Vets4Pets Newport

04/11/2024

01/11/2024

Joint supplements can have a huge positive effect on our cats and dogs.
Yumove advanced 360 max strength is the supplement we use and trust in our own pets. We are currently working with Yumove to offer our clients the chance to try the product and get a second box for free (for new users only).

30/10/2024

28/10/2024

In the run up to Halloween night, on a weekend we expect some spooky goings on.... Remember the dangers to our pets and the signs of unhappy, scared or uncomfortable pets.

🎃Happy Halloween: Petrified Pets?

Halloween is a fun celebration however we do need to take our pets into consideration in amongst the ghosts and ghouls!

🍬 Trick or treat🍫

Risks to our pets include chocolate toxicity and ingestion of sweets that could contain xylitol.
Please call your vets for advice if they get hold of any human food however as usual prevention is better than cure so keep animals away from Halloween treats!

🐕 Knock knock. Who's there? 👻

Because of possible disruption and fireworks dogs and cats should be kept inside where possible during Halloween night. It is also advisable to keep your pet in a separate room during trick or treating with a safe space to sleep. This may minimise the stress of the continuous opening and closing of the door as well as ensuring your pet cannot bolt from your home if frightened by strange and scary looking visitors.

🕯️Care with Candles🕯️

Candles add a spooky feel to many Halloween decorations however are a risk for both children and pets to knock over!

❌ Creepy Costumes

Although cute looking, a huge percentage of pets would much rather not be dressed up. Please be considerate of pets body language and ideally let them have a relaxing night away from the stress.

🔥 Fireworks🎇

People often use fireworks around Halloween.
➡️Please tell your neighbours in advance of you plan to use fireworks.
➡️ Consider silent fireworks
➡️ Always check bonfires for wildlife before setting alight
➡️Tell local livery yards and farms if you plan to set off fireworks

If you are an owner:

✅ Walk your pet in the light before treat or treaters and fireworks
✅ Provide a safe place for your pet
✅ Contact your vet in plenty of advance if your pet needs a prescription for firework anxiety.

27/10/2024

It's almost - but do you even need to have a bonfire this year?
The fewer bonfires there are, the fewer wildlife casualties there are too.

Check out our ideas for a more -friendly way to mark the occasion 👇
https://buff.ly/4gOztBx

23/10/2024

If you're celebrating or Guy Fawkes night with a bonfire, only build the fire on the day it's to be lit!
🦔
Always check for hedgehogs & other animals, including pets, before lighting.

❗ & save the lives of & other wildlife.

22/10/2024

🎆Fireworks and Fear: Petrified Pets 🎆

In the lead up to fireworks season - are you prepared?

Fireworks seem to now occur regularly throughout October-December with Halloween, Bonfire night, Christmas and New year.

Although spectacular to watch they have very real implications for the welfare of our wildlife, livestock and pet animals.

⬇️Here is some advice this firework season. Stay tuned for more individual advice on each section in the coming weeks.

🐱Cats
✅Check microchip details are up to date
✅Try and keep them inside after dark. We understand this can be difficult. You may need to provide more play and calming aids to help them with a change in routine
✅Close all doors and windows to prevent them bolting
✅Shut curtains to dim the noise and flashes
✅ Give them a safe hiding place or don't disturb them if they find their own safe place to settle. Cats often like to be up high

🐶Dogs
✅Check microchip details are up to date
✅Walk before dark. If toileting outside go out with them on a leash to avoid them bolting if a firework goes off unexpectedly
✅Use calming aids
✅Give them as safe place to stay that is covered, dark and quiet. Do not lock them in here.
✅Watch that all doors are closed to avoid escape
✅You can comfort your pet, just ensure you stay safe if they are extremely agitated

🐭Small Furries
✅You may need to bring any animals inside if it doesn't cause them too much stress
✅They may require more bedding
✅Cover accomodation to prevent the lights from upsetting them
✅Move indoor enclosures away from windows to dull the noise and light

🐴Horses
✅Check local fire displays and prepare
✅Keep to a routine
✅Check the field or Stable is free from hazards
✅Give your vet notice if you require medication for your horses anxiety
✅Check on them regularly or stay with them if they are known to spook so you can react quickly if they become upset

🐮Livestock
✅Tell local farmers if you intend to have a Firework display and try to avoid the loud fireworks. Do not set fireworks off around fields containing livestock.

