Doppler heart tests for £99

Cheshire – Sunday 21st July

Very kindly subsidised by the National Whippet Association Sarah Pirie Heart Fund.

Contact the Breed Health Coordinator Jo Whitehead joclarewhitehead@yahoo.co.uk to book or message the Whippet Breed Council Facebook Page.

Original source – Whippet Breed Council

Whippet cardiology update – May 2024

In late April 2024, a meeting with the UK Kennel Club Health Team, Veterinary Cardiology Society cardiologist (Hannah Stephenson), and UK Whippet Breed Health Co-Ordinator (BHC – Jo Whitehead) was held. We would therefore like to provide an up-to-date cardiology summary for the breed and make recommendations clear.

Heart testing data for Whippets in the UK has now been collected for more than 15 years. Around 2000 auscultation test certificates have been collated. Approximately 25% of these certificates record that the dog tested had an audible murmur. The cause of the murmur (be it innocent or due to a heart problem) can only be determined if the dog goes on to have an echocardiogram/doppler. Most of those with a recorded murmur have either never had an ECG, or their results have not been sent to the BHC.

The breed continues to advise that all breeding stock are heart tested by auscultation before breeding and further encourages that if a murmur is detected, a Doppler scan is conducted. Low-grade murmurs should not be ignored.

Pulmonic Stenosis (PS).

Jo Whitehead is to gather data on known PS cases and will be forwarding details to Hannah Stephenson. There appears to potentially be a genetic predisposition in Whippets from some bloodlines. It was suggested that the possibility of developing a genetic test for this condition is explored. If geneticists and the cardiology board believe this to be feasible, it will involve collecting DNA from known PS-affected Whippets and their relatives.

This would be a significant breakthrough for the breed.

Any dog with Pulmonic Stenosis (however mild) should not be bred. Although mild PS is unlikely to have significant effects on that dog’s own longevity, it could easily pass on PS to its offspring, in a much more severe form. A dog that has been operated on for PS and can now technically be ‘cleared’ on auscultation should never be bred from.

Mitral Valve Disease (MVD).

MVD has been more often seen in older Whippets with little effect on longevity and doesn’t usually progress significantly.

Young dogs diagnosed with MVD or significant MV regurgitation should not be bred from.

Suggestions made that the breed encourage testing in dogs aged 8+ so that the progression and prevalence of MVD can be understood.

Summary

• Auscultation test before breeding.

• Doppler test before breeding if a murmur is detected on auscultation.

• Regular re-tests throughout the life of the dog

• Encourage testing of dogs aged 8+

• BHC will be approaching people to discuss follow-up results and also participation in the development of a genetic test for PS

• The Breed Council website will keep an up-to-date list of dogs tested clear by auscultation/doppler confirmed innocent murmurs.

Within the previous two-year period (should go live within the next couple of months).

• With the support of the Sarah Pirie Heart Fund (NWA) and the newly formed Breed Health Fund – money will be available to

Pre-Visit Checklist for Owners

Before your vet visit, make sure to gather the following:

• List of Questions: Prepare any questions or concerns you have about your pet’s health or behavior.
• List of Medications: Bring along a list of any medications your pet is currently taking.
• Muzzle (if needed): Consider muzzle training if your pet may require a muzzle during the visit. Guide to muzzle training.
• Short Lead: Use a short lead instead of a retractable one for better control.
• Blanket or Familiar Item: Bring a blanket or something familiar that your pet often uses or lays on.
• Food or Treats: If applicable, bring your pet’s favorite treats or food.
• Photos or Videos: Provide any photos or videos of your pet displaying symptoms, if available.

How to Prepare for the Visit:

• Stay Calm: Remember, your pet can pick up on your feelings too, so try to remain calm to help keep them at ease.
• Safe Transportation: Ensure your pet is safely transported to the vet and is accustomed to the mode of transportation.
• Stay in the Car if Preferred: If your pet is more comfortable waiting in the car, please notify us upon arrival. We’ll come out to you when ready, reducing stress, especially in busy waiting rooms. This also helps maintain a calm environment for other pets if your dog tends to vocalize.
• Handling Preparation: Handling plays a significant role in examining your pet, so please get your pet used to being handled in areas such as paws, tail, ears, face, and body. Guide on handling your dog.

In a literal sense it means Abnormal development

Dys – abnormal, impaired, difficult,

Plasia – from Greek plasis a moulding or formation, from plassein to mould

But what does to a pet? sadly it can men a lifetime of pain and difficulty with normal movement.

With our CT scanner we have been lucky enough to actually see a four view picture and explain exactly how this condition becomes a problem. We were asked to CT scan a 5 year old labrador that had suddenly gone lame.

These are the pictures and explanation oooo fancy but what does it actually mean. Well Sadly it means that the dog in this case has an elbow that works as a mortar and pestle as the fragments rub in the joint. The word incongruity means the normal joint does not sit in the correct location and as the CT defines in this case is moderately out of place. Therefore as you can imagine this is a disease process that will progress.

