Vets4Pets Epsom

09/07/2025

A swelling between the toes?
This time of the year these painful swellings between a dogs toes is likely to be a grass seed that’s gone in and created that reaction.

So was the case for poor Cody! But luckily vet Lenesa managed to remove it quickly! And Cody’s on his way home with a paw that is less sore 💕

07/07/2025

🌱GRASS SEEDS🌱
Every Summer, we see many pets with grass seeds in places they shouldn’t be! The grass seed in this picture was taken out of a lovely dog’s ear - it was irritating the ear canal, and if left it can cause inflammation and infection, or can track further through the body! Another common place we find grass seeds is between the toes, where they enter the skin and cause pain and infection.
If you notice your pet shaking their head a lot, or if your pet has red, swollen, or oozing skin between their toes, please make an appointment with your vet, as they could have one of these nasty grass seeds bothering them!

29/06/2025

😹

25/06/2025

Celebrating Robyn, the Bristol vet school student who has been with us the last 2 weeks doing her EMS hours. She has done very well gaining her practical experience, and enjoyed getting Dougie’s iv catheter ready for his Operation today!

Very good boy Dougie 💕and very well done to a super future vet! 🤩

24/06/2025

The gorgeous extremely well behaved Pippa, patiently waiting for her check up appointment with Vet Lenesa 💕

How cute is she 😍

20/06/2025

Don’t forget your rabbits, guinea pigs and other small furries… 🐇🐹🐀

How can you keep your smaller pets cool?
😎Outside enclosures should be out of direct sunlight and in an area, which allows for good ventilation.
🧴Outside pets, especially those, which are white (even in patches) or ‘sunbathe’ can be at risk of sunburn. Pet safe sunblock should be applied, especially to rabbit ears but follow all product instructions carefully.
🗿Using stone or ceramic tiles in the shade can be beneficial as they will always feel cool.
⛱️If the pet is kept indoors, they need to be in a shaded area of the house, away from direct sunlight and in the coolest room possible.

🌬️Good ventilation through the room and enclosure will keep the temperature down. Using thermometers to measure ambient temperature is useful, but it is not advised to place them in the enclosure due to the risk involved with them being chewed.

❄️For both indoor and outdoor pets, active methods can be used to help cool them. There are solid plastic cool packs specifically designed for pets, or frozen plastic bottles of water, but both must be covered with a specifically designed cover or towel before being used. The pet must have plenty of space to move away, they should never be forced to be in contact with cool packs. These cool packs will also cool the environmental temperature and do not need to be in contact with the pet to be useful. If the pet begins to chew the cool pack it must be removed.

💨Fans and air conditioning can be great to improve ventilation but should never be directly angled at the pet and any electrical cables should be well out of reach.

🧊Placing ice packs safely behind the fan can cool the air they are pushing towards the enclosure. Placing a cool, wet towel over a section of the enclosure can help to cool the air within but ensure it is not dripping water and is not able to be chewed and ingested. Using spray bottles to mist the area within the cage with cool water will help but do not directly spray the pet.

💦Animals can become dehydrated very quickly in hot weather so providing plenty of cool, fresh water and ensuring it is always accessible is a necessity. Increasing water intake by providing fresh fruit or vegetables (ensuring they are safe for the species) can be of use, rinsing or soaking the treat before giving it can increase the water intake further.

🥒🥕🥦Freezing fresh fruit or vegetables to give to small pets can be a good way to increase water intake, cool and keep them active but care should be taken to supervise them when they have treats like this.

📞☎️Seek veterinary advice
If you see any of the signs oh heatstroke then you must seek immediate veterinary attention as overheating can be rapidly fatal, but there are some steps you can take. The most important thing to remember is NOT to cool them too rapidly. Bathing is not recommended in many small animal species as it can lead to shock, and this is even more of a risk if they are hot and placed in cold water.

Using cool (not cold) water to dampen the ears can be helpful – they use the blood vessels in the ears to regulate temperature as they are very close to the surface so this can lead to a reduction in body temperature. Make sure they have access to cool water to drink as this will help to cool them but do not syringe or force them water – stress will only push their temperature higher.

20/06/2025

During this beautiful hot weather, please remember to keep your pets safe!

For at risk breeds- avoid walking them above 22 degrees Celsius. This may mean skipping a walk on very hot days.

Don’t forget the ‘hot pavement’ test ✋

17/06/2025

PETPLAN VET AWARDS 2025 - NOMINATIONS OPEN!

Nominations for the Petplan Veterinary Awards 2025 are now open! Hailed as the Oscars of the veterinary world and now in their 26th year, the awards are designed to celebrate excellence in the industry and to recognise vet teams and individuals who go that extra mile to support owners and their pets.

