Blake Vet Group

20/06/2024

Lots of new goodies in our swap shop this week! 😃♻️
If you spot anything you like head on down to our Showground Road practice before it gets snapped up!

15/06/2024

Does anyone recognise this rabbit?

We've had no luck finding our stray rabbit's owner.
He is really friendly so we're sure someone must be missing him!

Found on Spanish Hill, North Newton.
Please call 01278 451592 if you think he is yours, proof of ownership will be required.

11/06/2024

RABBIT FOUND 🐇

We have had a stray brown and white male rabbit brought in to us.
Found on Spanish Hill, North Newton.
Please call 01278 451592 if you think he is yours, proof of ownership will be required.

01/06/2024

BBQ season is upon us! 🍗🌭
As much as we love a BBQ, they do come with some unknown dangers to our pets.
Make sure you're up to speed with all of the dangers BBQs can bring so you can enjoy the perfect summer weekend ☀️

27/05/2024

May is Vet Nurse Awareness Month! 🩺💚

We have a large group of dedicated nurses working hard every day to bring quality care to all of our patients.

They have a varied skill set and work in all areas of the practice; from operations to lab work, inpatient care to reception, they can cover it all.

Veterinary nursing is a regulated profession. Registered veterinary nurses go through years of training and once qualified will complete annual CPD to stay registered. Veterinary nursing is an amazing profession and our nurses love have the ability to care for so many different patients and meet their owners. 🐾

If you're interested in joining this amazing profession have a look at whether college or university would suit you best and see where you can apply! 🤓🩺

24/05/2024

Is your dog at a higher risk of getting ticks?

New research shows that some dog breeds are at a higher risk of getting ticks than others.

The study that looked at 900,000 dogs over five years in the UK, shows that increasingly popular crossbreeds such as Cockapoos, Cavapoos and Golden doodles had a higher chance of having ticks, other breeds that were also at the top were Standard Poodles, Cairn Terriers and Golden Retrievers.

Dogs with medium length coats had 2.20 times the risk compared to shorter haired dogs!

It is important to check for ticks, especially if your dog has been through woodlands or grassy areas. Ticks can be removed at home using a tick remover but it is really important that the whole tick is removed, alternatively you can book an appointment with our nurses for us to remove it.

If your dog goes to areas with ticks often, or you don't want to worry about ticks, we recommend using a flea and worming treatment that will also kill ticks. If you would like to know more about which products can be used to kill ticks give us a call.

22/05/2024

Don't forget to get your XL Bully neutered by 30th June 2024!

Any XL Bully that was over the age of one on 31st Jan 2024 must be neutered by 30th June 2024.

If you need to book in your dog to be neutered call us on 01278 451592.

We had this beautiful girl Karma in recently for her spay, she was a star patient and was back to normal in no time 🩷

20/05/2024

Owner found!

TORTOISE FOUND 🐢

Found on Queens Road, Bridgwater.
If you are missing a small Horsfield tortoise please call 01278 451592.
A photo of your tortoise will be required to confirm ownership.

20/05/2024

It's National Rescue Dog Day!

There are so many dogs in rescue centres looking for homes, if you're considering getting a new dog have a look at the rescue centres first to see if any of them would fit in with your family.
We've got some great rescue centres near us like St Giles Animal Welfare and RSPCA West Hatch Animal Centre!

And it's not just dogs that are looking for homes either, lots of cats are waiting for their forever homes too.

Here are some of our staff's rescue pets; Jade's dog Rigel and Abi's cat Elsa who were both rescued seven years ago.

Let's see your rescues in the comments! ⬇️

19/05/2024

The swap shop is looking well stocked again!
Lots of really nice collars and leads in at the moment 🐾

Everything is free to take, donations can be given to our charity pots or you can leave any of your own unwanted items with our receptionists.

17/05/2024

Our tablet blister pack recycling boxes are back! 🥳

We know a lot of you missed them when they were out of stock!

Found at all three of our practices 🫶🌍

*Only for empty tablet blister packs, please empty out of carrier bags into the box 🙂

16/05/2024

⭐️Molly⭐️

A few weeks ago whilst in for her annual vaccination, Molly's owner told our vet Chris that they had noticed Molly's urine was looking darker than normal. Chris advised collecting a urine sample for us to run tests on to see if we could find any abnormalities.

After testing Molly's urine sample we were able to identify signs of inflammation and rule out an infection, so more tests were needed.

A few days later we had Molly in for an ultrasound scan and x-rays where Chris was able to confirm that Molly had a bladder stone. Molly's bladder stone was quite large and her owner agreed that surgery was the best option for her.

The following week Molly was back in for a cystotomy, this is where an incision is made into the bladder to remove the stone. Molly recovered well after the surgery and was back home later that day. We sent the stone off to the external laboratory for further testing to identify the type of stone so we have the best chance of knowing how to prevent further stones forming in the future.

Molly is still recovering from her surgery, but she is doing really well.

16/05/2024

Good morning!

Please beware that there is a lot of traffic in and around Bridgwater, this is causing delays getting to our Showground Road practice.
If you can, please allow more time to get to your appointment today.

Thank you.

13/05/2024

In four weeks (10th June) a new law will be in place requiring all cats over 20 weeks of age to be microchipped.

