This page contains news about the practice and about events in the near future that you and your pet can be involved in.

Pet Diabetes Month, November 2009

Dogs and cats can develop diabetes, it is estimated 1 in 200 pets suffer from diabetes. It is often associated with getting older, obesity and reduced activity. If left untreated diabetes can cause serious illness or even premature death.
The earlier diabetes is diagnosed and treated, the better. Signs to watch for include excessive thirst, frequent urination and weight loss despite constant hunger.
A simple ‘Pee’ test can confirm if your pet is diabetic. Untreated diabetics leak sugar into their urine. You can collect a special test strip from the practice to check for the presence of sugar in their urine.
If the strip turns green you should contact the practice to arrange for a vet to carry out further tests to confirm if your pet has diabetes. If confirmed we will recommend treatment that may include medication such as insulin and/or dietary changes.
However if the strip does not change colour, the test is negative and if your pet is showing non of the signs of diabetes there is nothing more you need to do.
If you would like more information on diabetes please visit www.diabeticpets.co.uk.

Discover Dogs

Discover Dogs is at Earls Court on 14th and 15th November. It is two whole days of events celebrating dogs and educating dog lovers.

The Health Benefits of Pets

Doctors are now investigating the role pets play in children’s physical and mental development.

Choosing The Right Pet

The PDSA launched a new website this year, Your Right Pet designed to help you decide what sort of pet might be best for you based on your lifestyle and circumstances. It covers the needs of dogs, cats, rabbits, small pets, birds and fish, it does not suggest either exotic pets or horses as these require specialist knowledge.
Once you have answered all the questions, the website will suggest an appropriate pet and will then give further information on important factors such as, the average lifespan, lifetime costs and what health problems may be encountered.

Dangers at Christmas

We must all remember that while we’re enjoying Christmas there are many hidden dangers to our pets.
Potential hazards include:
Decorations.
Ingestion of the Christmas tree needles or the water it is stood in can be poisonous. Live trees can trigger allergies and respiratory problems, if your pet bumps into the tree or even climbs it they can cause it to fall and risk injuring them.
If your pet chews the Christmas light cables they can be electrocuted or start a fire. Eating tinsel can fatally damage their intestines. Glass baubles can cause cut pads if broken or they can be mistaken for balls and are eaten causing damage or obstruction to the intestines. Spray on snow can be poisonous if ingested. Lighted candles also have a fascination for pets so never leave them unsupervised.
Plants.
Amaryllis flowers, leaves and bulbs are poisonous if chewed or ingested causing vomiting and diarrhoea. Holly berries and leaves are toxic causing vomiting, diarrhoea, coma and possible fatalities. Ivy leaves can cause diarrhoea and occasionally respiratory and heart problems. Mistletoe berries leaves and stems can cause vomiting and diarrhoea. Poinsettia leaves and “flowers” are locally irritating and if eaten can cause vomiting and diarrhoea. This is not a complete list of all poionous plants.
Food.
Alcohol, cooked and uncooked bones, chocolate, coffee (including used grounds and beans), currents, garlic, onions, nutmeg, raisons, sultanas, uncooked yeast dough and certain nuts are all potentially poisonous to dogs and cats. In certain circumstances it only requires the smallest amount to be ingested so its best to avoid giving your pet any human food.
Aluminum foil and plastic food wrap can obstruct the intestines if eaten. Batteries if chewed release corrosive chemicals which can cause ulceration of the mouth and intestines. Antifreeze is very poisonous and its sweet taste is attractive to dogs and cats. Finally road salt on the paws is irritating so paws should be washed when you come back from all walks.
If simple precautions are taken then you and your pet should have a risk free Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Pet Smile Month, September 2008

For all of September we are offering a free dental health check to dogs and cats! Our veterinary nurses will be available to examine your pet’s teeth and gums and discuss any treatments that are necessary. Please contact us to make your appointment with a nurse.
Some individuals will just need a change in diet or to start toothbrushing. Our nurses will be happy to demonstrate how to brush your pet’s teeth. Other individuals will need a scale and polish and some may need tooth extractions, these will be booked for a full general anaesthetic and dental with a vet.
Dental disease can be a hidden problem for many of our pets. Infection in their mouths can cause bad breath, mouth pain and reduced appetites. It can also lead to heart, kidney and nose disease. Prevention is much better then treatment as untreated infections can lead to the permanent loss of teeth. For more information on Pet Smile Month please visit their website www.petsmile.org.