The bad news is that well as elbows animals can get dysplaias in many areas but also most predominantly the hips. Factors such as excessive growth rate, types of exercise, improper weight, and unbalanced nutrition can magnify this genetic predisposition. Although there are some good breeders that check the disease state of hips and elbows and how likely it is to be passed on to future offspring it is not compulsory and therefore in buying a puppy you may not know how bad its joints are going to be as the disease process manifests as they get older and bigger

The good news For the dog in the scan we sought advice from specialists. In some case surgery is an option but was though not to be the best case here. The great news was that all advice given were things Mochdre Vets could offer. The best news though was that we implemented the advice and we had reports of an amazing response with the odg being able to return to exericse and enjoy his life.

This is the advice from the specialists

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT: It would be important to prevent Milo from getting overweight as this would put more pressure and cause more inflammation on his abnormal joints. It he was already overweight, then I would recommend he loses weight.

ANALGESICS: Prescription of NSAIDs for at least 3-4 weeks initially would be recommended. You could add other drugs, such as gabapentin, paracetamol (pardale), amantadine or amitriptyline to see if he responds. Galliprant, which has a different mechanism of action than NSAIDs could be tried to see if it is effective, although generally this is not as effective as NSAIDs. Librela could also be beneficial for long-term management of OA.

NUTRACEUTICALS: I would recommend Milo is prescribed joint supplements containing omega 3 fatty acids as they have been reported to clinically help dogs with osteoarthritis. The use of cannabinoids could also be helpful in the management of chronic pain, although I do not have experience with this therapy.

EXERCISE MODIFICATION: Milo´s joints are not normal and the osteoarthritis will progress with time. Although exercise is beneficial for the correct nutrition and movement of the joints, high impact activities, such as jumping, running or playing with other dogs, are detrimental to degenerated joints. I would recommend he is kept active, but mostly with low impact activities, such as walking on the lead and on soft/padded surfaces. We generally start with 5 minute slow walks on the lead, 2 – 3 times a day, for 2 weeks. Then, and provided he is improving, the length of his walks could be progressively increased by 5 minutes every 2 weeks. The length of the walks would need to be adjusted to his tolerance and decreased if he becomes stiff.

PHYSIOTHERAPY: Leo would benefit from physiotherapy and hydrotherapy performed by a certified physiotherapist to improve his clinical signs. Laser therapy and acupuncture have also shown positive effects on osteoarthritic and painful joints so it would be worth trying to see if he responds. Hydrotherapy is a very helpful therapy to try to build up the atrophied muscles, maintain/improve joint range of motion, relax the musculature, etc. while not supporting 100% of the weight through the joints. This may also help him do some exercise and be less depressed. We just need to find what works for Leo. Regenerative medicine with intraarticular injections of platelet rich plasma or stem cell therapy could also be considered. Unfortunately although the use of MSC is a promising therapy for OA, results from different studies are contradicting. Generally evidence would say dogs may improve with the IA administration of MSC and/or PRP, but in very degenerated joints, this beneficial effect may not be that evident. Other IA injections could be tried, such as arthramid vet. I generally leave IA injection of steroids as a last resort, as this would improve the clinical signs but could also cause more joint degeneration.

From 1st September 2023 the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS, regulatory body for the veterinary profession in the UK) is introducing new guidance on prescribing prescription-only medicines. The full guidance can be found here

Our previous policy was everything needs a repeat medication check every 6 months and 12 months for anti parasitics subject to veterinary discretion.

The new guidance requires that a physical examination of the pet has to be performed every time any antibiotics, antifungals, antivirals and antiparasiticides are prescribed. This includes topical preparations such as ear and eye drops, and all prescription flea, worm and tick products

The guidance is an important step towards ensuring responsible antimicrobial use and reducing the veterinary impact on the wider issues of global antibiotic resistance and decline of insect populations.

What this means in practice is that your pet will need to come in for an in-person consultation every time:

• we need to prescribe medication for an ear infection (as most contain antibiotics)
• we need to prescribe antibiotics for any skin problem, even if it’s a chronic problem
• we/you decide to change from one flea/worm/tick product to another
• we suspect a urinary tract infection (remote/online consultation and urine analysis/culture are no longer sufficient)
• we suspect a gastrointestinal infection (remote/online consultation and faecal analysis/culture are no longer sufficient)

Where possible we will try and provide you enough medication to cure the problem but unfortunately there are no guarantees.

In the example of ear problems if it looks like a chronic problem or a diagnosed problem we either prescribe a separate bottle for each ear if it is a bilateral problem.

