Could your pet be a life saver?

Vets use blood transfusions in the treatment of conditions such as anaemia, and in many bone marrow diseases, such as platelet disorders. Transfusions are also vital for replacing blood‑loss from severe injury, such as a road traffic accident.

It is a sad reality that suitable donors can be hard to find and so blood is not always there when it is needed. For this reason, Vale Vets have created a blood donor register for cats and dogs to promote awareness of pet blood donation, and recruit prospective new blood donors.

Signing your pet up to this register could help save a life.

To be accepted as a blood donor, your pet must be:

• healthy and fully vaccinated, with no known illness
• friendly and calm when handled
• between 1 and 8 years of age
• a cat or dog who has never travelled abroad
• a cat weighing over 4kg, or a dog weighing over 25kg

Unlike the traditional human blood donation bank which stores blood regardless of current demand, pets on our register will only be contacted and asked to donate at the point blood is needed.

In our Blood Donor Clinic, we will collect a tiny sample of blood from your pet to determine the blood‑type. Your pet’s details and blood-type will be recorded on our donor list. Should a patient matching your pet’s blood type need a transfusion, you may be contacted and asked, if available, to bring your pet in to make a donation.

If you think you can help please contact our Reception Team.

Barks & Bubbles

Barks & Bubbles welcomes all breeds of dog to a fully equipped dog grooming salon, based in our Veterinary Hospital & is staffed by a team of Dog Groomers.

Our Groomers will discuss your individual requirements in a grooming consultation before you leave your dog with us. Full Grooming includes a cut and trim to owner’s specification, shampoo, blow dry, nail trim and ear clean. 

Our grooming appointments will also include lots of cuddles and attention to ensure your dog feels happy and relaxed.

As Barks and Bubbles is based in our small animal hospital – should you have any specific concerns about your dog’s skin or coat, they would be happy to ask one of our Vet team to check this for you and can offer advice including whether further treatment is required.

Puppy Sessions

Our puppy sessions are £15 each and gives your puppy a gentle introduction to the grooming environment with lots of cuddles. The first session will include a consultation to check the coat condition. The number of sessions vary depending on how confident your individual puppy is. These sessions are invaluable as it gives them an opportunity to experience all the different sights and sounds to help prepare them for future salon visits, making sure their experience is as stress-free as possible.

Wash & Blow Dry

Does your dog love muddy puddles and woodland walks? Why not treat your pooch to a bath and blow dry. Suitable for all dog coats.

The International Society of Feline Medicine launched the Cat Friendly Clinic initiative to encourage veterinary clinics everywhere to make best efforts to improve the welfare of cats in their care. The programme advises clinics on how to make their environment as welcoming to cats as possible, as well as providing support in staff training, handling techniques and cat-specific client care. We hold ‘Gold Status’ which is the highest level & have done since 2013.

Under the programme, a clinic has to prove rigorous adherence to a set of criteria which includes provision of facilities and demonstration of staff activities and attitudes aimed at reducing stress in cats, both as in-patients and out-patients. The criteria includes having separate dog and cat waiting areas, feline-friendly hospitalisation cages, and veterinary equipment specifically for treating cats. Most importantly, staff are encouraged to approach and handle cats sensitively and respectfully.

We are committed to delivering high standards of feline care, with compassion and expertise. Our cat facilities are specifically geared towards the reduction of stress and all our staff are trained in gentle handling techniques. We can also give advice to owners on how to reduce anxiety when giving medication or treatments at home. Through our accreditation, we want to show cat owners that routine preventive care, and a prompt visit if their cat seems unwell, will help to give it a longer, healthier and happier life.

Due to Covid house visits are not always possible. Please call the practice to discuss.

We are happy to provide house visits when required for our existing clients if there is availability. They are usually done around the middle of the day after morning consultations. We do not perform house visits during evening surgery as we are always fully occupied with our patients at the surgery in the evening. Evenings are our busiest time.

