Chestnut Vets

24/06/2024

It's Rabbit Awareness Week! This week recognises that this species, although commonly owned, are often misunderstood and helps to raise awareness of proper rabbit husbandry. Throughout the week we will be sharing some useful information for all of our rabbit owners🐰

19/06/2024

⚠️Road Closure⚠️

Please be aware that resurfacing works in Hoe Lane will take place on the 3rd July 2024 to Friday 5th July. We will update you regarding access to our car park when we have received more information.

19/06/2024

This is Naboo his home is in cedar close, he has been missing since Monday the 17th. He is an old boy and can get confused. Please can everyone check their garages and sheads. We really want to reunite his owner with him.
Please contact the owners on 07930366880 or 07958324896 if you have any information.

07/06/2024

☀️The warmer months are finally upon us, but we need to be careful when walking our dogs to prevent heat stroke, which can be fatal. Here are some top tips below:

31/05/2024

🥳 PET OF THE MONTH - MAY 🥳

This month we celebrate Dottie, AKA ‘Mrs B’, who has been an ongoing patient of ours. In March she was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and has been shocking everyone since with how well she is battling her various medical ailments, including hyperadrenocorticism!

Mrs B has done incredibly well in the last month regardless of having repeated vet visits to try and get her correct insulin dose. She’s been in very frequently, for vet checks and blood glucose curves, and always with a big smile and warm heart.

Mrs B has recently had a FreeStyle Libre fitted in order for our vets to see her blood glucose levels whilst relaxed at home. This allows the vets to see if a change in insulin is needed and by how much. It is vital to titrate this dosage slowly to prevent patients entering into a hypoglycaemic state (low blood glucose which could cause weakness and seizures)!

Her insulin dose has gone up again recently, so we hope this makes all the difference she needs. See some cute photos of Dottie (with her bestie, Tiny Pea. What a trooper!💫

28/05/2024

📢 ANNOUCEMENT 📢

Please note that over the next 3 weeks we will be having building works taking place within the practice. We will still be open as usual and hope the work will have minimal disruption.

Apologies in advance and thank you for your understanding.

22/05/2024

*IMPORTANT NOTICE*

From the 10th June 2024, all cats in England will need to be microchipped, and have this registered, before the age of 20 weeks old. If a cat is found to be without a microchip, the owner can be fined up to £500.

We are doing our best to call all cat owners, who do not have a microchip number on our system, to offer a reduced cost microchipping service.

To read more: https://www.gov.uk/get-your-dog-cat-microchipped #:~:text=From%2010%20June%202024%2C%20cats,when%20they%20need%20to%20be.

15/05/2024

✨Cat Clinic Wednesday✨

Beautiful Lilly came in today for her annual vaccination. She came in during our cat hour, which happens every Wednesday 2-3pm. Her flat ears may indicate she was unhappy with her vet visit today, but we believe she benefitted from the absence of dogs in the practice🐈

Do you have a cat that gets easily stressed, especially when dogs are nearby? Why don’t you book your next vet appointment online during this hour?:

https://www.chestnutvets.co.uk/book-an-appointment

10/05/2024

Sometimes we have very anxious pets visiting us, but certainly not Wispa and Oreo! This pair were so chilled out for their first vaccinations yesterday that Oreo fell asleep on her sister😻

08/05/2024

May 8th is National Receptionist Day!📞

Our receptionists do a lot more than you think, including triaging calls, managing the complicated diary, assisting with flea and worming requests and organising laboratory samples.

Thank you to all of our wonderful receptionists at Chestnuts for making sure the practice runs as smoothly as possible! 🐾

05/05/2024

World Hand Hygiene Day🤲

02/05/2024

What an exceptional patient we had in on Monday! Otis came in with a large, red lump on his nose and our vet, Barbara, carefully removed it. Whilst Otis may have fashioned himself a Rudolph nose, he is back looking his handsome self. We wish Otis a speedy recovery!

01/05/2024

💪

01/05/2024

Veterinary Nurse Awareness Month (VNMA) 2024!

This year is the 20th anniversary of VNMA, celebrating the role of veterinary nurses within vet practices, their responsibilities and professional career progression.

30/04/2024

⚠️GRAPHIC CONTENT⚠️

🥳 PET OF THE MONTH - APRIL 🥳

We are definitely not biased with this pet of the month… This is 3-year old Finn who belongs to our most long-standing nurse, Jane. He came in 2 weeks ago after a suspected road traffic accident. He was left with a limp tail and a painful, bloody laceration at his rear. After an accident like this, we usually recommend a precautionary ultrasound to check for any signs of internal bleeding; Finn’s revealed no concerns. However, his x-rays showed a tail base fracture. For Finn’s best interest and after establishing his lack of tail use, it was decided his tail should be amputated. Sometimes tail pull injuries can cause urinary/faecal incontinence due to trauma of the lower spinal cord. The team were therefore worried his ability to toilet was hindered due to his accident. He was closely monitored for a couple of days before he finally toileted independently. We are pleased to say he is doing remarkably well, has had all his sutures out and is back to his usual self at home with his buddy, Nugget.

27/04/2024

Happy World Veterinary Day 2024!🐩🐇🐀🦔

We are very pleased to celebrate today, raising the awareness of ‘one health’ and the importance of veterinary staff as essential workers!🐾

11/04/2024

It’s… International Pet Day!!!🐶🐱🐹🐰🐦🐍

Did you know?
An estimated 250,000 pets are taken in by rescue centres each year in the UK alone.