We also can no longer prescribe prescription deworming products on the basis of a laboratory report alone, we will need to see the pet for a consultation and physical examination first. For long term prescription medication that is not an antimicrobial/antiparasitic, our usual policy of requiring an examination every 6 months (or every 3 months in some less stable or more serious cases) continues to apply. The consultations are charged at our usual fee of £13, for just a repeat meds check (if you have new problems or need to change medication the charge maybe more.

As well as having to embrace all these changes it means we will have to offer more appointments which we are already struggling to do. We have therefore had to take the decision that all missed appointments will be charged for and when booking a CT scan or an operation you a deposit will be required.

Client expectations soared and clients were stressed and not in control, and we tried to follow government guidelines and those set out by our governing body the Royal College.

More people than ever got pets and we became busier than ever but not every client was kind and the job became more of a battle and morale and mental health was dropping.

For a long time Mochdre Vets has supported charities and been proactive in supporting organisations.  We have wanted to give back more and doing volunteer work has been something the team wanted to persue.

Veterinary practices are a place of healing, support, and second chances. Run by vets, nurses, and people who are passionate about animal welfare, they help ease the suffering of animals and give many a brighter future.

But, in some parts of the world, veterinary supplies are limited, expert training is lacking, and clinics are ill-equipped. Unable to provide animals with the treatment and care they so desperately need, many animals suffer unnecessarily.

Worldwide Veterinary Service provides free expert care to animals in need all over the world. We do this by sending vets where they are needed most, training them to increase the standard of care globally and by shipping urgent aid supplies worldwide, every week of the year.

Mission Rabies

Rabies kills at least one child every nine minutes. It’s an agonising death and there is no treatment once a person shows symptoms of the disease. If you get bitten by a rabid dog (the cause of 99% of all rabies in humans), the only chance you have is to get to a hospital and receive a course of post exposure vaccinations – which is fine as long as the hospital has them and if you can afford them. Tragically, in the places where rabies is most prevalent, access to treatment is difficult and prohibitively expensive.

The way to eliminate the disease is by vaccinating the dog populations that carry it. Protect the dogs, protect the people – and it is mainly children that get bitten as they are the ones who come into contact with roaming dogs most.

 Killing dogs doesn’t work – it just creates a vacuum for more dogs to move into an area – but vaccinating the ones there is the way to establish a herd immunity and this technique works! Mission Rabies vaccinated over 35,000 street dogs in Blantyre, Malawi last year (and the year before). Blantyre hospital annually reported the highest incidence of child rabies deaths from any single institution in the whole of Africa in 2012. This is why we targeted the city. This year it hasn’t recorded a single child rabies death.

So let’s do this properly – let’s eliminate rabies from one of the poorest countries of the world, let’s protect hundreds of thousands of dogs and people, let’s establish a blueprint for how this disease can be beaten in sub Saharan Africa on a national scale and let’s do it in the next five years. MSD Animal Health are donating the vaccines, Dogs Trust are supporting 3 states, Mission Rabies are totally fired to make this happen – we just need a bit of cash and a few thousand volunteers!!! and here we were!

Illovo Sugar Plantation

I think Mochdre vets is very well equipped and we offer a high level of care to our patients. In Malawi however we were given a gazebo and we just had to set up as a field station. We had none of the usual fancy gadgets and monitors we had to rely on ourselves to be vigilant and trust that the owners could hold their pets while we injected them. Most of the people bringing the pets were children. In the UK they wouldn’t be allowed to sign the consent form if they were under 18 but on occasions we had people that couldn’t read or write and we relied on just a finger print! We worked with some of the locals that had good English and they helped translate, Jo was responsible for registering them and weighing them.

Blantyre SPCA

As well as the out reach project we were involved with Malawian vet students and participated in helping them and sharing stuff we knew.They were all very interested in pain management and we had dogs at the clinic that we were able to perform acupuncture on and share our experiences. The staff at the Blantyre SPCA were so helpful and welcoming to us and they really seemed to want to ask questions and learn from us.

Our experience

Hannah

Hannah final year student nurse ….

From my adventure to Malawi there were two key memories which will stick out for me, one being Majete wildlife reserve and the other being the outreach project at the sugar cane plantation.

Majete started of with lavender hot towel and a fruity drink on arrival. We were then introduce to the lovely manager who promptly organised our bags to be taken to our rooms and a table set for lunch, it was a real luxury! We went on four game drives, two early rises and two sundowners.

The game drives were truly magical where we got to see: impala, waterbucks, baboons, vultures, giraffes, zebra, lions and not to forget the elephants! The elephants frequently visited the watering hole which was only 5 meters away from the lunch table.

The outreach project was people who did not have the means to pay for sterilisation and rabies vaccinations. Setting up for surgery out in the middle of a sugarcane plantation was interesting to say the least, but we made it work. After the first couple of surgeries the team really pulled together to make a flowing system. During this outreach, I have learnt how to be a nurse using the bare minimum supplies and staff. Putting IV catheters in without any assistance from another nurses to raise the vein and restrain became easy. And monitoring multiple animals under anaesthetic all at once became the normal. At the end of the outreach project, all 88 animals seen for surgery went home neuter, preventing unwanted pregnancies and stopping the spread of TVT (transmittable venereal tumour) which are spread through sexual interactions of dogs.