Microchips are the size of a grain of rice and give your pet a unique identification number. This number is registered to a database where your cat's information (name, age etc) and your contact details can be found for people like us that may need to reunite you and your cat or check ownership. You can update your information on your cat's microchip by visiting the website that the microchip is registered to or by calling the database company.

If your cat is lost, stolen or injured they have a much better chance of being reunited quickly when they have a microchip. This is especially important for cats who like to go outside but also for house cats that could get out and panic once outside.
With a microchip you can also buy a microchip cat flap to make sure only your cat can get in and out and microchip feeders which are great if your cats like to steal each others food!

Microchipping can be quick and easy. It is easiest to do at the time of neutering whilst they are anaesthetised but can also be done in a 15min appointment with one of our nurses.

If you would like to book your cat to be microchipped by us or you would like us to check if your cat is microchipped you can call us or visit our website and book online 👇
https://www.blakevets.co.uk/book-an-appointment

10/05/2024

☎️Please note changes to our phone options when calling us☎️

We have had an update to help manage our phone calls, the options that you select when calling us have therefore changed so it is important to listen to the options before selecting.

The first set of options are still to choose the practice you would like to get through to (after ringing a certain number of times these calls go to all practices to help you get through to someone quicker which is why you may be answered by one of our other practices).

The second set of options are for emergencies (option 1), repeat prescription requests (option 2), general enquiries (option 3), and for inpatients (option 4).

Please understand that is very important to not select option 1 unless you do believe you have an emergency.

Thank you 🐾

04/05/2024

We have sadly had a deceased short haired, tabby female cat brought into us after being involved in what looks like a road traffic accident. There is no collar or microchip. She was found in the St John Street area. Please call the practice on 01278 451592 if you believe she could be yours.

03/05/2024

02/05/2024

Phone lines have been fixed 😀

Phone issues across all three practices

We are having some problems with our phone lines. The main issue seems to be when selecting option 1 for Showground Road it directs you to call SVEC.

If you can't get through to our Showground Road practice please choose the Burnham-on-sea option.

Apologies for any inconvenience.

01/05/2024

The sun came out and we all got excited for summer! ☀️
Check out our new range of cooling toys and accessories for your dogs!
We've got bandanas, toys, cooling mats, water bottles and sprinklers!
These are great for those summer days at home or even taking on holiday and out on walks!
Made with special materials, these products are designed to help keep your dog cool. 😎
And if you're a member of the Pet Health Club you get 20% off all of these items!

30/04/2024

A Day in the Life of the Ops Nurse!

Most of our nurses work on a rota and so ops shifts are shared out between them. The ops nurse cares for most of the day patients that have come in for operations and is often one of the favourite shifts for our nurses.

30/04/2024

Spring Hazards - Livestock

🐑Many dogs, if given the chance will chase livestock
🐑Lambs are common in fields and on the hills this time of year
🐑Dogs MUST be kept on a lead and under control at all times.
🐑Sheep are a farmer’s source of income and they have the right to shoot any dogs worrying their livestock

29/04/2024

Owner found - thank you

STRAY CAT FOUND 🐱

This friendly neutered male, three-legged cat has been brought in to our Showground Road practice.
No microchip
If he is yours or you know who he belongs to please call 01278 451592.
Proof of ownerwhip will be required.

29/04/2024

In recent weeks we have seen an increase in the number of appointments that have been missed.
Last week there was 25 appointments that were missed, this was equal to over six and a half hours of vet and nurse consulting time.
As you are aware we are often short of available appointments so we really value each appointment slot.
We understand that circumstances can change and there a many reasons for appointments needing to be cancelled or rearranged, but we really appreciate if you could call us so we know you won't be making your appointment and we can use that time for someone else.

Thank you 🐾

26/04/2024

Spring Hazards - Slug and Snail Pellets

🐌Contain Metaldehyde, this is the toxic compound found in slug pellets.
🐌Only a small amount is needed to cause significant poisoning.
🐌If eaten it can cause muscle tremors, lack of co-ordination, seizures, high temperatures, organ failure and can be fatal.

24/04/2024

Spring Hazards - Adders

🐍A sleepy Adder in the spring could bite your inquisitive pet. Most commonly pets are bitten on the face or forelimbs.
🐍You may see swelling at the site with 2 puncture wounds, other symptoms may include bruising and pain.
🐍3-4% may have severe effects such as breathing problems, collapse, fitting, liver & kidney damage as well as maybe requiring a skin graft at the bite site.
🐍96-97% of pets will recover fully

22/04/2024

Spring Hazards - Tulips

🌿The toxic principle of these plants is very concentrated in the bulb.
🌿When plant parts/bulbs are chewed and eaten it can result in tissue irritation in the mouth and oesophagus.
🌿Typical signs include profuse drooling, vomiting or diarrhoea depending on the amount eaten.
🌿With large amounts eaten more severe symptoms such as increased heart rate, changes to breathing and difficulty breathing may be seen.

18/04/2024

Spring Hazards - Lily of the Valley

🌿Lily of the valley flowers and leaves contain a toxin that can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, heart problems, seizures and collapsing in dogs, cats and rabbits.

16/04/2024

Spring hazards - Daffodils

🌿Daffodils can be toxic, particularly the bulb, although the flower head can also cause problems.
🌿Symptoms include drooling, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, increased heart rate, abdominal pain, abnormal breathing and an irregular heart beat.
🌿In severe cases this may result in dehydration, tremors and convulsions.