Vets for Pets South Shields

31/10/2024

Happy Halloween!! We hope you all have a Spook-tacular evening 👻 🎃 🐕 🐈

30/10/2024

Zepp, the 11 year old Labrador, was hospitalised with us on Monday for her dental procedure. 🦷

She had quite a few teeth extracted but was still wagging her tail and showing us tricks to try and get some snacks in recovery!

This is her in recovery being super adorable before her family arrived to take her back home ❤️‍🩹

28/10/2024

We love a happy reunion 💚

Our team have been following the story this weekend of little Bella going missing from Friday and we were very pleased to receive the phone call from her family this afternoon to say that she was found!

Here she is with her family who are over the moon to have her back safely with them and thankfully she looked very good on her health check with our vet, Jia.

Slow introduction of food and lots of TLC for you now Bella! 🐾

26/10/2024

Happy 1 year Birthday to our Joint Venture Partners- Tammie, Kay and Kirstin!

Thank you to all of our clients and their lovely pets for the support over the past year and all the years beforehand 🎈

Love, your Vets4Pets South Shields Team x

23/10/2024

Found Cat 🐈‍⬛

Sadly the cat was involved in a road traffic accident and has passed away.
The cat is not microchipped.
She is an all black, domestic short hair with no collar.

Please contact us if you believe this to be your cat on 0191 456 2211 📞

23/10/2024

Give us a call to book in to see one of our lovely nurses for the Furrever Young clinic! £15 ❤️

22/10/2024

Hi everyone,
Don't forget, we accept Blue Light discount cards.

We are pleased to announce that as of today, we are now accepting Blue Light Cards.

Blue Light Cards provide NHS workers, emergency services, social care sector and armed forces with discounts.

If you hold a Blue Light Card, simply show your card and ID at the practice, then we will apply 10% discount!

22/10/2024

Only 9 days left for the dental offer. 20% off!
Call the practice on 01914562211 to make a booking or enquiry.

DENTAL 🦷 OFFER - 20% off all dental procedures.
We currently have a dental offer running until the 31st October.
You can book in for a free nurse dental check first if preferred, in order to talk to us about the procedure and aquire an estimate of costs.
Please call the team on 01914562211 if you have any further questions or to book an
appointment.

09/10/2024

DENTAL 🦷 OFFER - 20% off all dental procedures.
We currently have a dental offer running until the 31st October.
You can book in for a free nurse dental check first if preferred, in order to talk to us about the procedure and aquire an estimate of costs.
Please call the team on 01914562211 if you have any further questions or to book an
appointment.

25/09/2024

Welcome Lauren to our team!

Lauren joined our team a few months ago as a Student Nurse awaiting to sit her practical nursing exams, the OSCES.

She has fitted in very well to the team and always has a positive attitude and caring approach to both her patients and their human families, she has her own two lovely German Shepherds and her hobby is playing football outside of work ⚽️

We are pleased to announce she has now passed and in on the RCVS register as an official Registered Veterinary Nurse.
Congrats Lauren and welcome to the V4P family 🥳

23/09/2024

UPDATE 25.9.24- FOUND

Missing Cat- Wicket 🐱

Wicket went missing last Thursday and has a very worried family.

He is microchipped but has lost his identification collar.

Please let us know if you see or find him on 07700151766 or call on 0191 456 2211 📞

16/09/2024

Stanley the border terrier, came in for his neutering operation and here he is sitting proud in his surgical suit.

The suit was only a temporary fix for 5 days to act as a barrier from him licking at his wound and he is now back to normal exercise!

We recommend lead and short exercise for 5 days for most dogs after a dog castration operation 🐾

16/09/2024

FOUND FERRET 🐾

Female, young ferret found Simonside

Please call the practice if this is your ferret on 0191 456 2211 📞

12/09/2024

CASH ONLY
Our card machine is temporarily down
We apologise for any inconvenience

05/09/2024

Gus and Logan, two little brothers, were in yesterday for their castration operations.

The recommendation for Dachshunds, if going to neuter, is waiting until at least 2 years of age (based on the largest neutering study). If you’d like advice on neutering dependant on breed and ages, our team would be happy to discuss this on 07700151766 📱

Gus and Logan were separated after their surgeries until they regained consciousness and then were very, VERY excited to be reunited with one another! We wish them both a healthy and speedy recovery ❤️‍🩹

04/09/2024

🦷 DENTAL OFFER 🦷

We will have dental offer on with 20% off the total dental in October (Tuesday 1st October to Thursday 31st October).

£10 deposit required to secure a booking slot.

