Happy birthday

Here at valley vets we have just celebrated our Kilmarnock branches 1st birthday, who would have thought a year could pass so quickly. We hope you are finding our new surgery up to your expectations. Our Campbell place branch offers state of the art facilities for all your pets’ needs with two sterile operating theatres in house blood testing facilities and a digital x-ray suite. Should you require assistance in sourcing food or any special needs for any of your pets than feel free to ask one of our staff who will be happy to assist you? We can supply over 700 types of dog food and 400 types of cat food through any of our branches.

Our smaller branch in Stewarton also went through a makeover during Christmas / New Year of last year and we now have a fresh, spacious waiting area and consulting room. This offers welcoming and comfortable facility for our clients. Even though we are smaller in size we can still offer all of the products and sundries your pet requires. We aim to have any special orders with us within 24hr from our suppliers. Just ask one of the team for any help you require.

 NEW STAFF

We have had a few staff changes over the past year. Victoria Black one of our vets has moved on to pastures new and we wish her the best of luck in her new job. Joining us is Jennifer Meredith who has been with the Valley vets since she was 13 working as a Saturday volunteer and also doing her practical placement whilst studying for her degree. Now having graduated she has taken up a full time position with us and we welcome her as part of the team.

We also welcome Ashley  who has joined Kelly and Helen as part of our nurse support team. 

ROMANCE IS IN THE AIR  

Our head nurse Kelly Michael has recently announced her engagement to long-term partner James Pauley. We would like to take this opportunity to wish them the best of luck in the world.

NURSE CLINICS                                                      

Kelly also runs our pet health clinics, diabetic clinics and can also organise nail clipping and micro chipping at your convenience. Pets can be weighed and advice given about feeding and condition. Advice can be given on new puppies and kitten’s health and general care. Please contact reception to make an appointment at any of our nurse’s clinics.  

 Seasonal concerns and issues

         Yummy chocolate                                                                                        

Irresistible, delicious, comforting chocolate and such a choice especially with Easter just around the corner. We humans enjoy just a little indulgence during the holidays and we also enjoy “spoiling” our pets. `NO` may be a small word but it’s one that most of us find hardest to say. However we need to stop and think before feeding chocolate to our pets as it contains `theobromide` a substance that can be poisonous to your dog and cat. There digestive system can not deal with this and if your pet consumes too much `theobromide` it could be fatal.

`Chocolate poisoning` is more likely to occur in dogs as there very good sense of smell allows them to `sniff out the goodies`. It’s also not just the odd bar of chocolate that can cause your dog to become ill. But also drinking chocolate powder, cakes, biscuits, ice cream, desserts, milk shakes basically any food that may contain chocolate.

The effect it has on your pet depends on how much they have had and the size of your pet. If you have any concerns please contact us as soon as possible for advice.

Signs to watch out for

•          Vomiting
•          Diarrhoea
•          Hyperactivity
•          Excessive panting
•          Increased urinating
•          Restlessness
•          Muscle twitching                     

As the night are becoming longer and we hope drier we will find ourselves out and about more with our pets. At this time of year the country side is beginning to come back to life again so we need to be aware of some of the dangers faced by us and our pets.  

What are ticks?                                                   

Ticks are blood sucking parasites which are capable of attaching to the skin of most animals and birds. They are generally found in damp areas of dense vegetation and attach to the animal to feed then drop off. The main areas for tick attachment on the dog are the head, ears, legs and undercarriage.

When a tick attaches it uses its mouthparts to cut into the top layer of skin. It then inserts a tube with backwards facing teeth through the skin and towards the vessels below. A cement-like substance passes down the tube and helps to anchor everything firmly in place before enzymes and anti-clotting agents are released to allow the tick to start feeding.

