Northampton Vets for Pets

🎆A FEW TOP TIPS FOR FIREWORKS FROM OUR VETS🎆

- Make sure to plan ahead, check Facebook, speak to your neighbours and check local groups etc so you know when to expect them.

- Provide a calm enclosed space (this should ideally be available year round so that it is well-established) such as covered crate/under table, bed etc, music on, provide distracting chews/kongs/licky mats, close curtains and windows.

-Take for walks early on before it gets dark. A tired dog is a relaxed dog. Feed and let out for toilet before it goes dark.

🍁 HAPPY NOVEMBER 🍁

We thought we would help you to start the month off in the best way possible by sharing these super cute photos of this handsome little kitten! He recently visited our practice for a vaccination and a microchip. Afterwards, he enjoyed some cuddles with our reception team and some treats for being so brave!

🎃 HAPPY HALLOWEEN 🎃

Our patients and colleagues' pets are getting in the spooky spirit... and so are we! 👻 We have put together some halloween themed jokes for you! Post your answers in the comments!

👻Why was the dog scared of trick or treaters?
👻What breed of dog does Dracula have?
👻What did the dog say to the trick or treaters?

We hope you have a great halloween but please remember to keep sweet treats out of reach from pets!

Keep your pet protected for the time of their lives🐾

Vac4Life is a preventative plan following primary vaccinations which includes annual booster vaccinations, an annual health check with your vet and an annual health check with a veterinary nurse.

Feel free to discuss this at your next appointment or give us a call on 01604 753 300 or Whatsapp on 07897 029 404.

🎃TOP TIPS FOR KEEPING YOUR PETS SAFE AT HALLOWEEN🎃

- Make sure your pets chip details are up to date just in case they get spooked and try to find a safe place.

- Remember the sweet treats and chocolates are for us only and not to share with your furry friends🐾🍭🍫

- If your pet may be scared or react to the door knocking/doorbell ringing, create them a safe space at home for them to go❤

- Halloween is to scare others and not your pets, they may not recognize you in your outfits or costumes so spend a little extra time on reassuring them🤡👻

- If you are dressing your pets up this Halloween ensure that all outfits fit properly and are comfortable and are not restricting them in any way🐶🐈

- Keep an eye on your Halloween decorations and make sure they are kept away from any pets that may get ahold of them.

The sweet and beautiful Scout came in for booster recently and brought along her favourite toy Camilla the Llama for support! 🥰❤

If your pet is due their annual booster please give us a call on 01604 753 300 and go through to the Reception team to get this booked in!🐾

Happy National Black Cat Day🐈‍🐈‍

Here are a few funny pictures of our teams black cats!😍🤪We'd love to see yours! send us photos in the comments❤

Here at Vets4Pets we work hard around the clock to provide you peace of mind for all of your furry family🐾 Our professional team are on hand 24 hours a day to answer any queries or emergency treatment that's needed. We have specialists overnight ready to support you when you really need us the most. You can book routine appointments 7 days a week from 8am up until 7pm and rest assured there will always be someone here to help❤🐶🐈

🐶You can help dogs adjust to the sudden loud noises by playing unfamiliar noises at a low volume and gradually building the noise to help them acclimatize. This can help desensitize them to the noise of the fireworks and reduce stress on bonfire night!🎆🎇

This Wednesday our lovely nurse Kirsty had the pleasure of visiting an amazing primary school in one of the beautiful Northampton villages😁 She spent a lot of time with the children talking through animal care, bandaging and fun facts!🐾🐶🐱 Everybody thoroughly enjoyed it❤

This week, our practice partner Dee had the pleasure of visiting a primary school to talk to the children about "The Vets"
While she was there, Dee discussed with the children about the Veterinary Hospital. The children enjoyed engaging in role play, being dressed up like a veterinary surgeons and even using the stethoscope! 🩺
They got to see some interesting x-ray's and finished off the day by bandaging their own teddy bears! 🧸

Dee had a wonderful day and said "The children were a real joy to talk to and showed such interest in the vets, they particularly liked bandaging their teddies!"

Please do get in touch if you would like us to come and visit your school.

