Vets4Pets Epsom

02/11/2024

And the WINNER IS…..

Nyxie!!! 🎉🥳🎉

All the entrants looked so super cute that we had to do a ‘randomly selected, names in a hat’ to make a fair decision 😊

We will be in touch with Nyxie’s family to arrange her prize!! Congratulations 👏🏽 🎉👏🏽

🎃TRICK OR TREAT COMPETITION🎃

We are giving away either a £20 Pets at Home voucher or £20 credit for Vets4Pets Epsom for Halloween! All you have to do is like and share this post, and then post a photo of your pet either showing off their best ‘trick’, or enjoying their favourite ‘treat’ 👻🍬

Terms and conditions:
- you must be a registered client to enter and able to collect your prize if you are the winner
- entry dates are between 21/10/24 to 30/10/24
- the prize winner will be drawn on 31/10/24

01/11/2024

31/10/2024

Happy Diwali to all our clients celebrating today 🪔

23/10/2024

Our amazing team 🌟
Loving being here to take care of your much loved furry family member 💕

21/10/2024

🎃TRICK OR TREAT COMPETITION🎃

We are giving away either a £20 Pets at Home voucher or £20 credit for Vets4Pets Epsom for Halloween! All you have to do is like and share this post, and then post a photo of your pet either showing off their best ‘trick’, or enjoying their favourite ‘treat’ 👻🍬

Terms and conditions:
- you must be a registered client to enter and able to collect your prize if you are the winner
- entry dates are between 21/10/24 to 30/10/24
- the prize winner will be drawn on 31/10/24

15/10/2024

Jinxi approves of our Dental home care leaflet for pet owners! 😍

14/10/2024

Lovely Lexie was initially nervous about being with us but soon settled in and enjoyed cuddles with everyone!
This is her post surgery, on her way home with her packed lunch leftovers!

Her mum is also getting her a medical pet suite which is an alternative to the Elizabeth collar (cone/ lampshade collar!)

Doesn’t she just look so adorable 💕

13/10/2024

Did you know that shorter nosed (brachycephalic) breeds such as French Bulldogs, Pugs, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Shih Tzus and Boxers, are 3.6 times more likely to suffer from dry eye than longer nosed breeds and 11 times more likely to get eye ulcers!

This is due to a few reasons;

👁️ They produce less tears as they have shallow eye sockets - this also means their lovely eyes protude more and can be prone to injury
👁️ A reduced ability to blink as their eyelids may not close fully - a whopping 82% of Shih Tzus cannot fully close their eyes when they blink, so their tears do not lubricate the full surface of their eyes.
👁️ Inward rolling eyelids, so their eyelashes rub against the eye surface constantly causing damage and pain!

If you have one of these lovely breeds, with large prominent eyes, make sure to have their eyes examined regularly by a vet, so they can catch these problems at the early stages and keep your pets comfortable and seeing clearly for as long as possible!

08/10/2024

This time of the year, we are seeing a lot of cases of Hot Spots. Hots spots are also known as ‘acute moist dermatitis’.

Owners often notice their dog scratching at an area of their skin (often the head and neck), and the fur feels moist and can be smelly. As can been seen in the photos below, once the fur is clipped away you can see the sore, infected, painful skin.

It is so important to get your dog seen by the vet if you notice them scratching a lot, or notice a moist or smelly patch of fur - as it could be a hot spot! It is best to get seen by a vet as soon as possible, to prevent the infection from spreading further or deeper.

Any breed of dog can be affected, but it tends to occur more often in dogs with long or dense hair. The thick fur prevent airflow, and keeps the area wet and warm so bacteria can flourish. The damp weather can also be a contributing factor, and dogs that like to swim or play in puddles can be more likely to develop hot spots.

We usually treat hot spots by clipping away the fur in the affected area, then cleaning and drying the skin. If it is a particularly nasty infection, then we may also prescribe antibiotics. To prevent any further licking or scratching at the sores, we also send dogs home with an Elizabethan collar.

01/10/2024

Today is Veterinary Receptionist Appreciation Day 💕🎉
We would like to take the opportunity to say a HUGE THANK YOU to our amazing reception team for their hard work, dedication and compassion for our patients, pet owners and the whole team!

The lovely Fiona and Aaliyah, with the help of Ana(VCA), Maisey (VCA) and Lucy (SVN), do an amazing job of organising our diaries, being the first point of contact for pet owners and providing them information and dealing with all client queries and all the admin at reception!!

