Coming Home Veterinary Services

11/09/2024

When school starts and summer fun ends, our pets can feel the change, too! 🏫🐾 Suddenly being alone more often can trigger separation anxiety, leading to barking, disruptive behaviour, or changes in eating habits.

But don't worry - here's how to help them adjust:

🕒 Practice short goodbyes
🛏️ Create a cosy corner
🕑 Stick to a routine
🎾 Keep them entertained
🚶‍♂️ Make sure they get plenty of exercise

These simple steps can make all the difference, helping your pet feel safe and happy even when the routine changes. Let's make the transition smoother for them! 🐶🐱

10/09/2024

⚠️ 🦌 This weekend has been very busy with calls to injured deer, with four calls to the Duty Ranger in the last 24 hours alone.

The deer are already starting their annual move to their traditional rutting sites, so please drive carefully and anticipate that deer could appear at any moment. Deer are crepuscular, meaning they're most active at dawn and dusk, but they move throughout the day and night so vigilance is advised at all times.

What to do if you hit or see an injured/dead deer:

- If the deer is alive and either in the road or could go back onto the road, please call 999 and ask for the Police. Sussex Police co-ordinate the deer warden scheme, so by calling 999, the Police will despatch the closest warden.

- If the deer is alive but injured and unlikely to go back into the road, please call 101 and police will contact the closest deer warden.

- If the deer is dead but causing a road obstruction, also call 999.

- If the deer is dead but not in the carriageway, please contact Wealden District Council for collection: https://www.wealden.gov.uk/recycling-and-waste/dead-animals/

Movement of deer will increase over the next couple of months so please take care on the roads.

07/09/2024

Ideally, all cats would have the freedom to roam outdoors, but every cat is unique. Some love the great outdoors, while others prefer the comforts of home or may be kept indoors for their own benefit, such as blindness or specific health conditions. Learn more about how to best care for an indoor cat here: http://spr.ly/CaringForIndoorCats

[Image description: A tabby and white cat standing on the top of a grey sofa next to a hanging plant]

06/09/2024

Head Vet opportunity Raystede Centre for Animal Welfare

Raystede is a unique and forward-thinking multi-species animal charity that has an exciting opportunity for a new Head Veterinary Surgeon. This role is part-time, working 1-3 days a week and provides a fantastic pathway into bolstering experience of practice management, shelter medicine, and sole charge work.

As the Head Veterinary Surgeon, you will:
• Lead the day to day running of our veterinary surgery, ensuring it is adequately staffed whilst responding to the needs of our most commonly rehomed species those being dogs, cats, rabbits, other small animals, and chickens.
• Be responsible for managing and supporting the veterinary team, including volunteers and locum staff as required.
• Be part of supporting animals being cared for on our Break Away scheme.
• Hold the Surgery budget, and ordering and buying products for use in the practice.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable regulations and legislation that relates to running the practice, as well as ensuring the practice is a safe environment in which to work.
• Play a key part in advising the senior management team and Chief Executive on animal welfare matters.

With passionate teams, a wide variety of animals, high welfare standards, and a drive to find as many animals as possible new homes, this is a rare opportunity not to be missed.

Closing date to apply is Monday 30 September. Find out more at www.raystede.org/careers

01/09/2024

Owning a dog is like getting a VIP pass to a new world - where you might become “Bella’s mum” or “Max’s dad” to everyone in your neighbourhood, but hardly anyone remembers your name!

31/08/2024

ANXIETY AFTER PET LOSS

People often talk about the emotions of grief as being sadness, guilt, anger and denial but anxiety after pet loss is also a common response. You’re not alone if it’s something you’ve been experiencing since losing a precious pet.

Read more, including tips on coping, at the post below:

http://theralphsiteshop.com/anxiety-after-pet-loss/

29/08/2024

The Coming Home team will be taking a holiday break and back on 5 September.

24/08/2024

This is great news! This landmark legislation marks a significant step forward in the protection of our beloved pets.

Finally! The new Pet Abduction Act comes into force today meaning anyone found guilty of stealing a dog in England or Northern Ireland will face up to five years in prison, a fine, or both 🙌

As members of the family, we know that having your beloved pet stolen is an extremely stressful, heart-breaking experience. But until now having your pet stolen has been treated no differently to mobile phone or laptop theft.

