With temperatures soaring it is important to know about the effects of heat on your pets. With their thick coats they can find it very hard to regulate their temperature and this can lead to heat stroke.
One of the most popular breeds of dog we see at Cherrydown Vets is Pugs. They are lovely little things. They look cute with their wrinkly face and curled tail and they are fun and mischievous dogs. However, one thing we picked up on is some of the owners, particularly those who are new to owning pugs, don’t realise about some of the issues pugs can have. So if you are thinking of getting one hopefully our blog will help you decide whether they are the right breed for you.
On Friday 9th May 2014 several of the Cherrydown Vets team went to the Cliffs Pavilions in Southend as we were finalists in the Excellent Customer Service category at the Essex Countywide Business Awards. From the hundreds of entries it was whittled down to only eight businesses. We were up against some tough competition from other companies in Essex and, unfortunately, we didn’t win. However, we are extremely proud to have made the finals and get recognised for the work we do. We continuously strive to ensure our customers experience only the best service from beginning to end. Whether it’s a phone call to our clinic, a face to face visit with a vet or a nurse, an email or a conversation via our Facebook page we want to make sure you get the best at all times. We hold monthly staff and managerial meetings to discuss how we can improve the service we offer and we regularly ask for feedback and suggestions from our customers as they are best placed to come up with helpful ideas. Over the past 12 months we have implemented many ideas which we believe have helped us become one of the most trusted vets in the area. Also, in the past year we have had over 10,950 people visit us with their pets so we are obviously doing things right. However, we won’t rest on our laurels. No matter how good we are there are still things that can be done to improve the customer experience. We would like to hear your ideas and suggestions about our practice, not just the Basildon branch but also our Wickford and Stanford le Hope clinics. What would you improve or change? All suggestions are welcome and will be discussed during our monthly meetings. Your opinions count so please send us your suggestions and ideas to
This is part 2 of our blog regarding the duties performed by a Veterinary Nurse. It was written by our very own Danielle Barnett Kennels: The kennel shift can be one of the most rewarding but also saddening aspects of veterinary nursing. The kennel nurse often sees his/her patients through their treatment until they go home or the time comes to say goodbye. In the morning hand over from the night staff is shortly followed by medication checks and planning treatment for the day. All animals have to be fed and watered, soiled litter trays cleaned and replaced, dogs walked and bedding changed throughout the course of the day as needed. All I/V fluid lines need to be flushed every four hours and dressings checked for any problems. Any medication needs to be given on time throughout the day. Some patients need a little more time than others for syringe feeding or gentle exercise. The majority of the afternoon is taken up with calling clients to arrange discharge times for day patients and actually discharging the patients. The discharge itself is not always a speedy process as the discharging nurse need to make sure the owner of the animal understands about all the medication and possible side effects and aftercare required which can be complex. At Cherrydown we have separate cat and dog wards and an isolation unit. Any isolation cases need to be barrier nursed taking about 10 minutes of dressing up in protective gear before even going in so as you can imagine there’s always plenty to do. Emergency/ Weekend: ‘On duty’ means we are here, caring for your pet around the clock. We have to answer the emergency phone no matter what time it is even if we are in an emergency surgery or dealing with patients at the time. The duty nurse will be caring for their patients, doing the same tasks as the kennel nurse has been doing throughout the day. Any emergency calls need to be assessed and the emergency vet called in if needed. The duty nurse will assist with any procedures be it x-rays, blood tests or an emergency surgery. In the morning the nurse will ‘do rounds’ with the vets to update any treatment and re-examine patients and finally hand over to the kennel nurse. As you can see we have numerous responsibilities all of which need to be done competently. The veterinary nursing team need good communication and teamwork is essential. Although not qualified the auxiliary nurses are much needed. They are experienced in animal handling and very useful to have around when you need help but don’t need someone who is qualified. Veterinary Nurses never stop planning ahead whether planning operations or simply reviewing their consultations we are always on the go. Your VN is not JUST a veterinary nurse, your VN is a phlebotomist, an anaesthetist, a dental hygienist, a theatre assistant, a paediatric nurse, a dietician, a radiographer............. the list goes on. A big thank you to Danielle for writing this blog. We hope you have found it informative and you have a better understanding of what they do. As always, if you have any questions about this subject please call us at the clinic and speak to a nurse or leave a comment on our Facebook page
During the month of May it is Veterinary Nurse Awareness month and it's to help create awareness of the importance of the veterinary nursing profession and the provision of responsible pet care.
With Easter approaching Cherrydown Vets are starting to see an increase in dogs that are suffering chocolate poisoning. Today we admitted Weimaraner Stanley who has a rather sweet tooth. His owners had left Easter Eggs out on a shelf in the kitchen and unbeknown to them he managed to sneak in and managed to devour 6 milk chocolate eggs and all the wrapping. Chocolate is highly toxic to dogs as it contains Theobromine, a chemical compound found in the cacao plant, which produces the seeds used to make chocolate. It is not present in sufficient amounts to cause any harm to humans (unless a significant quantity of chocolate is consumed) but unfortunately this is not the case for our canine friends. Domestic animals such as dogs metabolize Theobromine much more slowly than humans, which means it takes longer for their bodies to break it down. It attacks a dog’s central nervous system and heart muscle, leading to Theobromine poisoning which can be fatal for dogs.
It’s been a while since we wrote a blog about cats and after seeing how much interest was shown in one of our patients recently we thought we would write a blog about the breed.
Lungworm can be a killer and with a warm wet winter and spring on the horizon you need to be prepared.
Yesterday the BBC reported about a Mysterious Illness in Dogs, that had killed 13 dogs across Britain in recent months. We passed the article to our vet, Jonathan Nurse, to get his view.
When we talk about “cat scratching” we don’t mean this
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