Copthorne Vets

08/11/2024

Reception have been busy decorating, again! Calmex is an over the counter supplement that promotes relaxed behaviour, helps your pet manage short-term stress and longer term anxiety! Whilst you’re next in practice, why don’t you have a look at our display? Or phone and ask one of our reception team about the benefits? 💙

05/11/2024

Great advice for looking after your cat through the firework season

04/11/2024

A quick 3 minute read about Puppy socialisation from Fearfreepets.com

Puppyhood is a crucial time for physical and emotional development and coincides with their vaccination schedule.

25/10/2024

⚠️ ATTENTION ⚠️
🐾 PLEASE SHARE 🐾

We have had a stray cat brought into us at the practice. Large grey male with collar. He is microchipped but unfortunately we are struggling to get in touch with his owners. He is a long way from home but found in Shrewsbury, so we are eager to reunite him with his owners.

21/10/2024

With Halloween around the corner, ghosts and ghouls aren’t the only scary thing around!
We’d like to educate you today on the dangers of xylitol poisoning in dogs. Xylitol, often called birch sugar or wood sugar, is a sugar replacement often found in sweets, chocolates and some peanut butters 🍫🍬 (all the tasty stuff). As a sugar replacement, it tricks the body into producing insulin as the pancreas believes it’s sugar. The increase in insulin can then cause dangerously low blood sugar levels (or what we call hypoglycaemia)!

Symptoms of xylitol poisoning include:
- Vomiting
- Lethargy
- Disorientation
- Collapse
- Seizures/tremors

So if you think your pet has consumed any sweeties they shouldn’t have, check the ingredients list and give us a call! Be sure to look for all the names xylitol may be listed under!

For more information, the sources below are full of good education! 🤓

https://www.bluecross.org.uk/advice/dog/xylitol-poisoning-in-dogs

https://www.vpisglobal.com/2015/11/13/xylitol-poisoning-in-dogs/

Xylitol is a natural sweetener that is highly toxic to dogs. Read our advice about the symptoms, treatment and prevention of xylitol poisoning.

10/10/2024

Today is World Mental Health Day and whilst all of the staff here at Copthorne are so very grateful for the decisions that have led us this point in our lives. We would like today to talk about mental health in the veterinary sector.
A study completed by the RCVS found that 90% of veterinary professionals indicated that they find their work stressful. Elevated work stress has been linked as a causation of anxiety and depression, which has been found to be significantly higher in veterinary professionals than the general population.

So we would like to give a moment of thanks for charities that support professionals in our sector in the UK and across the world as it is not an issue that’s just limited to our shores.
Charities such as VetLife, Not One More Vet and Mind Matters are so influential on many daily lives with their 24/7 support helplines, online and in person resources and workshops, their advocacy and initiatives that continue to draw attention and raise awareness and funding for every veterinary professional affected.
Our mental health first aiders, Sarah and Corinne, have completed appropriate training to support us on an individual basis specifically at Copthorne. So a big thanks to them too!! 💙

Please follow the links below if you feel like you need help or simply for more information!
VetLife - https://www.vetlife.org.uk
Not One More Vet - https://www.nomv.org
Mind Matters - https://vetmindmatters.org
Su***de and Crisis Lifeline - https://988lifeline.org or please call 988 if you feel you need immediate help.

“RCVS survey of veterinary professions - synthesis report” (2014)
“A cross-sectional study of mental health and well-being and their associations in the UK veterinary profession” (2009)

27/09/2024

🌟 Companionship and Housing 🌟

It is the final day of guinea pig awareness week! To finish off the week, we will share companionship and housing tips!

Guinea pigs are social animals, so they should not live alone. When considering providing a home for guinea pigs, single-sex groups/pairs or littermates make the best companions. Males and females can live together, but we advise neutering the male first.

Guinea pigs can live indoors and outdoors. However, special care should be taken during summer and winter due to temperature changes. For more information on ways to house guinea pigs and tips on their housing during summer and winter, visit the link below.

https://guineapigalliance.com/guinea-pig-welfare/environment/

26/09/2024

🌟 Enrichment 🌟

It’s important for guinea pigs to have plenty of enrichment to help stimulate their natural behaviours and keep them happy!