When Jenny and Kirsty met Jenny and Kirsty ☺

These gorgeous rough collie pups were delivered by c-section by our vet, Kirsty in June and were named after their favourite vets! The pups have since come to visit for regular check ups and it has been so lovely to see them grow! 🥰

This is Gill, one of our lovely patients who recently visited us for Phovia sessions with our nursing team. Phovia is a non-invasive light therapy treatment that we now offer. Phovia uses different colours of light to help speed up the healing of skin lesions and wounds. The treatment is done in consult, with sessions on a weekly basis. On average it takes 1-2 sessions with us in order to help speed up the healing process. To find out more, speak to one of our nurses in practice or check out the link below:
https://www.vetoquinol.com/en/phovia/phovia_system

🐾 NEW OFFER 🐾

We currently have a new recommend a friend offer. To receive the offer, simply fill out your details on the back of the voucher and give it to one of your friends. When your friend then comes in for their appointment, you will both receive £10 credit!

Please note: T&C's apply - only valid at Vets4Pets Northampton Hospital.

🌟 STAR PET 🌟

Meet Eddie! 🐾
Eddie was diagnosed with severe hip dysplasia and spinal spondylosis in October 2022. His mum has worked incredibly hard along side the team to treat his pain /arthritis signs.
Eddie goes to physiotherapy and hydrotherapy, has monthly Arthritis injections and has become a much loved Vets4Pets regular! The nurses love seeing him 🥰

Message from mum:
Eddie loves his walkies and with the help of vets for pets we have been able to manage his pain so he can still go out and about. He loves seeing the team at vets for pets each month (I think the biscuits help!)

Did you know? As a 24 hour veterinary hospital, we not only provide appointments during the week, we are also here for your pets overnight and on both Saturdays and Sundays for urgent appointments and emergencies. For any queries contact a member of our team on 01604 753300, or whatsapp on 07897 029404.

It's one month until Bonfire Night!🎇
Here are some top tips to keep your pet as calm as possible during firework season.
🎆Make sure to keep pets inside whilst fireworks are ongoing.
🎆Try playing music or turning up the TV volume to drown out the noise.
🎆Use items with a positive association like treats or toys to help keep pets calm, or try calming pet-safe sprays/plug-ins.
🎆Close curtains/blinds to help muffle sounds and block out light.
🎆Ensure that cats have covered safe spaces in order to hide.

Did you know that you can communicate with our team via Whatsapp? We are available on Whatsapp 24/7 for all concerns, queries, appointment bookings and secure payments. Our Whatsapp server can link to your file to help us give you the best possible experience. You can contact us on 07897 029404☺️

The first week in October is National Walk Your Dog Week! To mark the occasion, we've asked our team to name some of their favourite dog walking destinations to inspire you and your four-legged friends to get out and about this October!
Our staff's top dog walking destinations:
- Ravensthorpe Resevoir
- Sywell Country Park
- Harlestone Firs
- Harold-Odell Country Park
- Bury Fields, Newport Pagnell
- Moulton Nature Reserve

Let's talk EYES!

Does you cat or dog have an eye issue? Would you like a full eye exam of your pet with specialist equipment?
We are pleased to have Miguel Rodrigues on the team to help!
Miguel is completing his BSAVA ophthalmology certificate and has years of experience working with pets with eye conditions.
He really is the one to SEE if your pet has an eye condition!

To book call us on 01604 753300 (option 2 for reception) or whatsapp us on 07897 029404 and a member of our team will be happy to help!

It's National Black Dog Day! Today we're appreciating black dogs of all shapes. Send us pictures in the comments of your black dog🐾🐾

We had a great time raising money for MacMillan Cancer Support! We still have some dog treats available so please feel free to stop by to donate and get some treats for your pet! Thank you to everyone that came along and donated to such a wonderful cause! 🐾💚

TOMORROW

From 9am-4pm tomorrow, we are hosting a charity coffee morning! Come along for some cake and treats for your four-legged friends! 🐾
Please share and tell your friends! Everyone is welcome ☺️

When Kelly from our Colton store's Pets Grooming salon discovered a lump on the tail of nine-year-old Rufus she suspected something wasn't right, so alerted his owners Les and Andrea so they could get it checked out. They brought him to Vets for Pets Leeds Colton where it was confirmed he had a cancerous tumour which needed surgery.

Les, who adopted Rufus from Dogs Trust in Leeds as a puppy, said: “Rufus is such a big part of our life; we’re absolutely besotted with him. We probably wouldn’t have noticed the lump if not at the groomers as the tail isn’t somewhere you would usually stroke and feel. Kelly loves Rufus and really looks after him, so we want to say a big thanks for spotting it. Who'd have known what would have happened if she hadn’t noticed.”

