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

❄️Take care when walking your pets on snow and ice. Rock salt which is used to grit the roads during icy conditions can be toxic to some animals, Ingestion can result in a high blood sodium concentration which can cause thirst, vomiting and lethargy, and in severe cases there is a risk of convulsions and kidney damage. Prolonged contact during long walks can lead to chemical burns, dryness, and painful cracking of the pads. Always wash paws as soon as you get home to prevent

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

Cooper recently visited us as he had sliced his tongue whilst playing with another dog. Cooper had to have a general anaesthetic and quite a few sutures placed in his tongue. Did you know a dogs tongue is like a radiator, a water-lapper, a healer of wounds, a food conveyor, a register of tastes, a texture sensor, and a wet equivalent of a dog's handshake. A dog's tongue has more responsibilities than any other part of the dog anatomy -- excluding the brain. And oddly enough,

Diabetes is a disease that is on the increase in dogs and cats, over the last few weeks we have diagnosed an increasing number of cases. Diabetes mellitus in pets is very similar to that in humans, it occurs when the body cannot produce enough insulin (type 1) or the body no longer responds to the insulin it produces (type 2), this insulin is vital for converting sugar in the blood to useable energy within the body. Diagnosis of diabetes is easy, with a simple blood and urin

Enzo visited the surgery after suffering from intermittent lameness over a short period of time. Enzo has had extensive test including a CT scan of his leg. Enzo was diagnosed with a fractured medial coronoid process. This is a developmental defect of one of the coronoid processes, two small bony protrusions on the end of the ulna within the elbow joint. In this condition, one of the coronoid processes develops a fissure or crack and separates from the rest of the bone. Enzo

A favourite past time for pets is chasing bees and wasps in the garden, Lily got a little more than she bargained for when the bee decided to chase her and sting her paw. If your pet is stung and starts to have difficulty breathing or showing signs of an allergic reaction like swelling, fitting excessive drooling call us Immediately. We can administer an injectable steroid or anti histamine medication to provide immediate relief (usually within about 30 minutes) and reduce th

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

Sadly today we have seen a case of heat stroke please be cautious in the sun. Make sure to walk your dogs in the evening or early morning to prevent heat stroke. If the pavement is to hot to touch its too hot for your pets paws. DO NOT WALK YOUR DOGS IN BETWEEN 11am -7PM Make sure your rabbit hutches are in the shade, a damp towel can be used to keep the hutch cool. Signs of heatstroke in dogs include: Panting, which increases as heatstroke progresses. Drooling, salivating. A

Riley decided to open his owners bin in the night and ate a large amount of tin foil. Riley was admitted for x-rays and we were able to locate tin foil in his stomach. The Tin foil was removed under general anaesthetic using Endoscopy which a minimally invasive procedure. An endoscope is a flexible tube with a camera attachment. The tube is placed through the mouth into the stomach. After the foreign body is located, a grabbing instrument is inserted through the endoscope. By

Meet Bailey who visited us with a sore leg he had damage to her cruciate and had a surgical procedure called a TPLO One of the most common injuries to the knee of dogs is tearing of the cranial cruciate ligament (CCL). This ligament is similar to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in humans. There are actually two cruciate ligaments inside the knee: the cranial cruciate ligament and caudal cruciate ligament. They are called cruciate because they cross over each other insid

Meet Leila she came to us as she had started to pass lots of small wees. An ultrasound was preformed and the veterinary surgeon was able to see large stones present taking up almost the entire bladder. Leila was booked in the following day for a cystotomy. A cystotomy is the most indicated treatment of bladder problems including removal of bladder stones,The cystotomy is performed through an incision on the dog’s abdomen which is located towards the rear of the abdomen. Once

Apollo visited our Tyldesley branch for a rare procedure called a Laparoscopic assisted Abdominal Cryptorchid castrate. The testes develop near the kidneys within the abdomen and normally descend into the scrotum by two months of age. In certain dogs, it may occur later, but rarely after six months of age. Cryptorchidism may be presumed to be present if the testicles aren’t palpated in the scrotum after two to four months of age. In most cases of cryptorchidism, the testicle

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

Unfortunately we have seen our first two cases in 2020 of Myxomatosis this week. Myxomatosis is a viral disease that affects rabbits. Unfortunately it is a very serious, often fatal disease. It was first reported in wild rabbits in the UK in the 1950s and still remains a common disease found in the population today. Because of the prevalence of Myxomatosis in the wild population and its method of transmission it can easily be transmitted to our pet bunnies. Myxomatosis can be

I have lost my cat. What should I do? If you've lost your cat and they are already microchipped, the first thing you'll need to do is let the microchipping company know. Double-check with the database that your details are correct. If your lost cat is found and taken to a vet or animal welfare organisation, you'll be contacted. Don't forget! Make sure you keep your contact details up to date. If you move home or change any of your contact information, it's important to let yo

Last week we saw this giddy patient at our Standish branch for TECA surgery. A TECA or Total Ear Canal Ablation is a procedure undertaken to manage severe middle ear or ear canal disease and to treat ear canal cancers. It is used when all other options, such as topical medications, have failed. The TECA procedure is the removal of the ear canal in dogs and is nearly always combined with a Bulla Osteotomy. The Bulla Osteotomy part of the procedure involves opening and clearing

Bella recently attended the Standish surgery with problems with her anal glands and had an anal sacculectomy. An anal sacculectomy is where the surgeon makes an incision near the anus directly over the affected anal gland. The gland is then dissected from the external and internal anal sphincters. The opening created by the vet is flushed out before closing the surgical site completely or prior to placing a drain. A drain is usually placed if the dog has been suffering from a

This week Ronnie visited the surgery for a Cryptorchid Castrate. Cryptorchidism is when one or both testicles do not descend into the scrotum. The cryptorchid testicle can be located anywhere along the path from the area of fetal development of the gonads (just caudal to the caudal pole of the kidney) to the subcutaneous tissue between the external inguinal ring and the scrotum. Thus a cryptorchid testicle can be located in the abdominal cavity, in the inguinal canal, or in t

Meet Baloo, who recently visited the surgery with anorexia and vomiting. After his clinical exam further tests were needed to establish what was causing him to feel unwell. Due to our onsite laboratory we were able to run routine bloods and perform a more complex test for pancreatitis. Within minutes of the cPL test being conducted we were able to establish a positive result for severe pancreatitis. The signs of pancreatitis are loss of appetite, sickness, diarrhoea and letha