News

Catch up on the latest small animal news

Small Animal Weekend Service Update - June 2024

We have recently reviewed our weekend opening hours for our Small Animal Hospital. This is following feedback from our clients and uptake of appointment times.

From 29th June 2024 our weekend hours will be:

Saturday 9am to 5pm — Routine consultations, collections, and enquiries will be available (our charges for treatment and care between these hours will be at our normal weekday rates). Members of our Client Care team will be on duty with our weekend clinical team so please drop in or call to make appointments, order or collect prescriptions, food etc.

Sunday 9am -1pm – our vets and nurses will provide an emergency OOH service at the practice. Please ring: 01572 722646 in the first instance if you have a small animal emergency, and you will be put through to our duty vet and nurse who will provide clinical advice and treatment if required.

For our full weekly opening hours, please follow this link: https://www.oakhamvethospital.co.uk/contact-us

Outside of our opening hours if you call us with an emergency you will be transferred to the VetsNow emergency service (more info here) where you can get clinical advice and treatment if needed at one of the VetsNow practices.

Any animals already receiving treatment at Oakham Veterinary Hospital as an inpatient will remain with us under the care of our Night Nurse and Duty Vet after closing. We remain committed to providing 24 hour care.

Clinical Vacancies

Are you looking for an improved work-life balance?

We are updating the way in which we work as a team In Small Animal, without compromising the gold-standard patient care and service we provide, upon which our reputation is based.

We are looking for experienced clinicians, vets & nurses, who are enthusiastic, motivated and thrive in a collaborative culture of:

  • Wide & varied caseloads
  • Excellence in clinical knowledge and expertise
  • Access to state of the art toys and diagnostic imaging equipment, including CT and MRI
  • The sharing knowledge and expertise
  • Professional development working alongside certificate holders in cardiology, medicine, surgery and dentistry

For more information please see our vacancies page.

Managing Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) occurs when the pancreas doesn't produce enough insulin or the insulin it produces is ineffective.  The body needs insulin to control blood sugar levels and use sugar for energy.  Without insulin sugar accumulates in the blood and spills into the urine causing the animal to urinate lots and drink lots of water.  The brain becomes sugar deprived without insulin meaning the animal is constantly hungry, yet may lose weight due to inefficient use of nutrients from their diet.  The disease most commonly occurs in older dogs and cats and can be managed long term with insulin injections, which are given at home.

Compo, a 14 year old Norfolk Terrier cross, was diagnosed with DM in 2015 following some tests performed by vet, Catriona Laird.  Catriona was suspicious from his clinical signs including weight loss, urinating more frequently and glucose & ketones in his urine, that he may have developed the disease.  His owners had been managing his condition with insulin injections but routine blood tests suggested that his diabetes was not stable.

As his owners live over an hour away from the practice Catriona suggested they could monitor his glucose levels at home instead of having to come in repeatedly to perform a glucose curve reading here at the hospital.  This can be done using a 'Freestyle Libre' glucose monitoring system, designed and well used by humans but relatively untested in pets.  The monitor is attached using a small needle on the underside and will remain in place for about 14 days taking glucose readings every five minutes which can be read and downloaded onto a scanner which comes with the monitor.  Traditional blood glucose curves in-practice can be affected by the stress of hospitalisation and only give readings over a 12-hour period.

A small patch of hair is shaved off where the monitor is to be located and it is pressed onto the skin using the applicator, which has been kept completely sterile.  Compo was completely unaffected by the monitor being put in place.  If anything they may feel a sharp scratch similar to a vaccination.

Once securely in place Catriona checked the scanner was working correctly and Compo was ready to return home with all of his technology in place!  His owners were then able to take regular glucose readings and provide Catriona with some data equivalent to us doing repeated daily glucose curves in-house.  Consistently high glucose levels would mean that he needs a change in insulin dosage and then the monitoring would be repeated to make sure that the condition is being managed successfully.

Thank you to Comp for being such a willing participant in the trial, we hope to use the system more widely in the future for diabetic patients.

Don't be caught out by Flystrike!

With temperatures hotting up it's time to start thinking about taking action to prevent some of the conditions that can affect our small furries at this time of year.  In warmer weather rabbits are vulnerable to a condition called Flystrike, which can progress quickly and ultimately can be fatal.

Flystrike occurs when flies lay their eggs around your rabbit's bottom, these hatch into maggots which in turn chew into the rabbit's skin.  Rabbits with dirty bottoms (loose stools) and wet fur are at risk which means that rabbit's who struggle to clean themselves are more prone to the condition.