If you would like a free of charge dental assessment and to gain an estimate then please book an appointment with one of our nurses.

Please call our team if your pet requires a dental procedure to secure a slot in our diary and take advantage of this discount offer on 0191 456 2211 📞

28/08/2024

Bring your pet to work day isnt so exciting when you work in a vets….

We had nurse Katies dog, Rocco, in for an orthopaedic procedure and this is him now recovering at home (left photo)

We also had Jersey, client care advisor Suzi’s, lovely but very loud cocker spaniel in for her spay operation yesterday.

We wish them both well in their recoveries ❤️‍🩹

24/08/2024

FOUND: elderly female chihuahua on King George Road, not microchipped. Please call the practice urgently on 01914562211 if you have lost her

23/08/2024

Willow-Biscuit the female ginger kitten was in today for her spay procedure and microchip.

She was a very affectionate and playful girl, purring all day long.

She’s currently in foster care with Kate at Willows cat adoption centre 🐾

12/08/2024

🚨 : Temperatures set to hit above 30 degrees across parts of England

As the UK Health Security Agency issues a yellow heat-health alert, we're urging pet owners to take extra precautions to protect their pets from heat-related conditions - including heatstroke, burnt paw pads, sunburn, and breathing difficulties.

Check out our top tips to keep your pets safe 👉 https://ow.ly/rAT450PHngG

Met Office BSAVA

10/08/2024

BOAS- Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome

‘Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome’ is more common in dogs with shorter noses such as bulldogs, pugs and frenchies. It causes difficulty with breathing, exercise tolerance, snoring, excessive phlegm, regurgitating food, overheating and collapse episodes.

A BOAS assessment can performed by a veterinary surgeon during a regular consultation including examination, listening to the natural breathing noises and an exercise test if appropriate. If recommended, the BOAS surgery can be carried out at our practice.

VIDEO: Our lovely patient Sid is a 3 year old bulldog that has gradually worsened with his breathing, exercise and regurgitation.
Here he is before and after surgery-I’m sure you can agree there is a massive difference!!

If you would like a free BOAS assessment done on your dog, please call the surgery on 01914562211 or book an appointment on our app!

**Free BOAS Assessments until the end of September 2024**

09/08/2024

Pumpkin, the patterdale cross, was in yesterday to be spayed.

She was very curious of all the noises and movements but was a pleasure to look after for all the team and very confident! Get well soon Pumpkin❤️‍🩹

Bitch spays we recommend gentle lead exercise for 10 days post procedure with no jumping and no stairs and no licking the wound is a MUST.

Pumpkin has a nice surgical suit to wear that will hopefully prevent her from doing this!

08/08/2024

Beautiful Willow was in for her spay procedure on Monday and was happiest in recovery when curled up under the desk, with our manager Kay, in the office.

We’re not sure if she preferred the “den” feeling or the cold floor but she chose to stay here rather than on her bed until her parents came to collect her in the afternoon.

Does your pet have a favourite or unique spot to lie in?

26/07/2024

Cloud and her mini me’s 🐇 aren’t they adorable?!

Do you know what a baby rabbit is called?

Post your answer in the comments below! ⬇️

25/02/2024

When Kelly from our Colton store's Pets Grooming salon discovered a lump on the tail of nine-year-old Rufus she suspected something wasn't right, so alerted his owners Les and Andrea so they could get it checked out. They brought him to Vets for Pets Leeds Colton where it was confirmed he had a cancerous tumour which needed surgery.

Les, who adopted Rufus from Dogs Trust in Leeds as a puppy, said: “Rufus is such a big part of our life; we’re absolutely besotted with him. We probably wouldn’t have noticed the lump if not at the groomers as the tail isn’t somewhere you would usually stroke and feel. Kelly loves Rufus and really looks after him, so we want to say a big thanks for spotting it. Who'd have known what would have happened if she hadn’t noticed.”

Rufus had to have his tail removed, but is now making a good recovery. He's been visiting Kelly for a groom every six weeks for the last three years. She said: “You get to know everything about a dog as you groom them. I’ve discovered similar things before on other dogs so I mentioned it to the owners so they could get it checked out. Dogs are my life and you do worry; I’m so pleased they caught it. Now he’s got a fully docked tail like a little bunny rabbit. It’s lovely and suits him – when he gets washed he wiggles his bum.”

21/02/2024

Arthur's owner Louise says he "looked like a brand-new tortoise" after having his beak filed at Sutton in Ashfield Vets4Pets.

Louise adopted the four-year-old Horsefield Tortoise from a family member in October. Although she has had other pets, Arthur is her first tortoise, so she has been doing some research on how to best care for him.

