Blackberry Veterinary Clinic

14/08/2024

*warning surgical images*

Have you heard of CRYPTORCHIDISM??!!

We recently had the pleasure of operating on the gorgeous 'Desmond James.'

As a kitten, he only had one testicle descended to the correct spot and the other one had not appeared.

Normally, by 6 months of age in a cat or dog, both te**es should be in the scrotal sac.

We waited until Desmond James was 10 months old in case it might make an appearance but sadly it did not. This meant that it could be anywhere in his abdomen or groin. This made him a unilateral cryptorchid.

He was booked in for surgery with vet Maya. As we could not easily feel the other te**es, a small cut was made into his abdomen near the bladder. Thankfully the testicle was hiding here and quickly removed. The other one was removed at the normal location. Desmond went on to have a good recovery and is healing well and a happy boy.

We loved that where he was shaved, he still had his gorgeous markings on his skin.

Did you know??

In the foetus, testicles start their life up near the kidneys internally....they are then slowly pulled down through the inguinal passage to the sc***um by a strong muscle.

Keeping them in the sc***um keeps them cooler, meaning that optimal s***m can be made.

If they stay in the belly, they are kept too hot and can be at risk of turning cancerous. We have also seen testicular torsion internally where the testicle twists and swells dangerously.

If your pet has only got one or no testicle in the sc***um and they are NOT already castrated we recommend you check with your vet.

08/08/2024

Meet beautiful Archie 😍 Archie has been seeing our vets regularly over the past 2 weeks for treatment for his sore ear which is now much more comfortable 😊 Archie recently joined our PHC plus health plan (£29.99 per month for a dog) which means his owners no longer have to pay for his consultations at the clinic 🥳. Please ask one of our team for more details regarding this new option to help manage the cost of your pets health care.
Here are some cute pictures of Archie enjoying some treats with receptionist Megan.

02/08/2024

Meet the absolutely beautiful 😍 Rosie who came in for her 1st vaccinations today at a whopping 1.7kg!!
She enjoyed lots of cuddles with receptionist Megan and was very brave for her injections with vet Maya.
She is our newest Pet Health Club member

31/07/2024

26/07/2024

Exercising your older dog...

24/07/2024

FIREWORKS!!

Yes we are aware it is summer but bear with us....

Now is the perfect time to 'desensitise' your puppies and young dogs to fireworks. The idea being that you play very very low volume firework noises in the background whilst you continue your normal day and ACT NORMAL.

Over a period of weeks you can then very gradually increase the volume of the firework noises. Anytime your pet looks anxious or is aware of the noise you need to go back down to a lower volume. The aim is that fireworks become normal background noise and nothing to worry about.

Given the amount of Noise phobic dogs we see and have to prescribe medication for, this is well worth doing for their future health.

You can buy CDs such as 'Sounds Scary' to have noises on hand or alternatively select a Youtube video and play it at a barely audible volume.

Please 'like' and share....lets reduce the amount of noise phobic dogs out there!!

18/07/2024

An update from behind the scenes here at BlackBerry! The plaster board walls are up and the new area of the clinic is really taking shape. A big thank you to all of you who have been to visit us over the past couple of weeks and patiently tolerated the noise and us taking a little longer than usual to locate things in the clinic! We cannot wait to show you all around once it is complete 🥰 🐾

16/07/2024

Just for giggles....

Borrowed from ifunny.com

10/07/2024

Saying goodbye to your beloved companion can be a very emotional time.

Deciding if the timing is correct can be incredibly hard. We all want our pets to be around forever but sadly sometimes they may be struggling or sore and we may have to make that crucial decision to let them go. We are here to help you navigate that decision and will always support you in making this. We are not here to judge.

When the day comes, emotions can be high. We aim to make this visit as peaceful as possible and are happy to talk through the practicalities with you to make the day as smooth as possible. Every pet requires individual treatment. Some pets may need some mild sedation prior to us administering any injections. We can talk you through what is right for your pet. You are invited to stay with your pet but there is no obligation and again there will be no judgement should you feel you cannot stay.

Once they have passed you may wish to take them home to bury or arrange private cremation. We can also help arrange cremation for you to have ashes back or leave us to take care of things.

If you have family, broaching the subject with children can be very tough. The Blue Cross website has some lovely resources on how to do this in an honest way and encourage your children to talk about things.

We are happy to help to guide you through all of this. Our Vets and support staff would rather chat to you about any worries or concerns you have rather than you regret or worry about anything.

The Blue Cross also have a wonderful helpline that you can call before or after euthanasia to chat. You can also email or use their online chat facility.

https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-bereavement-and-pet-loss

Blue Cross UK

09/07/2024

Behind the scenes…

Building work is well under way here at BlackBerry with a new floor base laid… next up will be new partition walls and also the knock through to reception and prep to link the two halves of the building. We are very much in the ‘messy stage’ of building work at the moment but already we are feeling very excited about the new spaces this is creating 😁

08/07/2024

We love hearing your comments. Please keep your reviews coming. It can be really lovely to hear that your pets have improved or that you enjoyed your visit. It's a real boost to our staff!