The attached picture shows some great ways to create your own enrichment for your guinea pigs, or alternatively, visit the link below for more information on guinea pig behaviour.

https://guineapigalliance.com/guinea-pig-welfare/behaviour/

25/09/2024

FOUND 🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈‍⬛🐈🐈🐈
Small grey neutered male cat near Rad Valley Road. Has no collar and his microchip details are out of date. If anyone has lost a cat of this description in this area please get in touch. We will keep here for 7 days then re home him. 💙💙

25/09/2024

🌟 Health Checking 🌟

It’s important to regularly check over your guinea pigs so any concerns can be highlighted early! Areas that should be checked are the teeth, ears, nose, eyes, body shape, and feet.

Check out the link below for more information on guinea pig health and common health problems.

https://guineapigalliance.com/guinea-pig-welfare/health/

24/09/2024

Unfortunately, we’ve have had a deceased entire male cat brought into us this morning.
He is ginger with some white markings, and unfortunately does not have a microchip.
He was found in the Mousecroft SY3 area.
Please call us on 01743 360614 if you think he might be yours.

24/09/2024

🌟 Nutrition 🌟

Today, we will be taking a look at the nutritional requirements for guinea pigs!

A guinea pig’s diet should contain:

🥦 85 - 90% fresh feeding hay & grass
🥦 A small amount of pellets
🥦 A small handful of fresh greens
🥦 A continuous supply of fresh water

Don’t forget the occasional nature snack to encourage natural foraging!

❓Did you know❓

Guinea pigs fed a muesli diet may selectively feed, meaning they will pick out the pieces of food high in starch and sugar, leaving the nutritious elements behind!

23/09/2024

🌟 It’s Guinea Pig Awareness Week 🌟

Between September 23rd and 27th, we will be sharing and spreading awareness of the health and wellbeing of guinea pigs!

To kick off this week, today we are looking at the five welfare needs of guinea pigs.

🥦 Nutrition
❤️ Health
🏡 Environment
🫂 Companionship
😊 Behaviour

16/09/2024

⚡️ K-LASER ⚡️
K-Laser therapy is a non-invasive modality which plays an important component of the multimodal management of pain and inflammation.
It has been utilised in humans and animal medicine for many decades and can reduce the need for medication.
If you think your pet may be a good candidate for K-Laser therapy, give us a call on 01743 360614 to get more information or book an appointment.

11/09/2024

🐾 September is Pain Awareness Month 🐾

Pain can be expressed in many forms including:

- Reduced mobility (difficulty rising, standing, jumping or climbing stairs)
- Reduced appetite
- Overgrooming
- Decreased social interaction

💙 Even the most subtle changes in your pet’s normal routine and/or behaviour can be an indication of discomfort.

⭐️ Through the month we will be posting information and modalities of how we can best manage pain in our pets.

🩺 If you think your pet may be struggling with their mobility or are no longer as active, give us a call to book an appointment with one of our veterinary surgeons to explore options.

04/09/2024

🐱 Sage and Suki 🐱

How adorable are these sibling kittens with their bow ties? 💙

Sage and Suki visited one of our nurses for a weigh and worm check. As you can see they both enjoyed exploring the nurse room, finishing in the sink 💙

21/08/2024

You may have noticed a new face amongst our team. We would like to say a warm welcome to Veterinary Nurse Sarah, who will be joining us for a year following completion of her degree at Harper Adam’s University 🩺

⭐️ Sarah has a special interest in surgical nursing and anaesthesia ⭐️
In her home town of Augher, Ireland, Sarah enjoys walking her two dogs, Brodie and Holly, and cuddling her two cats, Leo and Lucy 🦮 🐈

02/08/2024

The issue with our emails has been fixed. Thank you for your patience 🙏

📧‼️ Our E-mails Are Down ‼️📧
We are currently experiencing issues with our e-mailing system, which means we aren’t able to send or receive any e-mails. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and ask that you contact us via phone for any assistance. Hopefully this is a temporary issue, and we will have the matter resolved soon! Thank you as always for your patience 🐾