Busy on the MRI scanner today 🐾🩺🐕
Bonnie was referred to Oakwood recently following a history of left forelimb lameness of approximately 3 to 4 months.
Initially intermittent and mild, Bonnie's lameness had progressed to being constant and severe. Graded as 6/10 left forelimb lameness.
Clinical examination with Charlie Sale revealed some resentment of flexion of the left elbow.
Elbow dysplasia and other differential diagnoses were discussed with the owner and CT imaging of both forelimbs was advised. CT imaging reveals key information about the changes found in elbow dysplasia affected elbows that normal x-rays do not. In fact x-rays can even look normal which is why most forelimb lameness is best investigated with CT imaging with elbow dysplasia being one of the most common underlying conditions.
Bonnie’s CT showed she had fragmentation of the medial coronoid process of the ulna, a region of the joint surface prone to overloading and fracture/fissuring.
Charlie advised Bonnie to have arthroscopy (keyhole joint surgery) of her left elbow to remove the fragment as in many but not all cases this can significantly improve and resolve lameness.
This procedure was performed under general anaesthesia and Bonnie went home along with anti inflammatory medication and instructions for rest.
On her return 2 weeks later for a check up, her owner and Charlie were delighted with her progress as she was already sound albeit still with medication and rest. Bonnie was given a further exercise and medication plan until her second re visit 4 weeks later.
At her second postoperative check she remained sound with no lameness having been seen since surgery. She was able to stop medication and gradually return to normal off-lead exercise and, more importantly, to what she does best, helping her dad train at Marbury Park, their venue for the Well Heeled Dog Club.
The Well Heeled Dog Club is Kennel Club accredited at all levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold.
Bonnie’s owner also runs advanced training classes for people who
It may be pouring with rain outside but our client care team are busy inside, organising new referrals for the week ahead. 🩺🐾🐕🐈
Summer is well and truly here but along with the warm weather sometimes comes perils for our furry friends.
Fishing is a popular pastime for many around our lakes and canals, but we wanted to highlight the dangers for dogs that can unfortunately sometimes arise.
Fisherman, will almost always have their bait and tackle at the side of the spot where they are fishing which, whether left unattended or not, may cause our four-legged friends to be very inquisitive.
The smell of the bate itself will attract some dogs to it which may then lead to accidental ingestion of the hooks and line.
Once ingested, the design of most fish hooks includes a barb at the tip which causes the hook to penetrate easily and become embedded into the tissue making it difficult to remove.
This is what happened to Harris recently when the bait had in fact been left unattended, unbeknown to his owners whilst walking past.
Luckily Harris has made a full recovery.
Watch the video to find out more 👇
Jilly came to visit us here at Oakwood recently following on going forelimb lameness.
As part of her investigations, she had a CT scan of her fore limbs and shoulders.
Jilly was admitted as a day patient for this procedure to be performed under sedation.
She was able to go home later that day.
Well done Jilly 🫶
Marcy, is a 4-year-old female Egyptian Mau, rescued from the streets of Cairo.
Marcy was referred to Oakwood following 2 weeks of acute onset vestibular signs. These included, ataxia (unsteady), a left sided head tilt, crying, reduced appetite, sleeping more than normal, off balance and falling over.
She had no signs of otitis externa (external ear infection) however a soft tissue polyp was seen on examination of her left ear canal.
An MRI scan of Marcy’s head was performed and a mass adjacent to her middle ear was identified.
This mass had the typical appearance of a cancerous tumour such as a Meningioma, which due to the location would unfortunately be inoperable.
However the MRI scan also showed that Marcy had otitis media (middle ear infection), so there was a possibility that the mass could represent an abscess.
The decision was made to treat Marcy with antibiotics to see whether she responded, in the hope that the mass was an abscess rather than a tumour.
Following 8 weeks of antibiotic treatment Marcy was doing very well clinically, and further MRI imaging confirmed that the mass appeared to have resolved, indicating that the area of concern was in fact an abscess.
Marcy is back to her normal adorable self and continues to follow her owner everywhere when she's not fulfilling her important role as neck warmer and shoulder rider!
In the words of her owner - “Marcy is beautiful, fascinating, affectionate and loved”
Well done Marcy
Keep a look out for our next post to learn all about Egyptian Mau’s from Marcy’s owner 🐈
Today marks a special day for this beautiful boy, Douglas 🐾
Douglas has been undergoing chemotherapy treatment for T-cell Lymphoma (a rare form of Lymphoma) which was diagnosed in January.
Today he has completed his final cycle of treatment which he responded to very well 🙌🩼
Despite frequent visits to the veterinary practice, Douglas did not lose his spirit and always greeted us with a waggy tail and took everything in his stride (in return for sausage treats!) 🌭
Here he is today, graduating from his chemotherapy treatment with toys, a certificate and a big round of applause! 👏🥇🍟
Wishing you all the best for a happy future, Douglas! 🐶
Little Millie came in recently for post operative radiographs following TPLO (Tibial Plateau Levelling Osteotomy) surgery 6 weeks previous.