Whilst nominations remain anonymous, every nominee is sent a nomination certificate which gives recipients a real buzz. Shortlisted finalists are invited to a glamorous ceremony later in the year, and it’s here that winners of the five nomination categories will be announced.

If you feel that our whole team deserves to be nominated OR specific team members…… we’d love your support. Simply click on the link below to share your story.

Nominations are only open online until 12th September so don’t miss out on your chance to place your vote!

The Petplan Vet Awards are in their 26th year, recognising and celebrating teams and individuals within the vet sector who inspire their clients and colleagues with their commitment and passion.

15/06/2025

Happy Father’s Day to all dads 🤗

12/06/2025

Those naughty bin raiders, or scavengers who may find eat left over old sandwiches in parks etc…

Mouldy foods and mouldy plant material (including compost) may contain toxins known as tremorgenic mycotoxins. These toxins are produced by moulds found in mouldy foods and organic materials. Animals that raid rubbish bins containing food waste are especially at risk of exposure to tremorgenic mycotoxins.

If your pet eats mouldy food or plant material containing tremorgenic mycotoxins it may become ill very quickly, often within one hour. Common signs that are seen include vomiting, wobbliness, tremors, agitation and hyperactivity, a high body temperature and panting. In severe cases there may be seizures. Effects could possibly last for several days, and fatalities have occurred. Prompt veterinary treatment is essential. The sooner they are treated, the better the outcome.

To minimise the chances of your pet accessing mouldy material, our advice to pet owners is:
• Dispose of unwanted and mouldy food promptly and carefully
• Ensure used rubbish bags are securely stored away from pets and that dustbins are firmly closed
• Consider a bin with a lockable lid if your pet is prone to scavenging!
• Prevent access by pets to compost heaps.

☎️ Pet owners can call Animal PoisonLine on 01202 509 000
🤳 Veterinary professionals can call VPIS on 0207 305 5055

11/06/2025

**Interesting case of the week**

Did you know that dogs can also get bladder stones!
These were quite an impressive size that little Holly the Jack Russell made in her bladder!

She was so brave and recovered super quickly from her surgery to get them out. 💕
She was in the practice for the day, came in that morning and was discharged with a waggy tail that afternoon!

25/02/2024

When Kelly from our Colton store's Pets Grooming salon discovered a lump on the tail of nine-year-old Rufus she suspected something wasn't right, so alerted his owners Les and Andrea so they could get it checked out. They brought him to Vets for Pets Leeds Colton where it was confirmed he had a cancerous tumour which needed surgery.

Les, who adopted Rufus from Dogs Trust in Leeds as a puppy, said: “Rufus is such a big part of our life; we’re absolutely besotted with him. We probably wouldn’t have noticed the lump if not at the groomers as the tail isn’t somewhere you would usually stroke and feel. Kelly loves Rufus and really looks after him, so we want to say a big thanks for spotting it. Who'd have known what would have happened if she hadn’t noticed.”

Rufus had to have his tail removed, but is now making a good recovery. He's been visiting Kelly for a groom every six weeks for the last three years. She said: “You get to know everything about a dog as you groom them. I’ve discovered similar things before on other dogs so I mentioned it to the owners so they could get it checked out. Dogs are my life and you do worry; I’m so pleased they caught it. Now he’s got a fully docked tail like a little bunny rabbit. It’s lovely and suits him – when he gets washed he wiggles his bum.”

21/02/2024

Arthur's owner Louise says he "looked like a brand-new tortoise" after having his beak filed at Sutton in Ashfield Vets4Pets.

Louise adopted the four-year-old Horsefield Tortoise from a family member in October. Although she has had other pets, Arthur is her first tortoise, so she has been doing some research on how to best care for him.

Louise said: "I noticed Arthur's beak was unusually long, so I brought him in to Vets for Pets; I bring all my pets there. When he came out, I thought 'you beautiful boy, look at you – you look so handsome!"

Vet Steph, who looked after Arthur, says that tortoise beaks continuously grow and normally grind down themselves while they're eating. She said: "Arthur needed a little help as his jaw isn't perfectly aligned; his lower jaw is further out than his top jaw, so I filed it around half a centimetre. He was really good; a real cutie."

18/02/2024

Owner Claire says she couldn't be more grateful to Vets4Pets Hamilton after their quick diagnosis saved the sight of six-year-old Alba.

Claire knew there was something terribly wrong with her miniature dachshund cross when she called her in from the back garden last summer and Alba ran headfirst into a closed patio door. She rushed her to the vets, where investigations led the team to diagnose her with uveitis – an eye condition which causes inflammation of the middle layer of the eye.

