Playfit Pooches

25/12/2023

Wishing all of our playfit pooches family a very Merry Christmas!

I've been overwhelmed by the lovely comments, cards, and very generous gifts. I'm very lucky to do a job I love, and it's thanks to all of you that I can. Your support again this year really means so much.

I'm looking forward to another fun filled year with all of your amazing pups!

18/12/2023

Happy 4th birthday to the cheekiest boy, Charlie! I'm looking forward to giving you all of the birthday belly rubs! 🎁🥰

05/11/2023

Happy 3rd birthday to our very own special boy, Max! You're going to be even more spoilt than usual today, and we wouldn't have it any other way! 🥰🎂

27/10/2023

Happy 3rd birthday to the gorgeous, cheeky Teddy.🎁🥰

I'll see you Tuesday for lots of grass rolling (hopefully avoiding the stinky stuff! 😂).

26/10/2023

Happy 4th Birthday to the soggiest boy I know, the gorgeous Jackson! The trough will be all ready for you to empty it! 🎁💦🥰

19/10/2023

A big Happy 4th Birthday to the gorgeous, playful Margot! I'll see you soon for all the zoomies! 🎂🥰

02/10/2023

Happy 3rd birthday to this gorgeous, big softy, Obi! I'm looking forward to some big slobbery kisses on Tuesday! 🥰🎂

24/09/2023

Just a few pics of some gorgeous dogs having fun. I'm looking forward to another week with these amazing pups!

01/09/2023

A home visit for gorgeous Teddy last night 🥰

27/08/2023

Everyone welcome Jess, the newest member of the playfit pooches family and mine! She will be coming out with me on most of my walks and is absolutely loving it already!

19/08/2023

Double birthday celebrations today!

A big happy 4th birthday to this gorgeous, cheeky girl! I'll see you Tuesday for lots more fun and fuss! 🎈🥰

19/08/2023

Double birthday celebrations today!

The beautiful Molly is 11 today! You wouldn't know it as she can still out run the younger pups! I look forward to seeing your happy, smiling face on Wednesday. Don't party too hard! 🥳🥰

14/08/2023

Only 1 run today, so I decided to take Max to the field with Bailey for a playdate 😂 it's safe to say they had fun together! 🥰

07/08/2023

Still no luck with posting multiple videos on Facebook 🤷🏼‍♀️

01/08/2023

Everyone welcome the newest member of the pack, Scout! Such a lovely, happy boy. He's fitting in so well already! 🥰

21/07/2023

A big happy 3rd birthday to this gorgeous, speedy boy, Baxter! I can't wait for Monday zoomies! 💨🎂

18/07/2023

A massive Happy 5th Birthday to this happy, handsome boy, Solo! I'll ensure the trough is full for you tomorrow and there will be extra belly rubs! 💦 🎁

25/06/2023

Welcome the latest pup to join our pack, Jax 🥰

20/06/2023

I still can't post multiple videos on one post through FB, but here's a few videos from today on our Instagram page.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CtuDfsFIDHZ/

18/06/2023

A massive happy 3rd birthday to this lovely, gorgeous boy, Tommy! We'll have a good splash around in the trough tomorrow! 💦

31/05/2023

Happy 3rd Birthday to this gorgeous, crazy water baby, Willow! I hope you enjoyed splashing around in the trough today! 🐾💦🎁

17/05/2023

A big Happy 3rd birthday to this lovely, handsome boy, Murphy! We'll have extra birthday cuddles on Thursday! 🐾💙🎁

12/05/2023

Some did it easily, some needed a little encouragement, and others looked at me like I was stupid... 😂 Either way, we had lots of fun playing with the horse jump!

09/05/2023

A clean trough can only mean one thing... dog pool party! 😂💦🐾

04/05/2023

Happy 6th birthday to this gorgeous, ball-loving, sun worshiper, Ivy! 🥰

03/05/2023

It's a long read but an important one. We all love our countryside walks and it's always good to be aware of possible dangers to our pups.

Thankfully we are starting to enjoy a few warmer days here across the South Downs and with these warmer days comes the chance of you spotting one of these.

A post you may wish to like and share or tag a dog owning friend.

The Adder is our native cold-blooded snake and easily spotted in various parts of the West Sussex countryside. After surviving through the long cold months, an opportunity of a warm day and a little sunbathe is irresistible and you will often see an adder slithering across a footpath or curled up asleep in the sun. This sunbathe aids the adder to becoming fully active after leaving their safety and shelter of their hibernation den - or what is officially called their 'hibernaculum'. This is likely to be an old fallen tree or a rodent burrow.

The European Adder (Vipera berus) is our only native snake which is venomous and therefore potentially harmful. According to the Veterinary Poisons Information Service, most adder bites occur between April and July. Adders are mostly secretive and prefer to avoid contact with other animals and humans, however until their body temperature rises enough they are sluggish and often cannot get out of the way in time when danger approaches. An inquisitive nose sniffing the ground or a paw put down in close proximity can get into trouble if the snake strikes in self defence - most adder bites we see are on the head, neck, lower legs or feet. Unless injured the adder will move away from the scene as quickly as possible so it is only very rare that the snake can be seen and identified.

If you suspect your dog may have been bitten by an adder please ring the team immediately so that we can be prepared to attend to your dog as soon as you arrive. This is a situation where time if off the essence and please may we remind you that our teams at both Storrington and Chichester are happy to see you regardless of which practice you are registered with. You as the owner can make that choice.

Very often you will not be aware that your dog has been bitten. Owners often just report a quick yelp and then it is not until the symptoms start to reveal themselves that an adder bite is suspected.

A few signs to look out for

- very rapid swelling around the area of the bite
- bruising or bleeding where bitten
- weakness and lethargy
- panting
- lameness
- drooling
- vomiting

Your dog may only show one or two of these symptoms but and they almost certainly likely to get progressively worse as time passes. Adder bites are very painful so even the most stoical of dogs will be showing signs of severe discomfort and will not want to be touched around the area of the bite. If left untreated the dog may develop tremors and convulsions, blood clotting disorders and eventually collapse.

The most important tip to remember is not to panic. Try and remain calm and your dog will also remain calm. Stress, excitement and excessive moment can speed up your dogs circulation and therefore spread the toxins. Please do ignore the snake. Remember they are a protected species so harming them is illegal. Resist the temptation to poke the bite area or even apply any form of compress. It will be very painful and your dog will not appreciate your assistance. Simply calmly walk your dog back to the car and call us immediately.

We would like to share a very useful first aid tip. Many of you walk with a doggy bag. By doggy bag we mean a little bag that contains treats, poo bags and such like. A little useful addition during the summer months would be some Piriton antihistamine tablets (chlorphenamine). Whilst this is by NO means enough to treat an adder bite, it would do no harm at all and in fact histamine is released after a bite so it may help a little on the way to us. We would always prefer an owner to keep our number stored on their phone in an emergency and as always we are happy to provide telephone advice, however as a rule of thumb our recommended dose rate of Piriton would be 4mg for a 10kg dog. With smaller dogs we would advise starting with half a tablet. At worst it will cause a little sedation but nothing more.

We hope your dog does not experience an adder bite but as its always best to be informed and prepared we hope this post will provide a little reassurance as to what to do in the event.

Please store our telephone number on your phone under EMERGENCY VET or pick up one of our cards which are kept on the desks. These are nice and small and can be kept in your wallet or phone case.

The numbers to call are
Storrington 01903 746028
Chichester 01243 978800

Remember we are available to anyone who needs us.

25/04/2023

Well, it was definitely a 'tongue out Tuesday' kinda day... 😝