There are times when a house visit is not the best thing for your pet, for example when we need to use equipment based at the hospital. We will advise you if a house visit is not appropriate and we will explain why. We can also help you with transportation of your pet by taxi or ambulance to the surgery if needed.

We understand that if the time comes to say goodbye to your pet and euthanasia is necessary, a lot of our clients prefer this to be done at home. This will help your pet remain relaxed in their familiar surroundings. We will always do our best to arrange a suitable time to come out to you.

Please give us as much notice as possible if you need a routine house visit and we will do our best to accommodate.

How would you feel if your pet strayed, became lost or worse still, was stolen?

It happens every day, and of course if an animal can’t be identified it can’t be returned.

The solution is a microchip which is a permanent form of identification.

Placing a microchip is quick and simple. The tiny Microchip, encased in biocompatible glass, is injected under the loose skin of the neck in dogs and cats (in other animals the microchip may be inserted elsewhere).

Should the animal stray or be picked up by one of the local authorities, the scanner will read the unique 15-digit code. The secure databases (accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year) can then identify the animal, as well as its owners, name, address and telephone number so that pet and owner can be reunited in the shortest possible time.

Female Cat and Dog Neutering (Spaying)

We recommend that all female dogs and cats that are not intended to be bred from are neutered (spayed) from 6 months of age but when they are fully grown so for giant dog such as a Mastiff this can be around 18 months. To see if your dog is ready to be neutered please book in with one of our Nurses for a free 15 minute, pre-neutering health check.

Queen cats come into season at around 6 months and are highly successful at strolling the neighbourhood to find a mate and coming home pregnant!

Bitches often present later in life with reproductive problems (eg breast cancer or pyometra – pus in the womb) many of which are removed or drastically reduced by early neutering. It has been showed that spaying bitches before their first season (ie. At 6 months of age) reduces the risk of breast cancer later in life.

Did you know?

• Neutered bitches live, on average, 2 years longer than those that are not!
• It is a common misconception that female pets will be better after a litter of pups or kittens – this is not correct.

Laparoscopic Bitch Spays

Laparoscopic bitch spays or 'keyhole' spays, are becoming increasingly popular. The 'keyhole' technique is far less traumatic, with greater precision and fewer complications compared to a traditional spay. The overall result is a faster and more comfortable recovery.

The procedure involves the use of specialised 'keyhole' cameras and instruments, designed to be minimally invasive. The surgery is viewed by the surgeon on a large TV monitor connected to the camera. This gives the surgeon a magnified view of all the internal structures of the abdomen.

Laparoscopic spays use long armed instruments and cameras to access the ovaries within the abdominal cavity via small incisions, instead of the traditional routine spay requiring the surgeon to exteriorise the ovaries to operate. This allows better visualisation of the internal organs and offers the benefit of reduced postoperative pain, rapid return to normal activity, and reduced postoperative complications.

While we have to still clip the same amount of hair on the abdomen as a routine spay, the three incisions created are very small (5-10 mm), thus we see far less post-operative swelling and wound breakdown in our bouncier patients!

Due to the size of our equipment, we can only offer this service to dogs over 5 kg. We highly recommend this service to large deep chested dogs, as this conformation creates additional challenges for the surgeon using the traditional method. For further information please contact us on 01275 847400 and we would be happy to talk through the individual requirements for your dog.

Male Dog Neutering

Male dogs can make good pets either castrated or entire. Castrating a dog will have no effect on his character. Dogs that show early signs of aggression should be considered for castration although this will not guarantee correction of the behavioural problem.

Did you know?

All guide dogs and other working dogs are castrated

Male Cat Neutering

Tom cats that are not pedigree stud cats should all be castrated. The stray cat population in Britain is growing rapidly. Castrated male cats also:

• Neutered tom cats smell less
• Neutered tom cats fight less
• Neutered tom cats roam less

As a result they pick up less infections, for example, Feline Aids and leukaemia and reduce the risk of road traffic accidents through roaming. Castrating a cat will have no effect on his character.