14/09/2024

Saturday antics 😆

09/09/2024

There is less than one month to go for bird keepers in England and Wales to register themselves with the Animal and Plant Health Agency, as new legal requirement comes into force on 1 October.

07/09/2024

⭐️ WELCOME BACK AALIYAH! ⭐️

Some of our long-time clients may remember lovely Aaliyah who used to work with us but moved to Holland a few years ago. We were sad to see her go, but we are thrilled to say she is now back with us again! You’ll be seeing her regularly at our reception desk, so make sure to say hello and welcome back when you see her 🙋🏻‍♀️

04/09/2024

🐱Cute kitten alert 🐱

Today we had two beautiful Burmese kittens in for their final vaccinations, microchips, and health check before going to their forever home!

It is now law that all cats are microchipped, so make sure your cats have been chipped and that the details are up to date so you can be reunited if they wander too far!

03/09/2024

23/08/2024

🐱STRAY KITTEN🐱

We have had a stray kitten handed into us this morning, sadly it is not microchipped and doesn’t have a collar on. It was found by the Odeon cinema and is very dirty, so may have been missing a few days! If you are missing a kitten please call us on 01372 746510, and we would be grateful if anyone can please share this post so we can find this little one’s family!

17/08/2024

⭐️BISCOFF THE BRAVE⭐️

We saw Biscoff the Syrian hamster recently as her owner noticed she wasn’t her usual self and had some bleeding from her back end. Once our vets examined her she was diagnosed with pyometra - a potentially life threatening infection of the uterus that can affect any un-spayed animal. Biscoff was started on pain-relief and antibiotics, before having intricate surgery with our vet Lenesa to remove the infected uterus. Although any surgery is risky on a small animal such as Biscoff, she was closely monitored by our nursing team and her owner took great care of her while she recuperated after her operation. So we are thrilled to say she has made a full recovery and is back to running around and stuffing her cheeks as a hamster should! Well done Biscoff! 🎉🎉

If you or anyone you know has a female pet (big or small!) that hasn’t been spayed, please watch out for signs of pyometra such as: discharge from their lady parts, lethargy, vomiting, and a reduced appetite. If your pet is showing these symptoms then book in to see your vet ASAP to get treatment started 🩺

13/08/2024

Oakley is going on his holidays!

Oakley will be accompanying his family on their summer holidays to France.

His family have made sure they followed all the rules and requirements for traveling with their beloved pet to a EU country.

Here’s a checklist if you are thinking of doing the same:
1️⃣your pet will need to have a MICROCHIP.
2️⃣a RABIES VACCINATION administered by a vet at least 21 days before your date of travel to the EU.
3️⃣a Animal Health Certficiate(AHC) issued within 10 days of your date of entry into the EU.
Please note the AHC is an official document that can only be issued by certain vets called OVs (Official vets have a government stamp and are trained)

For all the up to date details on current requirements it is strongly advised that you have a look on:
https://www.gov.uk/taking-your-pet-abroad

Have an amazing holiday Oakley!!💕🥰

07/08/2024

Lucy’s cat thinks she’s a rabbit…..
Mmm… but May have changed her mind

What caption would you give this photo?

05/08/2024

Hope everyone has been enjoying the Olympics!

29/07/2024

Summer holidays are among us 🌤️🏖️
Enjoy your holidays and be safe on the beach with the below very useful tips, and take a look at the link too….

Thinking about taking your dog to the beach? 🐶🏖️ Sounds pawsome! Take a look at our top tips to help keep your pooch safe 💛

Read all of our coastal safety advice here: https://bit.ly/3pYCbPn

[Image description: Our tips are: Carry fresh drinking water. Provide plenty of shade. Check the beach allows dogs. Keep your dog on the lead near fast-flowing water or cliffs. Don't let your dog drink seawater. Check the weather and tide times in advance. If your dog likes to swim, look out for underwater hazards. If your dog gets into trouble in water or mud, or goes over a cliff, dont go after them. Move to a spot they can reach you safely and call them to you. Call 999 or 122 and ask for the coastguard.]

27/07/2024

If only people were as good as animals…..

25/07/2024

*Be Lungworm aware*

Take a look at this useful website for up to date prevalence of lungworm infections in our area!

