Veterinary Surgery At the Brambles our aim is to provide you with all you require to enable your pet to live as long and healthy a life as possible.
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Whilst we are here to treat your pet 24 hours a day when he/ she is ill or injured, we feel it is equally important to provide you with good quality preventive healthcare advice to keep your pet in good working order throughout their life. Our philosophy at the practice has its basis in the fact that we too are pet owners. We aim to provide you with all the information you will need to give your p
et a long and healthy life. History
The practice was established in 1971 by Ivor Smith as a small one vet practice to service the pets and farm animals of Churchdown. The practice progressed over the years gradually building up to a 3 vet practice by the mid 1990’s, with more emphasis on the family pet side of the practice. In 1996 Neil Savill joined the practice and became a partner in 1998. The practice underwent a number of major changes in the following years, most notably the move into the new purpose built surgery in Albemarle Road, Churchdown. With the retirement of Ivor in 2001 the practice was taken on solely by Neil. The following years saw a number of major advancements which has brought the practice to where it is today - with the all the facilities of a modern veterinary hospital whilst still maintaining the traditional feel of a friendly village vets. The Churchdown Surgery
58 Albemarle Road
Churchdown
Gloucester
GL3 2HE
01452 712194
Barnwood Road Surgery
146b Barnwood Road
Gloucester
GL4 3JT
01452 712233
Brockworth Branch
The Old Forge
Green Street
Brockworth
Gloucester
GL3 4LS
01452 712194
Sympathy Cards
From Monday 19th August, we are now providing Sympathy Cards to all those who have lost their pets here at The Brambles.
Please inform us at your appointment if you would NOT like a sympathy card so we can respect your wishes as the owner.
Thank you.
Keep Your Pets Cool in the Hot Weather!
With the hot weather back again this week, it's important to ensure that your pets remain cool to avoid health problems such as lethargy, vomiting, diarrhoea & heatstroke.
Things you can do to keep your pets cool include:
- Offering water and keeping it topped up
- Freezing doggie treats or cat licki-licks and creating your own ice-pops for your pet
- Having cool mats or damp towels available for your pet to lie on and cool down
- Some dogs enjoy paddling pools!
- Ensure that dogs are not walked during the middle of the day when the sun is at it's hottest. Try and walk them early in the morning and late in the evening. If you cannot hold the palm of your hand on the pavement for 5 seconds, then it is too hot for your dog
- Do NOT leave your dogs in hot cars
If you suspect that your pet is suffering from heatstroke, do not hestitate to ring us at The Brambles and we can treat your pet as soon as possible.
And don't forget to keep yourselves cool too!
Spread the cost of your pet's healthcare!
At The Brambles Vets, we have created a "Pet Health Plan" which allows you to pay monthly for flea/worm treatment and includes annual vaccinations alongisde other additional benefits.
Whether you have a dog, cat or rabbit, there is a plan to suit everyone.
Cats = £15 a month
Rabbits = £10.50 a month
Dogs = £16.50-£36.50 a month depending on the weight of dog
Additional benefits include:
- 10% discount off: Dentals, Neutering, Kennel Cough vaccination in dogs, in house lab work & food.
Pick up a leaflet from our reception today!
Today we had a poor young dog that was out this morning happily enjoying her walk when she managed to get a grass seed in her nostril. Vigorous sneezing fits failed to dislodge it and she needed a general anaesthetic to remove it from deep in her nasal cavity - even with a tiny scope we could only just see the tip of it and grabbing hold of it was even more of a challenge!
As many of you have said, these things are everywhere and its difficult to avoid them and we shall be happy when the next few weeks are behind us.
It is that time of year again where a number of posts giving bad information are shared around Facebook (with the best of intentions).
Currently there is a post being commonly shared that you cannot cool an overheated dog with cold water or a wet towel. THIS IS NOT CORRECT.