Rufus had to have his tail removed, but is now making a good recovery. He's been visiting Kelly for a groom every six weeks for the last three years. She said: “You get to know everything about a dog as you groom them. I’ve discovered similar things before on other dogs so I mentioned it to the owners so they could get it checked out. Dogs are my life and you do worry; I’m so pleased they caught it. Now he’s got a fully docked tail like a little bunny rabbit. It’s lovely and suits him – when he gets washed he wiggles his bum.”

Arthur's owner Louise says he "looked like a brand-new tortoise" after having his beak filed at Sutton in Ashfield Vets4Pets.

Louise adopted the four-year-old Horsefield Tortoise from a family member in October. Although she has had other pets, Arthur is her first tortoise, so she has been doing some research on how to best care for him.

Louise said: "I noticed Arthur's beak was unusually long, so I brought him in to Vets for Pets; I bring all my pets there. When he came out, I thought 'you beautiful boy, look at you – you look so handsome!"

Vet Steph, who looked after Arthur, says that tortoise beaks continuously grow and normally grind down themselves while they're eating. She said: "Arthur needed a little help as his jaw isn't perfectly aligned; his lower jaw is further out than his top jaw, so I filed it around half a centimetre. He was really good; a real cutie."

Owner Claire says she couldn't be more grateful to Vets4Pets Hamilton after their quick diagnosis saved the sight of six-year-old Alba.

Claire knew there was something terribly wrong with her miniature dachshund cross when she called her in from the back garden last summer and Alba ran headfirst into a closed patio door. She rushed her to the vets, where investigations led the team to diagnose her with uveitis – an eye condition which causes inflammation of the middle layer of the eye.

Claire said: "It all happened so suddenly; Alba must have heard my voice and guessed where to go. It was quite scary seeing how bad she was. We couldn't be more grateful for the team in Hamilton spotting the uveitis as quickly as they did, otherwise Alba would have gone blind within a matter of days. Their knowledge saved Alba's sight. I still can't believe it happened. It's taken months of treatments, but it's such a relief to have our girl back to being her funny, bossy self."

Vet Neil, one of the team who treated Alba, said: "Alba's pupil was really narrow and wouldn't respond to light properly, which can be a sign of uveitis. Once we had ruled out other conditions, we were able to get her to an eye specialist for ongoing treatment. She's now doing really well."

Ducky's owner Antonia was in a state of panic when she saw a fox had dug its way into the field where she keeps him – killing two of her other ducks and chickens.

Antonia was about to move her brood into their pen for the evening when she saw what had happened and noticed that Ducky had severe bite wounds under his wing. She rushed him to Vets4Pets Vets Milton Keynes for emergency surgery – and after having his wound stitched up the one-year-old duck is now making a good recovery.

Antonia said: "I was so worried. You don’t often hear of ducks recovering from fox attacks, but there is something about Ducky and the way he was so brave. I'm sure he was protecting a lady duck, as he's a bit of a romantic. It's the first time we've gone to Vets for Pets, and the team were amazing; they've done an incredible job."

Vet Becca, who treated Ducky, said: "He's a really lucky duck, as it was quite a big wound. When he first came in, he was understandably subdued and quiet but when he came back for his stitches to be taken out, he wanted to explore and tuck his head into everyone’s shoulders."

Well done to the team at Vets4Pets Guildford who've been awarded a silver level certificate for being a rabbit-friendly clinic.

After head veterinary nurse Ella noticed that more customers were bringing in rabbits the practice took a series of steps to give them as stress-free an experience as possible. Ella, who also fosters rescue dogs in her spare time, said: "There was a long list of things that we needed to prove that we did from making sure the rabbits are kept separate from other animals and not booked in at the same time as barking dogs, to providing heated kennels for those who need to stay in, and using special equipment made especially for rabbits."

Practice manager Kevin said: "All of our vets have plenty of experience with rabbits we have some real rabbit geeks here, so it was a big thing to us. There are so many good people in this world and I'm so proud to be around them."

Beautiful Bear was born deaf, so he's learned to follow his owner Lisa's visual commands.

Lisa, who shops at our Tamworth store – "it's my second home!" – got two-year-old Bear as a kitten and suspected he was deaf when he didn't respond to her voice. She had it confirmed by her vet soon after. She said: "He was very scatty, and scared of people he didn’t recognise. He wasn’t bothered by loud noises like my other cat Emily and when I came home from work he wouldn’t hear the door open.