Fountain Car Park

The Fountain car park is now pay and display. It costs 50p for 30 minutes or ¬£1 for 60 minutes. The ticket machine is located at the pub end of the car park under a tree. Please remember when buying a ticket that we can’t guarantee to see you straight away and appointments can last for longer then 10 minutes depending on your animal’s health problems.

We no longer issue vouchers for parking in the car park, but you can park there at any time of the day.

National Vaccination Month, March 2008

For all of March 2008, any dog or cat who’s annual vaccination has lapsed by 18 months or rabbits who are over 9 months late with their routine vaccination will be able to have a full vaccination course for the price of the annual booster.

There are 11 million un-vaccinated pets in the UK. By not having your pet fully vaccinated you are leaving it exposed to serious and potentially fatal diseases. Recent research by animal health company, Intervet, has shown that a number of serious and deadly diseases have been reported in the Surrey area. During the most recent 2007 survey, 62% of veterinary practices reported incidents of the fatal dog disease, parvovirus, in the previous 12 months, while leptospirosis, which can be transmitted to people, was seen by 43% of veterinary practices in the UK. Cat flu was seen by 78% of practices during one month period and the mild weather conditions continue to put all rabbits at risk of myxomatosis. A fatal disease for all rabbits, including house rabbits, spread by biting insects.

National Vaccination Month aims to limit the spread of disease, by offering pet owners the chance to bring their pet’s vaccination up to date for the cost of a single booster vaccine during March 2008. For dogs to re-start their vaccine course would normally cost ¬£74, during March it will only cost ¬£37. Cats the vaccine course is normally ¬£76, for March it will be ¬£38 and for rabbits it will only cost ¬£26. If your dog or cat is over 18 months old and not been vaccinated within the last 18 months, or for rabbits is over 9 months old and not been vaccinated in the last 9 months then log on to www.vaccinationmonth.co.uk to download your voucher. Please contact the practice to book your appointment or if you have any difficulties downloading your voucher.

Crufts

Crufts is at the NEC in Birmingham from 6th – 9th March, open each day from 8.15am until 7.30pm. Officialy recognised as the world’s largest dog show, it’s an event not to be missed by anyone with an interest in dogs. Whether it’s showing, obedience or agility or just shopping for the perfect collar!

Acupuncture

As Alison is no longer with us Margo Scott will be taking over her acupuncture clincs.

Sad News

Alison and Sue are leaving us in October. They are moving to live in Australia, we will miss them and we wish them well in their new lives.

Pet Smile Month

For all of September we are offering a FREE dental health check for your pet and a ‘Goody Bag’. Dental disease is often a hidden problem for your pet. Tooth and gum infections can cause bad breath and mouth pain, as well as contributing to heart, kidney and nasal disease. These problems can be prevented with good dental hygiene.

We should be brushing our pets teeth twice daily with a soft toothbrush and suitable pet toothpaste. If this is not possible there are a variety of diets and chews which can help, but unfortunately nothing is as effective as tooth brushing.

During your dental check you will be given the opportunity to discuss any worries with the nurse. Please contact the practice to book your appointment.

Wicca and JettyDogs

Our head nurse Kathryn and her dog Wicca recently took part in the first ‘Jettydogs‘ competition, held at Brentwood in Essex.

This involves the dog running down a purpose built platform and leaping into a swimming pool, the longest jump wins. Wicca came a creditable 2nd place out of 134 entrants with a huge jump of 12′ 8″ winning lots of prizes!

For more information about JettyDogs see our article.

