Vets4Pets Hayling Island

25/12/2024

🎄With Christmas right around the corner, we just wanted to send out a friendly reminder to everyone🎄

Please be aware prescriptions take 48 hours for collection. Due to the high demand some medications might have to be ordered in, this can cause some delays. Please contact the team on 02392 636 950, if you require any prescriptions over the Christmas period.

23/12/2024

🎊🎄☃️CHRISTMASSSS🎊🎄☃️

Just a reminder to everyone regarding our Christmas Hours. When we are not open, Vets Now in Portsmouth, will be providing out of hours care.
Unit 1 Southdown View,
Military Road,
Hilsea,
PO3 5FS,
02392170626

Christmas hours:
Monday 23rd December - 8.30am - 7pm
Tuesday 24th December - 8.30am - 7pm
Wednesday 25th December - Closed
Thursday 26th December - Closed
Friday 27th December - 8.30am - 7pm
Saturday 28th December - 9am - 12pm
Sunday 29th December - Closed
Monday 30th December - 8.30am - 7pm
Tuesday 31st December - 8.30am - 7pm
Wednesday 1st January - Closed
Thursday 2nd January - 8.30am - 7pm

After this we are open as usual.
Please be kind over the Christmas period to all of our staff, we are working hard to get you all booked in for appointments and fulfil prescriptions.

Merry Christmas, From All of the Hayling Island Team.❄🎄☃️

19/12/2024

🐾 Meet Daphne, Dottie and our nurse claire 🐾

Daphne and Dottie visited the practice to have a dental procedure. Daphne and Dottie wanted to show off their new bright white smiles to our nurse Claire.

If you have any concerns with your dogs teeth, bad breath or struggling to eat. Please call the practice on 02392 636 950.

Reference: Pink bandage on Dottie's leg contains an IV cannula.

13/12/2024

🐾 Meet Einstein 🐾

As you can see Einstein melted a lot of hearts here at the vets. Einstein visited the practice to be neutered. Our nurse sophie went through all the complications and any worries with Einsteins owner before the procedure, at a pre neuter check. 🐾🐶😆

Please contact the practice if you have any questions regarding neutering.
02392 636 950
Reference: Blue bandage on his leg contains no needles.

09/12/2024

How To Cat Proof Your Christmas Tree

Read our top tips for keeping your cat safe this Christmas.
10 Top Tips for a Cat Safe Christmas Tree
1. Set up the Christmas tree a few days before decorating it so that your cat has a chance to get used to the tree in the house before you decorate it.
2. Consider a fake tree over a real one. If you do go for a real tree, then cover the water so they don’t drink from it.
3. Make sure your Christmas tree has a heavy stand and consider securing the top of the tree to the ceiling with wire to prevent it from falling over.
4. Cats will play with anything, so it's best to avoid hanging jingly decorations and tinsel on the lower branches.
5. Use ornaments which you can tie securely to the tree, ideally without little metal hooks which can hurt your pet’s mouth if they chew them.
6. Place lights towards the centre so that they’re less accessible and make sure they’re switched off when you’re not around.
7. Most cats dislike the sensation of tinfoil on their claws so try wrapping a layer of tinfoil around the base to make it a cat safe Christmas tree.
8. Avoid fake snow as it may contain harmful chemicals.
9. Don’t leave anything edible under the tree, your pet will sniff it out, even if it's wrapped!
10. Put a fire guard or extendable baby gate around the Christmas tree or another option is to get a tree container that has a built-in cover.

Learn how to cat proof your Christmas tree and decorations to avoid accidents involving your pet this festive season to avoid any "cat-astrophes"!

06/12/2024

Keeping outdoor pets warm:

As temperatures start to drop, it’s important that we consider how this might impact our outdoor pets.
It’s a good idea to provide extra bedding for rabbits and other outdoor pets and be prepared to move them into the house, a shed, un-used garage or utility room for shelter. Don't house pets in greenhouses or conservatories due to the temperature changes and never house them in garages that are regularly used by a car as there can be toxic fumes.
If you plan to move your outdoor pet indoors, then don't put them too close to a heater or radiator as they can very easily suffer from heat stress.
If you are keeping your pet outside, beds or houses should be raised off the ground to prevent the base becoming too cold, damp or rotten. Bedding should always be fresh and dry as it will freeze overnight even if it's slightly damp.

Outdoor water supplies:

Don’t let water supplies freeze over. Top up outdoor bowls of drinking water with warm water and use a thermal cover on small furry pets’ water bottles. If you have a cat, make sure there’s extra water available in your home, as your cat’s usual outdoor sources may be frozen in very cold weather.
Fish ponds can freeze too – float a plastic football on the surface (a ping-pong ball will do the same trick in a birdbath), and never break the ice with force as that could shock or even kill your fish.

https://www.vets4pets.com/pet-health-advice/how-to-keep-outdoor-pets-warm/

02/12/2024

🐾 Meet Maurice 🐾

Maurice visited the practice a week ago to see our nurse sophie. Sophie was able to administer Maurice's vaccinations, he needed to be safe out in the world. Maurice was a very good boy and loved to be in our photoshoot whilst enjoying some dreamies. 🐱🥛

29/11/2024

Santa Paws appeal!

Our Pets at Home Foundation Santa Paws appeal has arrived! Support your local charity by donating in a Pets at Home store or online. Together we can help pets and the people who love them this Christmas.

Add 25% more to your donation at no cost to you. A Gift Aid declaration allows Pets Foundation to claim tax back on eligible donations. It means that for every £1 you donate to Pets Foundation we can claim back 25p, at no extra cost to you.