Under the new law, dogs and cats are no longer seen as objects but as sentient beings who can experience emotional trauma when they are stolen from their owners 💛

Read our information on preventing pet theft and what to do if the worst does happen and your dog is stolen 👉 https://bit.ly/4a2S0pC

23/08/2024

Just a heads up that we are closed Bank Holiday Monday.

22/08/2024

A FRIENDLY EAR IS NEVER FAR AWAY

In all the years of running The Ralph Site the thing I hear most often from grieving pet carers is that support from like-minded individuals who understand their heartache is the most helpful thing for them.

This support can come in different forms (face-to-face, online, phone calls, emails, etc.) and from different sources: personal contacts, communities like The Ralph Site, and dedicated pet bereavement support services such as those described in the post below (there are others of course).

You are not alone in your grief and please do let others who may need some help at the moment know what is available.

http://theralphsiteshop.com/pet-loss-support-help/

22/08/2024

Ever thought of using your passion for animals to inspire and educate others? Raystede’s Education Team is recruiting!

We are looking for someone to plan and deliver education activities and events to a variety of audiences, including Raystede visitors, potential adopters, pet owners in the community, schools and youth groups.

Full time, 12 month fixed term contract from October 2024. Closing date to apply 9 September 2024. Apply today at www.raystede.org/careers

20/08/2024

Seven things not to say to grieving pet carers Leave a Reply The Ralph Site was created to offer bereaved pet carers a safe space where they could talk about their lost pet whenever and as often as needed. Our lovely community is united by the shared experience of grief, making it full of people who...

17/08/2024

17/08/2024

Today is

Every day, animals are lost, abandoned or placed into kennels that are completely dependent on charities and good will. These organisations are desperate to raise awareness of the plight of homeless and abandoned animals.

International Homeless Animals Day aims to educate people about pet abandonment, feral animals and the important benefits of neutering domestic animals. Check out their website: internationalhomelessanimalsday.org

📷 This is Jenny’s dog Izzy who was thrown over a cliff in Cyprus when she was a puppy to drown. Saved by a British tourist, he left her at an animal shelter in Cyprus who cared for her until her adoption in the UK. The adoption fell through after her arrival and she ended in foster care until she was adopted at 9 months old by Jenny and has been living her best life in Sussex after a traumatic start. She loves sitting in the sunshine ☀️💛🐶

16/08/2024

The message from Dogs Trust follows the release of a survey that indicates a tenth of bereaved owners felt they could not talk about their loss with

15/08/2024

Is your pet microchipped? August 15th marks National Check the Chip Day, a crucial reminder for pet parents to ensure their beloved companions are safe and easily identifiable.

Microchipping is a simple, effective way to safeguard pets, providing peace of mind in case they get lost. With a microchip, pets have a much higher chance of returning to their families than those without.

The process of microchipping is simple and painless. It provides a permanent means of identification.

The chip must be fitted by a trained professional. You can ask your vet, local council, or local rescue and rehoming centre to do this for you for a small fee.

📷 photo taken by Jeremy of Jenny with Izzy, her microchipped Cyprus Poodle. After a long walk!

13/08/2024

A recently published questionnaire- based study looked at how cats respond to the death of a feline or canine companion. They found cats that had closer relationships with their deceased companion, were reported to have reacted strongly to their death 💔😿

412 cat caregivers were questioned about their relationship with the remaining cat and the relationship between the remaining and deceased pet.

Caregivers were asked about any immediate and long-term behavioural changes to the remaining cat after their companion had died.

Factors such as the length of time engaging in activities together, positive relationships between the two animals and the longer the cat lived with their companion seemed to affect the remaining cat’s behaviour.

✍️Caregivers reported cats showing grief-like behaviours, such as a decrease in sleeping, eating and playing. Increases in attention -seeking behaviours and fearfulness were also reported 😿

Higher levels of caregiver attachment seemed to be linked with an increase in attention seeking behaviours, suggesting that caregivers may have been projecting their grief onto the remaining cat 🫂

Caregivers who experienced greater grief were more likely to report their cat was sleeping or hiding more, whereas those with avoidant attachment to the deceased animal reported less grief-like behaviours in the remaining cat, indicating that those without a strong attachment are less likely to believe animals grieve.

🔎This is an interesting study, as it shows that cats might respond to the loss of a companion by displaying certain grief-like behavioural changes. However, the study also highlighted that caregivers may be biased when reporting changes in their cat’s behaviour because they are grieving themselves. Furthermore, a grieving caregiver could also alter their behaviour towards the remaining cat, thus influencing their behaviour.