Louise said: "I noticed Arthur's beak was unusually long, so I brought him in to Vets for Pets; I bring all my pets there. When he came out, I thought 'you beautiful boy, look at you – you look so handsome!"

Vet Steph, who looked after Arthur, says that tortoise beaks continuously grow and normally grind down themselves while they're eating. She said: "Arthur needed a little help as his jaw isn't perfectly aligned; his lower jaw is further out than his top jaw, so I filed it around half a centimetre. He was really good; a real cutie."

18/02/2024

Owner Claire says she couldn't be more grateful to Vets4Pets Hamilton after their quick diagnosis saved the sight of six-year-old Alba.

Claire knew there was something terribly wrong with her miniature dachshund cross when she called her in from the back garden last summer and Alba ran headfirst into a closed patio door. She rushed her to the vets, where investigations led the team to diagnose her with uveitis – an eye condition which causes inflammation of the middle layer of the eye.

Claire said: "It all happened so suddenly; Alba must have heard my voice and guessed where to go. It was quite scary seeing how bad she was. We couldn't be more grateful for the team in Hamilton spotting the uveitis as quickly as they did, otherwise Alba would have gone blind within a matter of days. Their knowledge saved Alba's sight. I still can't believe it happened. It's taken months of treatments, but it's such a relief to have our girl back to being her funny, bossy self."

Vet Neil, one of the team who treated Alba, said: "Alba's pupil was really narrow and wouldn't respond to light properly, which can be a sign of uveitis. Once we had ruled out other conditions, we were able to get her to an eye specialist for ongoing treatment. She's now doing really well."

16/02/2024

Ducky's owner Antonia was in a state of panic when she saw a fox had dug its way into the field where she keeps him – killing two of her other ducks and chickens.

Antonia was about to move her brood into their pen for the evening when she saw what had happened and noticed that Ducky had severe bite wounds under his wing. She rushed him to Vets4Pets Vets Milton Keynes for emergency surgery – and after having his wound stitched up the one-year-old duck is now making a good recovery.

Antonia said: "I was so worried. You don’t often hear of ducks recovering from fox attacks, but there is something about Ducky and the way he was so brave. I'm sure he was protecting a lady duck, as he's a bit of a romantic. It's the first time we've gone to Vets for Pets, and the team were amazing; they've done an incredible job."

Vet Becca, who treated Ducky, said: "He's a really lucky duck, as it was quite a big wound. When he first came in, he was understandably subdued and quiet but when he came back for his stitches to be taken out, he wanted to explore and tuck his head into everyone’s shoulders."

07/02/2024

Well done to the team at Vets4Pets Guildford who've been awarded a silver level certificate for being a rabbit-friendly clinic.

After head veterinary nurse Ella noticed that more customers were bringing in rabbits the practice took a series of steps to give them as stress-free an experience as possible. Ella, who also fosters rescue dogs in her spare time, said: "There was a long list of things that we needed to prove that we did from making sure the rabbits are kept separate from other animals and not booked in at the same time as barking dogs, to providing heated kennels for those who need to stay in, and using special equipment made especially for rabbits."

Practice manager Kevin said: "All of our vets have plenty of experience with rabbits we have some real rabbit geeks here, so it was a big thing to us. There are so many good people in this world and I'm so proud to be around them."

28/01/2024

Beautiful Bear was born deaf, so he's learned to follow his owner Lisa's visual commands.

Lisa, who shops at our Tamworth store – "it's my second home!" – got two-year-old Bear as a kitten and suspected he was deaf when he didn't respond to her voice. She had it confirmed by her vet soon after. She said: "He was very scatty, and scared of people he didn’t recognise. He wasn’t bothered by loud noises like my other cat Emily and when I came home from work he wouldn’t hear the door open.

"He's doing really well though. I try to do some sign language with him – I point at him and do a solid hand sign at him to stop. He picks up on vibrations and scents too. He meows, making a really loud chirping sound which I’ve never heard a cat do before, and he’s always rubbing his head against my legs and following me everywhere. I was advised not to let him out because he wouldn’t hear cars or other dangers, so he comes outside with me every morning to have a sniff around the garden and always comes straight back in." Bear and Lisa's other cat Emily are on Instagram as

27/01/2024

Ten-year-old Dutch rabbit Alfie has been visiting vet Kate at Vets4pets Wolverhampton for dental treatment for the last eight years – and she says he's such a loveable character that he's become "part of the family".