Millie was under sedation whilst having her radiographs and was able to go home shortly afterwards. She was such a lovely sweet well behaved girl.
Well done Millie 🐾❤️
Who remembers our recent post explaining all about Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) surgery?
Say hello to Hank. He is a gorgeous French Bulldog who recently came to see Tammy our soft tissue surgeon for BOAS surgery.
Hank originally presented with nasal discharge, increased respiratory noise and laboured breathing. His owners were finding they needed to restrict his exercise otherwise he would have episodes of vomiting after approximately 10 minutes.
Other symptoms included accumulation of saliva in the back of his throat, difficulty getting comfortable to sleep and episodes of sleep apnoea.
Hank underwent BOAS surgery which included widening of his nostrils and resection of his tonsils and soft palate.
As part of the post-operative plan, all of our BOAS surgery patients have a (nasotrachael) tube placed for supplemental oxygen during the initial post operative phase. This is usually kept in place for 24 hours when post operative swelling of the airway is a higher risk.
Along with oxygen supplementation, our BOAS patients are nebulized (the patient inhales a vaporised drug via a small machine held close to their airway) regularly to also help minimise post operative inflammation and swelling within the airway.
Hank was able to return home the next day and has recovered well from his surgery.
Well done Hank
#veterinarynurseawarnessmonth 🩺🐾👩⚕️🐕
👉PHLEBOTOMIST 💉
Veterinary nurses regularly take blood samples for a variety of blood tests to be performed either in house or packed and sent away to an external laboratory, depending on the test required.
Blood is usually taken from the jugular vein as this is a large vein which is easy to visualise and palpate and well tolerated by the patient.
Also a larger volume of blood can be taken from this vein should it be required.
The jugular vein runs down either side of the neck so the area on the chosen side is clipped and prepped before the nurse raises the vein with a thumb close to the thoracic inlet, before introducing the needle and syringe with the other hand to carefully take the sample.
The blood is placed into the appropriate tubes whilst pressure is applied momentarily to prevent any further bleeding. Just like humans!!!
In the video, nurse Jaz demonstrates taking a blood sample from the gorgeous Paddington. 🐾
Paddington’s head is raised in order for the vein
to become more superficial when Jaz applies pressure to raise the vein 🩸
Be sure to check our page daily for more Vet Nurse Awareness Month updates. 😊🐾
We hope you are all enjoying the May bank holiday. Did you know, May is Veterinary Nurse awareness month? So be sure to check our posts for regular updates about all things Vet Nurse! 🩺🐶
Sometimes even staff pets need referral veterinary treatment!
Meet Georgia and her lovely dog Sprocket 🐕
Georgia has been part of our amazing client care team since Jan 2023.
Sprocket was referred to our Orthopaedic department recently following a sudden thoracic limb lameness.
She attended Oakwood today as a day patient to have a CT scan of her elbows.
She recovered well from her sedation and enjoyed a tasty meal so much after waking up that she licked her bowl completely clean! 🐾🐶
This week we are celebrating the amazing work of our reception team for Veterinary receptionist awareness week. We simply could not do this job without them. They are the first point of contact and without the many amazing skills they possess, we would struggle to function!
Their organisation for a team photo however is a little different !! 📸
Say cheese 😀😜
Who remembers Billy? 10 months ago he accidentally fell off the bed tragically injuring his spine. Billy was left paralysed but following spinal surgery and months of rehabilitation he was able to walk again. We are so pleased to see Billy playing in his favourite park and totally loving life 🥰🐾🐶If you missed Billy’s story first time round, have a look on our pinned post to find out his full story.
Bella was initially referred to Oakwood in Feb 2022 following 3 months of hind limb mobility deterioration. She was exhibiting stiffness on rising, had stopped going upstairs, and seemed increasingly unsettled in the evenings.
No significant improvement had been seen with anti inflammatory pain medication and radiographs showed marked bilateral hip dysplasia with osteoarthritic changes including remodelling of the femoral head and necks (the ‘ball part of hip joint’) and acetabulae (socket part)
On examination Bella exhibited discomfort on hip extension bilaterally (both sides)
Bella went on to have bilateral total hip replacements which were performed approximately 12 months apart. One in July 2022 and one in May 2023
A cementless acetabular cup and a cementless femoral stem were implanted into the bones of the hip joints.
Bella’s owners were given a plan to follow at home which included a combination of rest and rehabilitation involving gradually increasing her exercise.
Major surgery is never without risk and after Bella’s first hip operation she suffered a transient neurological weakening as a complication of the surgical trauma but happily this fully recovered with time.
Follow up radiographs were performed 8 weeks after surgery for each hip replacement and she was finally given the all clear in July 2023.
Bella has gone on to make a full recovery and is now back enjoying life and showing off her agility skills which we think you will agree are outstanding!
Well done Bella and thank for being such a lovely doggy we hope you continue to enjoy running around and not being sore anymore!
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