The study can be accessed here 👇
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016815912400203X

🐈Do you think cats grieve when they lose a companion?

📖Reference:

Greene, B. and Vonk, J. (2024) 'Is companion animal loss cat-astrophic? Responses of domestic cats to the loss of another companion animal,' Applied Animal Behaviour Science, p. 106355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2024.106355.

13/08/2024

Raystede’s new Summer Family Learning Day trail begins next week!

Learn more about some of Raystede’s lesser-known residents as you complete our ‘Terrapin’s Tale’ trail. Follow the story of Terry the terrapin as you explore our beautiful site, and visit our new terrapin sanctuary and education ‘Shell-ter’:
· Where did Terry come from?
· Why did he need Raystede’s help?
· What is life like in our sanctuary?

Family Learning Days take place every Wednesday and Thursday from 10am – 4pm throughout the school holidays. Find out more about the activities you can enjoy and book your free ticket here: www.raystede.org/family-learning-days/

10/08/2024

Need cat care advice? Check out these cat care guides from International Cat Care

Have you explored our helpful guidance yet? 🐈 📚 One of the ways we all year round is by developing carer guides to help you through a variety of situations where you may need to provide special care to a cat in your life, including:

🐾 Caring for a new kitten

🐾 Visiting your vet and Cat Friendly Clinics

🐾 Encouraging your cat to drink or eat more

🐾 Making changes at home to support a cat with joint pain

🐾 Treating chronic pain

Check them out here 👉 https://icatcare.org/advice-cat-carer-guides/

Plus, we have answers to your commonly asked cat behaviour and wellbeing questions on our advice pages 👉 https://icatcare.org/advice

Enjoy the rest of ! 😺

08/08/2024

It’s International Cat Day 2024, a day to celebrate our feline friends! 🐱

You can show your love by spending quality time with your much loved cat, maybe engaging in some interactive play or enjoy a grooming session together. Brushing your cat keeps their coat healthy and strengthens your bond. Or how about letting them have a special gourmet cat treat? 🐱

You may like to mark the day by donating to a cat charity like or volunteering to support cats in animal shelters like ? 🐱

Whatever you do, have a purrfectly pawsome day! 🐱

07/08/2024

Will you be having a clear-out over the summer holidays? We’d be so grateful to receive any wonderful or quirky items that are good condition, and are complete, clean and sellable. Whether it’s womenswear, menswear, childrenswear, homeware, toys or games, we would be delighted to accept them at any of our charity shops.

We are particularly on the hunt for children’s books and toys. Do you have any that you could kindly donate? Any soft toys must have a CE mark please.

Raystede’s charity shops are situated at Raystede in Ringmer, in Lewes town centre, or Hailsham and Uckfield high street. Find the full list of items we can and can’t accept at each of our shops here: www.raystede.org/shop/donate-goods/

All sales from the donated goods we sell in our shops go straight towards helping the animals in Raystede’s care. Thank you to anyone that may be able to help!

07/08/2024

Sometimes, people are not keen to put their cat inside a carrier when bringing them to the veterinary clinic 🩺🐈‍⬛

Maybe it's difficult to place their cat in the carrier, or they don't travel well. Perhaps the cat has been trained to wear a harness at home and their owner doesn't want to restrict their cat's movements. These reasons are understandable, but they do not trump what is most important - to keep cats safe.

🩺A veterinary environment is not the same as a home environment. There are loud noises, strong smells, bright lights and lots of unfamiliar people and animals, all of which may startle a cat. The first choice for a frightened cat is to run away and/or hide in order to remove themselves from a threat....

🙀If a cat is held in someone's arms or is on a harness in the waiting area and then becomes startled, they will have nowhere to hide and may attempt to quickly run away. This risks them injuring themselves, their owner and even escaping outside the clinic building (I have seen this happen!)

🙀An exposed cat that is not secured safely in their carrier is at risk of being attacked by dogs waiting inside clinic, or those entering/exiting the clinic. Remember that some dogs have a high prey drive and many of those waiting may be anxious, ill or in pain, and as such may react in a way that puts cats at risk of being injured (this is not the dog's fault, just the reality of the situation).

🚗It's also much safer for all to travel to the clinic with cats secured in their carriers.

