Companion Care Vets Winnersh

23/12/2024

Our next vaccine clinic for the new vaccine is Friday 3rd January with limited spaces 🐰
Please see our previous post for more information 🙂

The vaccine which is effective about the new ‘highly virulent’ strain of RVHD2 is now available for vets to order from their wholesalers.

We advise that rabbits are given this vaccine in addition to the existing combi vaccine. Please discuss this with your vet.

Information is on our website here: https://rabbitwelfare.co.uk/vaccines/

21/12/2024

⚠️ Rabbit owners ⚠️
We plan to do our next rabbit vaccine clinic for the NEW RHD2 strain on Friday 3rd January.

If your rabbit has not yet had this vaccine please read the below and then call to book in for this.

If you are unaware of the new strain of RHD please see our previous post on it, and the RWAF website has good information on this.

- The vaccine needs to be 2weeks+ apart from the usual myxorhdPLUS vacc so if your rabbit had has/is having this between 20th Dec and 17th January they won't be able to have the new vaccine yet.

- We can only do the vaccine on a vaccine clinic day and this is because the vaccine currently comes in one multidose bottle that has to be use within 10hours.

- The bottle has 40doses so we have a limited number of slots so please call to book in soon.

- Having 40 rabbits to vaccinate on one day also means we are under time pressure so this will be a vaccine consult only. Any concerns with your rabbit would ideally be addressed in a consult with us BEFORE the vaccine clinic.

- Biosecurity will be our priority so we will be disinfectanting the room and our apron between consults but ideally will be keeping rabbits within their own carrier (so carriers that have a top that opens is ideal).

Thank you 🙂🐰🩷

20/12/2024

Oak 🐰
We had Oak in recently for a fracture repair surgery with vet Ben 🦴 and we are pleased to say his leg has healed! 🥳🥳 Oak had an external fixator placed to stabilise the fracture, and six weeks later the fracture had healed and the fixator was removed 🐰🐰 Oak is now binkying around enjoying life again with his brother Hemlock 🐇🐇🧡

Another huge well done to Ben for a successful fracture repair on one of our smaller patients 😊🐇🧡

18/12/2024

🦷 Dental xray 🦷 as well as dogs and cats we use our dental xray machine for our smaller patients as well 💙🐭🐹🐰

🐭

17/12/2024

🦷 Dental xray 🦷 🐱🐶

09/12/2024

***SAD POST***
We have unfortunately had a deceased cat brought into practice today. A large un-neutered white and grey boy 🩶 he's not microchipped so we are still trying to locate his owner.

He was found by the bus stop near Chatton Close on Rushey Way, Lower Earley.

If anyone has any information on where this boy might be from please let us know / share our post.
Thank you 🩶

09/12/2024

🐰 Newt 🐰
Newt the rabbit lives with vet Abi 🐰🩺, and some of you may remember him from our post last year when he was rushed to surgery due to a liver lobe torsion.

Unfortunately for Newt, being a lop eared rabbit, he is prone to a number of problems. A common problem in lops is ear disease, see post on The Rabbit & Rodent Vet for more information on this 🐰🐭🐹💜

Despite Abi cleaning his ears regularly Newt developed an ear base swelling. This is where wax builds up in the ear to the point it starts to push out on the ear canal and becomes very painful. Even with pain relief and more intensive cleaning of the ear the problem wasn't going away. In the end the decision was made for Newt to have surgery with Ben. The aim of the surgery was to open up the side of his ear and make it easier for the wax to drain out (lateral wall resection).

Despite it taking slightly longer for the surgery to heal that usual, we are now happy to report that it has healed, and Newt is much more comfortable and a happy boy again 💜🐰🥳

04/12/2024

🐱 Meet Pip 🐱
Sweet little Pip lives with our vet nurse Emily. Pip came in for monitoring of his kidney disease.
He was a shy boy during his stay but he made good use of our cat hides to feel safe 💙

Pip had his blood pressure checked, bloods and a urine sample during his visit, which is all useful monitoring for kidney disease in cats 🐱💙

18/11/2024

Meet The Team Monday 🧡

🌟 Shelly 🌟
Shelly is our Practice Administrator, she works behind the scenes in the office to ensure all of the practice admin and insurance is done! She also loves meeting our patients, and often sits with them for additional TLC if needed 💙

At home she has three dogs, three cats and five chickens 🐶🐱🐓

15/11/2024

🐶 Meet Ronnie! 🐶
He spent a day with us this week when he was feeling a bit unwell due to a pancreatitis flare up. Here he is feeling much better and ready to go home! 🐶 🌟 the best boy! 🌟

31/10/2024

Happy Halloween from the team at Companion Care Winnersh! 👻🎃
This cute little guy is Link, who came in for his castration and showed off his Halloween themed bow tie 😍🎃🐈

08/10/2024

⚠️ Rabbit owners ⚠️
We have had information from the Rabbit Welfare Association Fund (RWAF) that there is a new strain of RHD2 (Rabbit Viral Haemorrhagic Disease) that has been found in Europe.
There are no confirmed cases of it in the UK at present, but this is likely to be only a matter of time.

