Success of the month
Frank, like many puppies, is a toy enthusiast!
His owners contacted us after realising one of his toys was missing. The toy in question was the size of an apple, and in the shape of a ball.
On arrival, he was very bright and bouncy. After an examination with one of our vets, the decision was made to take an image of his abdomen to check he had not ingested said toy. Sadly, it was soon very apparent he had. The squeaky ball had been compressed, swallowed and was sat in the stomach. Due to the sheer size of the ball, an endoscopic removal was not an option. He was taken through to surgery straight away, and the blue squeaky ball was successfully removed.
He recovered remarkably well from the surgery and continues to do very well at home.
Had his owners not contacted us when they did, this could have been a very different story. Due to their quick actions, we were able to deal with the problem immediately.
At only a few weeks old, Bella initially presented to us with an upset tummy, it was then that we discovered her cleft palate. Her breeder had been dutifully tube/syringe feeding her every few hours since birth. Without such intervention, she would have struggled to survive.
A ‘cleft palate’ refers to an opening in the tissues between the oral and nasal cavity, which has failed to close appropriately during gestational development. This means that when a puppy tries to feed from its mother, not only will it struggle to suckle normally, but when it does, any fluids entering the oral cavity can spill into the nasal cavity and other respiratory structures. This can lead to further complications such as rhinitis and pneumonia.
The decision was made to surgically repair the cleft palate at around 6/7 weeks of age as foreign material was starting to fester within the gap.
Bella behaved like a superstar during her time with us, her surgery was successful, and she continues to live a happy life.
Amber has spent a considerable amount of time with us here at SLVC. In 2020, she went through two stifle operations after she tore both Cranial Cruciate Ligaments. She was on a strict weight loss regime to help her recover after orthopaedic surgery. We’re glad to say she absolutely smashed her dietary/exercise/physio plan, she’s lost over two kilos in weight and continues to do extremely well.
She is certainly deserving of November Pet of the Month! Well done Amber 🙂
Lola presented to one of our nurse clinics, very bright, and seemingly well. During the clinic, the RVN was made aware of Lolas’ recent consumptions. Unfortunately, this included three metal screws. Lola came to our Derby clinic for further investigations. An x-ray of her abdomen revealed said screws still within the stomach. Sadly, inducing vomiting wasn’t a safe option in this case, so surgery was required. Thankfully, the screws were still present in the stomach, had they moved down the gastrointestinal tract, they could have caused a whole host of damage. Quick handling of this case meant the screws could be removed with little trauma to the digestive system. Lola bounced back from surgery very quickly and is now back to her usual, cheeky self! 😊
This case highlights the true importance of getting in touch with us as soon as possible in situations similar to these, time is critical.
Thank you to Lolas’ owners for letting us share your story!
Our success of the month for March is Archie.
Archie had a section of his small intestine resected because there was a foreign body / piece of rubber stuck in his intestinal tract. It wasn’t possible to just remove the foreign body because the intestines blood supply had strangulated. Archie had the two ends of intestine anastomosed together and is now getting stronger every day.
He was an absolute pleasure to treat and we have all really enjoyed monitoring his progress.
The photos illustrate the foreign body circled on his abdominal x-ray and of Archie before his procedure, immediately after and 1 week later.
Throughout January and February we have been offering 20% off all dental procedures. Both Bailey and Cleo under went general anaesthesia for this. Their teeth were scaled first to reveal the true health of the tooth and gum without the presence of plaque and tartar. Each tooth is assessed individually and is only removed if deemed necessary. Both of these patients were very brave before, during, and after their procedure, and have recovered very well. It is of great benefit to keep an eye of your pets oral health. Subtle signs such as bad breath, excess salivary production, and a change in appetite can all indicate there may be a problem within the oral cavity. Regular brushing will help prevent build up on the teeth and therefore reduce the risk of needing a dental procedure later in life. There are other options for those who aren’t willing to have their teeth brushed. Products such as ‘Plaque Off’ help to reduce the build up and is simply applied to your pets food daily, this can be purchased from the practice.
Our Success of the Month for December is Jack. He is a rescue rabbit who belongs to our Practice Manager, Nic. He had been suffering from a very sore, weeping eye. Nic brought him into the practice to have some antibiotic eye drops administered in the hospital as he was proving rather evasive at home! Unfortunately, the eye drops didn’t do the trick, and we made the decision to flush his tear duct to address a potential blockage. This happened several times over a week period, and with the help of some different eye drops, the fourth flush was clear. Not many rabbits would allow us to flush their tear ducts consciously so we were very impressed with his demeanour during his procedures. We hope he’s pleased with his 2020 vision! ????
November’s Pet of the Month is Crumpet, he belongs to one of our cattery staff, Charley.
He was rushed into the clinic as an emergency earlier this month. He had hopped into the family’s tumble dryer for a secret snooze, unfortunately this was then turned on. Luckily this was only for a matter of minutes, he was quickly evacuated from the drum and brought straight to us.
Although he had only been in there for a very short while, he arrived hyperthermic with compromised neurological function. He was actively cooled on arrival and given relevant supportive treatment throughout the day.
We weren’t sure if he would make a full recovery, but to our amazement he made small improvements each day.
He came in for a check up not long ago and we’re pleased to report he’s exceeded all of our expectations and has made a fantastic recovery!
October’s pet of the month is Fluffy! Fluffy came to us with a sunken, inflamed, right eye. Medical management was attempted initially but no real improvement was seen. Due to this, and the evident discomfort it was causing, the decision was made to remove the eye.
An enucleation of the affected eye was performed and what we discovered next was shocking. An air gun pellet was found in her conjunctival sac. Poor Fluffy had been shot in the eye and not only survived, but, had the offending article to prove it! Thankfully the procedure was completed without any hiccups and she was discharged home later that day.
She’s made a fantastic recovery and copes immensely well with one eye. Just goes to show how resilient cats are!
We thought she was definitely deserving of Octobers pet of the month!
River is our pet of the month for September. River first presented to us in September with acute hind limb lameness after a walk. He was sent home with an anti-inflammatory medication to see if the problem would resolve with rest.
Unfortunately it didn’t and he came into us for some x-rays. These revealed a spiral fracture of his tibia. Fortunately, the fracture seemed stable so we were able to send him home under strict rest.
He came back a few weeks later for us to review his progress and to have some more images taken. Thankfully the fracture had remained stable and started to heal without intervention.
He stole the hearts of the nurses whilst he hospitalised, he was either tucked up in their arms or fast asleep in his kennel.
He’s due back in in a few weeks for another review, but fingers crossed, that’ll be his last visit for a while!