Rochford Veterinary Surgery

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.

09/07/2025

💚 PET OF THE MONTH 💚

Bonzo Dog is a 13 year old miniature pincsher. Along with his age, there have also come some ailments which over the years have required a lot of hard work from both Bonzo Dog's owners as well as our vet Catherine to resolve.

Now resolved, Bonzo Dog had one more problem to address: his teeth.

Bonzo Dog had very severe dental disease and plaque build up, so was well overdue this procedure.

The reason why Bonzo Dog is this month's pet is because despite all of his problems before, and despite them being resolved, the dental procedure is what made the most difference to him.

His owners say that after he had had the procedure he is now a whole new dog, and where he was aggressive with having his eye drops applied (to the point of being hospitalised for a week so the nurses could give him the much needed drops) he is now absolutely fine and so much happier!

We wanted to highlight the importance of dental health in pets, and how much of an effect dental disease can have on our pets and use Bonzo Dog as an example.

We are super happy that Bonzo Dog is feeling much much better, and wish him and his owners all the best!

18/06/2025

💚 PET OF THE MONTH 💚

Our new pet of the month is handsome Mando. Poor Mando has probably been through more in his four years of life than any other dog. He has recently overcome his newest hardship, following on from chronic sickness, allergies, eye problems and a trip up to the Royal Veterinary College!

Mando's owner spotted a strange lump on Mando's prepuce, although tiny it warranted investigation due to it's constant development. A fine needle aspirate sample of the lump showed lots of mast cells, indicating that this lump could be a mast cell tumour. A sample of cells was sent away to an external laboratory for more investigation, from which the results confirmed our suspicions.

Usually mast cell tumours are dealt with by being surgically removed. Due to the location of the tumour this would make surgical removal very difficult. After some research, another way of removing Mando's tumour was found.

A chemical route, whereby an injection was given into the tumour was elected as an option for Mando. Although it was a much riskier option due to the very high potential for breakdown of the skin in the area. It was unknown how successful we would be with this, but nevertheless Mando's owner wanted to try.

It's lucky we did try. After the injection, although Mando was feeling a little sore, it wasn't long before the tumour had necrosed (died) and began to slough off. Mando did not suffer any skin breakdown, and the area has healed over beautifully.

We think after all that Mando has been through, and how lucky he was that his treatment was a success he deserves to be celebrated for making it through. We wish Mando and his owner all the best and hope it's not too soon before we see them again!

12/06/2025

We're hiring!

Our practice will be in need of a full time veterinary surgeon to join our team this autumn.

To find out more, follow the link below ⬇

We will be looking for a veterinary-surgeon to join us this autumn. Click here for more details https://www.rochfordvets.co.uk/vet-jobs-essex/

13/05/2025

💚 PET OF THE MONTH 💚

Our pet this month is 19 week old italian greyhound Milan!

Milan's worried owners rushed her in to us after she had had an accident at home which resulted in a broken front leg.

We immediately administered strong pain relief for her, then it wasn't long before Milan and her pawrents were on their way to a specialist referral centre. Here, Milan was put under general anaesthetic for surgery to fix her leg by placing a metal plate, which held the bones together as they healed.

After this we saw Milan regularly to check on the surgical site, and replace her dressings. Our nursing team had great fun picking out so many bright colours (as pictured) but poor Milan began to get fed up as the dressings were causing small sores on her skin. Thankfully, she didn't need dressings for long, and she was all done and dusted in two weeks.

We can now confirm that after an extensive period of rest and limited exercise Milan is fully recovered and able to go about her normal life! She may need rechecks in the future as she grows but for now we're sure her owners are keeping an extra close eye on her whilst she is free to run and play again.

This was a big ordeal for such a young puppy to go through, so we think Milan definitely deserves this spotlight for being such a brave girl ⭐️

29/04/2025

You asked and we listened!🗣

Our latest blogpost tells you all about canine dementia, the signs and the treatments 💙

Check it out using the link below!

What is canine dementia? Canine dementia is also known as Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome (CCDS). It is a condition that is related to the aging of the brain and has been compared to dementia or Alzheimers in humans. The condition occurs in older dogs and signs will gradually progress over tim

20/04/2025

05/04/2025

💚PET OF THE MONTH💚

Our Pet of the Month for April is Harley!

Harley recently came in to have a dental procedure, which resulted in him having 5 teeth extracted under a general anaesthetic.

Although this sounds routine, Harley came with some complications which meant his anaesthetic required a higher level of attention.

Harley has hyperthyroidism, which means the thyroid gland produces too much of the thyroid hormone. This hormone affects primarily a patient's metabolism, along with other vital functions such as heart rate. Our nurses therefore had to very very closely monitor Harley to ensure he remained stable whilst he was asleep.

In addition to this, Harley is 16 years old, and not a fan of the vets! So not only did we have to consider his hyperthyroidism in his anaesthetic plan, but we had to factor his age and temperament in as well to make sure he got the best care possible.

As much as it would seem there was reason to simply not go ahead, Harley's teeth were causing him pain and it wouldn't have been fair to leave him this way. Harley came in for blood tests to make sure his thyroid was at a manageable level before going ahead and was very brave throughout the whole process. He pulled through his dental procedure without a hitch and made a very smooth recovery. He is now able to enjoy his life pain free, lounging by the window at home and buttering the neighbours up for his second breakfast!

Harley's character and his story won the hearts of the staff here and it was felt that he deserves to be this month's star pet.

Great job Harley!!

01/04/2025

At Rochford Vets we realise the importance of understanding your pet's needs, and there is no one better for the job than the animals themselves!

This is why we have decided to take on a new approach, and employ a dedicated PCT, or Patient Communications Team.

Team members such as Peggy pictured here, have undertaken rigorous training to become proficient in english, spanish, german and french in order to be able to communicate with our patients; from british shorthairs to french bulldogs!

We hope you will make them feel welcome when you next visit, and we look forward to working alongside them!