Family Friends Vets

07/12/2023

Nellie arrived today with a packed bag for her stay with us to be neutered. Bringing your dog's blanket ensures there is a familiar bed and smell that stays with them the whole day. We also ensure they have it with them when they are recovering from their anaesthesia to reassure them as they are confused and can be scared. Dogs and cats 'see' the world through their noses and this makes a big difference to them.
Our cat ward and dog ward have a permanent pet remedy diffuser in them and we regularly spray our kennels and cages with it, to help keep them calm.
We love Nellie's day bag that she has with her on her outings. We love bees and we love Nellie ❤️

27/11/2023

Today is Stir-up Sunday, the last Sunday before Advent, and the traditional day to prepare and mix your Christmas puddings🎄🎁

Remember that raisins, sultanas and currants are toxic to pets, and ingestion of a small amount can be enough to cause kidney damage. It is not fully understood how these foods cause poisoning, and there is no correlation between the amount eaten and the likelihood of an animal developing complications. This means that even a small amount can be enough to cause serious kidney impairment.

☎️ Pet owners can call Animal PoisonLine on 01202 509 000
🤳 Veterinary professionals can call VPIS on 0207 305 5055

Photo credit to Mosney Mill (https://www.facebook.com/mosneymill)

23/11/2023

Alfie came to us with a large, nasty growth above his left eye. As he is very close to 14, it was an ethically difficult decision to decide whether to operate on him to remove it or not. The mass eventually got so itchy thay Alfie started rubbing himself on walls and concrete, so the decision was finally made to operate on him and Alfie was booked in!
Our elderly patients have a different anaesthetic protocol to our young patients and every effort was made to ensure Alfie had a quick, safe and smooth anaesthesia and recovery. He is much more comfortable now and his owners are very pleased with the results. He is also being treated for his arthritis and we hope he will have a much more comfortable Christmas as a result!
If you have elderly pets with health problems, it is worth having a chat to your vets about procedures that may help them. It can be a difficult decision but we will always try and help you decide what's best for your furry family member.

15/04/2023

10/03/2023

There is a lot of misleading information on the internet at this time of year relating to daffodil toxicity in pets, and we understand that this can cause a lot of worry and anxiety to pet owners.

Daffodils contain irritant compounds that often cause gastrointestinal signs such as vomiting and diarrhoea. It is important to note, however, that severe cases are uncommon and many animals can be managed at home.

📞If you are concerned that your pet has ingested a daffodil, we recommend contacting Animal PoisonLine for advice on 01202 509 000📞

10/03/2023

Thank you, Willow House Animal Rescue, for everything you do. If we can help, we always will ❤️❤️❤️

The biggest shout out to the amazing staff and vets at Family Friends Vets in Cippenham. They have supported me and the animals I have rescued from the beginning.
Rescuing animals costs a fortune, in money and time. Sick, unneutered, unwanted animals come to me daily. I couldn't do this without the generous help of others and I am eternally grateful 💜💛❤️
Every little life matters to me, thank you so much to the Family Friends team who are ALWAYS behind me 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

19/08/2022

To all who were worried about our little pup from yesterday.
We managed to find an extremely generous and kind hearted, local specialist centre who have agreed to take her on and try and treat her. They think her chances are good but it's very early days yet. So we are taking her there today and keeping our fingers and toes crossed for her ❤

17/08/2022

We have just had a puppy brought in by a member of public that was found as a stray in Cippenham. The puppy has significant birth abnormalities and we fear it may have been dumped. If not, and this is your puppy that has just got lost, please contact us on 01628 600 586. We will want to see proof of ownership (litter photos or photos of pup).
Due to how ill this puppy is, she is not eligible for rehoming at present. We are just trying to locate her original owners.
**EDIT** photo of pup in comments below

28/07/2022

Today is a very special day...
Our Queen of the practice celebrated her 10th birthday!
Many of you will know Ellie as the friendly face that greets you all, the one that makes sure we're all working hard, and the one that tests the treats and food we give to make sure its adequate for our patients. Ellie is a very special girl and came to us over 7 years ago and has been the Queen of Family Friends Vets ever since. We also recieved the very happy news yesterday that Ellie's CT scan came back clear of her cancer that she had last year and celebrated this as well. We all adore her and know you all do as well. Below she is pictured enjoying her birthday cake along with her brother Moth and she is very happy about all the fuss and attention ❤

19/07/2022

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: 18th to 23rd JULY 2022 💢

Unfortunately, the practice has been hit by the new wave of COVID.
Both Subo and Chris and 2 of our nurses are off with the virus.
This means that for this week, we are unable to provide veterinary care to our patients, and we ask that, if care is urgently needed, our clients try another of the local practices - The Beeches, Pen*stone, Alma, Summerleaze, Hall Place etc.