"He's doing really well though. I try to do some sign language with him – I point at him and do a solid hand sign at him to stop. He picks up on vibrations and scents too. He meows, making a really loud chirping sound which I’ve never heard a cat do before, and he’s always rubbing his head against my legs and following me everywhere. I was advised not to let him out because he wouldn’t hear cars or other dangers, so he comes outside with me every morning to have a sniff around the garden and always comes straight back in." Bear and Lisa's other cat Emily are on Instagram as

Ten-year-old Dutch rabbit Alfie has been visiting vet Kate at Vets4pets Wolverhampton for dental treatment for the last eight years – and she says he's such a loveable character that he's become "part of the family".

He's one of the oldest rabbits treated by Kate and the team, and she says his longevity is down to the care and love he gets from his owner Tracy and her family. Kate said: "Alfie is famous in this practice – everyone knows him. We and his family are dedicated to making sure her little old man is happy. The beautiful thing about being a vet or vet nurse is you build these relationships with the owners and their pets – they become your surrogate pets."

Tracy's been keeping rabbits all her life, and says that having space and routine is key. She said: "Alfie is an old man now and has a routine. He goes into a hutch at night and is let out in the morning. He's out all day and has his favourite spots in the house. We clean him out every day and give him a lot of attention. When he was younger he would follow us around; if I was clearing a cupboard out he would be in the cupboard to help. Now he's old and wants to be warm and watch instead. I can't thank Kate and the practice enough. Kate's been fantastic with him."

Eight-year-old Winnie the Schnauzer cross is running around like a puppy again thanks to laser treatment and physiotherapy after two successful knee operations at Vets for Pets Basildon.

Worried owner Tracy brought Winnie in to the practice after she collapsed on a walk last year – and the team discovered the cruciate ligament in a knee had ruptured. She’s since had ops on two knees and is on a recovery plan led by vet physiotherapist Izzy.

Tracy said: "Winnie has had a tough year with 15 teeth removed, two cruciate ligament operations and two bouts of pancreatitis but thankfully she's hardy. She’s treated fabulously at the Basildon practice. Izzy is great with her – she totally relaxes in her hands and does little snores with her eyes open. Winnie has a new lease of life again and is running around like a puppy."

Izzy said: "When pets have surgery or injure themselves they move differently which causes them to be sore in other places. Winnie has laser therapy then a massage to help the healing process. Laser treatment is a specialist service that not enough people know about – it can help in so many ways after an operation.”

Veterinary nurse Mel from Vets4Pets Bristol Longwell Green loves cats so much she's helped the practice make a number of improvements to give cats as stress-free an experience as possible when they're brought in.

Mel, who has an Advanced Certificate in Feline Behaviour for Veterinary Professionals, helped introduce facilities like a separate feline waiting area and cattery and the use of quiet clippers – and the practice now has a silver level certificate for being a cat-friendly clinic. She said: "I love dogs but I'm really a cat person. Cats can be misunderstood which can lead to them having quite a stressful life, so if we can make things easier for them and help people understand what cats need then everyone will be happier.

"As animal lovers there's always more to learn and understand about what makes them happy. Enrichment at the home is important for a happy cat – and as cats are naturally solitary animals if you live in a multi-cat household it's important to understand what they need. The rule is to have a resource per cat, plus one spare. So if you have two cats you should have three feeding stations, three litter trays and three scratch posts spread around the house so they have the opportunity to move around to wherever they want to go. Scratching is as natural a thing for cats to do as going out hunting is, so if they're unable to go out it's about providing the chance for them to behave as naturally as possible."

Four-year-old Sebastian the Jack Russell is back to his usual boisterous self after being treated at Vets4Pets Abingdon for a condition that was causing the knee caps on his back legs to dislocate when he walked.

The condition, known as medial patellar luxation, would cause him to hop or skip when exercising. It's quite common in terriers and small dog breeds, but Sebastian's case was quite severe and he was given surgery by orthopaedic surgeon Joe to deepen the groove his patella runs in on his right hind leg, and also to move and reattach his patellar tendon.

Sebastian is owned by practice vet Hannah who said: "After the operation he just wanted to get back to normal straight away but he couldn't ... and that's where we struggled. He wanted to be out and about, charging around and playing with his toys but he needed to rest." Hannah had to give him medication for six weeks to give his knees time to heal. She said: "He's absolutely fine now – he's fully recovered and running around like a lunatic again!"