The important factor is that it should NOT be ICED water but cooling an overheated pet with water and wet towels is the best way. Full details can be found below which are taken from the Royal Veterinary College's advice page (see link at the bottom)
We will also probably see articles advising not to put ice cubes in your pets water (fine as long as they aren’t the size to be a choking hazard) and not to clip long haired dogs as their coat insulates them against the heat (proved by thermal imaging – but if you put a big coat on you wouldn’t radiate heat either but you would certainly get hot!)
FIRST AID FOR HEATSTROKE - TIPS FOR PET OWNERS:
If you are concerned that your pet is overheating, you should act immediately, as heatstroke can rapidly become a life-threatening emergency; We recommend to “cool first, transport second” as the immediate first aid response for dogs with heatstroke. Owners should also seek veterinary advice as soon as possible.
• Take your pet somewhere cool, ideally a well ventilated area or use a fan
• Offer them small sips of water (do not force them to drink)
• Cold water immersion is an effective approach for young, healthy dogs
• Evaporation method: Pouring water of any temperature that is cooler than your dog over them and combine with air movement from a breeze, fan, or air conditioning (evaporative cooling) for older dogs or dogs with underlying health problems.
• if you cannot use the evaporation method, cool them down by pouring/hosing cool water on them. It’s important not to use ice-cold water as this can reduce blood flow to the skin, reducing their ability to cool down or even cause them to shiver, increasing heat generation.
• Once you’ve started these steps, call your vets who will be able to advise you further. Even if your pet seems to be ok it’s important to have them checked (unless told otherwise), as the more serious signs of heatstroke may not be immediately apparent.
Tips for preventing heat stroke in dogs and cats
You can help to keep your pet cool and comfortable in summer by:
• Make sure your pet always has access to a cool shaded area, both indoors and outside
• Restrict exercise on warm days (dogs should be walked early in the morning or later in the evening to avoid the hottest part of the day)
• Pack a water bottle on walks
• Remember, hot pavements can burn paws! If it’s too hold your hand on, it’s too hot for your pet to walk on
• Never leave pets in a car or a hot room (eg conservatories)
• Ensure your pet always has drinking water available, adding ice can help keep it cool
• Ensure your pet is regularly groomed if this is advised for their breed
https://www.rvc.ac.uk/small-animal-vet/teaching-and-research/fact-files/heatstroke-in-dogs-and-cats #:~:text=Take%20your%20pet%20somewhere%20cool%2C%20ideally%20a%20well,is%20an%20effective%20approach%20for%20young%2C%20healthy%20dogs
Rabbit Awareness Week 24th-28th June.
This year Burgess and Excel pay particular attention to Rabbit's Diets.
It is important to be aware of the diets that are unhealthy to rabbits. Muesli style diets cause rabbits to naturally select the higher energy elements & reject everything else in the mixture. This causes an unbalanced diet and can cause an increased change of problems such as:
- Dental disease
- Gut stasis & other digestive problems
- Increased risk of obesity
- Fly strike
- Reduced fibre intake
- Reduced water intake
A rabbit's diet should mainly consist of hay and sources of fibre which are essential for the rabbit's health and welfare. But hay also varies in it's nutritional value. The table below shows the need for specific feeding hay rather than bedding hay.
Throughout the week, we will focus on rabbits and their diets but to kick off Rabbit Awarenes Week 2024, post your photos below of your happy bunnies and show some love to the 3rd most popular animal in the UK!
Grass seeds are BACK!
With summer (hopefully) fast approaching, it is important to raise awareness of grass seeds. You will often see these plants growing outside houses, in gardens or fields and can cause serious discomfort to your dog; especially in the ears or feet.
Grass seeds have spines that; once in an ear or foot; fan out and make it very difficult for them to fall out naturally. This also means they can make a path for themselves and "track" further into the ear/foot. This often means veterinary intervention is required. As you can see from these photos, your dog may be constantly licking at their paws, with redness, oozing and sometimes a visible entry hole. If they have a grass seed in the ear, they'll be constantly shaking and also painful when touched.
To try and avoid the need for sedation and removal, it is vital that you check your dogs after walks and avoid any areas where there are high numbers of grass seeds.
