If you’ve visited our Goosnargh branch recently, you’ll have noticed a significant amount of building work happening.
Although the work is not quite complete, the latest developments include the addition of a new, dedicated small animal reception area which some of the team moved into this week, leaving the original reception area dedicated to large animal.
There are also two new small animal consultation rooms and a new dispensary!
Why not come along to the Oakhill marquee – we’ll have lots of fun activities going on and some fantastic prizes to be won!
There’ll also be some great competitions in the main ring at the show, including heavy horse classes and Holstein classes, some of which are sponsored by Oakhill Equine Vets and Oakhill Farm Vets respectively.
To buy tickets to the show visit: http://www.greatecclestonshow.co.uk
Our phone lines will be open as usual 01772 700671
Should you need a vet, our other surgeries are open as usual. Please click here for their location and opening times.
If you need to see a vet on Saturday, our Conway Drive (Fulwood) branch will be open – please click here for opening times
It’s also a good idea to check with your travel company to see if they:
Remember to leave enough time to get all the necessary treatment and paper work in order before you travel. Pet passports are available from our surgeries to allow cats, dogs and ferrets to travel between listed countries without quarantine.
Please contact your Oakhill Veterinary Centre to make an appointment or for further information.
As soon as possible move your pet to a cooler spot, keep them as quiet and calm as possible. Use wet cool towels to gradually lower the temperature and use a fan if possible. Contact your vet as soon as possible as serious complications may result.
Ovarian cysts are very common in middle-aged to older female guinea pigs and can cause problems such as pain, inappetence, interference with mobility and hair loss. Sweep did not have hair loss with her cysts and she continued to eat well, but they were so large that they were taking up a lot of space in her abdomen and causing her to have difficulty moving around.
Hormonal treatments had been tried for Sweep in the past with limited success and it was advised that she be spayed in order to definitively treat the condition and prevent recurrence. Spaying involves removal of both ovaries and the uterus under anaesthesia. Because Sweep’s cysts were very large, they had to be drained before the ovaries could be removed!
Sweep recovered very well following her operation and was soon back at home with her friends and her very dedicated owners, who report a significant improvement in her movement and activity. She was a perfect patient (especially when veggies were involved!) and it was a pleasure to look after her during her stay in the clinic and at her check-ups.
While many people may think, ‘why would my cat or dog go near anti-freeze?’ well, Ethylene glycol- the main ingredient in most anti-freeze brands has an inviting aroma and sweet flavour. Its appealing smell and taste often tempts animal into tasting it.
Anti-freeze is found in car radiators and some screen washes, but it is extremely toxic to both dogs and cats. As our pets like drinking from ditches, puddles and ponds, it could mean they’re prone to drinking water contaminated with anti-freeze. Anti-freeze can also be found in some inks and snow globes.
The active ingredient of many anti-freezes, ethylene glycol, is rapidly absorbed into the body after drinking. Within hours it causes severe kidney damage, which is very difficult to treat. In one report involving 25 cat cases, 96% of those affected died.
Signs & Symptoms
Some common signs of antifreeze poisoning in dogs and cats include:
Treatment
If you suspect your pet has drunk some anti-freeze, it’s important you contact us ASAP. If your cat or dog is treated immediately after exposure it has a far greater chance of survival. However your pet will need intensive treatment. Tragically, the survival rate is very low if the kidneys have been damaged and poisoned pets often have to be put to sleep.
Prevention
Anti-freeze is one of the most life-threatening poisonings that vets see, but there is a safer alternative. Propylene glycol anti-freeze is more expensive but safe for pets and other wildlife. All anti-freeze products should be labelled to show its contents, so please check these before purchasing and avoid products with Ethylene glycol.
After each session, the blood is taken to our processing centre in Loughborough where it is separated into red blood cells and plasma products, and then stored ready for despatch.