The adventure to malawi was truly life changing and has hopefully made me grow into a more confident nurse. Seeing what difference we can make to people who need our help has really gives me confidence to want to pursue more volunteering campaigns in the future.

Amy

Jo

Head receptionist Joanne said;- When I heard about our trip to Malawi I had mixed emotions .A mixture of excitement and also doing something out of my comfort zone. When we arrived my nerves subsidied and I felt instantly relaxed.The Malawians were so friendly and I soon realised why Malawi is known as the heart of Africa. The team at the BSPCA was so welcoming and the animals under their care so well looked after.

One of the highlights of my trip was getting involved with the outreach project at the sugar plantation. The project was neutering the village dogs which was a huge success.All in all this trip has made me realise how lucky we are with what we have.Some of the children and families have very little but it doesn’t stop them from being happy, smiling and welcoming.

Louise

To try and write a full story of our time would take pages and pages . This is a short paragraph , a taste of what we all encountered. Long may we hold onto the joy of what we achieved with Mochdre Vets.

Louise also talked about Mission Rabies

Many adults and children are still dying from rabies In Malawi and the surrounding villages .

Mission Rabies is a charity initiative set up worldwide to try to eliminate dog bite transmitted rabies.

They need a minimum of 70% of cats and dogs to be vaccinated to help stop rabies as a killer.

I was fortunate enough to be asked to do two days outreach with the mission rabies team alongside other volunteers and it will stay with me for the rest of my life.

We set off early in the morning armed with a bag full of vaccinations and big red “ bingo style dobber” for marking the newly vaccinated animals.

A very loud megaphone to alert all the villages to bring out their animals to us and off we went.

We traveled many miles through terrain that I was amazed we actually got through!

Once the cars couldn’t go any further, we set out on foot over land. The obstacles for me anyway were entertaining to say the least, at one point going over small bridges and water ways over big obstacles for a long way and sometimes just for one animal.
All adding to the numbers needed.
My memory of the children is what made me a little emotional at times, as waving at a few children made dozens and dozens more appear and then would all chase the cars, running alongside waving cheering and the smiles were huge.

We managed 84 vaccinations one day a big total given how far apart each animal was.

The cats came out in bags which at first was alarming but then quickly realised how easier and less stressful for all . Cats didn’t seem to mind either!  The tree method was also a winner, hold the cat against a tree, it will naturally hang on, vaccinate it and go to the next one 🤩🤩

The feeling of accomplishment was always present and has stayed with me since. Even with no medical skills you can make a difference, common sense and enthusiasm can get you far.
I met so many people, all humble and grateful just for us being there to help.
The education is always present on handling, caring and the facts on rabies.

Everyone’s documented and certificates were proudly given .

The fact that I had the opportunity to even join the group from Mochdre Vets still amazes me but I’m proud to have been able to do a very small part .

Melody

Thursday came around and Nicola and I had a very bumpy (literally) ride around Blantyre to treat the TVT dogs with chemo injections.

Friday we were off to Majete, where we had 3 amazing game drives and even saw elephants about 30 meters away at our campsite watering hole.

The following week I enjoyed a few rewarding (but very tiring) days of mission rabies. Where a total of 91 dogs and cats (in bags) were vaccinated against rabies.

Finishing off our last night with a wonderful sounds of Malawi concert where we had 3 different artists and lots of dancing. Malawi had both ups and downs of the water and electricity shutting off randomly, but also the pleasure of working with a terrified puppy who went from hiding in a corner, to climbing into my lap.

Overall an unforgettable experience. Thank you to BSPCA and especially Sarah for making my dreams come true.

Nicola

The people were lovely and so grateful to us for helping the village dogs. It was rewarding as we weren’t only just preventing Rabies in cats and dogs but also humans as well. We also visited the villages treating dogs with TVT (transmissible venereal tumours), neutering and giving vincristine injections weekly. It was amazing and so rewarding to see the tumours shrink from the size of melons to barely visible at all. I learnt some new things such as how to give and monitor injectable anaesthesia rather than the usual gas anaesthetic which was quite daunting. I learnt about Rabies and how to deal with cases (I didn’t realise Rabies had a 100% fatality rate). I also learnt about the treatment of wild animals such as darting lions, tracking wild dogs and pangolins (although unfortunately it was only cats and dogs I got hands on with!)