Let's make this a summer to enjoy for your dogs and avoid those nasty grass seeds!
Local roadworks have been causing power surges and unfortunately disrupting our phone and computer systems, we appreciate your patience while we try to resolve the issue
RECEPTION VACANCY
We have a vacancy for one or two part time receptionists for shifts at our Churchdown and Barnwood surgeries.
The available shifts are Monday, Tuesday and Friday afternoons at Churchdown from 2pm-7.30pm and Tuesday and Friday afternoons from 2pm-6.30pm plus one Saturday morning every 4 weeks.
For further information please email [email protected]
Is your dog insured in case they cause an accident or injure someone?
As a dog owner you are responsible if you dog causes an accident and claims can be very costly. Becoming a member of the Dogs Trust not only supports a great charity but also provides third party insurance up to £1 million for an annual cost of just £25.
https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/support-us/companion-club
CHRISTMAS OPENING HOURS
We are closed for the Bank Holidays over the festive period but open on the weekends as normal. Should you have an emergency at any point please telephone the normal number and you will be transferred to the emergency service
https://brambles-vets.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Christmas-Opening-Hours-2023.pdf
CHRISTMAS HAZARDS - ALCOHOL AND HANGOVER CURES
Dogs may help themselves to any alcohol left unattended including wine and liqueurs and it can cause similar signs in them as it does in their owners when drunk in excess (although they are unlikely to start singing and dancing!). Dogs can become wobbly and drowsy and in severe cases there is a risk of low body temperature, low blood sugar and coma.
Many households will have numerous types of anti-inflammatories that are available over the counter or in common flu and cold treatments.
The easy availability of these medicines leads us to think they are very safe but for our pets this may not be the case.
It is very important to keep these medicines out of reach of pets with lids securely fastened. If you keep some in your handbag make sure that's out of the way too.
Ibuprofen – dogs are very sensitive to the effects of ibuprofen. It can cause a variety of effects on the gut and kidneys and poisoning can show with signs such as vomiting, diarrhoea, lethargy, weakness, tremors and convulsions. Long term effects include kidney failure.
Paracetomol - Paracetamol is a commonly available painkiller. It is used in dogs but in overdose it can have toxic effects on the blood and liver. Cats are very sensitive to paracetomol.
CHRISTMAS HAZARDS - BATTERIES
If your dog chews a battery they are at risk of suffering caustic burns to their mouth, throat or stomach from the caustic material contained within the battery. These burns can result in pain, refusal of food, increased drooling, bad breath, and they can become infected too.
An ingested battery can also obstruct the normal passage of food through the digestive tract leading to vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and a refusal to eat.
If your pet has ingested a battery...
It is very important that you do NOT induce vomiting in a pet that has ingested a battery, and there are very important reasons why:
1. Caustic material can cause further damage when vomiting
2. Caustic material could gain entry to the lungs when vomiting
3. Common ‘at home’ methods of making a pet vomit can cause further irritation and damage
If your pet eats a battery, the best first step is to ring the vet for advice. If it is going to be a long while before you can get to the vet you can feed them bland food (boiled chicken and rice, plain cooked pasta) and offer some milk or water - feeding a mixture of cottage cheese and rice can cover both bases at once but they do need to be seen by the vet.
The one advantage of batteries is that they will always show up on an xray so we can be certain that they are there and need removing.
Although you can likely find a few stories on the Internet of pets who passed batteries without incident, in the vast majority of cases pets do far better when such foreign bodies are surgically removed.
CHRISTMAS HAZARDS - ONIONS, GARLIC AND LEEKS
Onions, garlic, leeks, shallots and chives all belong to the Allium species of plants and contain an ingredient called thiosulphate which is toxic to cats and dogs. They can cause toxicity even when cooked.
Initially there can be gastrointestinal signs with vomiting and diarrhoea but the main effect is damage to red blood cells resulting in anaemia. This may not be apparent for several days after ingestion.
Along with the vegetables themselves foods at Christmas to avoid include sage and onion stuffing.
