Ark Veterinary Practice

04/09/2024

03/09/2024

There is now less than one month to go for bird keepers who haven’t done so yet to register with Animal and Plant Health Agency 🦆

Keepers in England and Wales must register by 1 October 2024, and keepers in Scotland must register by 1 December 2024.

By registering, you will help manage potential bird flu outbreaks and limit any spread. Keepers will also receive advice on steps to take to protect the health of their birds. 🐓

Find out more, including how to register or update your details: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/avian-influenza-mandatory-bird-registration-comes-into-force-in-october

02/09/2024

28/08/2024

This is a really useful guide for anyone with a cat with kidney disease. 🐈‍⬛

➡️ Renal diets – why they’re important!

➡️ It’s really important for cats diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) to eat a diet that has been recommended by their veterinary team and is specially produced for their condition.

➡️ We know that diet changes for cats with CKD can help slow down disease progression and increase longevity. Not only can dietary modifications extend your cat’s life, but they can also improve their quality of life by reducing the build-up of toxins that cause nausea, and providing extra electrolytes and vitamins that can be lost in the urine.

➡️ The kidneys are responsible for filtering excess phosphate out of the blood. When they stop working properly, this phosphate can build up causing all sorts of problems and worsen kidney function. Veterinary “renal diets” are produced specifically for cats with kidney disease and contain reduced amounts of phosphorus. While phosphate restriction is the most important feature of renal diets, there’s much more to them than that. Good quality renal diets are carefully formulated with a variety of functional ingredients that all have a part to play in supporting the patient’s health – see here for more:

https://www.vetvoices.co.uk/post/diet-and-chronic-kidney-disease

Cats can be fussy and slow to accept a new food. This is especially true if they are feeling unwell.

✅Some top tips to improve acceptance:

✅ It can take months for a cat to accept a new food, so don’t expect it to happen in days. It doesn’t mean the new food isn’t tasty, or that the cat won’t come to enjoy it, given time. As diet is such an important factor in the disease, it's really important to persevere.
✅ If possible, don’t make diet changes when your cat is stressed or unwell and avoid feeding the new diet at the same time as medications. These can all cause aversion to the food.
✅ Choose the right diet. Your vet practice should recommend a high quality, science-based diet that is tested for palatability and available in wet and dry formats to suit all preferences.
✅ Smell is important to cats. Let the food reach room temperature before serving or gently warm a small amount to body temperature to increase the aroma.
✅ Sometimes tasty toppings can be added to your cat’s diet. You must check with your veterinary team before adding anything. They may recommend a palatability enhancer that is formulated to be safe in cats with kidney disease.
✅ Slowly substitute the old food for the new one over at least one week. Try putting the foods in separate bowls if your cat doesn’t like them mixed.

💦Furthermore, when we have cats with renal disease, we become even more aware of maintaining hydration💦

💦When cats become dehydrated, they can be slow to initiate drinking and have a low thirst stimulus. When they do start to drink, they are not very efficient as they cannot create a suction with their tongue!

💦Behaviour also has an impact; cats can feel vulnerable when drinking from a bowl of water and can be sensitive to the presentation and taste of the water.

💦Dehydration can be associated with several conditions including chronic kidney disease!

💦When we are managing feline cases holistically, looking at their environment is essential and this includes water intake!

💦Increasing a cat's liquid intake should be considered as a key factor to reach a correct level of hydration, together with a healthy diet and proper environmental management.

So what can we do?!

💧Cats can feel vulnerable while drinking, so giving them privacy can help

💧Cats don't like their food source near their water so having separate food and water stations can help

💧Having water stations in different areas of the house. This is especially essential if you have a multi-cat household to prevent resource issues and inter-cat conflict

💧Proving them with different types of bowl - wide (so their whiskers don't touch), and different material in case they don't like the taste or reflection of water in them

💧Changing the water regularly so it is fresh and cool

💧Flavouring the water or providing them with a hydration supplement to encourage drinking such as Purina Pro Plan Hydra Care

💧Providing them with running water such as water fountains

💧If we have mobility issues such as osteoarthritis, we might struggle or be reluctant to jump up and take water from a bowl on a high surface or a tap - please remember that as we get older we may need changes to our access

Read more about the science behind feline drinking and how to get your cats drinking more below 👇

https://www.vetvoices.co.uk/post/help-i-need-my-cat-to-drink-more

26/08/2024

25/08/2024

A lot goes into creating the ideal home for rabbits 🐇

Their environment has a huge impact on their health and wellbeing, so it's really important to make sure their home provides for all of their complex needs 🏡

Rabbits can live indoors or outdoors, but a hutch is not enough. Your rabbits’ living space should be as big as possible. 10ft x 6ft x 3ft/3m x 2m x 1m is the absolute minimum recommended space for a pair of rabbits.

Remember, the better their living space, the happier they’ll be!

Here’s everything you need to know: http://pdsa.me/9qqc

[Visual description: An infographic explaining the ideal home for your rabbits. This includes; A large, enclosed outdoor area they can use at all times, a neutered companion, one water bowl per rabbit, a litter tray, toys for entertainment, constant access to hay, a shaded area, a large shelter and dry, clean bedding that is comfortable and absorbent.]

24/08/2024

Finally! The new Pet Abduction Act comes into force today meaning anyone found guilty of stealing a dog in England or Northern Ireland will face up to five years in prison, a fine, or both 🙌

As members of the family, we know that having your beloved pet stolen is an extremely stressful, heart-breaking experience. But until now having your pet stolen has been treated no differently to mobile phone or laptop theft.