Today helps to raise awareness of the amount of animals in shelter and promotes ‘adopt not shop’, whilst celebrating the positive impact pets have on our daily lives.

Please feel free to post a picture of your pet below!👇🏻

10/04/2024

Winnie and Pumpkin came in yesterday to both be neutered. They were a delight to look after and woke up in two very fetching pink and purple medical pet suits. We hope they’re both recovering well!🐈

08/04/2024

A young, female black and white cat has been brought into the practice. If you believe she is your missing cat, please call us on 01920 468874.

08/04/2024

⚠️ ROAD CLOSURE ⚠️

Please note that the top of Hoe Lane is closed for road works between Walnut Tree Walk and the Rugby Club from 8th-27th April. This closure is affecting the road between 8am and 4pm.

31/03/2024

🥳 PET OF THE MONTH - MARCH 🥳

This month we celebrate Felix, a 10 year old cat, who came to the practice with trauma to the mouth. His owner reports he came in after being outside and was covered in blood; assuming he had been in a cat fight.

Felix was admitted for investigation under general anaesthesia, pain relief and fluid therapy. Once under, it was established that Felix had lacerated the tip of his tongue. So much so, his tongue was already blue/purple in colour meaning the blood supply was compromised. He also had two fractured teeth, with one needing extraction.

It was decided that, for Felix’s best interest, his tongue tip should be removed and a feeding tube placed to help feed post-operatively. He stayed in with us for one night and went home to see if he would eat independently.

After struggling with getting Felix to eat by himself, he began eating a couple of days later and is now even grooming himself! We hope Felix continues to make good progress with his recovery ❤️‍🩹

25/03/2024

UPDATE - re united with owner 😄

This dog has been found in Hertford yesterday. If this may be your dog, please call the practice.

23/03/2024

Tyron the Bearded Dragon 🐉

Tyron came in with a lump above his left eyelid which was increasing in size and was admitted last week for this lump to be removed.

He was an excellent patient and his surgery went well, with a few onlookers watching (as it’s not everyday we remove lumps like Tyron’s!).

We are pleased to hear Tyron is doing good at home and his wound is healing well. His owners are now awaiting the sutures to fall out by themselves when he next sheds! 🩺

16/03/2024

UPDATE - Phones are now working -

We have been notified by the RVC that due to a technical issue they currently have no telephones. In the event of a medical emergency if this has not been resolved please go straight to the Queen Mother Hospital .

09/03/2024

✨RESORPTIVE LESIONS✨

Do you know what a resorptive lesion is? Did you know that they can be well hidden in our cats but be very painful?

Resorptive lesions occur mostly in cats, where the structure of the tooth is gradually broken down and resorbed into the surrounding tissue/bone. Initially, this process starts with the tooth’s enamel, then along the gum until the dentin (sensitive part under the enamel) becomes exposed. As these lesions are not easily seen and because our cats are so stoic, they are often not spotted. It is therefore really important to look out for the following signs of resorptive lesions in your cats and ensure they are checked by the vet at least twice a year:

🦷 Increased salivation
🦷 Blood in the mouth
🦷 Difficulty eating
🦷 Jaw trembling when eating/when tooth is touched

….And lastly, a big thank you to Mistie for putting up well with his dental and for being an excellent patient!🎖️

08/03/2024

Gorgeous little Ruby came in to the practice last week for her 6 month health check. She is a rare gem as she is a Doxiedoodle (Dachshund cross poodle), which the team have never really seen before. We can’t wait to see Ruby when she next comes in, although we hope not too soon for her sake!💕

04/03/2024

🐱

📅 The countdown is on – from 10 June 2024 all pet cats over 20 weeks old must be microchipped and registered on a compliant database.

🐾 Microchipping is the quickest and most effective way of ensuring lost pets can be identified. Animals that are microchipped are more than twice as likely to be reunited with their owners.

🐈 Read about Simba, who was reunited with his owner thanks to his microchip: https://www.cats.org.uk/mediacentre/pressreleases/around-25-million-cats-remain-unchipped-as-the-compulsory-microchipping-countdown-begins

29/02/2024

🥳 PET OF THE MONTH - FEBRUARY🥳

Batman is an 11-month old, gorgeous kitten who was brought in this month due to inappetence and straining to urinate. He was admitted for blood work after abdomen palpation revealed a very full, firm bladder. Batman was ultimately diagnosed with a urinary blockage (‘blocked bladder’); which is an emergency concern, especially in male cats.

Batman has been through a very long process of in-patient hospitalisation and out-patient care; having to come back to the practice twice daily for medication and bladder expressions. We needed to ensure Batman was urinating independently and of an appropriate volume, so these regular checks allowed us to check the size of his bladder and help alleviate the blockage, where necessary. Bladder expressions can be uncomfortable and this condition is extremely painful, so Batman has done incredibly well to tolerate this.

We are pleased to say that Batman is doing very well now and is much more comfortable. Although, he is now having to be on a lifelong urinary diet, his owner reports that he is back playing happily with the family dog♥️

28/02/2024

Today we sadly say goodbye to a very long standing member of staff. Leigh has been working with us for 23 fantastic years and is now leaving us to enjoy retirement. It is her last day today, so everyone is both incredibly excited for her and extremely upset to say goodbye! We wish you, Leigh, all the happiness and best wishes as you take on this next chapter. You will be dearly missed♥️

27/02/2024

For the cat owners⬇️🦷