28/11/2024

🐾 Meet Dandals and Olly 🐾

These little two scrummy puppies, visited the practice last week to see our vet Jess. Jess was able to give them health checks, dispense medication, administer vaccinations and most importantly give them a wonderful visit and cuddle. 🐾🐶

23/11/2024

Helping Your Pet Cope In Groups Of People
It is great to catch up with family and friends, but if you’re hosting don’t forget about your pets!
While some pets love a party, many find the noise, excitement and number of faces overwhelming. Checking everyone is having a good time, including our furry family members, makes for the perfect party so have a look at our top tips for keeping everyone happy.

We’d encourage pet owners to make sure their pet is in a safe, warm place, away from any potential stress inducing activity.

21/11/2024

Chocolate Poisoning In Pets

An abundance of chocolate can be great for us, but can be a nightmare for dogs, cats and rabbits.

Many of us love the taste of chocolate, and it can be found in households year round. Availability also ramps up at special times of the year, including Valentine’s Day, Easter and Christmas, as we indulge in treats and exchange gifts. Chocolate poisoning in pets is a common issue, especially around these times.
An abundance of chocolate can be great for us, but can be a nightmare for dogs, cats and rabbits. Dogs especially are likely to want to try any food lying around, and the sweet taste of chocolate means that if they have the opportunity they may eat chocolate in a large quantity. Other pets are often fussier and may be less likely to want to eat chocolate, but it can happen and they suffer from the same range of serious effects as dogs do. In fact, cats are actually more susceptible to the effects of chocolate poisoning than dogs!

Chocolate can be very dangerous to your pet if they eat too much. Click here to find out how to protect your pet from chocolate poisoning at Vets4Pets now.

18/11/2024

Christmas Charity - Hayling Island Food Bank 🐾🐰🐶🐱🐹

To everyone, this year we will be collecting gifts for anyone and everyone who are in need of some extra care over Christmas and New Year.🎄☃️❄️

The community centre pantry is committed to assisting families and individuals who are struggling to make ends meet. We aim to both assist in providing food and also minimise food waste. This is also to include our furry friends.
If you are struggling to feed your family or yourself and live on Hayling Island we can help.

In the practice we will have a collection box at the end of November, this can be filled with animal foods etc. We can take anything non perishable and not past its use by date. We are asking for all species to have a little gift over this period.
We need all collections by the 18th of December.

Please help us bring some joy to them over Christmas. 🎄☃️❄️🎁🎊
Thank you from Hayling Island Team.

18/11/2024

Antifreeze Poisoning In Cats:

Sadly, antifreeze is hugely toxic to cats and every year cats across Britain are seriously ill or die from antifreeze poisoning.

Why would my cat drink antifreeze?
The toxic component of antifreeze is called ethylene glycol. Ethylene glycol has a sweet taste, which means animals and even children can be drawn to it. Cats do not taste ‘sweetness’ in the same way we do, but still find drinking ethylene glycol attractive. Ethylene glycol can be found after leaks of water coolant or brake fluid, after spillage of anti-freeze containing products when filling up cars, and if products are left uncapped. Uncleaned spillages can also get on cats’ paws, meaning they ingest the antifreeze as they clean themselves.

Sadly, antifreeze is hugely toxic to cats, and every year cats across Britain are seriously ill or die from antifreeze poisoning.

14/11/2024

Darker evenings

As the evenings get darker earlier, there are a number of considerations for our pets.
When walking your dog in the dark it’s essential that you and your dog are visible. LED collars, leads and harnesses are a great way to ensure your pet can be seen in the dark. Our friends at Pets at Home have a range of reflective products available on their website.

For cats, it's best to keep them indoors during these dark evenings, as they cannot be seen by drivers making traffic accidents a big risk. Neutering may also stop cats roaming from home.

11/11/2024

How to help your pet stay safe and calm during firework season:

Unfortunately there are no synthetic pheromones available for rabbits or guinea pigs to reduce stress-related behaviour like the ones for cats and dogs, but there are a number of other ways to help them ease their anxiety:

• Bring your pet inside
If your rabbit or guinea pig's hutch is outdoors, it is a good idea to bring their hutch inside, if you can. Choose a quiet room or alternatively an unused garage or shed. If this is not possible you can partly cover hutches with blankets to provide some soundproofing and to block out the flashes of light. You can try to soundproof your house by closing windows and drawing curtains.

• Create a calming environment
Playing relaxing music or watching TV can also help to muffle the loud bangs fireworks create. To help your rabbits or guinea pigs feel comfortable, provide an extra safe and easily accessible place available in their hutch or cage to hide inside. This could be a cardboard box with holes cut in and plenty of bedding to burrow in.

• Introduce friendly support
Both rabbits and guinea pigs are social animals and should be kept with a companion they are familiar with. Introducing a new companion should always be done in a controlled and safe way.

Having a bonded pair can help ease the stress of fireworks, but isn’t for this reason alone. Have a chat with your vet, vet nurse or one of our Pets at Home colleagues in store about the best way and time to introduce a friend - but remember not to mix rabbits and guinea pigs.

• Provide their favourite treats and toys
Whilst overfeeding your pet is never the answer, you can consider distracting your pet by giving them a new toy and offering their favourite food to keep them occupied.
If you have any worries about your rabbit and guinea pig during firework season, make sure you speak to your vet to see what you can do to keep your pets happy.

07/11/2024

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."

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.