Christmas can be a fabulous time of year for humans but it can present many dangers to our pets.  The increased availability of different kinds of food, plants and Christmas decorations have all been known to get our pets in a pickle.

But don’t panic!  That’s why we are here, to help raise awareness of the potential dangers and to advise you on what to do if you think your pet may have ingested something they shouldn’t have.

Download the Veterinary Poisons Information Service (VPIS) Christmas Hazards leaflet HERE and take a look at our Top Ten Tips to reduce the risk of your pet ingesting something they shouldn’t, HERE

Well, it’s probably already here and we’d like to share some useful tips on how to keep your outdoor pets warm this Winter, because if it’s too cold for us then it’s probably pretty cold for them!

Click HERE to download the information and if you have any questions about how to keep your small furry warm and safe this year, book in for a complimentary consultation.

Photo by Atharva Tulsi on Unsplash

The initial cost of purchasing a new kitten can be quite low.  However, cats have very specific needs, particularly in later years, so it’s very important to understand the long term financial commitment ownership will bring.

Download our leaflet HERE which details what you will need to consider from a financial perspective, to help calculate whether you will be able to provide everything a new kitten needs for its’ lifetime.

If you want advice as to whether you’d be able to offer a cat a home, book a complimentary consultation and consider whether re-homing an older cat might be a better option for you and your family.

For patients who need regular medication, please remind your humans to order in enough supplies to cover you for the holiday period.  We will need 48 hours notice and longer over the holiday period.

Please see our hours of business for the holiday period:

HILLOCK LANE                                                                                          BLACKPOOL

Tuesday 24th December 2019 – Closed from 4pm                         Tuesday 24th December 2019 – Closed from 3pm

Wednesday 25th December 2019 – CLOSED                                    Wednesday 25th December 2019 – CLOSED

Thursday 26th December 2019 – CLOSED                                       Thursday 26th December 2019 – CLOSED

Wednesday 31st December 2019 – Closed from 4pm                   Wednesday 31st December 2019 – Closed from 3pm  

Thursday 1st January 2020 – CLOSED                                             Thursday 1st January 2020 – CLOSED

As always there is 24/7 emergency access.  Please call the usual number on 01772 639800.

Buying a new puppy these days can be quite expensive but it’s the easy bit!  The on-going, life-long financial commitment is what potential owners really need to consider before making the big decision of offering a home to a new puppy.

Download our leaflet HERE which details what you will need to consider from a financial perspective, to help calculate whether you will be able to provide everything a new puppy needs for its’ lifetime.

If you are able to provide a life-long home, have you considered re-homing an already surrendered pet?  There are lots of dogs who are in need of a loving home, particularly older dogs.  You can contact your local RSPCA or other rescue centre for further information.

A rather sad and poignant poem at this time of year, to help raise awareness of the commitment it takes to care for and provide for a pet and the consequences to the pet if that commitment isn’t taken seriously.

A Forgotten Dog Poem

Nominations are now open for this annual award.  If a member of the team or the practice as a whole have gone above and beyond the call of duty to help a pet in need, we’d love for you to visit the site and nominate us VOTE HERE.

Nominations close on 16th January 2020.

It’s the time of year when everyone is looking for the perfect gift for that someone special.  Sometimes that might be a new pet but did you know that 13% of pet owners didn’t do ANY research at all before buying a pet?  It’s important to know and understand the long term costs involved in providing everything your pet will need to lead a long, happy and healthy life.  Buying a pet as a surprise Christmas gift could mean a new owner isn’t prepared for or financially able to meet this big commitment.

The initial cost of purchasing a new pet can be small.  It’s the on-going costs of providing equipment, food and health care that can soon mount up.  Download our information leaflet HERE for a more detailed look at what is involved.

If you want help and advice on whether you are in a position to take on this huge commitment, or need help on the kind of pet that would suit your family and lifestyle, call and book in for a complimentary consultation.  Download our Top Ten Tips HERE to help you ask yourself all the right questions.

We will also be posting information later in the month to show the anticipated costs involved in owning some of our more popular domestic pets.

With Christmas well and truly on our doorstep, thoughts of gifts will be uppermost in our minds.  If you are thinking of purchasing a pet, please do think seriously about the commitment this will take, not only the initial cost of purchasing a pet but the long-term costs involved.

Christmas may not be the best time to purchase an animal.  It is still an issue that pets bought at Christmas and as Christmas gifts are more likely to end up being surrendered in the New Year.

Download our information leaflets on the potential costs involved HERE for cats, HERE for dogs and HERE for rabbits.  If you do feel you are able to offer a pet a life-long home, book in for a complimentary consultation for advice on which pet might be the best suited to your family and lifestyle.

If you are well situated to provide a life-long home to a pet, have you considered adopting?  Elderly pets can find it much more difficult than puppies or kittens to find a new, forever home.

One of the more challenging emergencies we deal with here is called a GDV (Gastric Dilation-Volvulus).  This is a rapidly progressive, life-threatening condition in dogs and can result in death.

The condition is commonly associated with large meals and causes the stomach to expand because of the food and gas.  This expansion can cause the stomach to rotate in the abdomen (volvulus) which leads to a blockage in the blood supply to the spleen and the stomach.  This in turn leads to the prevention of an adequate blood return to the heart from the abdomen and pressure on the diaphragm preventing the lungs from expanding adequately.  Dogs will quickly go into shock due to the effects on their entire body and will require urgent treatment involving the stabilization of the dog, decompression of the stomach and surgery to return the stomach to the normal position permanently.

We had such an emergency back in August when Barney’s owners brought him to see us.  She was very concerned about him and the symptoms he was showing.  After a thorough examination Drew suspected a GDV and knowing how quickly a dog can deteriorate from this condition, instigated the treatment protocol immediately after consultation with Barney’s owners.   

The treatment process isn’t without risk but the fact that Barney’s owners had noticed something was wrong very quickly, Barney’s chances of survival were greatly increased.

The syndrome is not completely understood but there are known associations in dogs that have a deep chest, are fed a single large meal once a day, are older or are related to other dogs that have been affected.

Many breeds have been known to have experienced stomach expansion with or without the stomach rotation but the more commonly affected breeds are those such as Great Danes, Weimaraners, St Bernards, Irish setters and Gordon setters.

It’s very important that owners are aware of the symptoms their dog could show, as time is of the essence.  Symptoms to look out for are:

• an anxious look or looking at the abdomen
• standing and stretching
• drooling
• distending their abdomen
• retching without producing anything
• bloating
• panting
• weakness and/or collapse
• need to lay down

It was touch and go with Barney for 24/48 hours but we are pleased to say that he fully recovered and is now fighting fit.  It was a very stressful time for his owners and the team worked hard to make sure he received the care he needed.

*Picture shown is not of the patient mentioned in this piece.