Scout first visited the surgery some weeks ago. Scout being a very excitable puppy had managed to fracture his trochanter tip femur. Scout was put on strict cage rest and follow up x-rays showed the fracture had started to repair. The growth plates in a dog are areas of cartilage that develop at the end of the long bones of the legs. Over time, they calcify developing into denser matter as your puppy gets older and works their muscles more. As your puppies grow , how and whe

Scooby a very cheeky rabbit visited us recently due to a sore leg. Scooby had to have an X-ray on his leg to see if there was any obvious broken bones or fractures. X-raying a rabbit can be very challenging due to their size, and easily stressed nature. X-rays are like light except they can travel through the body. For an x-ray a rabbit will lies under the x-ray machine which sends a beam of x-rays through the rabbit’s body onto a photographic plate. When the film is develope

Alfie visited us recently having been unwell and off his food, on ultrasound Steven our vet could see some areas of concern and a exploratory laparotomy was preformed. A mass could be seen on the spleen so a splenectomy was preformed. A splenectomy is the surgical procedure performed to remove the spleen from the body. The spleen is an oblong organ that sits just below the stomach, in the middle of the abdomen. Comparatively, on a size-by-size basis, it is much bigger in dogs

Meet Nelly a Dwarf Hamster who visited the surgery due to a sore back leg. Nelly needed to have an X-ray to see if there was any damage to her bones, we would usually sedate or give patients a general anesthetic to position them for X-ray Nelly was far to small for this. A cardboard tube was used to place tilly in and wrapped around her so she could not move allowing us to x-ray her. Nelly was very brave and no broken bones were found Nelly is now home recovering well. Did yo

Due to no large firework displays this year we feel there will be an increase in backyard displays, which will go no for a considerable amount of time. Here is some tips to try keep your pets calm. What should I do on firework nights to help keep my cat or dog calm? Take your dog for a walk well before fireworks are due to begin. Don’t pick up cats or restrain them if they are scared: cats prefer to control how they cope. Keep doors, windows and cat and dog flaps closed. Draw

On Saturday we met Clover for the first time. Clovers owners brought her to see us as she had what looked like a small would on the inside of her leg, Clover was admitted so we could examine the wound more thoroughly. Once Clover was under anaesthetic we could see a large wound that would need stitching, the cut was very deep and had cut through the medial thigh muscle and there was lots of hair tracking into the deep fascia so a drain was placed to drain infection from the s

We recently saw Poppy the Yorshire terrier who visited us with lumps near her teats, Poppy had a mammectomy. Lumps found in the region of a dogs teats is usually a benign or malignant tumors of the mammary glands. They occure more often in female dogs that aren’t spayed  and another risk factor for development of mammary tumors is obesity. In fact, mammary gland tumors are the most common type of tumor diagnosed in entire female dogs. The mammary glands' function is to produc

Bonny visited the surgery and after consultation with Steven she was found to have a Grade 3 left sided heart murmur, she was admitted for a heart scan with Steven. The scan showed Bonny had mild cardiomegaly, mitral valve regurgitation and mild pulmonary valve regurgitation and Mitral valve disease stage B2. Bonny has been started on medication for her heart and we hope shes feeling much better. Having advanced veterinary equipment allows us to offer the best veterinary car

Mitzie an adventurous puppy has got into some mischief eating berries on a walk and was treated by our Standish branch. Rowan berries, however, are dangerous because they contain a specific toxin. They can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and excessive salivation, and affected dogs can show significant signs of disease. Access to rowan berries should therefore be prevented. Other dangerous berries that dogs may find and eat if they aren't watched closely include deadly nightshade, w

We have been treating creatures of all sizes this week. Meet Yoshi a Rat who was in to be castrated. The General anaesthetic procedure for a rat is very different to a dog or cat, Yoshi was inducted in a chamber with Oxygen and aesthetic vapour. He was then removed from the chamber and maintained on a mask this allowed for improved airway control. The nurse has to continually check Yoshi vitals including colour of mucous membranes (particularly for abnormal pallor or darkness

If you are thinking of breeding your own pet it's important to make sure you are fully aware of the complications, costs and work involved. It's no small task having a litter of puppies or kittens and involves a considerably large amount of work. We always advice clients to make sure they plan and save for the worst and hopefully they have a smooth pregnancy and delivery. The main cause of veterinary surgeons preforming emergency caesareans is dystocia of the pup: Dystocia

Today we have had several calls regarding COVID-19 (coronavirus) and pets. Here is some information from the World Small Animal Veterinary Association. Please share Can COVID-19 infect pets?Currently there is no evidence that companion animals can be infected with or spread COVID-19. If my pet has been in contact with someone who is sick from COVID-19, can it spread the disease to other people?While we do not yet know for sure, there is no evidence that companion animals can