The hope is that the vaccination will be available for this in the UK early next year, and we will keep you updated when we know more on this.

In the meantime, please:
1. Ensure your rabbit is up to date with the current vaccination (the triple - myxoRHD PLUS).

For rabbits not up to date with their annual vaccinations we will be offering a 2nd vaccination 12weeks after the 1st to improve the protection for the RHD strains it currently covers. This can be discussed in further detail, and decided whether your rabbit needs a second vaccinations at your rabbit's appointment.

2. Take precautions to avoid bringing the virus into your rabbit's area:
a) change outdoor shoes 👞
b) avoiding wild rabbits being able to get near your rabbits 🐾
c) avoiding foraging in areas where there are wild rabbits 🌱
d) quarantine new rabbits before introducing 🐇
and any other sensible precautions based on your situation.

Please note, we will also be taking extra precautions in the practice to reduce the risk to our rabbit patients 💜🐰

30/09/2024

💜 Meet the team Monday 💜
🌟 Ben 🌟 Many of you will already know Ben! He is one of our vets, but is also the JVP of the practice. He set up the practice in conjunction with Companion Care in 2013 🐾

His aim within the practice is to offer good quality, friendly veterinary services by our fantastic team, something we are very proud of 💙

Ben loves a surgical challenge, and spends most of his time in theatre doing both routine and more complex surgery. He also enjoys working alongside Herbie Hedgehog Rescue to provide veterinary care for hedgehogs in need. He regularly combines the two and has performed many life saving operations on hedgehogs which have allowed their release back into the wild! 🧡 (you may have seen our previous post about Fred 🦔!).

Although Ben's passion is surgery, he does still enjoy consulting and seeing both our long-standing clients & patients, as well as welcoming our newer patients 🐱🐈🐈‍⬛🐶🐕🐩

24/09/2024

It's Guinea Pig Awareness Week! 🐹💙
These are some of the very cute piggies we've seen over the last year 👀 aren't they adorable 🥰

💙 Did you know that our vet Abi has got seven guinea pigs of her own! 💙

#

22/09/2024

🐁🐀 Meet Spud!
Spud came in for a lump check 🐾, which was found to be an abscess. It was checked with an ultrasound scan, and then drained to allow it to heal quicker. 🐭
He was such a brave boy, and enjoyed lots of treats afterwards! 🥰🌟

🐭 If you have any health concerns with your rats please contact the practice and book a consult with vet Abi, or if you have any behavioural or husbandry concerns then book a consult with nurse Meg 🐭

🧡 It's Small Pet Rodent Awareness Week, so we will be focusing on posting about our rodent patients this week

🧡 For more information see , and also check out vet Abi's Instagram account, for rabbit & rodent posts & advice 💜🐭🐹🐰

19/09/2024

🐀🐁 Meet Garlic, Onion and Paprika 🐁🐀
🧡 This trio came in for a health check with vet Abi recently, and they said hello to Meg whilst they were in! 🧡

You might notice that Garlic (white and grey rat) has slightly smaller eyes than usual, this is something that rats can be born with, and it can reduce their vision. However, as you can see Garlic does not let this hold her back!

🐭 If you have any health concerns with your rats please contact the practice and book a consult with vet Abi, or if you have any behavioural or husbandry concerns then book a consult with nurse Meg 🐭

🧡 It's Small Pet Rodent Awareness Week, so we will be focusing on posting about our rodent patients this week

🧡 For more information see , and also check out vet Abi's Instagram account, for rabbit & rodent posts & advice 💜🐭🐹🐰

17/09/2024

🐀 Meet Batman! 🐀
He came in for his castration procedure with vet Abi last week, and he looked rather cute after his procedure having a snuggle with the nurses 🧡🐭

🐭 If you have any questions about rat castrations, please contact the practice 🐭

🧡 It's Small Pet Rodent Awareness Week, so we will be focusing on posting about our rodent patients this week

🧡 For more information see , and also check out vet Abi's Instagram account () for rabbit & rodent posts & advice 💜🐭🐹🐰

23/08/2024

‼️UPDATE - his owners have been found. Thank you to all those that helped share the post.

🔔 FOUND

This old chap has been found wandering along the Reading Road appearing a little disoriented. He is an elderly black and white neutered male and unfortunately does not have a microchip or any other form of identification on him. Please call the practice with any information that could be helpful to help reunite him with his owners.

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.”

19/01/2024

The team at Vets4Pets Cramlington say greyhound Frank was "an absolute gentleman" when he came in for some dental work.

Seven-year-old Frank was brought in by owner Harriet to get rid of some plaque which had built up and to treat a gum inflammation. Veterinary nurse Vicki said: "Frank was a very good boy and left with clean, fresh and sparkly teeth. It's so very important to get your dog's teeth checked and we advise pets to have an annual dental check. Eighty per cent of dogs over the age of three have dental disease. Prevention is much better than cure and regular checks and routine cleaning keep your pet's mouth healthier for longer and can help to prevent extensive extractions later in life. We are always happy to offer advice on maintenance and dental care at home such as teeth brushing or dental supplements."

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.