Rochford Veterinary Surgery

03/12/2025

💚PET OF THE MONTH!💚

'Rodney is 17months old. The youngest member of our family. He is a labradoodle, the shaggy haired kind. We fell in love with Rodney straight away, his fun, cheeky, lovable nature. His favourite things to do are playing with his friends in the park, chasing his ball and swimming in the sea.'

Rodney recently came to us for his neutering procedure, and won the hearts of the whole team in the process.

Castration is a very important procedure, as it prevents any surprise litters appearing in any of Rodney's girlfriends' homes. Castration can also prevent some unwanted behaviours* such as aggression to other entire male dogs, or even receiving this from others. Along with reducing the risk of certain cancers developing, having this quick procedure can make a huge difference to a dog's life.

Rodney handled it like a champ, and never stopped being his loveable self the whole day he was with us. His recovery was smoother than Michael Buble's christmas album and, frankly, he is an excellent character to top off this year's list of amazing pets.

You rock Rodney!

*Always consult a behaviourist before considering castration for behavior-related reasons

05/11/2025

💚PET OF THE MONTH💚

Meet Buddy!
Buddy initially came to us with an ear infection which then led to an aural haematoma developing. This is where blood builds up between the cartilage layers in the ear pinna, causing the ear to become swollen and puffy in one area. This can often occur when a pet's ears are irritated by an infection causing them to shake their head excessively.

After getting the ear infection under control, Buddy's owners opted to send Buddy in for surgery to fix his haematoma. This procedure involves cutting the ear, draining out all of the blood and clots that have formed, then suturing the ear back together tightly making sure that the cartilage gets closed back together.

Buddy's ear healed perfectly! Unfortunately though this didn't mean he was discharged. At his final ear checkup, the vet found Buddy's prostate to feel enlarged.

This meant Buddy had to come in to us for an ultrasound scan of his prostate to check for any problems. The scan revealed that Buddy had a stone in his bladder.

Buddy was then swiftly booked in for yet another surgery for us to remove this stone and neuter him at the same time.

Buddy then had to come in for a few check ups, his temperature was a little high so this had to be rechecked every time he came in. In the end, Buddy had healed up and finally recovered fully so that he can now go about his normal routine.

Throughout his whole ordeal Buddy remained a happy waggy-tailed boy and was never any trouble for us to look after! His owners were also very dedicated and never missed an appointment for Buddy to be checked.

All in all, we give Buddy a 10 for being the best boy ever!

29/10/2025

Watching your pet seizure can be incredibly scary, especially if they've never had one before.

Knowing what to do should this situation arise will help you to remain calm and support your pet. Check out our recent blog post ⬇ for what to do during a pet seizure.

Seizures in pets - What to do

17/10/2025

💚 PET OF THE MONTH! 💚

This is lovely Poppy. She has been a little bit of a regular throughout the last few months coming to see Catherine about her sore eyes.

Conjunctivitis, corneal ulcers and more! Poppy has not had a great time of it. Unfortunately it wasn't just hard luck that meant Poppy ended up suffering with her eyes, it was due to an unfortunate condition called Entroption.

Entropion is when the skin of the eyelids ends up rolling inwards, usually because there is too much of it, and the eyelid becomes abrasive on the surface of the eye known as the Sclera. No wonder poor Poppy was sore! This condition is common in breeds with excess skin, such as Chow Chows and English Bulldogs.

After lots of symptomatic treatment it was time for Poppy to have surgery to put an end to this once and for all. Catherine operated on Poppy to remove some of the excess skin on her eyelids, as this would then lead the skin to contract as it heals and pull the eyelid up from it's rolled-in position.

Poppy as always was a fantastic patient, with her wonderful owner who showed dedication in supporting Poppy throughout her recovery and beyond. Poppy's eyes have healed up wonderfully and she no longer suffers with those sore eyes- meaning she can enjoy life pain-free and play with her little sister Lily.

Good girl Poppy!!

10/09/2025

💚PET OF THE MONTH💚

This is Duke. His owners brought him to see us when he started showing symptoms such as vomiting, unable to keep food down, and not passing anything from the other end.

For those that have been there with their own pets they will realise that these signs are familiar, and tell a very clear story. Of course these symptoms can also arise from a number of different conditions, however Duke is known to be a scavenger.

Given this fact and coupled with his symptoms it was important to ensure Duke had not ingested a foreign body. These come in all shapes and sizes from worn out socks to bouncy rubber balls. Why our pets want to eat them will forever be a mystery, but when they do it's important to act quickly.

Xrays revealed that Duke had indeed swallowed a stone, which was sat in his small intestine and unable to pass through. The best option was to operate and surgically remove the stone from his gut. This procedure is called an Exploratory Laparotomy, or 'ex-lap'.

The surgery was a success, and shortly after Duke's symptoms had resolved. His recovery went very well and is now able to return to his normal life. We are sure that from now on his owners will be extra careful with stones when Duke is about!

29/08/2025

💫 WELL DONE CATHY 💫

Our wonderful veterinary nurse Cathy has worked very hard over the last year to complete a certificate in Feline Friendly Nursing with International Cat Care. Through coursework, exams and online seminars she has demonstrated perseverance and dedication to understanding our cat companions, and came out on top with a Distinction!

We are all so very proud of her achievement 🎉

21/08/2025

☀️ BANK HOLIDAY ☀️

Just a reminder that our practice will be shut on Monday the 25th August due to the bank holiday. We will still be available on Saturday from 9am until 4pm in case you need us. We hope you all have a wonderful long weekend!

Any repeat prescriptions that need to be ordered in will be available from Wednesday next week and onwards.

12/08/2025

💚 PET OF THE MONTH! 💚

Tigger was rushed into us as an emergency one day. The emergency was that he had a blocked bladder.

This can happen in cats that suffer from cystitis frequently. When a blocked bladder occurs, it is because there are either urinary crystals blocking the urethra, or a stress induced spasm of the urethra, causing it to tighten and prevent urine from passing through. It is important to act quickly when this occurs. Urine that sits in the bladder for a prolonged period of time can cause lots of complications such as heart failure and kidney injury. The bladder is also at risk of rupturing as it overfills.

Once we had Tigger in, he was put under general anaesthetic so that our vet Dimitra could unblock him. This is accomplished by passing a urinary catheter through the p***s and urethra to create an open passage for the urine to drain through. This can take some time, as the procedure is very delicate and care must be taken to avoid causing damage to the urethra and surrounding tissues.

It only took Dimitra half an hour to sort Tigger out. Soon after he was in recovery and then on his way to spend 48 hours at our out of hours practice, to monitor his urinary output and look out for any complications that could arise.

Tigger was discharged after this, able to pass urine freely and much much happier.

Tigger's case is a very good example of why monitoring cystitis in cats is essential. Considering that he finds the vets very scary, Tigger has done so well to overcome this.

If you have a male cat at home who is prone to cystitis, it is important to monitor for these signs:
💧 Frequently visiting the litter tray, but passing no or very little urine
💧 Vocalising/yowling when attempting to pass urine
💧 Lethargy/sitting in the litter tray for long periods of time
💧 Straining when trying to urinate
💧 Off food

Should you be concerned that your cat might have a blockage, please call us as soon as possible.