When 11-year-old lurcher Jess was brought into Vets for Pets Leeds Birstall 24/7 Small Animal Hospital on Christmas Eve feeling very poorly with pyometra – a life-threatening uterus infection – the team knew they had to act fast; so vet Emily and nurses JD and Hannah headed straight in to perform emergency surgery on her in the early hours of Christmas morning.

The operation went so well that by lunchtime nurse Krishna was able to call her owner Beth to say she was well enough to come home to recuperate – and Beth made the hour-long drive from her home in Keighley so she could bring Jess home before the family sat down for their Christmas dinner. Beth said: "It was a stressful start to Christmas, as we were worried about Jess because of her age and because she's never had anything wrong with her before. We're so grateful for everything – it was so nice of them to come in on Christmas Day to operate on her, to look after her so well and to get her home on top form. The vets were fantastic from start to finish. Jess is recovering nicely – you can see the happiness is back in her!"

Krishna said: "Our night team always do an amazing job, and performing serious surgery like that at that time of night and on Christmas Day of all days is just brilliant. Jess did amazingly well to bounce back so quickly, and it was amazing being able to call her owners to say that she could come home to spend Christmas with them. It's the sort of call we all love to make, but doing it on Christmas Day was extra nice."

Six-foot-long boa constrictor Astrix was the centre of attention when he called in for a routine "top to tail" health check at Vets4Pets Penzance.

Astrix, who's four, is part of a menagerie of six snakes, bearded dragons and six dogs belonging to veterinary nurse Lowenna, who works at the practice, and her partner Mark. The team looked at Astrix's eyes and mouth and checked his breathing to rule out any respiratory infections and also checked his scales.

Lowenna said: "He got a clean bill of health, he was absolutely fine and everyone had a turn holding him. Asterix is quite reserved, a little bit shy usually. He did really well when he came in as everyone wanted to touch him and he was like 'okay I quite like the attention.' Astrix has got a lovely big set-up at home. He's quite a big boy, weighing in at nearly 10 kilos, so the vivarium is more than seven foot long. We have a reptile room and he has the run of it. He has a large bucket of water too if he ever wants to submerge himself."

This brave girl is collie-cross Sherpa, who the team at Vets for Pets Livingston say was "impeccably calm" when she was rushed in for emergency injury after hurting her eye in a freak accident.

Sherpa's owner Caroline was taking Sherpa for a walk when Sherpa caught her eye on a stick as she went exploring a bush. She was quickly admitted into surgery where she received X-rays and, after a two-hour procedure by practice owner Dr Adam, aided by nurse Erin, the stick was removed. Adam said: "Sherpa was amazingly tolerant following an extremely random occurrence. It was astonishing." Sherpa didn't lose her sight and is now making a great recovery.

Caroline said: “We were suddenly thrown into the worst living nightmare, it was absolutely horrifying. It’s truly a miracle what Adam and the team achieved from the moment they answered our call for help. They gave us hope."

This little Christmas cracker is Molly, who survived against the odds and gave birth to three premature puppies after being brought in to Vets for Pets Cirencester as a pregnant stray with severe injuries from a fight with other dogs.

Martina, who owns the practice, said: ”It was really touch and go and we thought Molly might not make it. The team treated mum first, got her on a drip and stabilised her before successfully managing to deliver the puppies – two boys and a girl – by caesarean section."

Molly, who's a Cairn Terrier, and her three pups are recovering well at home with Martina. “As they needed 24/7 care I took them home and emptied the whole spare bedroom so there was a nice, warm and comfortable quiet place for Molly and her puppies. I was attached to her for the first five days – my husband Matt even brought food up to the bedroom for me as I stayed there all the time. It was really hard work but it was all worth it. They’re absolute darlings and doing really well now – mum is already brave enough to go on dog walks.”

Martina says Molly will continue living with her in the future, and the puppies will be adopted when they are stronger.

This beautiful buzzard is on the mend after undergoing surgery on a broken wing at Vets4Pets Newmarket after he was hit by a car.

A member of the public rescued the buzzard and brought him in to see if the team could help. After a successful operation and five days of recuperation he's ben taken to The Raptor Foundation rehabilitation centre to continue his recovery.

Practice manager Natalie said: "We put him under general anaesthetic and performed orthopaedic surgery. We'll see him again next month to see how he's progressing and then hopefully he'll be released back into the wild. We wish him a speedy recovery as he's such a handsome chap.”