

• update or change your pet’s details (and add new pets)

• access your pet’s medical records (called clinical summaries)

• see your pet’s diagnostic results

• download handouts relating to your pet’s care

• track your pet’s data (weight, heart rate etc)

• review your pet’s medications

• see when your pet is next due for treatments or testing

• check your pet’s vaccination status

• access your invoices/receipts

Booking an online appointment

When making an appointment, you’ll be asked a few questions so that we schedule you the right sort of appointment with the appropriate amount of time. Note that there’s a bit of hang time between these questions, please be patient.

We’re still working on a way for you to book an appointment with a specific vet, but in the meantime here’s some availability info that can help you:

• Deborah is available Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and some Saturdays

• Raquel is available Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and some Saturdays

• Craig is available Thursdays (but he’s generally booked up with surgical consults and operating)

• Jenni Corbett is available Monday, Friday and Saturday

Note that acupuncture appointments with Jen Robinson still need to be booked by phone.

What’s happening at Elwood Vet

And other useful stuff

Whenever we get a chance, we try and write something the pet owners of Elwood and the Bayside suburbs might find useful.