He's one of the oldest rabbits treated by Kate and the team, and she says his longevity is down to the care and love he gets from his owner Tracy and her family. Kate said: "Alfie is famous in this practice – everyone knows him. We and his family are dedicated to making sure her little old man is happy. The beautiful thing about being a vet or vet nurse is you build these relationships with the owners and their pets – they become your surrogate pets."

Tracy's been keeping rabbits all her life, and says that having space and routine is key. She said: "Alfie is an old man now and has a routine. He goes into a hutch at night and is let out in the morning. He's out all day and has his favourite spots in the house. We clean him out every day and give him a lot of attention. When he was younger he would follow us around; if I was clearing a cupboard out he would be in the cupboard to help. Now he's old and wants to be warm and watch instead. I can't thank Kate and the practice enough. Kate's been fantastic with him."

26/01/2024

Eight-year-old Winnie the Schnauzer cross is running around like a puppy again thanks to laser treatment and physiotherapy after two successful knee operations at Vets for Pets Basildon.

Worried owner Tracy brought Winnie in to the practice after she collapsed on a walk last year – and the team discovered the cruciate ligament in a knee had ruptured. She’s since had ops on two knees and is on a recovery plan led by vet physiotherapist Izzy.

Tracy said: "Winnie has had a tough year with 15 teeth removed, two cruciate ligament operations and two bouts of pancreatitis but thankfully she's hardy. She’s treated fabulously at the Basildon practice. Izzy is great with her – she totally relaxes in her hands and does little snores with her eyes open. Winnie has a new lease of life again and is running around like a puppy."

Izzy said: "When pets have surgery or injure themselves they move differently which causes them to be sore in other places. Winnie has laser therapy then a massage to help the healing process. Laser treatment is a specialist service that not enough people know about – it can help in so many ways after an operation.”

18/01/2024

Veterinary nurse Mel from Vets4Pets Bristol Longwell Green loves cats so much she's helped the practice make a number of improvements to give cats as stress-free an experience as possible when they're brought in.

Mel, who has an Advanced Certificate in Feline Behaviour for Veterinary Professionals, helped introduce facilities like a separate feline waiting area and cattery and the use of quiet clippers – and the practice now has a silver level certificate for being a cat-friendly clinic. She said: "I love dogs but I'm really a cat person. Cats can be misunderstood which can lead to them having quite a stressful life, so if we can make things easier for them and help people understand what cats need then everyone will be happier.

"As animal lovers there's always more to learn and understand about what makes them happy. Enrichment at the home is important for a happy cat – and as cats are naturally solitary animals if you live in a multi-cat household it's important to understand what they need. The rule is to have a resource per cat, plus one spare. So if you have two cats you should have three feeding stations, three litter trays and three scratch posts spread around the house so they have the opportunity to move around to wherever they want to go. Scratching is as natural a thing for cats to do as going out hunting is, so if they're unable to go out it's about providing the chance for them to behave as naturally as possible."

07/01/2024

Four-year-old Sebastian the Jack Russell is back to his usual boisterous self after being treated at Vets4Pets Abingdon for a condition that was causing the knee caps on his back legs to dislocate when he walked.

The condition, known as medial patellar luxation, would cause him to hop or skip when exercising. It's quite common in terriers and small dog breeds, but Sebastian's case was quite severe and he was given surgery by orthopaedic surgeon Joe to deepen the groove his patella runs in on his right hind leg, and also to move and reattach his patellar tendon.

Sebastian is owned by practice vet Hannah who said: "After the operation he just wanted to get back to normal straight away but he couldn't ... and that's where we struggled. He wanted to be out and about, charging around and playing with his toys but he needed to rest." Hannah had to give him medication for six weeks to give his knees time to heal. She said: "He's absolutely fine now – he's fully recovered and running around like a lunatic again!"

05/01/2024

When 11-year-old lurcher Jess was brought into Vets for Pets Leeds Birstall 24/7 Small Animal Hospital on Christmas Eve feeling very poorly with pyometra – a life-threatening uterus infection – the team knew they had to act fast; so vet Emily and nurses JD and Hannah headed straight in to perform emergency surgery on her in the early hours of Christmas morning.

The operation went so well that by lunchtime nurse Krishna was able to call her owner Beth to say she was well enough to come home to recuperate – and Beth made the hour-long drive from her home in Keighley so she could bring Jess home before the family sat down for their Christmas dinner. Beth said: "It was a stressful start to Christmas, as we were worried about Jess because of her age and because she's never had anything wrong with her before. We're so grateful for everything – it was so nice of them to come in on Christmas Day to operate on her, to look after her so well and to get her home on top form. The vets were fantastic from start to finish. Jess is recovering nicely – you can see the happiness is back in her!"

