ChesterGates Veterinary Specialists

24/09/2024

Just over a week ago we were delighted to welcome Helen Silver-McMahon, from Being Human, back to Chestergates. Helen has been working with us for a year now, ensuring that we continue to uphold the high standards we have set ourselves from both a patient safety point-of-view but also from a staff welfare and culture perspective.

Helen helped us start to develop 'Rules to Live By', also known as a social contract to each other. We will continue to develop these over the next few weeks/ month with her support. She also ran workshops on change leadership and followed our first opinion site, Cranmore Veterinary Services as well as cases through theatre to look at patient safety and workflow.

Thank you Helen, once again, for such a brilliant and insightful day.

23/09/2024

We're back with another 'Meet the team' Monday ✨

This week we would like to introduce the newest member of our reception team, Emma! 💚
Emma has only been a part of the Chestergates family since July but has settled right in!

She worked for 9 years as a medical administrator and as a phlebotomist were she gained invaluable experience working in a clinical and front of house setting in a busy hospital and medical practice.

After moving to the UK in 2024, Emma wanted a change of setting and felt that she would like to work in a similar role, and with a passion for animals, she felt a career where she had a client facing role with the benefits of dealing with animals on a daily basis would be ideal.

Emma was thrilled to be offered a role as a referral receptionist at ChesterGates! 💚

Here is what she said about her time at Chestergates so far...
"What I love about my role so far is that I have the opportunity to look after the clients and guiding them through the referral process and supporting them throughout as we know it can be a distressing time for pet owners and their pets"

In her free time, she enjoys looking after her 2 dogs, 3 cats and loves to go hiking as much as she can! 🐶🐱🥾

Click the link for more of our amazing team ⬇️
https://chestergates.org.uk/meet-the-team/

20/09/2024

Rotating Internship Programme to start Winter 2025 💚

Would you like to work alongside specialists in multiple disciplines, learning in a highly supportive and friendly environment? If so, we have the internship for you!

Chestergates Veterinary Specialists are looking for enthusiastic and highly motivated individuals with at least one year experience within general practice who are wanting to pursue a rotating internship to achieve their professional goals.

The rotating internship programme at Chestergates Veterinary Specialists is a 12-month fixed-term position. In this exciting role you will work under the supervision of specialists in a wide range of disciplines and have access to our state-of-the-art equipment. You will also have the opportunity to work within our out-of-hours first opinion practice, ensuring that you develop your emergency and critical care skills and knowledge with our supportive and caring team.

Our interns will have the opportunity to take part in both formal and informal learning opportunities. Working within CVS Ltd. also provides individuals with the opportunity to collaborate with other centres, build relationships for the future and maximise learning success.

Come and join the Chestergates family! Click the link below to find out more or to apply ⬇
https://www.careerswithcvs.co.uk/jobs/vacancy/rotating-internship-che0165/20089/description/

19/09/2024

Come & join our amazing team at our first opinion practice, Cranmore Veterinary Services!!💚

19/09/2024

Registration for our biggest CPD event yet & 20th Anniversary celebrations are now open! 💚

Come and join us for a day of free CPD at Chester Zoo where we will be discussing management of the polytrauma case.

The day will form part of our 20th Anniversary Celebrations with special guests, Judith Skerritt and Mike Targett.
You will have the opportunity to meet our current team who will be appearing throughout the day and we will conclude with a panel discussion.

During the lunch break there will be some time to explore Chester Zoo. All for this for FREE! 🦁🐒
This event will be suitable for both vets and nurses in primary care or OOH practice.

Don't miss out and sign up today‼️ Simply click the link below and complete the registration form ⬇
https://form.jotform.com/242593180055354

We cant wait to see you there 💚

18/09/2024

Recently we have had a number of retrobulbar masses referred to us for further exploration. Retrobulbar means 'behind the eye' and masses can be associated with dental disease, foreign bodies and cancer. In order to determine the extent and likely nature of the lesions CT with angiography (contrast) is used.

CTs are performed under the watchful eye of our imaging team, who are then able to perform further diagnostics as required under the same general anaesthetic or sedation. This means the patients that we see usually benefit from one anaesthetic rather than multiple which can happen if the CT were to be performed on an out-patient basis.

