It has been a week since you saw the very angelic photo of Winifred. Are you ready for the evidence of her devilish behaviour? We’ll wait no longer!
Ear mites!
This is a video of some ear mites, viewed down our microscope. You can see them crawling around, there are at least 6 in this video (including the ones at the top!) They were from a kitten, whose ears were full of a dark discharge and were itchy. He’s on some treatment for them now so hopefully will be gone soon 😊
Roundworms alert!
Ok we realise that this may not be something you want to see first thing on a Monday morning, but.... here is a roundworm in some vomit! A young dog came in that had eaten something he shouldn't have (a toy) - so we gave him an injection to make him sick, and he brought up worms along with the toy!
So this is an incidental finding but shows he has worms yet had no signs at all. Roundworms can cause health issues in people, with children being particularly at risk. So please make sure you worm your dog regularly 🪱 🐾
Reverse Sneezing in a Dog
Hello - here is Lady, and shows having a bout of reverse sneezing. She's sucking air inwards (like the opposite of a sneeze) which makes this very characteristic noise.
Although it sounds very concerning, it is very rarely anything to worry about. Many dogs make this sound now and again, often when they are excited. It's caused by an irritation to the back of the nose (the nasopharynx).
Most bouts will pass quite quickly but if it persists then you can try closing one nostril (put your thumb on your dog's nostril) or massage their throat to encourage them to swallow.
If you are worried about your dog, please make an appointment to see us. Videoing a bout is really helpful for us to decide what's going on so 👏👏 to Lady's owners for taking this video 😀🐾
Lungworm from the blood in Lexi’s lungs, viewed down a microscope. You can see the worm larvae moving about.
This is what lungworm larvae look like under a microscope, in a small amount of blood. Each little coil is a lungworm larva.
Rosie - Reverse sneezing
This is Rosie, and she is doing something called a 'reverse sneeze'.
This is caused by irritation to the back of the nose and beyond (an area called the nasopharynx), leading to air being sucked in loudly, making a very distinctive noise. It can seem like they are struggling to breathe, which can be worrying for owners.
The good news is that it's rarely anything to worry about, and many dogs will get this from time to time, and never need any treatment.
If a bout is prolonged, it can help to put your fingers over the nostrils to block them, making the dog swallow. You could also try massaging them around the throat area. But mostly it stops without us needing to do anything.
In severe cases, we might need to treat the reverse sneezing, eg with an anti-inflammatory.
Many thanks to Rosie's owner who kindly sent in the video, and allowed us to share it with you 😊