Krishna said: "Our night team always do an amazing job, and performing serious surgery like that at that time of night and on Christmas Day of all days is just brilliant. Jess did amazingly well to bounce back so quickly, and it was amazing being able to call her owners to say that she could come home to spend Christmas with them. It's the sort of call we all love to make, but doing it on Christmas Day was extra nice."

03/01/2024

Six-foot-long boa constrictor Astrix was the centre of attention when he called in for a routine "top to tail" health check at Vets4Pets Penzance.

Astrix, who's four, is part of a menagerie of six snakes, bearded dragons and six dogs belonging to veterinary nurse Lowenna, who works at the practice, and her partner Mark. The team looked at Astrix's eyes and mouth and checked his breathing to rule out any respiratory infections and also checked his scales.

Lowenna said: "He got a clean bill of health, he was absolutely fine and everyone had a turn holding him. Asterix is quite reserved, a little bit shy usually. He did really well when he came in as everyone wanted to touch him and he was like 'okay I quite like the attention.' Astrix has got a lovely big set-up at home. He's quite a big boy, weighing in at nearly 10 kilos, so the vivarium is more than seven foot long. We have a reptile room and he has the run of it. He has a large bucket of water too if he ever wants to submerge himself."

02/01/2024

This brave girl is collie-cross Sherpa, who the team at Vets for Pets Livingston say was "impeccably calm" when she was rushed in for emergency injury after hurting her eye in a freak accident.

Sherpa's owner Caroline was taking Sherpa for a walk when Sherpa caught her eye on a stick as she went exploring a bush. She was quickly admitted into surgery where she received X-rays and, after a two-hour procedure by practice owner Dr Adam, aided by nurse Erin, the stick was removed. Adam said: "Sherpa was amazingly tolerant following an extremely random occurrence. It was astonishing." Sherpa didn't lose her sight and is now making a great recovery.

Caroline said: “We were suddenly thrown into the worst living nightmare, it was absolutely horrifying. It’s truly a miracle what Adam and the team achieved from the moment they answered our call for help. They gave us hope."

24/12/2023

This little Christmas cracker is Molly, who survived against the odds and gave birth to three premature puppies after being brought in to Vets for Pets Cirencester as a pregnant stray with severe injuries from a fight with other dogs.

Martina, who owns the practice, said: ”It was really touch and go and we thought Molly might not make it. The team treated mum first, got her on a drip and stabilised her before successfully managing to deliver the puppies – two boys and a girl – by caesarean section."

Molly, who's a Cairn Terrier, and her three pups are recovering well at home with Martina. “As they needed 24/7 care I took them home and emptied the whole spare bedroom so there was a nice, warm and comfortable quiet place for Molly and her puppies. I was attached to her for the first five days – my husband Matt even brought food up to the bedroom for me as I stayed there all the time. It was really hard work but it was all worth it. They’re absolute darlings and doing really well now – mum is already brave enough to go on dog walks.”

Martina says Molly will continue living with her in the future, and the puppies will be adopted when they are stronger.

19/12/2023

This beautiful buzzard is on the mend after undergoing surgery on a broken wing at Vets4Pets Newmarket after he was hit by a car.

A member of the public rescued the buzzard and brought him in to see if the team could help. After a successful operation and five days of recuperation he's ben taken to The Raptor Foundation rehabilitation centre to continue his recovery.

Practice manager Natalie said: "We put him under general anaesthetic and performed orthopaedic surgery. We'll see him again next month to see how he's progressing and then hopefully he'll be released back into the wild. We wish him a speedy recovery as he's such a handsome chap.”

17/12/2023

Here's a salutary tale in the run-up to Christmas Day ... the story of poor little Tego, who had to be rushed to Vets for Pets Morpeth for emergency treatment after snaffling 48 Quality Street chocolates, their wrappers and part of the box.

Owner Sarah realised chocolate was toxic for dogs so phoned the vets who told her to get the five-year Tibetan Terrier there immediately. Sarah said: "They were brilliant with him. The chocolates were a birthday present for my daughter Olivia, and they were all wrapped up and put in the lounge with the door shut. I went to work and when I came back Tego had somehow managed to get in the room and rip into them."

Vet Eleni and the team helped Tego cough everything up and took blood tests and put him on medication before he was allowed home. Eleni said it's a useful reminder to keep chocolates well hidden – and to act fast if your dog eats any and induce vomiting within one to two hours to prevent the body from absorbing the toxins.