We have managed to remain open throughout the pandemic and we are disappointed and very sorry that the virus has finally caught up with us and put us in this situation.

Family Friends Vets will remain open between 9am & 12pm and 3pm & 6pm for clients needing to order or collect prescriptions, flea and worm treatment etc.

Provided that all goes well, the practice will open as normal at 8.30am on Monday 25th July.

01/07/2022

FOUND CAT!

We have had a petite tortoiseshell cat handed in to us, who is currently receiving medical treatment. She has some distinctive features that we would like you to describe before we can confirm if this is your girl.

Please call us on 01628 600586 if she could be yours.

01/06/2022

We want to wish all our clients a wonderful Jubilee weekend! 🎉🇬🇧

31/05/2022

It is tick season so it’s time to start checking your cats and dogs over! 🐾

🐶Ticks are most often found in woodland or long grassy areas.

🐱 Ticks are more common in dogs but cats can still get them

🐶 Tick bites can carry diseases so it is important to remove them straight away.

🐱 To avoid squeezing the body or leaving the head in, you'll need to twist the tick off. This can be done using a tick removal tool or booking a nurse appointment for them to remove.

🐶 Ticks carry a serious bacterial infection called Lyme disease. Dogs, cats and humans can all get Lyme disease, although it's uncommon in cats. Symptoms in cats and dogs include:
- Depression
- Loss of appetite
- Fever
- Lameness
- Swollen and painful joints
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Lethargy

If you catch it early, Lyme disease can be treated with antibiotics.

Keep an eye out for ticks 👍

17/05/2022

⭐️ WE ARE HIRING ⭐️

One of our nurses has decided to diversify outside of nursing and therefore we are now in search for a new member to add to our close knit, friendly team!

Family Friends Vets is an independent first opinion practice, with 3 RVN’s, VCA and receptionist, we value our nurses and encourage them to develop their skills and niche. We are due to move in to our brand new state of the art practice in the near future which boasts modern equipment including digital x-ray, ultrasound and lab equipment which will allow our nurses to nurse.

Our nurses are ready to welcome someone in to the team that contributes to the weird and wonderful conversations that are had in the prep room – nothing is off limits. We work closely with Cats Protection, the RSPCA and we are often fostering or nursing a stray, the animals are always at the forefront of everything we do.

This is a full time position but we will consider part time, as we know that having a work/life balance is very important, no OOH and 1 in 3 Saturday mornings.

Generous CPD budget, RCVS fees paid, discounted veterinary care for your pets. Salary £23,000 - £28,000

If you think you could be the perfect fit please send your CV to Subo at [email protected]

Please spread the word and share!

10/05/2022

Last Saturday just before we left, one of our nurses noticed a bag outside of the practice. Luckily she went to investigate and when she opened up the bag she was surprised to see two adult cats along with 10 kittens 🐱

It is scary to think what may have happened to these beautiful cats and kittens if we had not noticed the bag or if we had been shut. 💔

If you can no longer look after your pet or facing hardship there are places you can take them:

- Cats Protection
- RSPCA
- Battersea Dogs and Cats Home

We as a team are here for you, please always come in and have a chat with us, we won’t judge and will help where we can. Please never just leave them outside in the elements as their fate is unknown.

These cats have been incredibly lucky and will be off to the RSPCA to find their forever homes 🏡

04/05/2022

Thank you to all of those who donated and brought cakes at Ahrani’s cake sale in aid of the crisis happening in Ukraine 🇺🇦

Ahrani raised a massive £105.55, Subo kept to her word and matched how much she raised and the money has been sent to Shelter Friend and United for Ukraine.

Well done Ahrani 🎉 we are all so proud of you!

03/05/2022

It’s that time of year again where we celebrate the veterinary nurse profession 🎉

Most people think veterinary nurses are purely there to help our vets and cuddle pets all day and although we do help assist the vets, we are a profession in our own right.