Under the new law, dogs and cats are no longer seen as objects but as sentient beings who can experience emotional trauma when they are stolen from their owners 💛

Read our information on preventing pet theft and what to do if the worst does happen and your dog is stolen 👉 https://bit.ly/4a2S0pC

23/08/2024

The more helpful paws the better at Harvest time!

21/08/2024

Please can we ask that you clear up behind your dog in the carpark. There’s a bin and we always have poo bags! Please don’t leave it for someone to step in!!🤢

20/08/2024

It’s Merlin’s 12th Birthday today!
Happy Birthday lovely boy 🎉🥳

19/08/2024

August Bank Holiday opening hours:
Saturday 24th 8am - 12.30pm. Urgent cases only.
Sunday 25th Closed
Bank Holiday Monday Closed
For all emergencies out of hours please call MiNight Vet on 01189 733466.

Please make sure you order any medication in plenty of time!

15/08/2024

Re Road closure. Today they are doing the Ark to Kings Road end then tomorrow they are doing from us towards Reading Road. There will be a short amount of time when we will not be able to get in or out of the carpark (presumably mid morning) so tomorrow you should be able to get in to Connaught Rd from Kings Road and if you can’t get in the carpark then park in Burnside close somewhere. Some areas are yellowed line but not all. The workmen said they will try to let people in and out of the carpark as soon as they are able.

15/08/2024

Kings Road end of Connaught Road is shut please use Reading Road end!!!

15/08/2024

Re Road Closure: it looks as though there might be something happening today but as HCC hasn’t actually come and spoken to us about what the plan is we will just have to keep you updated as we can. We are open as normal but please allow extra time for your journey in case there is a delay getting through.

13/08/2024

⛔️🚧⛔️Connaught road closure for surface dressing.

Hampshire highways will be carrying out further repairs and surface dressing (micro asphalt) on Connaught Rd.

It looks as though work is likely to start on Friday 16th and take up to 3 days, but if conditions change, the date may move.

Please do not drive on the surface until permitted, as it may harm it and reduce longevity. Access only for premises will be permitted by construction staff on site where possible, but you might have to wait a short while.
We will be open as normal but PLEASE ALLOW EXTRA TIME FOR YOUR JOURNEY! We will keep you updated as best we can.

12/08/2024

It’s very hot today! Please keep a close eye on your pets and keep them cool. We know we bang on about this every time the sun comes out but this is a real danger. We’ve seen cases over the years and the sight and sound of a dog with severe heat stroke will stay with us forever. It’s awful - it kills! The best time to walk your dog is first thing in the morning or very late in the evening or not at all.

11/08/2024

🚨 : Temperatures set to hit above 30 degrees across parts of England

As the UK Health Security Agency issues a yellow heat-health alert, we're urging pet owners to take extra precautions to protect their pets from heat-related conditions - including heatstroke, burnt paw pads, sunburn, and breathing difficulties.

Check out our top tips to keep your pets safe 👉 https://ow.ly/rAT450PHngG

Met Office BSAVA

07/08/2024

We're looking for UK cat owners currently caring for a cat with chronic kidney disease (CKD) to complete a survey to help veterinary researchers gather more information on this condition, which commonly affects older cats.

If you can help and have 15–20 minutes to spare, please consider taking the survey 👉 https://forms.office.com/r/JFUMCZBxUs

Thank you for taking the time to collaborate for cats! 😺

31/07/2024

Sometimes, people are not keen to put their cat inside a carrier when bringing them to the veterinary clinic 🩺🐈‍⬛

Maybe it's difficult to place their cat in the carrier, or they don't travel well. Perhaps the cat has been trained to wear a harness at home and their owner doesn't want to restrict their cat's movements. These reasons are understandable, but they do not trump what is most important - to keep cats safe.

🩺A veterinary environment is not the same as a home environment. There are loud noises, strong smells, bright lights and lots of unfamiliar people and animals, all of which may startle a cat. The first choice for a frightened cat is to run away and/or hide in order to remove themselves from a threat....

🙀If a cat is held in someone's arms or is on a harness in the waiting area and then becomes startled, they will have nowhere to hide and may attempt to quickly run away. This risks them injuring themselves, their owner and even escaping outside the clinic building (I have seen this happen!)

🙀An exposed cat that is not secured safely in their carrier is at risk of being attacked by dogs waiting inside clinic, or those entering/exiting the clinic. Remember that some dogs have a high prey drive and many of those waiting may be anxious, ill or in pain, and as such may react in a way that puts cats at risk of being injured (this is not the dog's fault, just the reality of the situation).

🚗It's also much safer for all to travel to the clinic with cats secured in their carriers.

😺 Cats visiting the clinic in their carrier are safer, less likely to be injured and escape and can hide in a covered carrier elevated off of the floor.

If you are asked to place your cat in a carrier upon arrival at the veterinary clinic, it's because your veterinary team wants to keep your cat safe 👍

Check out the International Cat Care Carer Guides If you'd like some more information about taking your cat to the veterinary clinic 👇😺
https://icatcare.org/advice-cat-carer-guides

30/07/2024

⚠️ Please do not enter the water or allow dogs to swim

This naturally occurring algae can be toxic and may cause harm to both humans and animals. As a precaution please avoid contact with the water.

We have reported this case to the Environment Agency.

Fleet Pond Society

01/01/2024

Wishing all our clients and their pets a Happy and Healthy 2024!