Chloe

Hello,

First of all I would like to say thank you very much for giving us the amazing opportunity to be able to volunteer with the BSPCA in Malawi. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I will be forever grateful for and that has helped me gain a different perspective of the veterinary world outside of the UK and helped me further my veterinary knowledge which I shall use throughout my veterinary career. I thoroughly enjoyed working alongside the staff and clients of the BSPCA they contributed greatly to my great experience in Malawi.

I loved the amazing experience of the safari in Majete and being able to see many wild animals in their natural habitat.

I cannot say thank you enough for the amazing experience I had in Malawi, I still can’t believe I was able to take part in such a great opportunity.

Chloe x

Ella

The next day we decided to head over to Majete. It ended up creeping up to 36 degrees which was crazy to us as we’re so used to the wet welsh weather!! On our first game drive we spotted a beautiful male elephant which got us quite emotional. He was very tranquil which our tour guide informed us can be quite unusual. We saw a range of other stunning animals such as all the different types of antelopes like the Nyala. Our tour guide was teaching us the difference between them all by their markings + the quantities of their packs and he quizzed us regularly 🙂

We then cooled ourselves off by the pool with some lunch for a few hours before heading on our second drive for the sunset. We again saw some elephants but this time we saw a family with their calf. The male became quite protective of the calf therefore we had to move on quite quickly before they became unsettled or upset. Our guide was telling us the story of Majete’s reserve and how he hopes it will persevere and that they will get to include more animals in the near future.

On our way back as the sky got darker we were alerted of some Lions near by , and our guide was driving very quickly in the dark to try and find them for us, it was a lot of fun but we did come home with a fair few bruises!
We stayed the night in Majete in the lodges , but we did not get much sleep as we later learned the Lions decided to come to us after we failed to find them!

The next day was our introduction day at the clinic. We got to meet all the volunteers and their inpatients. We were also given a presentation by Dagmar about Rabies and the BSPCA’s future goals in treating it. I learnt that Rabies is 100% fatal and despite having vaccinations we would still need post exposure vaccinations if bitten.

That afternoon the orphaned puppies became our responsibility for the rest of our time there. At first they were fed every 2 1/2 hours, but they eventually began to be fed every 4-5 hours. It was a great experience on how to hand rear puppies and we quickly got a routine down between us. We took turns during the night where two of us would do one night then the other two the next, we were very tired but seeing the puppies grow + improve made it very worth while.

We also gifted Verson and Aaron with their stethoscopes which they were beyond happy with. They couldn’t believe it was theirs and that they were also personalised. It was emotional and made us so happy how something small can mean so much to them, after all their hard work they deserved it 🙂

On Wednesday I volunteered myself to go on the TVT rounds with Courtnie, Aaron and George. I had no knowledge of TVT therefore it was a very interesting day! I was primarily in charge of documenting all the information onto their app, such as if their tumours had improved + dates of the treatments etc. I did also get to assist in restraining the dogs and even preparing some of the medication in between. I feel like this experience has given me more confidence in handling / restraining dogs as most of them were a bit wild and would not easily sit as we’re used to !

As a bonus I got to experience more of Blantyre as every patient was quite a distance from each other, all the people were so kind and welcoming and the views were breathtaking.

Thursday morning we were up bright and early to do the morning round at the clinic. We assisted in giving the animals their medication, change their bedding and giving them fresh food. We also were socialising many nervous dogs and encouraging two amputee dogs to try and get mobile again post surgery.

After the round was done Auguste and I did two surgeries together, a dog castrate and a bitch spey. I am fairly confident with monitoring under anesthetic therefore I was very keen to help. I was very surprised to learn how they manage their anaesthetics with an injectible ‘top up’. I had to be extremely observant and at any sign of the dog being light I had to administer 0.5-1ml of the ‘top up’. It was stressful at first but I did find it very fascinating as well. It was not only great to further my experience with anaesthetics but it was incredible to watch my colleagues gain confidence with surgeries and monitoring as well.

Lydia also taught me how to place IV catheters. After a few attempts I was successful and felt very proud of myself! I did try with the next surgery as well but unfortunately blew the leg!! Practice makes perfect 🙂 Courtnie, Mark and Lydia invited us out for dinner which was nice as we got to know them better and to learn more about the BSPCA – we also had a laugh eating in the dark due to the power going out.

Thursday afternoon we went over to Game Haven to experience another drive but this time focusing on Prey animals. I had never seen a Zebra so close before and I was taken back by how beautiful they were . We also managed to find their only Giraffe ‘Mrs G’ which was amazing as they stated she can be difficult to find.

Unfortunately we did seem to bring a part of home with us and it rained the entire time ! But we still had an amazing afternoon. We then made our way back to the puppies before packing our bags to sadly head home. On Friday morning we made our mark on the volunteers wall and took plenty of pictures to look back on with the other volunteers. We were extremely grateful for the incredible experience and they were grateful for our help and newly found friendships.

