Rat Bait Toxicity
by Andrew Fullerton MRCVS

Beau came to see us in May for her spay.  She was in for the day and the surgery was performed without any complications.  I did notice that she was bleeding a bit more than normal from her muscle and skin layer but this is not uncommon and I thought nothing of it at the time.  On Saturday at her 1st post op check she was doing really well.  Bouncing around the consult room and recovering as we would expect...  [Find out more...]

Volunteering At ARCAS
by Naomi Turley RVN

Before training as a veterinary nurse I travelled around Central America visiting Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. My intention was to see the countries, learn Spanish and volunteer at ARCAS to work with local school groups, teaching them about wildlife and educating them on the problems of poaching and the pet trade. You may have seen the recent BBC Wildlife documentary called ‘Jungle Animal Hospital’, detailing the work they do to rehabilitate and release monkeys and birds back to the wild.  [Find out more...]

Hydrothearapy and rehabilitation for ‘Ari’ -
5 year old Patterdale Terrier
by Jennifer Frost BSc (Hons) RVN NCert (AnBeh),
Hydrotherapist at hydro.vet

This is Ari, or as we like to call him ‘Ari the rock star’.  Back in December last year Ari’s owners found him collapsed at home and unable to get up or walk.  He was quickly referred to a specialist and investigations revealed that he had suffered multiple disc extrusions (slipped discs) in his back.  Ari quickly underwent surgery to remove the pressure on his spinal cord and was seen for his first hydrotherapy session roughly 6 weeks later.  [Find out more...]

Tiago Smith - Dilated Cardiomyopathy
by Mario Amaral,  DVM PGCertSAM MRCVS

We've known Tiago ever since he was a puppy back in 2004. He's always been an active healthy dog (apart from his seasonal allergies), but at 10 years old he was slowing down, especially on long walks, coughing occasionally and recently had been troubled by recurrent episodes of lameness.  All these signs taken in isolation could be simply to do with ageing, but on closer clinical examination we detected a heart murmur that had not been present before. [Find out more...]

Bad Luck Story of The Month - Ellie
by Liz Watkins MRCVS

Poor Ellie had run onto the spike end of an electric fencing post held by her owner while he was doing some fencing last summer. She met it head first, and it gave her a nosebleed, but she had seemed none the worse for her experience at the time. Months later, a swelling appeared over the bridge of her nose. This gradually increased, and her owners asked the vet who came out to look at their horses to have a look at it. He thought it needed a small animal vet to have a look, kindly recommended us, and she duly came in for me to examine...
[Find out more...]

Jet's Dental Work
by Heather Packham RVN

Jet came in to us for a six-month free health check. During the check up, the vet noticed he had fractured his upper and lower canines on the right hand side. He was booked in for a dental in our new Portishead branch, so we could use dental radiography. Dental radiography enables us to examine all the teeth and roots thoroughly.  Jet came in for the day and was housed in the cat ward, which is separate from other animals, to help cats feel calmer. He had a pre anaesthetic blood test, which can pick up on early liver or kidney disease. The blood results were fine, so we proceeded with the dental treatment...  [Find out more...]

Harry & the Corn Cob
by Mark Frost BVSc MRCVS

Henry presented as an emergency on a Saturday night, having been vomiting.  He had a history of eating things he shouldn’t which made us extra cautious in our approach.  Several blood tests were performed, in addition to an ultrasound scan which all indicated a medical condition called pancreatitis, and as he was quite dehydrated he was admitted to the hospital and kept on intravenous fluids plus a variety of medications.  The following morning he was much brighter and we felt very optimistic that he was doing so well, however after offering him breakfast, which he was very keen to eat, he very quickly brought it back up and we knew all was not well ... [Find out more...]

Social Clinics, Riley’s Story
by Carol Avenell RVN – Head Nurse (Nailsea)

For many dogs coming to the vets is not as fun as a trip to the park, however most dogs accept it and enjoy the fuss from the team as we try to make the experience as pleasant as possible for them.  Some dogs find the whole experience overwhelming,  and they become very fearful making the experience distressing for themselves and their owners. This is where our social clinics come in.  When Riley started coming to social clinics she was very scared, and would sit and shake....  [Find out more...]