This CT was from a Dachshund recently referred to our specialist soft-tissue service by Severn Edge Vets. In the image you can see a large mass causing some distortion to the face (*). Following CT, we performed an ultrasound guided removal of a foreign body, meaning that this dog's mass would resolve and the prognosis is excellent.

To find out more about our soft tissue service please visit:
https://chestergates.org.uk/referral-services/soft-tissue-surgery/

Online bookings with Georgia and Erika can be made here:
https://chestergates.org.uk/for-vets/refer-a-case/

17/09/2024

Everyone meet Jack 🥰

Jack the 7 year old Border Collie presented to the team at VET Chester/Wirral in the early hours of the morning. Jack had been on holiday with his owners but had started to vomit over the previous 24-hours and had become very lethargic in himself to the point where he would not stand.

After initial assessment by MiNightVet's clinical director Emma Strange, his care was passed onto the hospital day vet Louise Skerrow. Louise placed Jack on fluids and ran some blood tests which confirmed severe dehydration. An abdominal ultrasound by our specialist ultrasonographer at Chestergates Pablo Menendez confirmed the presence of a foreign object obstructing Jacks small intestine.

The owners were contacted and elected to pursue surgical intervention to remove the foreign body. Louise proceeded to operate on Jack to remove the object (a piece of a rubber ball!) which was lodged in the first portion of the small intestine.

Jack made a swift recovery over the next 48 hours where he was hospitalised on fluids, pain relief and antibiotics after which time he was discharged back to his owners. He has continued to make a full recovery! 🥰🐶

Well done to the multidisciplinary approach adopted by our primary practice Cranmore Veterinary Services, our out-of-hours provider MiNightVet Chester-Wirral and our referral team at Chestergates Veterinary Specialists! 💚

16/09/2024

✨Meet the team Monday✨

This week we would like to introduce to everyone, Clare! 💚
Clare is our Reception team leader, and if you have ever visited us before, you would have been greeted by Clare's lovely smile and fabulous laugh.

She has been a part of the Chestergates family for over 12 years!

In 2012 she started working as a receptionist for the Out of hours service of a weekend and joined Chestergates referrals full time 2 years later.
In 2018, Clare completed the Blue Cross Pet Bereavement Support to become a Bereavement Support Adviser and then in 2020 qualified as a Level 3 Customer Service Specialist ✅

She was appointed Chestergates Reception Team Leader in 2023 and feels very privileged to lead and support such an exceptional reception team. Some of Clare's responsibilities are to ensure we have enough cover each day by updating our rota, lead and train the team to offer the best client care possible and making sure the day to day reception duties are completed to provide the smooth running of each day.

When she's not at work, Clare likes taking her little cockapoo Lilly on long walks.
She also loves to travel and spends most of her holidays in Greece visiting friends and family 🐶🇬🇷

Click the link to meet more of our amazing team and look out for next week's colleague! ⬇
https://chestergates.org.uk/meet-the-team/✅

13/09/2024

Our Specialists are continuously contributing to the veterinary literature in their fields of expertise. However, sometimes they also contribute to the medical scientific literature too.

Liz Bode, one of our Specialists in Cardiology and our Clinical Director, undertook a PhD at the University of Manchester (some years ago now!) and the work that she helped to perform is still contributing to the scientific literature. This month Liz was part of a publication in Circulation Research, which has an Impact Factor of 16.5! Well done to Liz and the whole team 🤩

BACKGROUND: Transverse (t)-tubules drive the rapid and synchronous Ca2+ rise in cardiac myocytes. The virtual complete atrial t-tubule loss in heart failure (HF) decreases Ca2+ release. It is unknown if or how atrial t-tubules can be restored and how this affects systolic Ca2+. METHODS: HF was induc...

12/09/2024

Did you know? 👀

We have a chartered physiotherapist who can take referrals for your post-surgical patients! 🥎
Our amazing physio Laura is on hand for any of your pets rehabilitation needs.

You can refer to Laura directly or find out more information about her services by clicking on the link below...⬇
https://chestergates.org.uk/referral-services/rehabilitation/

11/09/2024

Recently, a 12 week old puppy was referred to our orthopaedic team from MINight VET Chester/Wirral following an incident in the house.