🦔 Wildlife
✅Check bonfires before lighting for any wildlife such as rodents or hedgehogs
✅Avoid setting fireworks off near known wildlife areas like nature reserves

🧑‍⚕️ How your vet can help
✅If your animals experiences distress then there are medications we can prescribe
✅You will likely need a prescription check even if you have it yearly
✅Veterinary professionals are also well placed to give you individual advice on how to help your pets

🎆If you plan to have a firework display:

➡️Please tell all your neighbours in advance that you plan it.
This will ensure they have had time to adequately prepare their animals for the event.
If possible please consider using alternative options such as silent or low noise fireworks if you know you are surrounded by families with cats, dogs, other pets or if you live by a farm or livery yard.

➡️Please tell owners how long the display will go on for and don't go beyond that so they know when it is safe to let their pets out for toileting or grazing.

➡️ Please do not release sky lanterns

https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/litter/skylanterns

🚒👩‍🚒 Please also be fire safe!

🔥https://www.gov.uk/fireworks-the-law

🔥https://www.rospa.com/home-safety/advice/fireworks-safety

Other links:

➡️ https://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/fireworks

➡️ https://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/fireworks

➡️ https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/storms-and-fireworks/

18/10/2024

The dogs internet search history………! 😂

14/10/2024

02/10/2024

Lovley little bird handed in today found in pill area of Newport , if this is your bird please get in touch 🐥

01/10/2024

How important is that phone call to your vets?

“Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.”
Margaret Cousins

➡️We think it's hard to put into words the gratitude we feel towards our Veterinary Reception Team. Their work is exemplary and utterly important to the smooth running of a practice.

➡️These individuals are invaluable and integral members of our team.

They are often:

✅ Your first point of contact
✅ Your reassurance
✅ A sympathetic ear
✅ Excellent at triage of patients
✅ A pacifier in emotive confrontations
✅ An expert multitasker
‼️ And so much more

We are eternally grateful to Veterinary Receptionists across the country who help the practice run successfully - the role is challenging and the requirements and versatility of the job vast.

Please show your appreciation today for your reception team, they deserve it!

01/10/2024

In celebration of Veterinary Receptionists Day, meet Veterinary Receptionist Barbie!

She comes with;

☎️ At least two ringing phones - each answered promptly with patience and kindness

🧠 A brain better than the computer - you want to find that client with the glasses and the dog who had the surgery on it's knee maybe last year? You know, the lovely lady with the husband? Always wears a great jumper? Try typing that into the PMS, but she will know!

📒 A notebook - they are good but even they can't remember all the messages, questions, orders, tasks, random medical questions, 'while i'm heres', 'could the vet just checks' that come their way every couple of minutes!

🖊 Pens! So many pens! 😍😋. You know they like you when they let you borrow one! But only in front of them, a VR Barbie is very protective over her collection.

☕️ Cups of tea. For clients who are having the worst day and saying goodbye. For colleagues who need support and a sympathetic ear, or an energy boost and some fluids during a long consultation run and sometimes for themselves when they get a rare 5 minutes.

She also comes with a side eye and raised eyebrow function and a crown, obvs.

*There is a Ken version but he is very rare!*

THANK YOU to all our wonderful veterinary receptionists! We absolutely couldn't do it without you.

30/09/2024

If you live in England or Wales and your XL Bully was between seven and 12 months old on 31 January this year, there is a neutering deadline fast approaching ⏳

- Confirmation of neutering must be received by Defra by 31 December.
- If confirmation of neutering is not received by Defra before the deadline, the dog will no longer be exempt from the ban and will be at risk of being taken by the police.

Please do not delay and risk the heartbreak of losing your precious canine companion 💔

Read our full 'what you need to know' guide: http://pdsa.me/Sftr

[Visual description: Text on a burgundy background reads: Important reminder for XL Bully owners. If you live in England and Wales and your exempted XL Bully was between seven to 12 months old on 31 January 2024, they will need to be neutered by 31 December 2024. Confirmation of neutering must be received by Defra by this date too. If confirmation of neutering is not received by Defra before the deadline, the dog will no longer be exempt from the ban and will be at risk of being taken by the police. To arrange neutering, please speak to your vet as soon as possible.]