We aim to keep all doggies safe from Lungworm ⭐️

Enter your location below to see the number of lungworm Angiostrongylus vasorum cases reported in your area. Lungworm is potentially deadly to dogs, ..

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.”

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."

03/01/2024

Six-foot-long boa constrictor Astrix was the centre of attention when he called in for a routine "top to tail" health check at Vets4Pets Penzance.

Astrix, who's four, is part of a menagerie of six snakes, bearded dragons and six dogs belonging to veterinary nurse Lowenna, who works at the practice, and her partner Mark. The team looked at Astrix's eyes and mouth and checked his breathing to rule out any respiratory infections and also checked his scales.

Lowenna said: "He got a clean bill of health, he was absolutely fine and everyone had a turn holding him. Asterix is quite reserved, a little bit shy usually. He did really well when he came in as everyone wanted to touch him and he was like 'okay I quite like the attention.' Astrix has got a lovely big set-up at home. He's quite a big boy, weighing in at nearly 10 kilos, so the vivarium is more than seven foot long. We have a reptile room and he has the run of it. He has a large bucket of water too if he ever wants to submerge himself."

02/01/2024

This brave girl is collie-cross Sherpa, who the team at Vets for Pets Livingston say was "impeccably calm" when she was rushed in for emergency injury after hurting her eye in a freak accident.

Sherpa's owner Caroline was taking Sherpa for a walk when Sherpa caught her eye on a stick as she went exploring a bush. She was quickly admitted into surgery where she received X-rays and, after a two-hour procedure by practice owner Dr Adam, aided by nurse Erin, the stick was removed. Adam said: "Sherpa was amazingly tolerant following an extremely random occurrence. It was astonishing." Sherpa didn't lose her sight and is now making a great recovery.

Caroline said: “We were suddenly thrown into the worst living nightmare, it was absolutely horrifying. It’s truly a miracle what Adam and the team achieved from the moment they answered our call for help. They gave us hope."

24/12/2023

This little Christmas cracker is Molly, who survived against the odds and gave birth to three premature puppies after being brought in to Vets for Pets Cirencester as a pregnant stray with severe injuries from a fight with other dogs.

Martina, who owns the practice, said: ”It was really touch and go and we thought Molly might not make it. The team treated mum first, got her on a drip and stabilised her before successfully managing to deliver the puppies – two boys and a girl – by caesarean section."

Molly, who's a Cairn Terrier, and her three pups are recovering well at home with Martina. “As they needed 24/7 care I took them home and emptied the whole spare bedroom so there was a nice, warm and comfortable quiet place for Molly and her puppies. I was attached to her for the first five days – my husband Matt even brought food up to the bedroom for me as I stayed there all the time. It was really hard work but it was all worth it. They’re absolute darlings and doing really well now – mum is already brave enough to go on dog walks.”

Martina says Molly will continue living with her in the future, and the puppies will be adopted when they are stronger.

19/12/2023

This beautiful buzzard is on the mend after undergoing surgery on a broken wing at Vets4Pets Newmarket after he was hit by a car.

A member of the public rescued the buzzard and brought him in to see if the team could help. After a successful operation and five days of recuperation he's ben taken to The Raptor Foundation rehabilitation centre to continue his recovery.

Practice manager Natalie said: "We put him under general anaesthetic and performed orthopaedic surgery. We'll see him again next month to see how he's progressing and then hopefully he'll be released back into the wild. We wish him a speedy recovery as he's such a handsome chap.”

17/12/2023

Here's a salutary tale in the run-up to Christmas Day ... the story of poor little Tego, who had to be rushed to Vets for Pets Morpeth for emergency treatment after snaffling 48 Quality Street chocolates, their wrappers and part of the box.

Owner Sarah realised chocolate was toxic for dogs so phoned the vets who told her to get the five-year Tibetan Terrier there immediately. Sarah said: "They were brilliant with him. The chocolates were a birthday present for my daughter Olivia, and they were all wrapped up and put in the lounge with the door shut. I went to work and when I came back Tego had somehow managed to get in the room and rip into them."

Vet Eleni and the team helped Tego cough everything up and took blood tests and put him on medication before he was allowed home. Eleni said it's a useful reminder to keep chocolates well hidden – and to act fast if your dog eats any and induce vomiting within one to two hours to prevent the body from absorbing the toxins.