Subjects included below are:
If you suspect your pet has eaten, drunk or licked at a kind of poison you should immediately telephone the veterinary surgery.You will need to take the animal to the vets for immediate attention.Some types of poisoning may be less obvious e.g. perhaps a scattering of pills on the floor, the dog eating something in the corner of the garden or off the beach etc.Signs of poisoning can include excessive salivation, vomiting, strange behaviour, sleepiness or fitting. Anything suspicious should be investigated and the animal taken to a veterinary surgeon for advice.It is vital to either collect a sample of the poison if at all possible, or any information sheets you can find and take these with you to the surgery. If the animal has been sick collect a sample of this too.If possible, quickly clear away any remaining poison to prevent another animal coming into contact with it.
An animal fits as a result of abnormal brain activity. The animal has a mixture of unconsciousness and rapid muscular and limb movements.When an animal is fitting you should darken the room if possible and remove any objects that could harm them. The environment should be quiet and where possible the animal gently reassured or left alone and unstimulated by voice or physical contact until the fit has passed. Phone the Hospital for advice.Do not try to insert anything into the animal's mouth.Most fits will last just a few minutes but some can last 15 - 20 minutes. Leave the animal alone for this time but comfort it as soon as it has recovered. The animal should then be taken to the surgery for an assessment.Diagnosis and management with drug therapy will often control this condition.
If your animal has been involved in a fight the risk of infected wounds are high as animals' teeth, especially cats, are covered in all kinds of nasty bacteria. Because wounds from teeth are deep and narrow they easily become pockets of infection, sealed by a scab at the top. This is how abcesses form.Small fights where observers are able to clarify the type and extent of damage caused can be treated as non-urgent. Gentle cleansing of small wounds with mild salty water may be all that's needed. Where teeth marks are seen then deep cleansing may be required along with a course of antibiotics and so a check up with the vet is required.Any bruising is a sign of tissue damage - especially if it is present soon after the event. Emergency treatment is needed following fights when skin has been torn into flaps, where there is a lot of bleeding or bruising or if a crush injury has occurred. This is where a dog is attacked by a larger dog and hidden internal injuries have been inflicted. Neck trauma and abdominal injuries are common and can be severe, maybe even life threatening.If the animal's neck or chest has been injured then breathing difficulties are possible so care should be taken to observe the animal as it is transported to the surgery. Any wounds should be covered with a clean material and any point of bleeding carefully covered and gentle pressure applied.
These can occur as a result of a medical condition, during a fight or trauma such as an RTA. Running into undergrowth or through long grass or crops can also cause a problem.Signs of eye injury include pawing at the face, excessive blinking or holding the eye closed, a fluid or jelly like substance on the surface of the eye or running down the animal's face. The eye will often look red.Eye injuries are generally very painful. In most cases of eye injury you should be visiting your vet immediately, without touching the area or investigating further.The exception to this is when the animal's eye is out of its socket. The eyeball needs careful protection to prevent damage to it. It is also important to reduce the pull on the nerves and blood vessels and to keep the inside of the socket clean. A clean cloth, dampened with clean water (or ideally sterile saline should be carefully placed over the eyeball and the socket area, if possible slightly, gently, lifting the eyeball towards the socket and then held in place against the side of the face. Immediate veterinary attention is required.
Animals should not be left in a car during warm weather, even if the windows are open. Pets should be kept out of the full heat of sun in summer. This is especially important for dogs taken on holiday abroad with their family to a much hotter area. Free access to water is as important as access to shade.Heat stroke is basically the body overheating with body temperatures as high as 108o Fahrenheit or 42.2o Celsius (normal dog body temperature is 100.9o - 101.7o F, or 38.2o - 38.7o C).Signs of heat stroke are lethargy, difficulty in breathing and fitting. The animal will feel very hot to the touch.Immediate action is required to save the animal's life:
A burn is caused by direct contact with a hot substance or fluid or chemical. A scald is caused by heat from steam.Action needed:
Bloat can be a sign of Gastric Dilatation (volvulus), also known as Gastric Torsion. Usually a problem in large dogs with deep chests, such as Irish Setters, Great Danes, Irish Wolf Hounds, Rottweillers etc. However, sometimes smaller dogs can be affected. Gas accumulates in the dog's stomach to such an extent that the dog looks visibly distended. They are often very depressed and miserable and might be trying to be sick but not actually producing any vomit. This is a very serious condition and it is vital that you seek veterinary help immediately. Without treatment this condition is rapidly fatal.
A difficult whelping or kittening can be caused by problems with the mother's anatomy e.g. the birth canal too narrow, exhaustion of the mother at the end of a difficult, long labour or because the kitten/puppy is stuck, dead or very large. A labour can be long for a number of reasons and there may be fairly long pauses between the appearance of offspring. However, usually a puppy or kitten should have been delivered within an hour of the onset of active straing. The mother may even snooze between deliveries but the indicator that things are not well is the presence of a green-brown discharge without a puppy/kitten arriving. This is a sign that the amniotic sac surrounding the young is ruptured. A clear blood-coloured discharge is normal.Prolonged straining, a stuck or partially exposed kitten/puppy or green discharge are all indicators of problems and veterinary assistance is needed.Most vets will give advice on the phone but will need you to attend the surgery with any problems as the treatments are on hand there and also an emergency caesarean is available should it be necessary.
This occurs when an animal has a soiled coat and flies have been able to lay eggs on it. It most commonly affects rabbits and other small mammals. The fly larvae (maggots) hatch and begin to feed on the debris and skin flakes on the animal's coat. They irritate and damage the skin introducing infection and soon begin to burrow into the animal's skin and tissues causing intense irritation and pain. They can cause considerable damage to the animal and may lead to it needing extensive care or even euthanasia.
It is best to avoid the problem by correct husbandry methods i.e. cleaning out the animal's enclosure daily, checking the animal for fly eggs at the end of every day, grooming with a fine tooth comb or washing off in an antiseptic bath. If you find your pet with maggots then a full and careful groom is needed including clipping the coat to reveal any obscured larvae. This is best carried out by the veterinary surgeon who can clip and wash the animal and assess the extent of any damage. Antibiotic treatment may be needed.
Branch Surgery opening hours