Newsletter 

We will publish a regular Newsletter here on our website to keep you up-dated with developments in our veterinary practice and other news and features that we feel might benefit you.

Do please come back to this page to receive an up-date on what's going on.  Last updated 21/05/10

News Item 1 - Summer Advice

Now that the warmer weather is on its way, here are some useful tips to avoid common problems over the summer months.

Heat:

Most pets will suffer from heat stress before people due to their limited ability to sweat. On hot days try to make sure that you allow some ventilation and/or shade for your pet. Avoid walking your dog at midday when the temperature is hottest. Never leave dogs unattended in a car on a warm day, heat stroke can develop in minutes and can easily be fatal.

Insects:

Most biting and stinging insects are just a nuisance but if your pet develops a painful or itchy swelling around the face on neck, please call for advice as occasionally the swelling can cause breathing difficulties.

Household fly repellants and fly sprays (including citronella) are toxic for cats - make sure not to use these products near your cat and never apply directly to the cat.

Flystrike - Rabbits with wet or soiled fur can attract flies to lay eggs on the fur, the emerging maggots can damage the flesh and if left, can be fatal. If you find any fly eggs or maggots on your rabbit, please call immediately for an emergency appointment. Prevention is better than cure:

1. Inspect the hutch twice daily and remove any wet or soiled bedding.
2. Insepct the rabbit twice daily to clean and dry any soiled or wet fur.
3. Use a suitable product to prevent maggot growth such as Rearguard - available from the practice and included in our Annual Rabbit Health Package).

 Snakes - Adder Bites:

Whilst not common we do occasionally see dogs with Adder bites in South Wales. Adders tend to live in long grass or woodland areas and will often be out on warm days to get some heat. They will bite dogs if disturbed with most bits occuring to the feet, legs or face of the dog. If any venom in injected the area will swell rapidly, become inflamed, hot and painful. Early treatment can significantly reduce the effects of the bite with most dogs recovering well.

News Item 2 - Petplan Veterinary Awards 2009

 The Petplan Veterinary Awards are an annual recognition of exceptional work in the veterinary industry. Clients can nominate individual staff or the practice in different categories. The winners can be seen by clicking on this link.

We are very grateful to our clients who have nominated us in the awards this year. This year we recieved nominations in 3 separate categories:

Veterinary Practice of the Year

Vet of the Year - Stuart Kay MRCVS

Vet of the Year - James Allsop MRCVS

We work very hard to provide the higest standards of veterinary care and client satisfaction and we are very grateful that our efforts have been recognised in this way. Unfortunately nominations are confidential so we would like to say a big 'Thank You' to whoever nominated us, we really appreciate it.

News Item 3 - Advent Charity Prizes

Through out the advent period we will be holding a dialy raffle to win various prizes from cuddly toys, flea/worming product and even your pet's next vaccination. It costs £1 per attempt and you have a 1in24 chance of winning each day. ALL money collected will go to Lylac Ridge Community Project. Please be generous, we raised over £250 last year for All Creatures Great and Small rehoming centre.

News Item 4 - Recent Changes to the Practice 

Last year we worked hard to improve the general running of the practice, we also updated our practice logo which helps to reflect the practice better. We have also invested in a new animal ambulance – which we hope will enable us to offer a wider range of services to our clients and continue our house visit and food/prescription delivery service.

By improving the efficiency within the practice we have been able to reduce the cost of our kitten and puppy vaccines. At the end of January we launched our kitten and puppy vaccination packages which reflect a significant saving on the essential services that kittens and puppies will need within the first 12months with you. Special Offers