Examination and x-rays demonstrated a comminuted diaphyseal fracture of the left tibia and fibula with associated soft tissue swelling. This fracture is optimally managed via surgical intervention with the options being open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF), MIPO (minimally invasive percutaneous osteosynthesis plate fixation, OBDT (open but do not touch) plate fixation or application of external skeletal fixator.

In this case ORIF was selected, as the fracture was deemed re-constructible and that it should be possible to achieve load sharing between the implant system and the bone. In addition, this should provide optimal alignment of the fracture/limb and minimise the risk of growth plate or articular damage.

The fragment in the region of the proximo-caudal tibia was reduced and stabilised. The most proximal and distal locking screws were deliberately cross-threaded as the contouring process of the plate tends to direct these screws towards the growth plate and the articular surface. The Synthes system locking system will allow for approximately 10 degrees of deliberate mal-angulation of the screws to facilitate avoidance of inadvertent injury to sensitive structures. In general, there is a shift towards treating fractures in a more sympathetic biological way (“gardening”) versus the more traditional reconstructive way (“carpentry”). The main idea behind this shift is to preserve the fracture biology with regard to vascularity and soft tissue attachments whilst creating a stable fracture environment.

In this case the post-operative radiography demonstrates good fracture reduction and implant placement without growth plate or articular injury. Expected healing time in this case should be around 4 weeks.

The knowledge and expertise of our orthopaedic team is second to none! We are very proud of them and their ability to treat animals with the most up-to-date methods available.

For more information about our orthopaedic service please visit:
https://chestergates.org.uk/referral-services/orthopedics/

We have same week availability for orthopaedics, meaning cruciate injuries can be fixed quickly with our expert team. Online bookings can be made here:
https://chestergates.org.uk/for-vets/refer-a-case/

10/09/2024

❗️Don't Forget❗️

You can now book your routine referral direct through our website!
Our online booking system lets you:
✅See availability on our website
✅Book appointments 24/7
✅Find your specialists in minutes.

Click the link now to get yours booked in...

Please use the form below if you’re looking to refer a case. For emergencies or urgent referrals, please contact us directly on 01244 853823. For advice requests, please email [email protected] or use our form

09/09/2024

Join our amazing anaesthetist Giulia who is holding a lecture on the 19th September at the regional BSAVA in Wrexham! 💉

Giulia will be discussing Intraoperative analgesia.

Click the link below to sign up! ⬇️
https://bsavaportal.bsava.com/s/community-event?id=a1mTw000000zA5hIAE

06/09/2024

Our biggest CPD Event yet has now been announced...

SAVE THE DATE: Thursday 5th December 📅
LOCATION: Chester Zoo 🦁
PRICE: £0 🆓

Come & celebrate 20 years of Chestergates with us! 💚 Including CPD with 4 of our disciplines on the subject of...
From Trauma to Recovery: Polytrauma Management in dogs and Cats 🐶🐱

More details and how to register will be announced soon!

05/09/2024

Recently, our neurology resident Luis Villalonga, spent two weeks at ‘Brain Camp'! 🧠

This is an intense 2 week course aimed at furthering the cutting-edge knowledge (with a bit of fun thrown in) of attendees.
This is what Luis had to say about his 2 week training;

The Braincamp is a two-week intensive course in advanced veterinary neuroscience, held biennially. It is specifically designed for veterinarians specializing in or with a profound interest in neurology and neurosurgery. This year's event took place in Bologna from July 20th to August 4th.

I had the privilege of attending the course and learning from 27 internationally renowned speakers, primarily veterinary neurologists, as well as oncologists and radiologists. Over the course of these two weeks, we were updated on the latest advancements in veterinary neurology, neurosurgery, and neuroimaging. For residents like me, it was an invaluable opportunity to prepare for our upcoming board examinations by acquiring the most current knowledge in the field.

Moreover, the program provided an excellent opportunity to connect with fellow residents and other "neuro-enthusiasts," who, by the end of these two weeks, became friends. The course was complemented by various activities and social events designed to foster connections among participants.

The experience was academically demanding, leaving you exhausted by the end of the course. However, it was entirely worth the effort. Beyond the wealth of knowledge gained, it sparked an even greater interest in investigating in the fascinating area of veterinary neurology.