 

Rabbits with Flystrike may become quiet or listless and be in obvious discomfort.  If you suspect that they have got the condition then they will need to see a vet immediately for treatment.  It's essential to check your rabbit's bottom at least twice a day at this time of year and keep their hutches clean and dry.  Change bedding regularly (ideally on a daily basis) and disinfect the hutch completely every week.  You could also consider putting a fly screen over the hutch to act as a deterrent.  You can use topical prevention in the form of Panacur Rearguard, which is available to buy from our Reception and is effective for 10 weeks after application.

Physio clinics

We are delighted to announce that we are now offering Veterinary Physiotherapy and Omega Laser therapy clinics with Sammy Finnemore from Hazelcroft Veterinary Physiotherapy.  Clinics will be held in the practice every Wednesday from 11am to 3pm.

Physiotherapy can help to reduce pain, rebuild muscle, and rehabilitate following injury or surgery; as well as greatly improve mobility, quality of life, and even enhance performance in competitive animals.  Using a combination of manual therapies, electrical therapies (such as the Omega Laser), and remedial exercises, Sammy will deliver a bespoke package of treatments tailored to your pet's specific needs.

Some conditions that can benefit from physiotherapy include:

  • Arthritis
  • Hip/elbow dysplasis
  • Patella luxation (dislocation)
  • Cruciate ligament injury
  • Weight gain/obesity
  • Pre and post-surgical rehabilitation
  • Reduced mobility in older pets
  • Fractures
  • Back pain or spinal injuries
  • Wounds or scar tissue
  • Muscular strains and soft tissue injuries

Sammy is a fully qualified and insured Veterinary Physiotherapist, a member of The National Association of Veterinary Physiotherapists (NAVP), and on the Animal Health Practitioners Register (AHPR).

To book a session, or for more information please give our reception team a call on 01572 722646.

Alternatively, you can contact Sammy directly:

W: www.hazelcroftvetphysio.co.uk

E: hazelcroftvetphysio@gmail.com

T: 07870 269008

Keeping pets safe in Spring!

Most pets live around poisonous plants all their lives and instinctively know not to eat them.  However, inquisitive puppies might be at risk from common Spring bloomers such as Azaleas, Daffodils and Rhododendrons.  The clinical signs that your dog might have ingested something poisonous could be nausea, vomiting, depression, difficulty breathing and eventually, a coma.  Many plants can be fatal to your pets if eaten in large enough quantities so it is worth doing your research before you stock your garden.  

It's a well known fact that lilies are toxic to cats, simply brushing against the pollen and licking it off their coat can be lethal.  We would recommend that cat owners avoid having lily plants or cut flowers anywhere in their homes or gardens.  Initial symptoms indicating poisoning would be depression, lack of appetite and possibly vomiting.  The symptoms will progress quickly with your cat becoming dehydrated, suffering from diarrhoea, difficulty breathing and bad breath. 

 

As well as an abundance of flowers coming into bloom this is also the time of year when we all compete to have a lawn resembling the nearby bowls pitch and lawn treatments are scattered on at regular intervals.  Please read the instructions very carefully as many fertiliser treatments will need a period of time or a significant amount of rain before it is safe for your pet to venture outdoors again.  Rinse your cat's pads when they come home if they show any signs of residue that could be fertiliser.  If they groom this off themselves the toxins will find their way into the stomach and bloodstream.

If you suspect that your pet has been poisoned then phone your vet immediately for advice.  In the case of many common poisons we will be familiar with the treatment already.  For anything more unusual we have 24 hour access to the 'Veterinary Poisons Information Service' who act quickly to give advice and treatment options.

The right diet for Thumper

Recent British Veterinary Association (BVA) research has highlighted that a high propoThumper the bunnyrtion of pet rabbits are suffering from preventable health issues like obesity, gut problems and dental disease.  The cause of which can almost always be linked to a poor diet.

Rabbits need a fibre-based diet packed with clean hay, grass and leafy greens such as broccoli, cabbage and kale.  Grazing on hay and grass all day ensures a healthy gut and keeps their teeth to the correct shape and length (rabbit's teeth never stop growing so need to be constantly working to grind them down).  

It's a common myth that carrots are a great foodstuff for rabbits, they should in fact only be fed as an occasional treat due to their high sugar content, carrot tops are a much better alternative than the veg itself.

Rabbit muesli encourages selective feeding and predisposes rabbits to dental disease and obesity.  A small egg cup of standard pellets daily are a better complementary source of vitamins and minerals.

15% of their diet should be made up of plants and vegetables such as courgettes, spring greens, broccoli, kale, basil, parsley, dandelions and burdock.  Avoid feeding iceberg lettuce as it contains lactucarium which can be dangerous in large quantities.

Any changes to your rabbit's diet should be made gradually with advice from your vet.  

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