This trip was truly a dream come true for me. Experiencing the culture, people and animals was magical, and getting to further my skills in a variety of conditions really has helped my confidence and I believe they will be beneficial to my nursing in future. After this experience I am sure to volunteer again in the near future.

Claire

Firstly, I will never be able to thank Sarah enough for this amazing opportunity!

Malawi was beautiful, the staff and animals at the BSPCA were lovely to work alongside.  In our country, we are used to gold standard veterinary care, experiencing veterinary care in a different country was definitely an eye opener for me, having to deal with patients with diseases such as rabies and commonly parvovirus was different to what I’m used to.

The work that the BSPCA do is wonderful, the mission rabies was a highlight for me, going to different villages and vaccinating the dogs against rabies was very rewarding.

Going to Majete and seeing all of the wildlife in their natural habitat made me quite emotional, especially the elephants, we were so close to a male elephant who had left his herd to go and find a mate, he was breathtaking!

We also visited Game Haven where we saw some beautiful Zebras – again, so beautiful and so close to us.  Malawi was an amazing experience that I will never forget and will forever be grateful for. Thank you Sarah.

As some of you may know, I was recently presented with an amazing opportunity from Sarah to qualify as a level 4 hydrotherapist and so I wanted to share with you how this advanced qualification benefits our sessions with your loved pet(s).

As an already qualified level 6 veterinary physiotherapist, I have a great passion and knowledge for rehabilitating animals and seeing them return from strength to strength to get back to their normal antics! During my time at a specialised rehabilitation centre for small animals prior to joining the team at Mochdre Vets, I already had good experience in hydrotherapy. What this advanced qualification allows me to do is build upon this experience and add even more value to our hydrotherapy sessions.

The physical portion of the course took place at Greyfriars Hydrotherapy Centre which was filled with learning and hands on experience. This course was taught by veterinarians, veterinary physiotherapists and senior hydrotherapists so I knew they had a lot of knowledge of many conditions in relation to hydrotherapy.

The qualification covered an array of important topics including hydrotherapy-specific first aid; advanced water treadmill techniques; spinal and neurological cases; orthopaedic cases and water management to ensure the highest level of hygienic standards. Learning these things meant that I have furthered my understanding of which techniques are appropriate for individual cases, allowing me more choice and flexibility on which to utilise for your pet in different scenarios.

A personal highlight for me was experiencing a water treadmill session for myself. The tutors invited me into the treadmill to see how it influences my own gait! That was a laugh! I’m sure there is a video of me somewhere on Facebook!

Although the course was challenging, I am so proud to have completed it and gained valuable knowledge which I look forward to implementing in all my sessions and help further improve clients at Mochdre Vets that need hydrotherapy as part of their rehabilitation plan.

 You can read more about Molly here

One of our most positive stories during lockdown was meeting Gloria.  Gloria is a beautiful black cat that was brought in as a stray by the RSPCA. Even to the untrained eye Gloria’s back leg was swinging freely in the wind after she suffered a fracture.

She was called Gloria after the song I will survive …

“I will survive
Oh, as long as I know how to love, I know I’ll stay alive
I’ve got all my life to live”

This summed up Gloria no matter how much pain she must have been in she just wanted a big cuddle, some fuss and some food and was just adorable.

Being a charity the RSPCA was limited to what funds they had available for Gloria so it was agreed that we would take her on and be responsible for her treatment. Thankfully we have a good relationship with the RSPCA and they were on board so we arranged for her leg to be fixed. Here are her before and after x-rays.

We kept Glroia at the practice for 6 weeks to let the leg heal so she became a great friend to the staff constantly miaowing for attention when they walked past. Thankfully she had no complications so at 6 weeks we re x-rayed her, spayed her, microchipped and vaccinated her.  We have two good frrends of the practice Katy and Petra and they had a suggestion of who would Gloria a fantastic new home and she was off.

It was great to be able to help Gloria in such a tough time as corona but Gloria showed us that even when things aren’t going your way being happy and making the most of life gets you a long way!

EVERYONE KNOWS FROZEN AND HOW ELSA SANG LET IT GO WELL THIS ELSA SANG EGGGGG IT GOOOOOOO!!!

Elsa is a four year old gecko and her mum noticed that she was putting on weight even though she wouldn’t eat her food. When Elsa was examined it was seen that she was physically swollen in her abdomen and an x-ray confirmed why. As you can see from the x ray and the invert contrast Elsa appeared to be egg bound.

It could easily be seen from the x-rays the area that appeared to be egg shaped was far bigger than the area of the pelvis that Elsa could pass.   We did have medical options which were not successful so we were left with one option to spay her.

I had never spayed a gecko before so I was honest with the owner and said I would give it ago – hey, I never spayed a cat until I did my first one so after a lot of research, advice from peers and even old fashioned book reading we were ready.