CHRISTMAS HAZARDS - GRAPES AND RAISINS
Grapes and their dried products (currants, sultanas and raisins) are toxic to dogs.
EATING EVEN A SMALL QUANTITY CAN CAUSE SEVERE KIDNEY PROBLEMS.
Don’t forget this will include food items that contain dried fruits such as Christmas pudding, Christmas cake and mince pies. Chocolate-coated raisins are available so there is the additional risk of chocolate toxicity with these (although to be fair the chocolate content is so small the raisins are more of the problem).
CHRISTMAS HAZARDS - CHOCOLATE
Chocolate contains a chemical, theobromine, very similar to caffeine,
which dogs do not tolerate very well.
White chocolate is generally not a risk but even a relatively small amount of dark chocolate can cause agitation, hyperexcitability, tremors, convulsions and problems with the heart.
If there are dogs in the household or visiting over Christmas do not put any chocolate under or on the Christmas tree; the temptation may be too great.
Dogs will obviously not unwrap chocolate and can eat a very large quantity. The wrappers are not toxic but could cause obstruction of the gut.
If you have one of these plants please don’t let your pet chew on them ( or do so yourself!)
We have been notified that a poisonous plant is being used as decoration in a pot plant that can be purchased in garden centres and possibly florists.
The pot plant is Livistona rotundifolia (footstool palm; also known as Saribus rotundifolius) and pots of these plants are decorated with three fibrous balls. The balls are the skeletonised fruit of Cerbera odollam (su***de tree, pong-pong). Within each fruit is a kernel that is extremely toxic; a single kernel can be fatal if eaten and poses a risk to both pets and people. The toxic compounds in Cerbera odollam are cardiac glycosides, which are also found in foxglove, oleander, lily of the valley and other plants.
If you have these fibrous fruits in your pot plant, remove them and dispose of them safely. It you are worried your pet may have eaten the plant material contact Animal PoisonLine (01202 509 000)or your vet immediately.
IMPORTANT CHANGES TO MEDICINES REGULATIONS
As of the 1st September we are seeing new changes from the RCVS (the veterinary governing body) and to the veterinary medicines regulations
As a result of these changes clients may notice a few changes, particularly when requesting repeat medications.
The most notable changes relate to whether we can dispense further medication without examining your pet. The changes are centred on drugs for which there is a possibility of resistance developing with overuse ,or those classified as controlled drugs
The changes mostly affect the following groups of medicines:
Anti-parasitic treatments:
The pet will need a physical examination before any new drugs can be prescribed or for a repeat of current medication if an examination has not taken place within the year. This will not affect pets that are currently using ongoing parasite treatments that are collected on a regular basis until their next check becomes due.
Antibiotics:
A physical examination is necessary before any antibiotics can be prescribed. This includes repeat prescriptions/ further courses
Controlled Drugs:
Controlled drugs such as tramadol, gabapentin and phenobarbitone can only be dispensed following a physical examination. There are also restrictions in terms the amount of drugs we can supply and when we will need to physically re-examine the pet for repeat prescriptions.
These changes could result in slightly more regular in practice checks than you are currently used to. We are asking for your patience and understanding while we try to change our protocols to reflect these new requirements.
We really appreciate your patience and understanding during these changes.
RECEPTIONIST VACANCY.
We are looking for a receptionist to join our team. We have a variety of morning and evening shifts available for a full time or part time role that would include one Saturday morning every 5 weeks. For further information please email [email protected]
Following the sad news of the Queen's death last week and the announcement of her funeral on Monday 19th September we will be open briefly at Churchdown on Monday morning for urgent cases only. We will be closed from 10am and the full emergency service will be available for the rest of the day.