Why Vaccinate Your Pet?

Vaccinating your cat, dog, puppy or kitten is one of the most important things that you can do as a responsible and caring owner. It will help your pet to live a long and healthy life.

These vaccines provide antibodies against the most common and contagious, life-threatening diseases that your dog or cat will come across during their lifetime. Many of these diseases either have no cure, or would involve long, expensive and often unsuccessful treatments for your pet.

When should I vaccinate?

During the first few weeks of life, your puppy or kitten will be protected from disease by immunity passed on by the mother before birth and through her milk (these are known as maternally derived antibodies). Unfortunately, this immunity only lasts until your puppy or kitten is around 12 weeks of age. This is why it is so important to get the vaccinations completed as soon as possible.

First vaccination can be given from 6 weeks old in puppies and 8-9 weeks old in cats.

The second vaccination is then given 3 – 4 weeks later. Our Vets will advise you of the required timing for your pet.

After the primary course, an annual ‘booster’ vaccination is essential, providing your loved pet with continuous protection. Annual boosters are very important as, unlike humans, the effect of vaccination only lasts a limited time.

Vale Vets follow a triennial vaccination policy with some vaccine components given annual and others given every 3 years. Our Vets will discuss this at your pets booster appointment.

What Diseases Does The Vaccine Cover?

Cats

Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis – ‘CAT FLU’

• Easily transmitted from one cat to another
• Causes sneezing, fever, lack of appetite, discharges from the eyes and nose and coughing
• Even if a cat recovers, symptoms may occur on and off for life

Feline Calicivirus

• Another major cause of ‘cat flu’
• Widespread and highly contagious
• Causes ulcers in the tongue and mouth and pneumonia (lung inflammation), sneezing and runny eyes
• Treatment is difficult
• Infected animals will continue to spread the disease to other cats, and may have lifelong problems

Feline Panleucopenia – cat ‘Parvo’ or Enteritis

• This disease can survive for up to a year outside of your cat’s body
• Most cats will come into contact with it in their lifetime
• Causes diarrhoea, vomiting, severe dehydration and fever
• Once infected, a cat can spread the disease to other cats in the area
• Vaccination is essential for this potentially fatal disease – treatment is very difficult, and not always successful

Feline Leukaemia Virus (FeLV)

• This disease can result in a number of health problems for your cat, ranging from bacterial infections to cancers
• After being exposed to the virus, an infected cat may show no symptoms for months, if not years, while continuing to affect other healthy cats
• A potentially fatal disease

Dogs

Canine Parvovirus

• Spread via infected faeces dog to dog
• Highly contagious and often fatal
• Causes fever, vomiting, and diarrhoea with blood
• The disease can stay in the environment for months, continuing to infect other dogs

Canine Distemper

• Often fatal and very difficult to treat
• Spread dog to dog by eye and nose discharges
• Causes fever, coughing, diarrhoea, vomiting, fitting and paralysis

Infectious Canine Hepatitis

• Spread dog to dog by infected urine, faeces or saliva
• Symptoms similar to Distemper
• Causes liver failure, eye damage and breathing problems
• Can be fatal

Leptospirosis

• Infected dogs can suffer from liver and kidney damage
• This disease will need a long period of treatment if they are to fully recover
• Often fatal and CAN INFECT HUMANS

Infectious Tracheobronchitis – ‘Kennel cough’

• Transmitted from dog to dog easily
• Caused by various airborne bacteria and viruses just like the human cold
• Causes a dry, hacking cough – often resulting in vomiting
• Requires a separate vaccine given by squirting liquid up the nose

• Allergy Treatments
• Cancer Treatments
• Dietary Advice
• ECG
• Endoscopy
• Export Certificates
• General Surgery
• Insurance Advice
• Preventative medical advice
• Ultrasound
• Worming and Flea treatment
• X-rays