😺 Cats visiting the clinic in their carrier are safer, less likely to be injured and escape and can hide in a covered carrier elevated off of the floor.

If you are asked to place your cat in a carrier upon arrival at the veterinary clinic, it's because your veterinary team wants to keep your cat safe 👍

Check out the International Cat Care Carer Guides If you'd like some more information about taking your cat to the veterinary clinic 👇😺
https://icatcare.org/advice-cat-carer-guides

02/08/2024

I just wanted to say a big thank you to Jeremy and Jenny for organising Billie’s last moments.
Jeremy was so very kind and supportive throughout the process.
Jenny was so helpful in the preparation.
My daughters and I were very grateful for all your help.
Many many thanks.
Cathy, Ella and Ruby. 💛

31/07/2024

⚠️Dogs die in hot cars

Please read and share to help raise awareness. 💛


⚠️ There is no safe amount of time to leave dogs alone in a car during the hot weather - not even for a short amount of time and not even if you leave the window open. Just a few minutes could be fatal.

The temperature inside a car can rise to dangerously high levels in just a few minutes, leading any dogs inside the car suffering from heatstroke, which can cause death. ⚠️

🚨 If you see a dog in a car in distress, call 999.

26/07/2024

We’re adding this testimonial and photo of lovely Perry to our website. 💛🌈🐾

Perry was our beloved family dog for 15 years and he brought us much joy. Perry was 17 years old and he was a rescue from . The difficult decision to put Perry to sleep was made with Jenny from Coming Home . Jenny was caring and helpful and very understanding on the phone. Jeremy who came to put Perry to sleep was caring and compassionate, which made everything easier at such a difficult time . He took Perry to Peaceways for cremation and Jeff rang us within 24hrs so we could pick our boy up again. He was a very caring and understanding man . We couldn’t ask for a better service and team.
Thank you.
The Bayley Family

It’s always lovely to receive your feedback and if you would like to write a testimonial or add your pet’s photo to our memorial wall you can email us at [email protected]

20/07/2024

Lovely post about introducing a new cat to the household, particularly if there’s already a resident cat! 🐱

How is Larry the cat going to take to his new housemate? 😼

As the Prime Minister and his family move into Downing Street, the nation’s infamous chief mouse-catcher, Larry, will no longer be the only kit-on-the-block, as Sir Keir Starmer’s cat, JoJo, joins him!

Welcoming new furry family members can be exciting, but it’s important that they're introduced to everyone in the household, especially existing pets, in the right way.

Vet Nurse, Gemma, said: “Cats are naturally solitary animals and, like Larry appears to feel at Downing Street, they're usually quite happy being the only pet in the household. However, there are some steps you can take should you be looking to introduce a second pet into the family to help create a peaceful transition.” 👇

- Create separate constituencies: Setting up separate safe spaces (ideally in a quiet room) for each pet will provide each of them with a private place they can call their own and hide, should there be any disruptions in household politics.

- Scent swapping: In an ideal world, new and existing pets should be given a few days to get used to each other’s scent before they meet. If you’re bringing your pet home from a rescue centre or breeder, you may be able to take blankets with your current pet’s scent on. This can be introduced to your new pet so that they can familiarise themselves with your current pet’s smell before they arrive at their new home.

- Building a coalition: When they first come home, if possible, keep both pets in separate safe spaces by using a baby gate, where each furry member of the household can have their own space to explore freely and start to familiarise themselves with their surroundings. And once your new furry family member is well-adjusted, allow your pets to become aware of each other from their individual safe spots.

Remember, you’ll need to continue closely monitoring your cat’s body language, even when they seem comfortable together, to make sure they are happy and not feeling stressed by the situation ⚠️

[Visual description: Grey and white cat, who slightly resembles Larry the cat, lying by the patio door at home.]

18/07/2024

🌱🐕‍ Watch out for Grass seeds on walks 🌱🐕‍

Grass seeds are more abundant this time of year.

Helpful tips:
•try to avoid areas where you can see grass seeds growing
•make sure your dog is well groomed so you can spot anything lodged in their fur
•check your dog carefully after each walk particularly hairy dogs between and under their toes.

Contact your vet if you suspect that your dog may be suffering from a grass seed injury.

17/07/2024

We're hiring!

We are looking for an experienced farm vet to join our team!

If you think this could be you please send your CV to [email protected]