26/09/2024

Fully stocked treats 🦴 Toys 🧸 and so much more 🐾

20/09/2024

September: Pain Awareness Month

Canine Arthritis Management once put out a 'Blunt Monday' stating that 100% of vets polled on a private veterinary forum would give NSAIDs to their own pet.

➡️Why did they ask this question?

In a recent poll in Veterinary Voices UK 73% of veterinary professionals had experienced owners who had stopped or refused treatment with NSAIDs citing safety concerns as the reason why - this is partly due to a huge amount of misinformation surrounding NSAIDs in animals.

Anecdotes are very powerful but are not based on evidence... so what is the evidence and why are people so scared?

Read more in our article 'Death By Pain Relief? Probably not'.

Please remember that that the risk of serious adverse effects from NSAID use is very low. However, NSAIDs are very effective pain controlling drugs, and denying their benefits without a realistic assessment of the risks may lead to animals being left in pain with a significantly reduced quality of life.

https://www.vetvoices.co.uk/post/will-nsaids-cause-renal-failure

12/09/2024

Apologies for the inconvenience but both Mastercard and visa are currently not working. We are unable to take card payments so are currently CASH ONLY.
Thank you for your understanding.

06/09/2024

With more individuals having to get to grips with muzzles due to the XL Bully legislation, we think it's an important reminder that we should NOT be using closed mouth muzzles to walk dogs. They MUST be able to pant or they risk heat stroke, especially in warm weather but this is important no matter what temperature!

If you need a bite proof muzzle, that also allows dogs to pants, look at communities such as The Muzzle Movement, The Muzzle Up Project and The Bully Boardroom - Public Page for help and support.

Does Muzzle Mean Trouble?

❌No!

➡️Muzzles are an essential piece of equipment in in the dog behaviour world.

➡️A properly fitted muzzle can allow people to safely exercise and socialise their dogs in a safer environment.

➡️Sadly dogs wearing muzzles are subject to judgment.

➡️There are a number of reasons dogs need to wear a muzzle, and none of them mean you have a bad dog! What we do have is a dog that is experiencing the world and an owner who has safe control of their pet.

✅Muzzle training should always be a very positive experience so the muzzle becomes associated with enjoyable experiences like walks, socialising, activities off lead exercise for example. Training may be a slow process but is worthwhile to allow your pet to safely navigate their environment.

➡️There are a number of reasons why a dog may be wearing a muzzle. If you see a dog wearing one:

✅ Recall your dog in case the dog is fear reactive or dog reactive

✅ Communicate with the owner.

🗨️"Hello, how are you? Is your dog okay with my dog or would you like me to move further away?"

In many instances you may help reduce the anxiety of a fear reactive dogs owner who can then safely pass without worrying about unexpected confrontation.
You may also learn that their dog is perfectly fine with dogs and would love to play, and they are wearing the muzzle for other reasons.

These reasons can be:

✅Behaviour
Some dogs need a muzzle to safely exercise in public because they may be reactive of aggressive in certain circumstances. An owner walking a muzzled dog is taking excellent care to provide for their welfare needs to enjoy natural behaviour while still considering the safety of others.

✅ Dogs that scavenge on walks.
This could result in the dangerous ingestion of mouldy foods, or other dangerous objects like stones, large pieces of wood or rubbish and litter left around (P.s please bin your litter!!)

✅ Dogs that are on a medical elimination diet and are not allowed to eat anything else to check for food allergies

✅ Dogs with medical issues like pancreatitis meaning scavenging high fat treats could cause a nasty flare up. Or dogs with diabetes that need to stop grabbing sneaky treats on walks to help control their blood glucose levels.

✅ Dogs who have a high prey drive and may try to catch little animals or even nip other smaller dogs on walks

✅ Dogs that's are perfectly lovely but have been put under restrictions by Breed Specific Legislation like a Pit Bull Terrier or XL Bully.

