SEERS CROFT VETERINARY SURGERY

domestic pets

Call Us on 01293 851122

Cats, dogs and other domestic animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs form a large percentage of the patients seen at the surgery. Not all of the pets visiting require treatment. Sometimes they come to be weighed, for dietary advice, for flea treatments, or just for a biscuit! For fun we organise puppy parties for our new puppies. These involve a talk given by a vet or nurse on general well-being and preventative care; giving tips and advice on problems that you may encounter with your new dog. All animals receive a clinical examination at their yearly vaccinations. This not only gives the clinician the chance to spot potential problems before symptoms are produced, but also gives the opportunity to allow owners to ask any questions regarding their pets feeding, behaviour etc.

The practice is well equipped to allow an accurate diagnosis to be made. Many of the blood tests are performed in the practice laboratory meaning results can be available within a few hours. The practice has a state of the art ultrasound machine with Doppler facilities (Doppler allows blood flow measurements to be recorded). Ultrasound scans are extremely useful to aid diagnosis of pregancy (28-35 days post mating), cardiac disease and abdominal disease (liver, kidney & bowel problems). Ultrasound also allows some minor procedures to be completed by "key-hole" technique, reducing the anaesthetic time and speeding recovery for the patient. Endoscopy is also available. This enables the vet to look inside various body cavities through a fibre-optic camera. It is particularly useful in digestive and respiratory problems in cats and dogs.

In order to keep all anaesthetic risk to a minimum we use modem anaesthetic drugs, and modern anaesthetic monitoring equipment (pulse oximetry, ECG, carbon dioxide detector). Pre-anaesthetic blood tests alert the clinician to any potential problems that may be encountered. All animals receive a clinical examination prior to administration of an anaesthetic.

Clients are welcome to bring their animals to the surgery if they're ill or just want advice. Unfortunately, many people do not realise their pet is unwell until signs are quite advanced. Survival strategies have evolved so that animals are good at hiding how they feel.

Examples of subtle symptoms that may necessitate an examination by a vet include:

Weight loss Decreased appetite Reluctance to eat normal foods but eating human gourmet type food Stiffness Reluctance to exercise Obesity Excessive sleepiness Halitosis