Thankfully the op went well amazingly Elsa had four large eggs removed and she was spayed so hopefully no future problems. After the spay we weighed the eggs and they were 1.6g and Elsa weighed 3.4g so nearly half her body weight in eggs (see in the above photo how skinny Elsa was and then swollen in her belly).

From the x-ray I was only expecting to remove two large eggs so had a surprise when there were more of them.

The eggs are outlined in blue (I know who knew the other side was worse!). The shaded yellow part is Elsa’s lungs which meant that not only were they occupying all her abdomen meaning she didn’t want to eat they were starting to compress her lungs so she was struggling to breath.

As more of Elsa’s reserves would go into her eggs it was only ever going to get harder for her.

We don’t make any claims to be exotic experts but we do believe every animal deserves a chance and will happily work with you to provide the best for your creature great or small. If you would like any advice you are welcome to contact us

Everyone knows Mochdre Vets offers a diverse range of services and therefore we have lots of people that specialise in a different area. We are a very sociable group but it sometime hard to appreciate everyone else. I am sure if you asked each staff member who worked the hardest they would say themselves but wouldn’t necessarily know what someone else was doing so it was decided everyone would spend time in each department and do job swaps.

Being down in the rehabilitative department for most of the day I often miss out on all the rush and emergencies seen in the practice. My first job swap was with Sarah! Suddenly I was back to feeling like a work experience student and desperate to see everything. Luckily this was a very busy day and I was able to see some emergency treatment and see surgery. Seeing how many cases there is to juggle in a day and how they vary so much was exciting but definitely made me appreciate how much the veterinarians have to manage.

Sessions in the rehab department are structured and aren’t affected by emergency cases very often. This meant it was a holiday away from home for a lot of the nurses who came down with Claire even taking a swim in the pool! It was nice to share with the girls what I look for with every dog, how they are moving and what we do to improve on this. It also provided an opportunity to share some of our wonderful regulars who are referred to us, that don’t normally meet the rest of the team.

It’s a known fact within Mochdre Vets that I am rubbish when it comes to reception. I think this role involves a lot of practice and knowing where everything is immediately. Being at the other end of the practice I don’t often have time to hone in on my reception skills and I’m probably not the person to ask when it comes to the printer settings. One thing doing the job swap taught me was how quickly things change and I am finally able to take prescription requests without needing to ask Jo for help!

Success all around, although you’ll likely still find me down in the pool!

Gwenan

It is such a calming experience in the hydro centre, it really does feel like a spa day. I usually see all the familiar faces at reception for a chat but it was interesting to hear Gwenan assessing each patients progress and seeing how far into recovery they are. Writing up the clinical notes was completely new to me as I would normally only deal with clinical notes when processing insurance forms.

At the end of the scheduled sessions I had my own dog to swim, handsome Bert who everyone knows has a fitness level on a par with mine! We managed an impressive six laps together, with rest stops in between and whilst Bert was a model patient I was definitely flagging by the end!

Day two; nursing

The nursing team nearly make up more of the staff than the rest of the Practice combined but even with all those extra bodies there are still plenty of times where they’re rushed off their feet as I was about to find out.
The day I chose to do nursing had a combination of different Op’s scheduled including lump removals, castrates and dentals which is fairly typical for our diary. As everyone knows I’m more than a bit of a molly-coddler when it comes to the dogs coming through reception so spending time with them in recovery after their Ops was probably the part I enjoyed most. The thing people won’t realise about the nursing team is how super organised they need to be as they never know when an emergency surgery is going to present and while looking after patients post-op keeps them busy there is almost always a number of inpatients also needing cared for, some intensively.

Patient care is always the number one priority in the Practice and the nurses work really hard to treat every patient as if they were their own. The cleaning never stops and the chance of a cuppa is a rare thing when working on the nursing team!

Day three; Vet consults

I am constantly in and out of Vet consults for pain management therapies but I don’t often get to be present during clinical assessments so this day was a real eye opener. Lowri was the Vet I was shadowing and on a busy Friday afternoon we were back to back with routine consults. We had some really sweet patients in for routine check ups, vaccinations and ear cleaning but we also had some very poorly patients who required full clinical workups and in one instance dmittance as an inpatient. While Lowri tried her best to see everyone in a timely manner, some things do take a little bit longer due to the circumstances and needs of the patient. It is a really fine balance between running on time but still giving each patient the full attention they deserve. We had a particularly upsetting case in one room but Lowri did her best to continue with consults in another room, whilst still running back and forward to check on her patient. All our Vets do this and it really impresses me how well they can juggle a number of patients while still giving everyone the attention they deserve. Discussing finances can be really tricky but our Vets do this really well in consult so we can make clear treatment plans going forward, especially for patients being admitted.

While consulting, the Vets are constantly being pulled away to check on inpatients and call owners back regarding results etc. and put up prescriptions. I don’t know how they manage it and I’d love to say that it all stops at 8pm but as we run our own out of hours service, it doesn’t!