Rosie. Woody & Merlot
by Liz Watkins MRCVS

We often deal with the unexpected, that is part of what our work is all about. But sometimes individual clients seem to be dealt more than their fair share of problems and challenges. In early October, this happened to Sue Brightman, a holistic massage therapist, and good client of ours for many years. We had been treating Rosie the cat for a week for a renal (kidney) problem...
[Find out more...]

Bailey the Shar Pei
by Liz Watkins MRCVS

Bailey came to us as an out-of-hours emergency because he had progressively become more disinterested and slow, and was showing swelling of both his hocks. He had been losing his coat in patches for a few weeks and looked a bit ‘moth-eaten’. He was a bit itchy and generally unhappy. On clinical examination, he had a high temperature, and oedema of the hocks. Oedema is a passive fluid collection, often seen in people as swollen ankles .... [Find out more...]

Marmite and her Pups
by Zoe Coomber RVN

Marmite started labour on the morning of 14th April. The first puppy was born naturally but then Marmite ran into difficulties. She was unproductively straining and becoming tired. She was rushed in by her owner to see the vet (Amy Parsons MRCVS) and was offered either a hormonal injection (oxytocin) to help with contractions or a caesarean section...
[Find out more...]

Buttons & Sandy's Puppy Party
by Michelle Cox RVN

Puppy parties are a great opportunity for puppies to start their socialisation in a controlled and safe environment. Puppy's brains continue to develop until about 12 weeks of age so puppy parties give them the chance to learn dog communication skills in this critical period before they start going for walks.  Buttons and Sandy came to their first party in June and did very well. Sandy was very keen to play, and Buttons was very easily led!!
 ... [Find out more...]

Maisie's Accident
by Amy Parsons MRCVS

Maisie was out for a Monday afternoon stroll when her life got turned upside down after she came off worse in a collision with an automobile. Having made it back home, she was rushed down to our out of hours team at Nailsea where she was assessed, given much needed pain relief and treated for
shock.  Her most obvious injury was facial trauma ....
 [Find out more...]

A Day In The Life of A Veterinary Nurse
by Naomi Turley RVN

In honour of last month’s National Veterinary Nurse Month, the following is an account of a typical day in the life of a Veterinary Nurse, by Naomi Turley.  Our nurses have many roles and responsibilities and this account covers only a small number of these that may be performed in a typical busy day....
 [Find out more...]

Dodger’s painful back ...
by Fiona Chapman, BVSc MRCVS

Dodger is a fit, active 13 year old Border Collie. He has previously been diagnosed with shoulder arthritis on x-ray, and has had a urinary tract infection in the past which made him hunched up and uncomfortable. After investigation, we decided to stop Tramadol and try acupuncture to treat Dodger’s back pain...
[Find out more...]

Amber’s Chocolate Overindulgence ...
by Claire Walkley, BSc RVN

When Amber’s owner returned home it was clear from her chocolate and wrapper trail what she had been up to so they immediately phoned the surgery for advice and were advised to bring Amber straight down for an appointment.  The symptoms of chocolate poisoning vary dependent on the amount, the type of chocolate and the size of the dog. Dark chocolate, cocoa powder and chocolate with a high % of cocoa solids contain more theobromine than milk/white chocolate so are more dangerous.  [Find out more...]

”Nellie” - Congestive Heart Failure ...
by Mario Amaral,  DVM PGCertSAM MRCVS

We saw Nellie, a lovely 12 year old West Highland White Terrier bitch, because of a 2 week history of coughing, that had worsened. She had fainted on two separate occasions after a coughing fit. Nellie also had gradually gotten slower and was sleeping more.  As Nellie had a heart murmur we suspected that she had developed heart failure, so we recommended further investigations - echocardiography, ECG and chest X-rays.
[Find out more...]

