💜 Name The Species 💜
(Helpful Hint: This is the largest of the species and can grow up to 34cm in length) 🤯📏
Dr Catherine recently had a rather loud visitor for triage and assessment after being spotted on a local beach. Infected wounds were identified and she was underweight, so our lovely Jo transferred her to an appropriate rehab centre. 🚗💜🌊
🚫 Remember, if you find a seal on a beach, watch it from a distance and do NOT approach it. These are wild animals and they will defend themselves aggressively. Dogs should be kept well away from them. It is also part of their normal behaviour to spend time out of water to rest and digest their food. They should NOT be approached and chased into the sea. 🚫
If you see a seal that may be abandoned, thin, ill or injured, then please call the British Divers Marine Life Rescue for advice and assistance on 01825 765546 💜
Have you heard about our Pet Wellness Plans? 💜🐾🥰
Penelope is our first small mammal plan member and came in for her annual health check with our exotics vet, and her first free nail clip. 🦔 She is a silver plan member and entitled to unlimited nail clips (which she is clearly thrilled about), two wellness checks with a nurse, one bottle of probiotics, free microchipping, and 10% off any clinical vet consultations and routine neutering procedures. 🥈
Follow the link to find out more about our mammal, reptile, and avian plans: https://www.exoticvetsuffolk.co.uk/suv.dll/page/5000/Wellness-Plans
(Please note that this is not the same as an insurance policy. Our wellness plans have been specifically designed to cover costs of preventative and supportive treatments, as well as discounts on certain things if your pet does become unwell. Insurance policies instead contribute to paying for unexpected illnesses or injuries that may arise. 💜)
Nominations are now open for the British Veterinary Receptionist Association's Veterinary Receptionist of the Year Award! 🥳⭐😎
Our fabulous Jo was a Top 5 Finalist for 2022 (complete with our co-ordinated nomination video for her that we've attached to this post), and lovely Lucy was also a nominee. We know we have some of the most amazing receptionists as part of our team, and are sure you will all agree too! 💜🤩
If you would like to nominate Jo or Lucy for this year's Award, please submit a nomination form here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/VROTYA 🎉💁
Ever wondered what a bearded dragon's heartbeat sounds like? 🤔🦎💜
Reptile heart rates vary depending on the species (and the room temperature!) and can be lower than 10 beats a minute in some species! Bearded dragons tend to have heart rates between 40-90 beats per minute. 😄
A certain escape artist belonging to Dr Catherine has been in with us today, and not been setting the best example for the other inpatients. 🐢💨 😎
Zodiac (and her sister Natasha for company) have been featured before on our page: here they are having a little nibble after Zodiac's spay procedure. She came in to see us with signs of gastrointestinal stasis, and was found to have large ovarian cysts that were causing her discomfort. After some initial supportive care, the offending reproductive tract was removed, and she went home to continue sassy guinea pig life. 🐹💜🏥
Sows over 1.5 years old tend to develop either single or multiple cysts relating to their ovaries: some never cause an issue but others sadly do. Most cysts are not hormone-producing and are benign in nature. ~80% of cysts will not result in any clinical signs. However, when they do, our female cavvies can present with signs of hair loss over their flanks (or chewing more at their fur here), infertility, abdominal discomfort, vaginal bleeding, or general urinary signs. A work-up to rule out other causes is needed. Our treatment of choice for problem cysts is to spay, as then there is no chance of recurrence and the cysts are completely removed. 🥰🐾💜
#guineapigawarenessweek #ovariancysts #GPAW #guineapigvet
Did you know that ~75% of your parrot's diet should be a complete pelleted diet? 🦜🍲
They are a nutritious food that provides a balanced level of ALL of their essential nutrients and vitamins, and keeps their energy levels appropriate. This has been shown to reduce the risk of some health-related issues. 💪
There are several formulated diets to choose from, and it may be helpful to try more than one to see which your bird prefers. Recommended brands include Harrisons, Kaytee, and Roudybush. 💜
Eating again soon after surgery is a crucial part of recovery for our avian and mammal patients. Especially in our small mammal patients who risk developing gut stasis if they are feeling unwell or not eating as much as usual after an anaesthetic. 🐹🐦
Syringe feeding is often used in our hospital to help maintain our patients' nutritional intake and glucose levels! 🌟
Here is Leo having a tasty syringe feed after his neutering procedure! He was VERY keen about his grub and kept demanding more! 😍💜
⚠ Creepy Crawly Trigger Warning! ⚠
A Day In The Lab: What’s under the microscope? 🔬
These are some mites that were found in a skin scrape from an African Pygmy Hedgehog 🦔, and a louse found on a hair pluck from a Guinea Pig 🐹.
Skin scrapes and hair plucks are both some of the diagnostic tests we may perform to assess skin issues. Skin scrapes help us to detect surface-living, burrowing, and follicular mites.
Hair plucks help us to look for pigment changes, traumatisation of the hair tip suggestive of self-trauma, certain lice and mites, and follicular casts, as well as to assess what stage of the hair growth cycle the hair is in.
Other tests to investigate skin issues can be: tape strips, impression smears, skin biopsies, blood tests, and coat brushings.
For a lot of small mammal species, mites and other ectoparasites (those that live on the skin of a host) manifest clinical signs only when there is something else suppressing their host’s immune system, such as malnutrition or an underlying disease, so should not be ignored.
#sevclinicalcorner
If only all patients were this good for syringe feeding! 😆
Mixing medications with small amounts of tasty, rodent-friendly food can help to mask the flavour of any nasty-tasting antibiotics and make the experience a more positive one. 💜
This can be especially important for our rat patients as they are super prone to "bait shyness" (a learned avoidance/aversion to new foods due to their taste).
Here we have Lancelot the Syrian hamster enjoying his medication mixed with some Emeraid Omnivore! 🐹
Virtual tour of Suffolk Exotic Vets clinic