04/07/2024

Did anyone take their 🐢 to vote with them??!!

As people make their way to polling stations for the UK General Election, so do their dogs.

04/07/2024

Exciting news!! 🥳
The team at BlackBerry are very excited to announce that we are expanding our clinic! More details to follow but included in our refurbishment and extension will be a cat only waiting room and an additional consult room 🐈‍⬛ 😁
Building work has started this week and is expected to take approximately 12 weeks to complete. Our builders and our team here will do everything we can to minimise disruption to you and your pets during this time.

02/07/2024

Hands up if you know to correctly remove a tick?!

This is Head Nurse Katie doing a brilliant job of removing a tick using an O'Tom tick remover. She ensures that she twists the tick off rather than pull or squeeze which may make the tick pass on diseases from it's stomach.

We have tick removers available over the counter at reception, always handy to have in the car. There are also lots of safe tick treatments to prevent them attaching to your poor pet.

This year has been particularily bad for ticks with lots of grass being left long and the weather being mild and wet.

01/07/2024

😍 Everybody fell in love with Theo when he was in for his castration last week (even our dog loving staff!!)

🐱He tucked into two lunches after his procedure to make up for lost time and was happy holding hands as he recovered.

😍We wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him for future visits and cuddles!

29/06/2024

The road is closed today between the clinic and Dormans Station. Please access the clinic via blackberry Lane/Blackberry road. Thank you! 🐾

28/06/2024

☀How have your pets been cooling off?

🌊We would love to see your pictures of our lovely pets keeping cool this summer.

☀Here are some pictures of our lovely staff dogs enjoying the water and wearing their cooling jackets on a hot day!

26/06/2024

🐰Did you know that your pet rabbit should only have about a tablespoon of pellet food per kilo of their bodyweight?!!?
🐰So most medium size rabbits should only be having 2-3 tablespoons a day. The rest of their diet should be good quality hay to help their teeth to wear down evenly.

25/06/2024

This absolutely gorgeous puppy is Maple who came to see vet Phoebe recently with a broken canine tooth. Poor Maple was in some pain as the pulp (nerve area) of her tooth was exposed. Maple underwent successful dental surgery to remove her broken tooth and happily is now back to full health and pain free ☺️ as you can see she was very popular with our staff and enjoyed lots of cuddles during her day with us! In the below pictures you can see the extracted tooth laid out next to a healthy canine- this allows you to see how incredibly long the root is on these teeth!

25/06/2024

☀️With the temperatures being hot this week please bear in mind your dog will feel it more than you. Go out in the mornings and evenings for walks.

☀️Please be especially careful with older or overweight pets and short nosed (brachycephalic) dogs like Frenchies, Bulldogs, Pugs etc.

24/06/2024

It's is Rabbit Awareness Week!

Many people think that rabbits need a lot of pellet food, but actually their diet should be mainly hay and grass.

23/06/2024

Some photos from practice manager Sally's trip to London yesterday. Did anyone else take part in the Restore Nature Now march on Saturday.

Sally said the event was well organised and well attended. Thanks Sally for standing up for our countryside.

21/06/2024

It's National Take Your Dog To Work Day!!

Who's hanging out with their best pal at work today? We would love to see your photos!

21/06/2024

🌳Our wonderful practice manager Sally will be marching tomorrow to support the Restore Nature Now march.

🦔Are you going too?

🌳The march aims to get wildlife and environmental stewardship taken seriously in the run up to the elections.

🦔For big businesses there is a drive to develop new rules to make them contribute to nature and climate recovery, and an end to new fossil fuels.

🌳The hope is replacing polluting fossil fuels with affordable renewables to ensure we at least halve UK emissions by 2030.

🦔Just 3% of English land and 8% of waters are properly protected for nature and wildlife.

Restore Nature Now

Join us in London on June 22 with our simple ask: we must Restore Nature Now.

20/06/2024

Anyone got a puppy recently? 🐶🦖😂

How are your arms and legs faring?

If you want advice in bitesize chunks on puppy training such as reducing biting, leaving them on their own or basic training have a look at www.dogstrust.org.uk/dog-advice for good well balanced advice.

(from www.knowyourmeme.com)

18/06/2024

There are road works outside the clinic for the next hour. We are open and access is possible via Lingfield but not the Dormans. 🚘

16/06/2024

16/06 Father's Day!

13/06/2024

Hands up who has heard of ‘Haw’s Syndrome’ in cats?!
Haws syndrome is when both eyelids protrude but there is nothing otherwise wrong with the eyes. It usually associated with diarrhoea and resolves once the cat has recovered from it’s tummy upset. Check out this great example seen by vet Jenny this week. This condition is not serious but we would always advise seeing a vet within 24 hours for any eye condition as eyes can deteriorate very quickly.
Have you ever had a cat with Haws Syndrome??

11/06/2024

Daisy’s owners recently brought her to the clinic to see vet Dominic after they felt a hard object under her skin on her tummy. Dominic suspected a foreign body and booked Daisy in for exploratory surgery where he located a rather large blackthorn! Poor Daisy! She is now fully recovered and feeling much more comfortable without a big thorn in her tummy!