Rhian

Reception job swap.

The job swap made me appreciate how intense working on reception can be and how crucial the role is as part of the team in keeping the practice running smoothly. Reception is the front of house and the first thing customers see when they come through the doors so it important that everything is organised, well managed and smiles are on display.

Nurse job swap.

Thoroughly enjoyed my time with the nurses. Very informative. It was good to see first hand how the nurses run their day and have the opportunity to take part.

Vet job swap.

Spending time with Sarah gave me a greater insight of the constant work flow and variety of cases that walk through the door on a daily basis. It made me realise how quickly a 20 minute appointment can be used up and the demands on the vets to keep to time whilst providing the best care and advice to the client.

Hayley

Hydro – I thoroughly enjoyed my morning in hydro most of the morning was in the pool.The initial assessment I found really interesting and learnt the benefits of using treadmill and pool for certain conditions. The time spent there made me realise how much the hydro girls have trained to match treatments for the different conditions. I also found it gets a bit cold switching from pool to treadmill!

Vets – I followed Lowri in her consults which that morning were mainly cat consults. I found Lowri handled nervous cats well especially doing boosters. It made me realise how effective it is having a separate cat designated area which makes the environment cat friendly which certainly helps reduce stress in cats.

The second part of the vet swap I watched Lowri operate with one dog castrate and two cat castrates. I found this really interesting especially seeing the difference between dog and cat castrates. The stitching afterwards would be my worst nightmare with my sewing skills!

Nurse – from the nurse side of ops it became clear how important it is that the vets and nurses work so closely together through the ops. The nurses play a great part in keeping obs on the animals whilst under anaesthetic and when coming round. Checking heart rate breathing etc. Their role doesn’t stop there either as there is so much preparation before the ops making sure everything is sterile and cleaning up afterwards. Running the bloods is something I learned also.

All in all the girls in hydro, vets and nurses all work really hard to make the practice so successful and work as a team. If I was to choose to swap again I think I would choose time in hydro as thoroughly enjoyed swimming the dogs.

Jo

I did my job swap with Hayley, she is a one of the Hydrotherapist here, first session was in the pool, the aim of the session was to encourage a dog to use her hind limbs more due to lameness. I was able to 1.5 lengths in the pool which meant I encouraged her to swim the length of the pool by placing my hand close to her right hind limb. I noticed that there was much improvement of movement from when Hayley did the first lengths with her, this was quite interesting to see the difference in movement while under water as opposed to on the ground.

Next session was in the treadmill, the aim of the session was to encourage a dog to use her left fore limb due to on and off lameness, this was a difficult dog due to her being young and very bouncy at the beginning. Once in the treadmill with the harness on, she seem more relaxed, Hayley asked me to distracted her with a toy while the treadmill was on to encourage her to pay attention and to walk forward. I noticed while she was walking through the water, it looked like she was struggling on her rind hind and also shorter a gait. But towards the end of the session she was striding out easier which was a good improvement to see. It was very interesting to see both the pool and the treadmill in use, the treadmill is more hard work for them, it easier to see their gait and where they are struggling but the water aids in supporting in as they feel weightless as opposed to on the ground. I really enjoyed my job swap with Hayley.

Abi

We are very lucky to be able to offer scoping facilities at the practice and it has meant we have been able to pass a camera up noses, down stomachs and sadly for our very own Bert up bottoms too!  Well to scope does mean assess or investigate something. On Friday March 22nd it turned out to be cavalier scope day with three of them booked in.  Harvey had an endoscope passed down to his stomach a procedure called gastroscopy. For those that have a strong stomach you can click on the description to see some photos!

A gastroscopy is a procedure that involves passing a thin, flexible tube (an endoscope) with a camera at one end into your mouth down into your stomach and the first part of the small intestine the duodenum.

No one wants to hear their pet isn’t well but thanks to the camera Harvey was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease and we are able to start him on specific treatment.We could also reassure his mum there wasn’t anything more sinister going on. We were able to see that he had ulcers that were healing.

Mylo had a rhinoscopy where the thin camera was passed up his nose. Cavaliers can have a condition called Brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome and as we were investigating episodes of sneezing we wanted to know if his anatomy was the problem or something else, thankfully despite having a lump in his nasal passage biopsies showed it was just a polyp.

Becky had a bronchoscopy and rhinoscopy so bless her she had cameras up (her nose) and down (her windpipe). That in itself is fairly amazing as the dog lung has four bronchiole systems, dorsal, lateral, ventral and medial, on either side.  Each measuring less than centimetre! In Becky’s case an x ray would have missed some of the changes going on and although cavaliers can get a cough due to heart disease this was definitely not the case for Becky!

If you have a pet that you think would benefit from further diagnostics including scoping then please contact the practice on 01492 546112. 

Scoping procedures with biopsies start from £750 upwards depending on what your pets requirements are.