Post Pictures of your happy muzzled dog✅🐾💞

27/08/2024

➡️ 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

23/08/2024

Please see our below position statement, as part of The Cat Group, on ‘Bully’ and ‘Dwelf’ cats.

The Cat Group is a collection of professional organisations dedicated to feline welfare through joint campaigns and collaborative research, making expert recommendations on the care and keeping of all cats.

The Cat Group is very concerned about the breeding and promotion of so-called ‘Bully’ or ‘Dwelf’ cats.
We are completely opposed to the breeding of cats with extreme physical characteristics that negatively impact on their welfare and quality of life.

‘Bully’ and ‘Dwelf’ cats suffer from physical deformities, including hairlessness and distorted limbs, among other defects. Breeding for deformity is unethical and causes unacceptable pain and suffering. These defects, particularly limb deformities (short, bowed legs) and abnormal joints are painful and restrict mobility, thus preventing these cats from carrying out normal behaviours essential for their welfare and their ability to live a good quality of life.

The Cat Group strongly urges breeders to cease breeding ‘Bully’ or ‘Dwelf’ cats. These cats should not be promoted in any way, for example through social media, or by their presence at cat shows.

We ask the public not to buy these cats under any circumstances; doing so is irresponsible as it promotes popularity and leads to more cats with these issues being born to suffer.

More information about the health issues affecting ‘Bully’ and ‘Dwelf’ cats is available on the iCatCare website
https://icatcare.org/advice/dwelf/?fbclid=IwAR0WJl3yNt7wFWIfMThOxP44oPkPwzKR_oPTaptKbQUM6b-9NtZoEDNeTt8

19/08/2024

'He's limping, but he's not in pain!'

This is something we hear, a lot.

And unfortunately it can lead to a huge amount of pets carrying on with chronic pain without the necessary medicinal or multimodal support.

An article by Vet Help Direct helps to explain more about where this confusion stems from:

Limping and stiffness can be caused by several different conditions. The most common being acute injuries and skeletal issues like osteoarthritis (OA). As many as 80% of dogs over 8 years old have OA in one or more joints.

The way that our dogs display pain may not be how we expect; limping usually equals pain or discomfort!

The article covers:

➡️ The difference between acute and chronic pain
➡️ If your pet will ever limp without pain
➡️ Treatment options

https://vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2022/04/12/your-dogs-limping-that-means-hes-in-pain/

16/08/2024

Just because your pet is eating, doesn't mean there is no dental pain!

Dental disease is one of the most common health problems experienced by dogs but often remains unrecognised by owners as a major welfare issue.

Vet Compass found in dogs that:

➡️One in every 8 dogs (12.5%) overall suffers from dental disease every year.
➡️Eighteen breeds showed increased risk of dental disease compared with crossbred dogs. The breeds with the highest risk included Toy Poodle (x 3.97), King Charles Spaniel (x 2.63), Greyhound (x 2.58) and Cavalier King Charles spaniel (x 2.39).
➡️Four breeds showed reduced risk of dental disease compared with crossbred dogs: German Shepherd Dog (x 0.25), French Bulldog (x 0.43), Staffordshire Bull Terrier (x 0.45) and Labrador Retriever (x 0.49).
➡️Flat-faced (brachycephalic) breeds overall had 1.25 times the risk of dental disease compared with breeds with medium-length (mesocephalic) skulls.
➡️Spaniel breeds overall had 1.63 times the risk of dental disease compared with non-spaniel breeds.
➡️Smaller dogs were at had greater risk of dental disease.
➡️Aging was strongly associated with increased risk of dental disease.

Furthermore, Vet Compass also found that Periodontal disease is the most commonly diagnosed disease in UK cats.

➡️The study found 15.2% of cats are diagnosed annually (estimated 1.8 million cats affected every year in the UK), with many more likely going undiagnosed.

Periodontal disease causes a range of oral health issues, including gum inflammation, attachment loss of the structures supporting the teeth, tooth mobility, and pain. The early stages include gingivitis (gum inflammation) which can be reversed with good oral health treatment. However, if left untreated, gingivitis can progress to periodontitis (end stage gum disease) which is very difficult to resolve and can lead to teeth loss.

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."