It takes between 2-4 years of studying at college/university 📚 to become a veterinary nurse, we undertake a number of both written and practical exams and once qualified we go on the RCVS register of veterinary nurses scroll 📜 where we take our oath. BUT it doesn’t just stop there, just like our veterinary surgeon counterparts we have to continue to undertake a certain number of hours of CPD in order to stay up to date with the latest research 🔬

Throughout the month of May we will show you the roles you may not realise that our Registered Veterinary Nurses undertake 💉

26/04/2022

⭐️ HAPPY VETERINARY RECEPTIONIST WEEK ⭐️

It is veterinary receptionist appreciation week this week and we wanted to celebrate our wonderful receptionist Anna 🎉

Believe it or not receptionists can get a really hard time in veterinary practices and so we think a week to celebrate them is very much needed!

Anna is the backbone of the practice and we truly appreciate everything she does for us, so when you see her please give her a great BIG compliment ❤️ here she is with her beautiful dog Kai 🐶

21/04/2022

If you are out and about in Cippenham tomorrow please pop in and buy some delicious cakes 🍰

Subo and Chris’s daughter Ahrani has decided to do a cake sale in aid of the Ukraine refugees and Subo has agreed to match whatever she makes!

We’d love to see you and your furry friends 🐶

11/04/2022

Our lovely vets Subo & Chris went on a well deserved family holiday last week. Their newest addition, Moth (who arrived as a stray in the practice and landed on his feet!) managed to get out of doing any walking and fitted quite comfortably in Chris’s jacket 🐶

11/04/2022

HAPPY NATIONAL PET DAY! 🐶🐱🐭🐹🐰

Here are some of the team and their beloved pets 🥰

01/04/2022

We were all very excited yesterday to have this beautiful cheetah in the practice to perform tests on after she was not eating for a few days, she is now recovering back at the zoo 🐆

29/03/2022

Spring has sprung 💐

We had the pleasure of vaccinating these beautiful pups today! 🐶

22/02/2022

Today is World Spay Day!

A day in which animal charities come together to help spread the message to get their pets neutered 🐱🐶

According to the PDSA PAW Report, a huge 70% of litters in cats were unplanned - many cat owners are caught out as they don’t realise their cats can get pregnant before 6 months.

There are many benefits of neutering your pets:

✅ Helps protect them against diseases and certain cancers

✅ Protects females against the risks associated with pregnancy

✅ Deters male cats from straying from home, or being injured in fights.

✅ Decreases the likelihood of your male cat ‘spraying’ urine in your home (scent marking)

Help us spread the word to neuter your pets 🥰

15/02/2022

We know some of our pets like to overindulge 🍫 we have seen a rise in the number of dogs coming in because they have eaten something they shouldn’t!

Human foods such as chocolate, grapes and garlic, uncooked potatoes are toxic to dogs if ingested, along with some household plants and rat poisoning 🐀

Make sure you keep things out of reach from your furry friends and if you do notice they have eaten something and you are unsure if it is toxic, please call the practice and we can help!

If your dog has eaten anything that is toxic, it is important that we see your dog as soon as possible in order to induce vomiting and reduce the amount absorbed in to the body.

16/11/2021

🚗PARKING 🚗

As some of you may already have seen the car park behind the vets has now become a pay and display.

We have been given vouchers to give to our clients which enables you to get 2 hours free parking, so when you park do not worry about getting a ticket, just ask for a voucher when you are leaving the practice and we will give one to you. The voucher then just needs to be validated at the ticket machine, there is steps on how to do this on the voucher.

🚙🚗🚙🚗🚙🚗🚙

15/11/2021

*URGENT REQUEST*

If any of our lovely followers have any spare newspapers that they could donate we would be so grateful.

We have had an influx of hedgehogs and other wildlife that are needing it and we are quickly running out🦔

Thank you 🙏

02/11/2021

We had the pleasure of seeing the beautiful Norbet last week, we think he’s got a pretty cool set of wheels!

He enjoyed all the attention he got from the nurses 🥰

01/11/2021

Please keep your eyes out for a black cat, she is wearing a pink/red collar and answers to Ruby, she is also microchipped.

She was last seen at the junction of Lynch Hill Lane and Gaveston Road near the entrance to the field.

This is an urgent request as she has possibly been injured in a dog attack.

Thank you 🙏