04/09/2024

Did you know...👀

Our cardiologists regularly perform minimally invasive procedures such as stenting for pulmonic stenosis and PDA occlusion? We can usually perform procedures within a week of referral! ❤️‍🩹

Our puppy and kitten clinic is also available for £500 for a consultation with our specialists and echocardiographic examination 🐶

To find out more please visit ⬇
https://chestergates.org.uk/referral-services/cardiology/

You can also now make online appointments by visiting ⬇
https://chestergates.org.uk/for-vets/refer-a-case/

03/09/2024

✨Testimonial Tuesday✨

Check out what some of our lovely recent clients have said about us 💚

02/09/2024

Meet the team Monday 💚
We have another one of our amazing interns to meet...
Charalambos! ⭐

Charalambos graduated from the Veterinary School of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki(AUTH) in 2020. Since then he has been practicing in 1st and 2nd opinion veterinary clinics in Cyprus. Motivated by a passion for veterinary medicine, he pursued a two-year certificate in Small Animal Medicine and is due to sit his exams in September 2024.
In March 2024 he relocated in the UK to join Chestergates Veterinary Specialists to further enhance his knowledge and skills through a rotating internship.
He has a particular interest in diagnostic Imaging and is keen to pursue a career in this subject 📸

Outside of work, Charalambos enjoys travelling, basketball and going out with friends!

Click the link below to see more of our incredible team and what we have to offer here ⬇️
https://chestergates.org.uk/meet-the-team/

30/08/2024

Happy Friday! 💚

We hope everyone has a fun filled and safe weekend, from everyone here at Chestergates 🐾

29/08/2024

Its a new week, which means we have a new team member to meet! 💚
Ludovica is one of our amazing Rotating Interns! ✨

She was born in Rome and grew up in Roseto, a small town on the Italian Adriatic seaside. She graduated in Italy, from the University of Padua, in September 2021 and in November 2021 she passed the national qualification exam to become a Veterinary Surgeon.

Ludovica started her professional path in the UK in 2022. She worked for one and half years in a first opinion practice near Cardiff, in South Wales, where she worked with cats, dogs and exotic pets 🐍

In her free time she loves drawing (especially comics) and practicing sports. Ludovica can be found riding her electric bike happily, she believes that a green and sustainable world is possible 🌿

Click the link below to meet more of our incredible team ⬇
https://chestergates.org.uk/meet-the-team/

27/08/2024

We would love everyone to meet the gorgeous Rufio! 🐱

Rufio is a 7-year-old Maine C**n cat who was referred to our Internal Medicine Service from Furness Veterinary Centre with symptoms of weakness, anorexia, weight loss and hypokalaemia (reduced levels of potassium electrolyte) despite supplementation.

Rufio underwent a CT scan where a right adrenal mass was noticed. The adrenal glands are responsible for producing steroid hormones, adrenaline and noradrenaline. These hormones control the heart rate, blood pressure and other important body functions. One of those hormones is aldosterone which is responsible for potassium balance. High levels of aldosterone lead to potassium depletion due to increased excretion of potassium through the kidneys.
Rufio had very high plasma serum aldosterone levels, which together with cytology of the abdominal mass led to the diagnosis of Hyperaldosteronism or Conn’s syndrome. This is a relatively rare condition in cats.

Treatment of choice is surgical excision of the affected adrenal gland. Such procedures need careful surgical preparation and post-surgical management aswell as high levels of anaesthesia and nursing input 🩺
Our expert team of clinicians performed the surgery, under the watchful eyes of our anaesthesia team, and we are pleased to say it went very well.

Rufio’s potassium levels returned to normal after surgery and he was able to return home soon after! 💚

Here is what Rufio's lovely owners said about their experience...

"Rufio is thriving, with him being a maine c**n changes in his health reflect so obviously in his fur and at the moment he is looking BOOFY AND DELICIOUS! We have 3 other cats and Rufio has definitely reclaimed his crown as King of the Castle after temporarily handing over power to our other boy Huxley 🤣

I will be forever grateful for the team at Chester Gates, Rufio's illness came on so quickly and was potentially so severe that it was an incredibly worrying time and it threw his future into doubt.
The team at CG were so thorough and worked so hard for him that he's come out the other side bigger and better than ever and has a happy life ahead of him. Everyone at CG was helpful, caring and took the time to support us as well as our pet, we would entrust them with the care of our pets in the future without a doubt"

Thank you for trusting us with your handsome boy. We're so glad he's back to his cheeky self! 🐱💚

26/08/2024

Happy National Dog Day! 🐶
To all of our past, present and future doggy patients 💚

How is your beloved pooch celebrating?! We'd love to see them!
Comment a picture of your best friend below...