The Pet Blood Bank UK run an average of five sessions a week at veterinary practices and kennels, with over 8,000 lifesaving donors registered with the charity. Last year, we sent out over 5,000 units of blood and as transfusion medicine advances, the demand continues to grow.
Every unit of blood can help save four other lives, saving thousands of lives every year.
At Oakhill Veterinary Centre, we support the work the Pet Blood Bank does and we offer our veterinary centre at Goosnargh as a venue. Our next blood bank session will be on Saturday 6th January and we need more owners to bring in their dogs for this great cause.
To get involved, please register your dog using the Pet Blood Bank’s online form, then a member of their team will be in touch to confirm your details and discuss arranging your first appointment. After this, they will send out a Donor Information Pack which includes a Consent Form and a Donor Health Check Form. Please complete these and bring them with you to your appointment along with your dog’s vaccination record.
When you come along to a Pet Blood Bank UK (PBB) donation session, you will be greeted by the staff who are hosting the session. They work on an appointment system, much like your veterinary practice and be given an appointment time convenient to you beforehand.
They will go through the following process with your dog prior to any donation going ahead:
If your dog passes the initial checks, you will be shown to the donation area where a fully qualified phlebotomist will collect about 450ml of your dog’s blood.
After donating, we’ll ask you to stay at the donation venue for a small amount of time to allow your lifesaver to have a drink, something to eat and to be observed by our team. Your dog will receive a goody bag which includes an “I’m a Lifesaver” bandana and tag to thank them. They will also get to pick out a toy to take home and we’ll take their picture for their Facebook and Twitter pages!
You are then ready to go home. They advise that dogs rest for the remainder of the day and can go back to their normal routine the following day.
In total, you should allow around 45 minutes for your appointment, although the actual donation process only takes between 5 and 10 minutes.
If you can’t find a donation session near you, please continue to register your dog as The Pet Blood Bank are hoping to hold sessions all over the UK. They need a minimum of 30-40 dogs to be registered for them to hold a session, so please tell your friends to consider registering their canine companion as well so we can hold a session in your area.
We would like to thank the Doggy Dream Team for providing us with the infographic.
Image creative license to DoggyDreamTeam ©
Christmas is a time where chocolate isn’t usually in short supply and with it being a very busy season, it’s easy to get swept up in the occasion and often forget about leaving advent calendars and chocolate treats lying around, but if your pet does manage to get hold of some chocolate it can endanger their health, sometimes seriously, and even innocent treats can be deadly.
The reason chocolate is poisonous is because it contains a chemical called theobromine and while we usually focus on dogs due to their appetites and their amazing ability to steal food, please note that this chemical is not only poisonous to dogs, but is also poisonous to other animals such as cats, rodents and rabbits.
Although any chocolate should be kept out of reach of your pets, it’s important to note that the darker and more expensive chocolate usually contains more theobromine, which can make the fancier chocolate more poisonous. Although white chocolate contains less theobromine and is less likely to cause chocolate poisoning, it’s still very fatty and can still make your pet ill.
If any of your pets do eat some chocolate, depending on their size and the amount they’ve consumed, initial signs and symptoms can be vomiting and diarrhoea. Chocolate is also a stimulant and can lead to your pet to become excitable, as well as developing muscle twitching, tremors, fitting and life threatening problems with their heart and severe cases can be fatal.
Over the Christmas period make sure that all chocolate is out of the reach, this includes chocolate decorations hung from your tree, advent calendars, boxes of chocolate put out on Christmas day, and one that many people forget is the wrapped chocolates under the tree (most pets have a great sense of smell and can easily get into these chocolate treats).
Although chocolate wrappers are not poisonous, they can cause an obstruction in the gut if eaten. This can be very dangerous and may require surgical intervention. Signs of an obstruction may include vomiting, lethargy, your pet being off their food, not defecating or finding it difficult to defecate.
If you think your pet has eaten some chocolate, please contact us for advice about what to do next.