**INJURED STRAY**. This poor injured stray was found abandoned outside the surgery at the end of the week. A little TLC and some minor surgery and he’s a lot better. We are now looking to reunite him with his owners
With the extreme weather coming we thought it would be good to revisit this post from a few years ago with some excellent advise on keeping your rabbits cool
We have also found this excellent article of helping your rabbits out in the heat http://myhouserabbit.com/rabbit-health/recognizing-heat-stroke-in-your-pet-rabbit/
We’ve had quite a few rabbits in recently and it’s always important to get them eating as soon as possible. There’s nothing better than a few fresh herbs for that so the nurses have made a little window box. Let’s hope they are as good at looking after plants as they are animals 🤞🏻
We have an opportunity for additional reception staff to join our team at The Brambles. A number of shifts are available at our Churchdown and Barnwood Road surgeries. These will be shared between two receptionists.
Shifts are usually 4-6 hours in length and either start at 8.00am or finish at 7.30pm although we have some flexibility for applicants requiring more/ less hours or days.
In addition there is one shift every fourth Saturday 8.30am - 1.00pm (4.5 hours) available.
As a Veterinary Receptionist your duties will include:
Working as part of a dedicated team to make a difference to our clients.
Welcoming clients and their pets and taking payments
Putting up medications as directed by the vet
Answering incoming calls, redirecting as appropriate
Booking appointments and daily administration and cleaning duties
To be a successful Veterinary Receptionist you will need the following skills and experience:
Be able to remain calm, friendly and efficient in even the most stressful situations.
Experience of working in a busy responsive reception, booking, administration environment.
No experience is necessary as training will be given.
Please apply initially via email with a covering letter and CV to [Email hidden]
**IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ**
In common with most vets in the country we are currently experiencing a very high demand for appointments. This is due to many factors, including a knock-on effect of having to postpone vaccinations for 2 months during last years lockdown, and the large rise in the number of pets over the last year.
As a consequence there is an increased pressure on the available appointments which may lead to longer waits before your pet can be seen for routine appointments. We are also experiencing an increased volume of telephone calls at a time when we have less staff due to holidays and illness/ isolation. We apologise for any frustrations you have getting through to us.
To ensure that there are enough appointments for the ill and injured pets we are now having to postpone vaccinations and some routine appointments.
In the short term we will be asking for you to delay your vaccine appointment for a month (we have up to three months leeway). Appointments will be available at all times at Barnwood and for selected appointments at Churchdown.
To ensure protection for any new or young animals we will still be seeing initial vaccination courses.
What can you do to help?
It’s always easier to treat things before they get too serious. Make appointments for routine care early, even weeks or months in advance. Ensure your pets stay on their preventative medications like worming, flea and tick medications to avoid illness.
Where possible make requests for repeat medications by online - http://brambles-vets.co.uk/medication-request-form/ and please order well in advance where possible.
If you make an appointment please ensure that you arrive for the appointment or give us as much notice as you can if you need to cancel (by phone or email [email protected]). We are having two or three appointments each day that people fail to attend which could be used for pets needing care.
And importantly, please remember to be kind to the veterinary staff – frustration and anxiety at the situation is understandable, but taking that anger out on the staff is never acceptable, especially during times like these when veterinary professionals are trying to handle the increase in demand as best as they can. Remember that this isn’t a case of you and your pet versus the veterinary staff. It’s you and your pet and the veterinarian versus your pet’s illness. We are all working together for the same goal – to help your pet in any way possible.
Reception staff will do their best to accommodate you as soon as possible. Please be patient with them they are trying their best in a difficult situation. A brief moment of empathy can leave a huge impression on someone.
We thank you for your understanding and ensure you that we will try and return to normal as soon as is practical.
Anyone missing this little one in Churchdown? Was brought into us today and is safe and well at the surgery. If she’s yours give us a call on 01452 712194
58 Albemarle Road
Gloucester
GL32HE
| Monday | 8am - 7pm |
| Tuesday | 8am - 7pm |
| Wednesday | 8am - 7pm |
| Thursday | 8am - 7pm |
| Friday | 8am - 7pm |
| Saturday | 8:30am - 1pm |
| Sunday | 10am - 11am |
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Stroud Road Veterinary Surgery
Stroud Road
Companion Care Vets, Gloucester
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