23/08/2024

Our biggest CPD event yet will be getting announced in the next 2 weeks ❗️

We have 5+ of our disciplines taking part with some talks from some very special guests... 👀
You might even see some bigger surprises throughout the day 🐒🐘🤫

Keep your eyes peeled and don't miss out 🚫

22/08/2024

Did you know that we are specialist-led in 6 different disciplines (neurology, cardiology, medicine, anaesthesia, orthopaedics and soft tissue surgery) here at Chestergates, all under one roof! 🐶🐱We also have dedicated physiotherapy, diagnostic imaging and ophthalmology teams.

Here is our Clinical Director Liz Bode showing you around our amazing hospital and everything we have to offer... 💚

20/08/2024

We're meeting another one of our Rotating Interns...
This week we have James! 💚

James graduated from Cambridge University in 2019 and worked in first opinion practice for four and a half years before joining Chestergates to undertake a rotating internship.
During his time in practice he grew a keen interest in surgery and is looking forward to working with the different specialties to further develop his knowledge and skills.

Outside of work he is kept busy hiking and exploring Cheshire as well as looking after his frogs at home 🐸

Meet more of our amazing team below... ⬇
https://chestergates.org.uk/meet-the-team/

19/08/2024

Meet Poppy 🤩❤

Poppy was referred to us from Moy Vets who had identified a very large mass within Poppy's liver. She was seen by one of our specialist Soft Tissue Surgeons, Erika Bianchini, who performed a CT to stage Poppy for surgery. This identified two masses, one within the liver and another within the stomach. Georgia and Erika, our two specialist soft tissue surgeons, resected both masses successfully and they were submitted for histopathology. The results showed that the masses had been completely excised and were benign in nature, which is fantastic news for Poppy and her owners.

Poppy has recovered well, and you can see her here enjoying her holidays.

To find out more about our soft tissue service, please visit:
https://chestergates.org.uk/for-vets/

16/08/2024

This week, one of our Anaesthesia specialists Luis Louro visited Veterinary Centre to deliver a CPR CPD session.
Here's what they said about the visit...

"Thank you Luis so much for the brilliant CPD on CPR you gave us yesterday at Haygate, it was very useful and the feedback was really good so I just wanted to pass a thank you from our team" 💚

If you feel your team could benefit from a CPD session with one of our specialists, get in touch!

15/08/2024

Our next team we would like to introduce to everyone is our amazing Rotating Interns!
First up we have Nic 💚

Nicolae is originally from Romania. He discovered his interest for veterinary medicine at a young age and graduated the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in 2017.
Since University he ascertained the passion for surgery. He worked in a rural first opinion practice and a dog public shelter for a year, places where he gained confidence on routine surgical procedures 🐶

He moved to the UK in 2018 where he worked for 5 years in primary care practice and experienced tremendous growth. His particular affinity for surgery convinced him to pursue for further career, and in January 2024 he started a one year rotating internship at ChesterGates.

Outside work, Nicolae likes traveling, hiking and going out to make new friends 🌄

Meet more of our amazing team below and keep your eyes peeled for next week's Intern! 👀
https://chestergates.org.uk/meet-the-team/

14/08/2024

Did you know you can now make your referral booking online! 📅
We made referral bookings easy with our new online system.

Book appointments easily at Chestergates for your clients.

Our online referral booking system lets you:
✅See availability on our website
✅Book appointments 24/7
✅Find your specialists in minutes.

It’s quick and easy, no log-ins required and receive instant booking confirmation.

So next time you come across a pet who needs our specialist care, book the referral appointment online with us here:
https://chestergates.org.uk/for-vets/refer-a-case/

13/08/2024

We would like to congratulate one of our Anaesthetists, Giulia Marchionne who has just been given notice of Advanced Practitioner status for Anaesthesia! 💉

Not only has Giulia achieved this amazing status, she has also just returned from maternity leave after having a gorgeous baby girl!

Congratulations Giulia 💚