Disease transmission

When they first attach they are the size of a small pinhead but some may grow to the size of a large pea and may be mistaken for a bluish-grey lump or wart. Some dogs never experience a problem when ticks attach but others will experience a reaction at the tick site, varying from the development of a small scab to a huge swelling the size of a walnut or more. If the body of the tick is removed but the mouthparts remain a lump often develops; dogs will find this irritating and if they scratch it often creates an infection at the site. Fortunately nearly all of these cases will get better without treatment or, if needed, respond to a short course of antibiotics.

Several types of tick are present in the UK but not all of them are associated with disease transmission. One that is, however, is Ixodes ricinus - the sheep or deer tick - which has been identified in the spread of  Borrelia burgdorferi the agent that causes Lyme disease. These ticks are most frequently found on moorlands, in areas of rough grazing, woods and copses. Currently they appear to be more common in Wales and the West Country and the west of Scotland.

 Prevention of disease

Although many ticks will not be carrying disease you cannot tell which ones are. It is safer to treat them all in the same way and make sure that once they have attached they come off as soon as possible. Most of the tick treatments on the market are designed to kill ticks; a few also claim to be able to repel ticks as well but are not yet 100% effective.

When a tick has attached it usually takes between 24 and 48 hours before it starts to transmit any disease. It is important therefore that the tick is killed or removed before this time. The various ‘spot-on’ formulations, collars and sprays marketed through the veterinary profession have all been proven to be effective at doing this provided they are used properly. It is very important that you follow the instructions on the packaging. A tick has such a thick body wall it takes a relatively high level of chemical to penetrate and take effect compared to fleas.

                              Spring flowers 

Daffodils can be surprisingly toxic and can cause effects such as:

Vomiting,  Diarrhoea, Bradycardia, Hypothermia, Tremors, Convulsions .

Daffodils (Narcissus species) can be surprisingly toxic, in most cases it is the bulb that has been ingested, but poisoning has been reported after ingestion of the flowers. Mild poisoning is even possible if water in which cut flowers have been standing is drunk. The toxic agents in daffodils are alkaloids and glycosides which are present hroughout but most concentrated in the bulbs. They also contain calcium oxalate crystals. These chemicals are irritant and have purgative and emetic actions, whilst calcium oxalate is a mechanical irritant. Effects can vary from a gastrointestinal upset, lethargy and pyrexia in a mild case to hypothermia, hypotension, bradycardia and dehydration in a severe case. There may be pruritis or erythema which may develop after contact with the sap. These effects can occur anytime from 15 minutes to 24 hours post ingestion. Treatment is essentially supportive, with particular focus on rehydration. Some spring flowers that are considered to be of low acute toxicity are tulips (Tulipa spp) and spring crocus(Crocus spp) - KS

ADDER BITES

 “ Adder bites rarely occur during the  winter when the snake is in hibernation but are more frequent in spring and summer ” 

The European adder,Vipera berus berus, is the only venomous snake native to the UK. An adult adder is around 50-60cm long, and is commonly characterised by a black/brown dorsal zig-zag pattern and a V-shaped marking on the head. The adder is commonly found on dry, sandy heaths, sand dunes, rocky hillsides, moorlands and woodland edges. The adder generally only bites when provoked. Bites rarely occur during the winter when the snake is in hibernation but are more frequent in spring and summer. In domestic animals adder envenomations can cause significant morbidity and mortality, although this may be due to the difficulty experienced by many vets in obtaining antivenom. Localised painful swelling may occur within minutes of a bite, or may be delayed for 30 minutes. The swelling may gradually spread and can be severe. There may be pale mucous membranes, bruising, salivation, vomiting, diarrhoea, dehydration, restlessness, drowsiness, depression, lethargy and lameness. Initially, tachycardia may be observed. Later there may be bradycardia, hypotension, collapse and shock. Pyrexia may also be noted, as well as tremors and convulsions. Coagulopathy may be noted in severe cases. Treatment is largely supportive with use of antivenom if available and where appropriate.Ensure that the bitten  animal is kept well hydrated and that the vital signs are monitored closely. Antihistamines should be used to reduce swelling, and vitamin k1 should be used to treat  coagulopathy.