Merlin ...
by Mark Frost, BVSc MRCVS

Merlin presented on a Friday evening, with a history of gagging and vomiting.  There was a suspicion he may have eaten a needle as a sewing needle had gone missing.  He was sensitive around his mouth, and is a very lively and friendly boy so examination was tricky.  We decided to see if he would lie down for us to take some xrays to look and see if we could see evidence of the needle in his digestive tract.
[Find out more...]

Boris’s Rupture ...
by Liz Watkins BVSc MRCVS

Boris was only 7 months old, and had gone missing for a few days a couple of months before, and hadn’t thrived since – there was nothing to put your finger on, he just looked poorly, a bit thin, and had a poor appetite and occasional vomiting.  On general examination there was only one obvious abnormality. When I put my hands against his chest, I could feel his heart beat much more strongly on the right side than the left.
[Find out more...]

Harley's swollen eyelids ...
by Fiona Chapman, BVSc MRCVS

Harley came to see us with what looked like a nasty case of conjunctivitis. This is inflammation of the tissues supporting the eye, and is often seen in puppies as a result of an eye infection.

When I examined Harley, the glands in his neck (his lymph nodes) were enlarged, and his owners described him limping on one of his front legs. These new signs indicated that Harley was likely to be suffering from a rare but serious condition known as puppy strangles...
[Find out more...]

Zoe May - a Lymphoma Success Story ...
by Steve Tasker BVSc, MRCVS

I saw Zoe at the end of August 2013. Her owner brought her in two days before, when she was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection. My colleague noted some enlargement of the lymph nodes in her neck at that time, and had noted their size and started treatment for the urinary signs, booking her in for a review within days. However when she re-presented she now had multiple lumps...
[Find out more...]

Adventurous Oscar ...
by Fiona Chapman, BVSc MRCVS

Oscar is a friendly, inquisitive young cat, who went missing at the beginning of July. He was missing for a few days, until his owner's neighbours found him in their garden. When his owner went to collect him he didn't seem able to walk properly and was dragging his back leg, so she rushed him straight in to us. Oscar's right hind leg was extremely swollen with some nasty-looking wounds on his lower leg ...
[Find out more...]

Alfie's renal failure ...
by Mark Frost, BVSc MRCVS

Alfie is our 6 year old cat.  He seemed to be drinking more than normal.  Otherwise he was absolutely fine, but knowing that picking up problems early can result in a better prognosis he was taken in to work to start some investigations.  He has recently been diagnosed with chronic renal failure ...
[Find out more...]

Bella the Whippet ...
by Claire Walkley, RVN

Bella the Whippet was with her owner, when she suddenly caused a deep injury to her inner thigh whilst running through the woods.  We quickly discovered Bella had lacerated her femoral vein, one of the largest veins in the body! Amazingly she had also bruised her femoral artery but not caused it to tear as this would have caused massive blood loss ..
[Find out more...]

Alabama rot ...
by Liz Watkins BVSc MRCVS

This is a very new disease in the UK, and so far has only been reported in certain areas – and our practice area is not a risk site as yet. Dora presented to us with a mark on her foot pad, which was perfectly consistent with a wound or graze and was treated in a routine way. A few days later, she was re-examined, and it was found not to be healing ...
[Find out more...]

Molly Williams – an impressive case of bladder stones ...
by Steve Tasker BVSc, MRCVS

Molly had been in a few weeks earlier with signs typical of a urinary tract infection, but it was apparent that her signs were now worsening, and we requested a second urine sample for testing. Under the microscope, it was obvious that she had lots of tiny microscopic crystals in the urine. These are called uroliths and the crystals can be the precursors to bladder stones. ...
[Find out more...]

Millie’s periodontal disease ...
by Fiona Chapman, BVSc MRCVS

Millie came to see us with a painful area of skin on her shoulder. It was also noted that she also had heavy tartar on her teeth, particularly in one area of her mouth. This was likely to indicate that the tooth underneath was painful...
[Find out more...]

