Vets4Pets Totton

16/06/2024

Happy 200th Birthday to the RSPCA.
May they continue their fantastic work in saving and protecting abandoned and neglected animals from the morons of this world : and may those morons be adequately punished by tougher animal welfare laws.
Side note: please stop breeding more and more cats and dogs for money.
Get a rescue pet: there are 1000s of cats/ dogs/ small furries sitting in adoption centres waiting for a hero to come along and give them a second chance in life. Thank you. Judith (vet).

09/06/2024

Hello all tortoise owners. A great way to while away a Sunday is to browse through TheTortoiseTable.org.uk website. It has great photos of plants that are safe or not safe to feed your tortoise.🐢

27/05/2024

More proof the world is going mad. The Government have now made it “ a criminal offence” for a veterinary surgeon to advise a client to give your dog an antihistamine ( eg. Piriton) or Paracetomol unless they already have it in the house ie. We cannot say “ go and buy some”. We are however legally obliged now to give you a written prescription to use your own medications in your own house for your own pet. Obviously being the law abiding vet I am I will do this (at no charge ), to avoid being fined / jailed. THIS is why the veterinary profession is accused of money - grabbing because of the ridiculous hoops we are meant to jump through that our clients do not know about.

26/05/2024

***** YAY! Well done Saints*****
Sssshhhhh….just for one day let’s admit we do care a little bit about football…. Good Luck Saints FC. at Wembley today.

19/05/2024

The sun is finally out ….. tortoises everywhere are running around happy… at 0.1-0.3 mph.
A big Sulcata tortoise can move at 0.6 mph.
This photo is of Martha: she is a 16 year old Spur-thighed tortoise out in the garden today.

07/05/2024

Sadly this evening we have had a male ( not neutered) grey and white cat brought in to the Practice. He was found deceased on Water Lane, Totton. He has no collar or microchip so may be a stray. If you think he is your cat please call us on 02380 580020.

06/05/2024

Reminder: From 10th June all CATS must be microchipped by the age of 20 weeks, by law. We also recommend getting your rabbits microchipped just in case they go off for a wander outside the garden.

https://www.vets4pets.com/pet-health-advice/rabbit-advice/microchipping-your-rabbit/

03/05/2024

**** UPDATE: HOME SAFE NOW.
Just had this dog brought into us. Found in a garden on Lackford Avenue, Totton. He is not injured. But he does not have a collar or a microchip.
Please call tomorrow am if he is your dog:
02380 580020.

01/05/2024

30/04/2024

One of our nurses ( Debbie) treating an injured hedgehog. This poor little chap was brought into us today with a head injury. This sort of injury may have been caused by a strinmer so please check your garden for visitors before getting the mower out. Hopefully he will make a full recovery and we will release him back locally where he was found.

28/04/2024

Where is Spring? The sun came out for 2 minutes so one of my dogs dug a hole to sit in, while the cat didn’t want to get a sun tan just yet. We’d love to see any happy “pets in the garden” photos to cheer us all up for when it inevitably starts raining …. again.

12/04/2024

We have seen two dogs recently that were potential adder bites so please read this for your information.

Learn more about what happens if a dog gets bitten by an adder snake and what to do if the situation occurs, to keep your dog safe and healthy.

30/03/2024

Remember to Spring Forward tonight.

25/03/2024

We will be CLOSED on Good Friday ( 29th March ) and Easter Monday ( 1st April). OPEN as usual on Saturday (30th March.)
Vets Now will be open over the Easter holiday weekend to cover for any advice or emergencies.

24/03/2024

🐾 Dog Lovers Wanted 🐾

We are looking for volunteers to help care for and train adorable pups like Piper from their own home.

No previous experience is required - you will have full support and guidance from a local, qualified, Hearing Dogs Dog Trainer in person and online.

Click on the link below to find out more information and to see the locations we are currently looking for volunteer puppy trainers >> https://www.hearingdogs.org.uk/volunteering/puppy-training/

Please consider sharing to help our puppies transform the lives of deaf people 😊

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

I won’t tolerate abusive clients or liars in my Practice. My staff and I work hard to maintain a high standard of care for our patients . We are not a “ cheap practice”. As vets we are not allowed to have any right to reply to ridiculous defamatory comments such as he has written.
So yet again I want to state to our clients that I will always strive to treat you and your pets with respect and care. I’ve been a vet for 30 years this year and I am an RCVS Advanced Practitioner in Surgery. I’ve worked hard to get the experience I have in this job.
All businesses have to live with the “ threat “ of a Google Review nowadays. It makes a stressful job even harder. Why do we do it? Because we love animals. To say otherwise is just plain stupid.

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."

02/02/2024

We now have a Tonopen to measure the Intraocular Pressure of eyes. This is a test for Glaucoma or Uveitis. This is a quick painless test: many of you will have had this test done by an optician.

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

*** IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CAT OWNERS***
A new law will come into action from 10th June 2024. All cats must be implanted with a microchip before they reach the age of 20 weeks and their contact details stored and kept up to date in a pet microchipping database. Owners found not to have microchipped their cat will have 21 days to have one implanted, or may face a fine of up to £500.
Implanting a microchip is a simple procedure that is done in a consultation with a vet or a nurse. Alternatively the microchip can be placed while the cat is under anaesthetic for a neutering; as long as they are under 20 weeks old .

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

A good excuse to sit in the garden for an hour this weekend. Join the RSPB BIG GARDEN BIRDWATCH. You can log on to their website or download the app to record how many birds you see in 1 hour.

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."

16/01/2024

Sadly another deceased cat has just been brought in. He was hit by a car. We think he is likely a stray but if you are missing a large entire male black and white cat from the Water Lane area please call us.
Tel: 02380 580020.

15/01/2024

*** update: owner has been found. Thank you all for sharing this post***

Very sadly had a deceased cat ( young female dilute-tortoiseshell adult) brought into us this evening. She was hit by a car on Calmore Drive. The cat has a microchip but it is not registered to an owner.
If you think she may be your cat please call us on 02380 580020.

07/01/2024

https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/cats/health/poisoning/antifreeze

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."

31/12/2023

26/12/2023

We will be short staffed at work tomorrow ( Wednesday) due to illness and holidays. Please bear with us if we don’t answer the phone straight away or answer your emails.

25/12/2023

Merry Christmas from all the team here.
These two are almost in a food coma already !(it’s only 9am)

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.