Claire said: "It all happened so suddenly; Alba must have heard my voice and guessed where to go. It was quite scary seeing how bad she was. We couldn't be more grateful for the team in Hamilton spotting the uveitis as quickly as they did, otherwise Alba would have gone blind within a matter of days. Their knowledge saved Alba's sight. I still can't believe it happened. It's taken months of treatments, but it's such a relief to have our girl back to being her funny, bossy self."

Vet Neil, one of the team who treated Alba, said: "Alba's pupil was really narrow and wouldn't respond to light properly, which can be a sign of uveitis. Once we had ruled out other conditions, we were able to get her to an eye specialist for ongoing treatment. She's now doing really well."

16/02/2024

Ducky's owner Antonia was in a state of panic when she saw a fox had dug its way into the field where she keeps him – killing two of her other ducks and chickens.

Antonia was about to move her brood into their pen for the evening when she saw what had happened and noticed that Ducky had severe bite wounds under his wing. She rushed him to Vets4Pets Vets Milton Keynes for emergency surgery – and after having his wound stitched up the one-year-old duck is now making a good recovery.

Antonia said: "I was so worried. You don’t often hear of ducks recovering from fox attacks, but there is something about Ducky and the way he was so brave. I'm sure he was protecting a lady duck, as he's a bit of a romantic. It's the first time we've gone to Vets for Pets, and the team were amazing; they've done an incredible job."

Vet Becca, who treated Ducky, said: "He's a really lucky duck, as it was quite a big wound. When he first came in, he was understandably subdued and quiet but when he came back for his stitches to be taken out, he wanted to explore and tuck his head into everyone’s shoulders."

07/02/2024

Well done to the team at Vets4Pets Guildford who've been awarded a silver level certificate for being a rabbit-friendly clinic.

After head veterinary nurse Ella noticed that more customers were bringing in rabbits the practice took a series of steps to give them as stress-free an experience as possible. Ella, who also fosters rescue dogs in her spare time, said: "There was a long list of things that we needed to prove that we did from making sure the rabbits are kept separate from other animals and not booked in at the same time as barking dogs, to providing heated kennels for those who need to stay in, and using special equipment made especially for rabbits."

Practice manager Kevin said: "All of our vets have plenty of experience with rabbits we have some real rabbit geeks here, so it was a big thing to us. There are so many good people in this world and I'm so proud to be around them."

28/01/2024

Beautiful Bear was born deaf, so he's learned to follow his owner Lisa's visual commands.

Lisa, who shops at our Tamworth store – "it's my second home!" – got two-year-old Bear as a kitten and suspected he was deaf when he didn't respond to her voice. She had it confirmed by her vet soon after. She said: "He was very scatty, and scared of people he didn’t recognise. He wasn’t bothered by loud noises like my other cat Emily and when I came home from work he wouldn’t hear the door open.

"He's doing really well though. I try to do some sign language with him – I point at him and do a solid hand sign at him to stop. He picks up on vibrations and scents too. He meows, making a really loud chirping sound which I’ve never heard a cat do before, and he’s always rubbing his head against my legs and following me everywhere. I was advised not to let him out because he wouldn’t hear cars or other dangers, so he comes outside with me every morning to have a sniff around the garden and always comes straight back in." Bear and Lisa's other cat Emily are on Instagram as

27/01/2024

Ten-year-old Dutch rabbit Alfie has been visiting vet Kate at Vets4pets Wolverhampton for dental treatment for the last eight years – and she says he's such a loveable character that he's become "part of the family".

He's one of the oldest rabbits treated by Kate and the team, and she says his longevity is down to the care and love he gets from his owner Tracy and her family. Kate said: "Alfie is famous in this practice – everyone knows him. We and his family are dedicated to making sure her little old man is happy. The beautiful thing about being a vet or vet nurse is you build these relationships with the owners and their pets – they become your surrogate pets."

Tracy's been keeping rabbits all her life, and says that having space and routine is key. She said: "Alfie is an old man now and has a routine. He goes into a hutch at night and is let out in the morning. He's out all day and has his favourite spots in the house. We clean him out every day and give him a lot of attention. When he was younger he would follow us around; if I was clearing a cupboard out he would be in the cupboard to help. Now he's old and wants to be warm and watch instead. I can't thank Kate and the practice enough. Kate's been fantastic with him."

26/01/2024

Eight-year-old Winnie the Schnauzer cross is running around like a puppy again thanks to laser treatment and physiotherapy after two successful knee operations at Vets for Pets Basildon.

Worried owner Tracy brought Winnie in to the practice after she collapsed on a walk last year – and the team discovered the cruciate ligament in a knee had ruptured. She’s since had ops on two knees and is on a recovery plan led by vet physiotherapist Izzy.