Molly’s lump removal  ...
by Steve Tasker BVSc, MRCVS

Molly’s lump wasn’t causing Molly any discomfort it seemed, but the size and bulbous shape of it, the deep red colour, and the shiny nature of the overlying skin were all pointers towards a more serious issue....
[Find out more...]

It’s not just cows and badgers.... Tuberculosis in a cat ...
by Liz Watkins BVSc MRCVS

Moses came to us last year, when he was just 1 year old, with an abscess on his neck. This is a fairly routine condition from our point of view.  Most are caused by cat bites, and while they can be very unpleasant and make a cat quite ill, they are straightforward to treat. But ....
[Find out more...]

Baldrick Murray ...
by Julie Coltman

Baldrick came to us one Saturday afternoon as an emergency appointment. He had been outside for around 30 minutes and then had bolted back through his cat flap with what looked like a puncture wound ...... 

[Find out more...]

Ruby had a swelling on her face...
by Fiona Chapman, BVSc MRCVS

Ruby is a 4 year-old German Wire-haired Pointer dog, who came in because her owners had noticed that one side of her face looked swollen...... 

[Find out more...]

"Rolo" Penfold...
by Mario Amaral,  DVM PGCertSAM MRCVS

We first saw Rolo, a 12 year old Jack Russel dog, on the 18th of September, because he had been sick a couple of times over night, wasn't eating or drinking, and hadn't passed any faeces or urine. He was a little dull. This is the sort of case we see every day here and is usually a minor upset stomach..... 
[Find out more...]

Ruby an unusual diagnosis...
by Zoe

Ruby is my family’s adopted Labrador Cross who turned 2 years of age in May this year. We adopted her in November 2010 and she came with numerous problems.....

[Find out more...]

Tilly...
by Julie Coltman

Tilly came to us one Sunday morning because she had been vomiting through the night and was now salivating a lot and not herself. Tilly’s owners had also noticed that she was making a strange noise when she was breathing in......
[Find out more...]

Luxating patella...
by Liz Watkins BVSc MRCVS

Honey came to surgery because she has suddenly gone very lame.  On examination, It was obvious that the patella  (kneecap) was sitting in the wrong position – it had slipped out of the groove in the femur (thigh bone) ....
[Find out more...]

Katie Schnauzer and her enlarged tum...
by Steve Tasker BVSc, MRCVS

Last month, Katie, a 12 year old Giant Schnauzer presented to us one evening in severe abdominal discomfort.  Her clinical signs were those of pain, and abdominal bloating. For a large breed dog, this set of signs is never good news....
[Find out more...]

Marmalade is an 11 year old, domestic longhair cat...
by Mario Amaral,  DVM PGCertSAM MRCVS

Marmalade is an 11 year old, domestic longhair cat, who had been having problems urinating, on and off for the past couple of months ...
[Find out more...]

Hattie and her many pups!...
by Liz Watkins BVSc MRCVS

I first heard from Hattie’s owners at 3am one morning. She was giving birth, and had produced four puppies, two of which were stillborn ...
[Find out more...]

Chocolate Poisoning
by Di Rees BVetMed MRCVS

Chocolate poisoning is quite frequently encountered in veterinary practice, and here at Watkins and Tasker we have recently had to treat several dogs ...
[Find out more...]

Smokey Carter - Waterworks Problems...
by Andy Fullerton BVSc(Hons), MRCVS

Smokey came to see us in February as a new puppy for our 30 minute new puppy consultation. We checked him over as normal and all seemed to be fine...
[Find out more...]

Sox and her significant stones...
by Liz Watkins BVSc MRCVS

Sox is a 4 year old Labrador who had been having trouble passing both urine and bowel motions for some time...
[Find out more...]

Ruby Robb - The Risks of Gardening...
by Andy Fullerton BVSc(Hons), MRCVS

Ruby was rushed into our Yatton branch one day in September after having an accident with a pitch fork.  Whilst playing outside she had somehow become impaled on a gardening fork...
[Find out more...]

Bailey - The Dog with a feather in his ear...
by Liz Watkins BVSc MRCVS

Bailey came to us because he had an irritation in his ear. He was quite distressed with it – shaking his head as if it was very itchy...
[Find out more...]