Dog Train & Behave Week

July 28th to August 4th is the first Dog Train and Behave Week. This week aims to promote responsible dog ownership and to demonstrate through education how to counter many misinfomed and negative impressions of dogs, with the aim of reducing incidents involving dogs.

Microchips

June was Pet Microchip Month, over 70 pets took advantage of our microchip offer! Because of the success in June we have decided to continue to offer microchips at £15 for all of July! If you would like us to microchip your pet please contact the practice

Petsavers 10K run

Jackie, Margoand Hannahall succesfully completed the Petsavers 10K run. Many thanks to everyone who sponsored them. The money they raised will be going to help Petsavers in the very important work which they do for the benefit of all our pets

Lungworm

18th June 2007: Disease alert for dog owners – Angiostrongylus vasorum, also known as Lungworm or French Heartworm has recently come to prominence in Surrey as a cause of various clinical problems in dogs. Please check our Advise page for further information.

PetSavers 10K Run

15th June 2007: On the 1st July Jackie Cox, Margo Scottand Hannah Smith are running 10km to raise money for PetSavers. The PetSavers 10K run is part of the British 10K London Run. The runners will start at Hyde Park corner and race past some of London’s most famous sites including St James‚Äö√Ñ√¥s Palace, Westminster Abbey, The Houses of Parliament and Trafalgar Square, to finish at Whitehall.
If you want to sponsor our runners please contact the practice.

June is Pet Microchip Month!

For all of June we are offering microchips for only £15 instead of our usual price of £23. Contact us to make an appointment.

Open Day and Tea Party

Many thanks to everyone who came to our Blue Cross Tea party. Due to your generosity we raised £85 for the Blue Cross! We hope everyone enjoyed themselves.

We had an open day and tea party in aid of the Blue Cross, a charity which provides practical care and advice for pet owners.

The Tea Party was on Friday 18th May. We offered tea and cake in exchange for a donation to the Blue Cross.

We gave tours of the practice, so you could find out what happens behind the scenes.

Online Registration and Prescriptions

10th April 2007: You can now register your pet online with us – simply fill out the form, and your details will be added to our system.

You can also order prescriptions online.

Easter Bunnies

19th March 2007: Panacur Rabbit is now available as a fully licenced rabbit wormer. Rabbits can suffer from worms and parasites such as E.cuniculi. Infection with E.cuniculi can lead to brain and kidney diseases. The parasite is spread either from mother to baby or in infected urine. For more information, see our advice page on rabbit worming.

Dangerous Dogs

16th January 2007: In view of the increased concerns over dangerous dogs, we hope that the information released by the BVA, will help concerned owners.

New Year Resolutions

9th January 2007: New Year is a time when we all have resolutions, our pets are no different! If your pet wants to shed a few pounds then there are several ways to help them. We may have a tendency to over indulge our pets at Christmas, and it can be hard to persuade them to exercise on cold, wet, dark days! All this can all lead to them gaining weight. Obesity in our pets has been linked to heart disease, diabetes mellitus and arthritis.

The vets and nurses at the practice are available to discuss weight loss plans to suit the individual needs of your pet. Also, Petsercise have plenty of fun ideas on how to exercise with your dog.

Kingston’s best vet

7th November 2006: Margo has been nominated for the local Guardian’s competition to find the best vet!
10th November 2006: Jackie has also now been nominated for best vet.

16th November 2006: We are delighted to say thanks to our lovely clients, we have won the Kingston’s best vet competition.

Margo & Jackie would like to thank all our clients for their nominations and votes, and the whole of the team at the surgery for all their help and support.

Fireworks Night

12th November 2006: Although officially fireworks night is over, there are still plenty of fireworks around. This and the New Year can be a scary time for your pets. There are some things that you can do to help them – see our fireworks advice page for more information.

Parvo Virus

8th October 2006: Recently we have been informed of several incidents of Parvovirus infection. This is a very destructive virus which causes severe diarrhoea and sickness mainly affecting unvaccinated dogs and puppies.

The best protection against Parvo is to have your dog vaccinated.

If you have any concerns about the vaccination status of your dog, please contact us immediately.