Free Heart Blood Cardio Test for predisposed dog breeds

Certain large and giant breed dogs over the age of 3 are at an increased risk of developing DCM (Dilated Cardiomyopathy).

If you have one of the predisposed breeds* over 3 years old, currently not on heart medication/treatment, we would like to invite you to bring your dog/s to the practice to discuss a new screening programme for a type of heart disease called Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM).

*Predisposed breeds include Boxers, Dobermans, Newfoundlands, German Shepherds, St Bernards, Great Danes, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Dalmations, Deerhound, Dogue de Bordeaux, Leonberger, Rottweiler, St. Bernard.

There are two phases to DCM; firstly a long silent phase, in which the heart has the disease and is slowly deteriorating but there are no outward signs of a problem yet. Dogs in this first phase appear outwardly healthy and happy. The second phase is a shorter overt phase where the heart can no longer cope and starts to fail. At this point outward signs of the disease start to be seen.

As dogs in the first phase of the disease appear outwardly normal it is incredibly difficult to identify which dogs have a problem. We can only diagnose dogs in this phase if we perform specific screening tests to assess the heart.

A simple screening programme is now available; which involves us checking your dog/s and performing a FREE heart blood test. This blood test measures the levels of a substance called pro-BNP, which is released into the blood stream when the heart muscle stretches excessively, such as in dogs with DCM.

If your dog returns an abnormal blood test result, one of our vets will discuss next steps with you, which could involve a non-painful, non-invasive ultrasound scan of the heart.

Offer ends 30th June 2017

Please click here for the information leaflet on DCM.

The Big Ticks Project reveals tick threat where you are.

From April to September with Chris Packham , MSD Animal Health will be back raising awareness of ticks and tick borne disease with dog owners nationwide!

To understand the threat that tick pose to pets and owners in your area take a look at the UK tick map:
http://www.bigtickproject.co.uk/uk-tick-threat-map/

Conducted by MSD Animal Health and the University of Bristol, the Big Tick Project is the largest and most comprehensive study on tick species and prevalence in individual regions of the UK.1

Overall the results1 show that:

Nearly 1 in 3 dogs in the study were infested with ticks.
Dogs that live in both urban and rural areas are equally at risk of exposure to them and tick-borne diseases.
Nearly 90% of ticks found were I.ricinus, a known carrier of the pathogen that causes Lyme disease in people and their pets

To find out more about the treatment of animal parasites, please click here.

PetPlan Award nominations 2017

Petplan has worked closely with the veterinary profession for over 40 years and sees first hand each day the fantastic work that goes on in veterinary practices across the UK.

This year we have had several members of staff, in various roles and divisions, have been nominated for an award.

Small Animal vets, Judith Lee and Kimberley Ashurst are thrilled to be nominated for ‘Vet of the Year’, as are Leona Bramall and Suzanne Green in our Equine division.

Support team members, Sue Townley (in our Accounts Department) and Aly Heggie (Equine Support) have also been nominated for the first time.

Another big win for Nicola Porter

For the second year running, our Small Animal Head Nurse, Nicola Porter has won ‘RoR North West Regional League’ with her horse ‘King of Chavs’.

An amazing achievement Nicola and Chav, well done!

RHD2 – RABBIT VACCINATION CLINICS

Book in for a rabbit vaccination by contacting one of our clinics.

Over the last few years there has been an emergence of a new strain of Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease, which is being called RHD2.

This new strain can affect rabbits of any age and can lead to death in many cases. With confirmed cases in Lancashire, we strongly advise that rabbits are vaccinated against this disease (as well as the usual combined Myxomatosis-RHD vaccine).

Click here for further information about RHD2.

As these vaccines aren’t available in the UK, we need to import batches from Europe. Therefore, to make the process as efficient as possible, we will be running RABBIT VACCINATION CLINICS (including a FREE health check), during the following weeks:

6th – 10th February 2017 & 20th – 24th February 2017

So we can order the correct amount of vaccine, please contact us by Monday 30th January (for 6th-10th Feb appointments) or by Monday 13th February (for 20th-24th Feb appointments).

If you’re not available during this time, please contact us and we can inform you on all available dates.

Contact your nearest Oakhill Veterinary Centre to make an appointment for your rabbit/s.