.
Chewy is a Bullmastiff with a sweet tooth
by Steve Tasker BVSc, MRCVS

Chewy is a Bullmastiff with a sweet tooth - which nearly cost him his life. This is a cautionary tale. Chewy's mum had baked some fairy cakes for the family...
[Find out more...]

...
Mrs H
by Di Rees BVetMed MRCVS

(A hyperthyroid cat having a hypokalaemic crisis)

A couple of weeks ago, my own cat, Mrs H, had to be admitted to our Nailsea practice for emergency treatment....

[Find out more...]

Thistle was ill, the diagnosis seemed very straightforward...
by Liz Watkins BVSc MRCVS

The first time Thistle was ill, the diagnosis seemed very straightforward. He had vomited a few times and brought up furballs, which is very common...
[Find out more...]

Oscar and what looked like a Car Accident Injury
by Andy Fullerton BVSc(Hons), MRCVS

Oscar was presented to us on 21st of September 2009. He was extremely lethargic.  From the outset it was obvious that his breathing was laboured...
[Find out more...]

Slug Pellets - Not Animal Friendly
by Andy Fullerton BVSc(Hons), MRCVS

Robert Gregory is a 2 year old Jack Russell Terrier who was presented to us one evening in August.  He had been behaving strangely at home...
[Find out more...]

It’s Just Not “Fur”!
by Andy Fullerton BVSc(Hons), MRCVS

Dilbert Walker is a 10 year old Domestic Longhair cat
who came to our practice in June with a history of vomiting for 3-4 days.
[Find out more...]

SNAKE IN THE GRASS
by Steve Tasker BVSc, MRCVS

Jake came in to see us at the end of May with an extremely swollen front leg, following what we are presuming to be a bite from a snake.
[Find out more...]

Jack’s Story - UPDATE
by Andy Fullerton BVSc(Hons), MRCVS

(Canine Lymphoma)

Two weeks ago Jack started to deteriorate. 
Initially we thought it was due to his arthritis flaring up but it soon be came apparent that it was a bit more complicated.
[Find out more...]

BEWARE OF POISONOUS PLANTS!
by Di Rees BVetMed MRCVS

We recently had to treat two separate pairs of guinea pigs who made the mistake of making a meal of poisonous plants whilst out foraging in the garden!
[Find out more...]

Jack’s Story - UPDATE ON CHEMO PROGRESS
by Andy Fullerton BVSc(Hons), MRCVS

(Canine Lymphoma)

Its now 9 months on since Jack started chemotherapy and he is doing very well.  He recently reached his 13th birthday, which is something we were all hoping for!
[Find out more...]

.
Tess Buncombe
by Andy Fullerton BVSc(Hons), MRCVS

(A Mite called Demodex)

Tess was presented to us in February with a long-standing skin problem involving hair loss and itchy flaky skin. The whole problem had started as a small circular patch of hair loss and spread now to all down the back of her legs... [Find out more...]

.
A Fishy Tale: - Hardy’s Hook Crisis
by Steve Tasker BVSc, MRCVS

(A Swallowed Fishing Hook)

Hardy’s owner called us for advice one Sunday evening recently, having been out walking with his owners in Portishead’s popular Marina. His owner is a keen fisherman, and became concerned when he saw what he recognised as a short length of fishing line in Hardy’s mouth.... [Find out more...]

...
Jack’s Story
by Andy Fullerton BVSc(Hons), MRCVS

(Canine Lymphoma)

Jack Fullerton is a 12-year-old male Border Collie who came to see us in September at our Yatton Surgery. He had been generally duller than normal and was very stiff and slow.  Rather than blaming old age and arthritis, Mrs Fullerton had a feeling something wasn’t quite right. [Find out more...]

..

We are seeing a lot of dogs suffering from 'Kennel Cough' (acute tracheo-bronchitis).
KC can be caused by several different species of viruses and bacteria. These cause irritation to the windpipe, which results in coughing. [Find out more...]