Tracy said: "Winnie has had a tough year with 15 teeth removed, two cruciate ligament operations and two bouts of pancreatitis but thankfully she's hardy. She’s treated fabulously at the Basildon practice. Izzy is great with her – she totally relaxes in her hands and does little snores with her eyes open. Winnie has a new lease of life again and is running around like a puppy."

Izzy said: "When pets have surgery or injure themselves they move differently which causes them to be sore in other places. Winnie has laser therapy then a massage to help the healing process. Laser treatment is a specialist service that not enough people know about – it can help in so many ways after an operation.”

19/01/2024

The team at Vets4Pets Cramlington say greyhound Frank was "an absolute gentleman" when he came in for some dental work.

Seven-year-old Frank was brought in by owner Harriet to get rid of some plaque which had built up and to treat a gum inflammation. Veterinary nurse Vicki said: "Frank was a very good boy and left with clean, fresh and sparkly teeth. It's so very important to get your dog's teeth checked and we advise pets to have an annual dental check. Eighty per cent of dogs over the age of three have dental disease. Prevention is much better than cure and regular checks and routine cleaning keep your pet's mouth healthier for longer and can help to prevent extensive extractions later in life. We are always happy to offer advice on maintenance and dental care at home such as teeth brushing or dental supplements."

18/01/2024

Veterinary nurse Mel from Vets4Pets Bristol Longwell Green loves cats so much she's helped the practice make a number of improvements to give cats as stress-free an experience as possible when they're brought in.

Mel, who has an Advanced Certificate in Feline Behaviour for Veterinary Professionals, helped introduce facilities like a separate feline waiting area and cattery and the use of quiet clippers – and the practice now has a silver level certificate for being a cat-friendly clinic. She said: "I love dogs but I'm really a cat person. Cats can be misunderstood which can lead to them having quite a stressful life, so if we can make things easier for them and help people understand what cats need then everyone will be happier.

"As animal lovers there's always more to learn and understand about what makes them happy. Enrichment at the home is important for a happy cat – and as cats are naturally solitary animals if you live in a multi-cat household it's important to understand what they need. The rule is to have a resource per cat, plus one spare. So if you have two cats you should have three feeding stations, three litter trays and three scratch posts spread around the house so they have the opportunity to move around to wherever they want to go. Scratching is as natural a thing for cats to do as going out hunting is, so if they're unable to go out it's about providing the chance for them to behave as naturally as possible."

07/01/2024

Four-year-old Sebastian the Jack Russell is back to his usual boisterous self after being treated at Vets4Pets Abingdon for a condition that was causing the knee caps on his back legs to dislocate when he walked.

The condition, known as medial patellar luxation, would cause him to hop or skip when exercising. It's quite common in terriers and small dog breeds, but Sebastian's case was quite severe and he was given surgery by orthopaedic surgeon Joe to deepen the groove his patella runs in on his right hind leg, and also to move and reattach his patellar tendon.

Sebastian is owned by practice vet Hannah who said: "After the operation he just wanted to get back to normal straight away but he couldn't ... and that's where we struggled. He wanted to be out and about, charging around and playing with his toys but he needed to rest." Hannah had to give him medication for six weeks to give his knees time to heal. She said: "He's absolutely fine now – he's fully recovered and running around like a lunatic again!"

05/01/2024

When 11-year-old lurcher Jess was brought into Vets for Pets Leeds Birstall 24/7 Small Animal Hospital on Christmas Eve feeling very poorly with pyometra – a life-threatening uterus infection – the team knew they had to act fast; so vet Emily and nurses JD and Hannah headed straight in to perform emergency surgery on her in the early hours of Christmas morning.

The operation went so well that by lunchtime nurse Krishna was able to call her owner Beth to say she was well enough to come home to recuperate – and Beth made the hour-long drive from her home in Keighley so she could bring Jess home before the family sat down for their Christmas dinner. Beth said: "It was a stressful start to Christmas, as we were worried about Jess because of her age and because she's never had anything wrong with her before. We're so grateful for everything – it was so nice of them to come in on Christmas Day to operate on her, to look after her so well and to get her home on top form. The vets were fantastic from start to finish. Jess is recovering nicely – you can see the happiness is back in her!"

Krishna said: "Our night team always do an amazing job, and performing serious surgery like that at that time of night and on Christmas Day of all days is just brilliant. Jess did amazingly well to bounce back so quickly, and it was amazing being able to call her owners to say that she could come home to spend Christmas with them. It's the sort of call we all love to make, but doing it on Christmas Day was extra nice."